It started 14 weeks ago. My Campaign for Personal Power was an intimate account of my journey to find balance, weight loss and healthy eating following the birth of my second child. It has been an exhilarating time. I didn't plan for our second bundle of joy to arrive the same day as a new job offer or within months of moving my practice, but as someone wisely remarked, life is what happens while you are busy making plans.
We are blessed with a beautiful baby who learned early on that sleeping at night was a good way to make friends. Like any new mom, I had good weeks and bad weeks. I was honest when I encountered challenges and I shared the resources that I employed to help me maintain to some semblance of sanity during a very busy time.
All the while I cruised along, walking, then running, doing yoga via online classes -- actively searching for any small opportunity during my day to include some exercise or extra greens. I was ploughing towards a goal, aiming for a number on the scale that I had set in my mind. The campaign and my motivation were never meant to be about reaching a goal weight, but somewhere, deep within my consciousness, I was curious about how I would feel if that number were in fact attainable.
The journey, in this case, was filled with healthy decisions, honest setbacks and a true opportunity to see what I was made of. Running, yoga, in fact exercise of any sort was/is not an easy task on little sleep and with a body that was not used to moving with that level of intensity. Slowly the pain turned to power. I was proud of myself -- my readers were proud of me, it kept me focused on my goal of inspiring a change in those around me, and perhaps, just a little bit, on that awful number on a scale.
Thanksgiving weekend marked the end of the campaign. I had started this journey on the bathroom scale at the cottage in the middle of July. Now, mid October, the leaves are crimson, the air is cooler and I was ready for the reading. I was quite confident as I stepped up to the device that I have missed my mark.
What I learned as I stared down at that scale was the lesson, the empowerment and the health legacy I had been searching for without even recognizing the significance as it unfolded around me. I wasn't running, stretching and eating healthy food because it would result in a particular weight, I was pushing myself to set an example. I wanted to show my girls, that despite long days and ample commitments, I could choose something healthy. Staring down at the scale, I couldn't help but notice the change in my body. I wasn't the same person who had weighed this number before.
The number couldn't capture the changes that resulted from the birth of my babies or the sense of empowerment or purpose that flowed from that realization. Motivating yourself around a class reunion, wedding or post-baby exercise regime is enough to get you off the couch. Choosing a journey of good food, pro-action and respect for your health speaks not only to what you are made of, but the legacy of health that your kids and their kids will emulate for generations to come. There is no scale that will ever deliver a greater dose of purpose and self worth.