1 Hour

Can 1 hour change your life?

I have been watching episodes of One Tree Hill lately, and tonight I watched Pictures of You. The episode questions if 1 hour can really change your life. It did, of course, for the fictional students of One Tree Hill and I think it will change my life too.

You see, since high school, my weight has slowly but surely crept up the scale like the freaking Little Engine that Could. There was a time when my weight started going down, but that was when I was living in my adorable studio apartment when Brian and I first started dating. Living on my own was awesome - I didn't want to dirty my cozy kitchen, and I couldn't do dishes too often so I didn't eat/cook as much! I would also meet Brian at the gym and that is where we had a lot of our dates.

After we got married though, the weight came back. Soon we started trying to have a baby so I joined WW and started losing weight. Within a month I was pregnant and they said it would not be good to continue the program (it isn't designed for pregnant women). Well, it has been 2 years since I had Adelle and I still haven't lost the weight I gained when I was pregnant. It's both frustrating and disappointing - neither feeling is good when you are an emotional eater!

Tonight, however, I made a decision. After watching this episode and reading Organizing Made Fun, an inspiring/motivational/organizational blog, I made the decision that 1 hour WILL change my life. One hour a day will change my life because it will be the hour I need to work on strength, toning, balance and endurance. 1 hour will help me achieve my goals of getting in shape and losing weight (and hopefully a couple other goals in the process). 1 hour.

I have been telling myself that 1 hour a day is so much to ask since I get home from work 2+ nights a week after 7pm; that it's too much because I feel like I am missing out on my daughters' life because I'm at work; that it's too much because I don't get to see/visit with my husband (that's how it feels).

The truth is though, 1 hour is not too much to ask.

1 hour is walking to a park and having a picnic (when the weather isn't frigid). 1 hour is more than a few laps around the M.O.A. 1 hour is a fantastic hula-hoop workout sprinkled with yoga poses and walking a tight rope. 1 hour is getting lost in my favorite songs while training for my next Milk Run (the time to beat is 45:33). 1 hour is some quality time with a stationary bike/elliptical machine and a book. 1 hour is a healthier life for me and my family.

While 1 hour feels like too much right now, in the middle of winter and the seemingly short days it brings, it's not too much in the grand scheme of things.

What will you do with your hour?