the art of becoming

At 5:30 am this morning, running in solitude, breathing the mountains into my lungs, I felt that visceral, sublime feeling of BECOMING. I was not a runner 8 months ago, and now I am. I did not feel free in my body, and now I do. I couldn’t stand being alone, and now I relish those beautiful, quiet moments when I am a friend to myself.

The heart leaps in a particular direction, and the body moves, and over a process of time you become, you get to the new places and ways of being. The heart goes first – desire – and then the body moves – action.

Desire and action. 

Desire and action.

Desire and action.

The art of becoming in a nutshell.

Ovr’n’out

Am I really there? The last 15 lb?

Well, it’s official – I have 15 lb to lose and I am at my ultimate goal weight! The one I’ve been working towards for, oh, I don’t know…EVER!

What have I been doing?

Everything. Everything that my body can do. Everything that is fun and challenging. And I’ve been taking good care of myself, mind, body, spirit – which is the keyest of all key ingredients to being 5 foot 2 and ‘shrinking’. It’s my body, the excess, that shrinks, but I grow, I expand, I become ever more amazing, beautiful, and brave in the process.

Here’s me at the climbing gym belaying my niece! By the way, empowering young girls through activities like this is A GREAT THING FOR US TO DO FOR THEM AS THEIR MENTORS! Valuing strength, intelligence, perseverance and ingenuity in themselves from a young age is sure to help them overcome some huge cultural obstacles , and will help them to see what their BE-YOU-TY is truly comprised of.

I’m running 5 km 4 times a week at this point…through the mountains and down the valley and by the river with my wolfy. Very cool for me to be this free and this strong – the woman who runs with the wolfy. I read Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes book by that title years ago, and I’m reading it again now. It is my bible on what it means to be a woman, to be a feeling, thinking, absorbent soul in this universe. To embody that strong woman is an incredibly powerful feeling.

Anyway, along with jogging, I’m training at the climbing gym twice a week, doing laps and challenging 5.9/5.10s (the extent of my true climbing ability at this point). I’m also adding Jillian Michaels’ Rippped in 30 to the plan over the holidays (which I plan on doing 3 times a week) and I’m thinking I can at least see myself go down another 5 lb BEFORE the New Year. I’d like to do pre New Years body conditioning and amp myself up for a real push, come 2014! By my 30th birthday, I’m going to be the strongest, the healthiest, the shiniest me that I’ve ever embodied. This is exciting. 🙂

So, thanks for following me along. This is a much-needed update. I’ve been going about the work of DOING THE STUFF and it’s paying off.

Current weight: 145 lb

Goal weight: 130 lb

Nearest goal: 5 lb weight loss by Christmas! (will update!)

Long-term goal: 15 lb weight loss by May 19, 2014! (will update)

Over’N’Out – thanks for reading and sharing in this process with me.