Happy Friday! If you missed the initial “Little Victories” post last week, I will recap what the general idea is…Basically, “Little Victories” are what I call the small (yet important) steps, moments, thoughts that eventually pave the way to big changes and recovery.
From personal experience, I have found it incredibly helpful to notice and appreciate these victories, but sometimes they can easily slip by without any recognition! When I first posted about “Little Victories”, it seemed like a lot of readers had really great examples of recent, personal little victories and they were really helpful and inspiring to share and read.
So, I thought maybe we could try on a “Little Victories Friday” for size and see if anyone had any they want to share from the week! Weeks can fly by, so this might be a nice moment to take a breath and an allow yourself to pay attention to any moments like this. Little Victories can be anything! Really, there are no guidelines or rules…anything that you feel moved you in some way towards getting saner about food and/or your body.
To get things rolling, I’ll start (this one is more body-related, where last week, it was about food): This week, I was having a hard time getting myself to the gym (even though I know it makes me feel a whole lot better). When I finally did, I was running on the treadmill and saw a reflection of myself in the TV screen in front of me. My initial instinct was to talk negatively about the way my arms were jiggling a little as I went up and down, but for some reason I had this moment where I realized I was at the gym not because I was punishing myself or obsessing over my weight/body, but because it really makes me feel better emotionally and physically. A lot of my food stuff revolves around anxiety, and when I exercise or move my body, something inside of me just clicks and calms down (I realize there are lot of scientific explanations for this), and my little victory was finally recognizing this to be true (and not just something I hoped to believe some day!). Getting exercise with that mindset feels so much more balanced and sane!
We would LOVE to hear from you! Have a great weekend!
-Morgan
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My little victory is that yesterday I had a food binge (darn M&M’s at work) but today, I am over it. Yesterday is in the past and today is a new day. No guilt, just letting it go.
Yes, I love it!
My little victory is the same as yours, Morgan! I finally ENJOY going to the gym because I no longer feel like it’s a punishment for eating crappy foods or sitting on the couch for a night. I love how great I feel after — stronger, healthier, all around better. VICTORY!!
Awesome, Trish. I’m right there with you. I’m sore as hell from a workout with a trainer yesterday (and the push ups challenge)—and I love it.
Well, this week has been loaded for me, emotionally, and for various reasons… But one thing that has helped is not wearing my fancy heart rate monitor when I exercise; I only wore it to see how many calories I was burning. By not knowing the number of calories burned, I’ve re-discovered how good it feels to just run for my health and not for a meal or snack.
Tuesday I had a talk with a coworker about my job performance that was a little upsetting for me. (The coworker means well, but doesn’t have a lot of tact, and I’m super sensitive.) I managed to drive to the gym, but sat in my car for 10 minutes trying to decide if I wanted to to go to yoga, or if I wanted to go home. I realized that I really need to go to yoga at that moment, and if I went home I was setting myself up for a binge. 60 minutes later I left feeling better about the situation and ready to face the new work challenges I have coming up.
Yay, Kate! I’ve been making time for yoga this week to help with my binging too. It’s definitely helping me move toward a more centered place, so I hope that trend carries over into my eating habits.
I am finally able to keep peanut butter in my house without binging on it spoonful by spoonful whenever I get bored/stressed/emotional.
ahhh me too! I used to do the same exact thing. Congrats, girl.
I was up all night working on a dull assignment (proof-reading), and I kept thinking about stopping for a snack, even though I wasn’t hungry at all. I recognised the urge to eat for what it was: tiredness and boredom. I decided to give myself periodic breaks, but I managed not to fill them with food until I was actually hungry and ready for an enjoyable snack.
I managed 2 small victories this week, which equals one big victory in my book. First, I actually went back to the gym for the first time in months. Second, I went into a McDonalds with a friend and managed to conquer an apple pie craving! Came out with only a bottle of water. Woot!!
i wrote a very honest post on my very new blog and got my first comment, and my first follower! it’s such affirmation for finally telling the truth.
and - shameless plug - i’d love others!
I think the little victories are sometimes the biggest! Mine are when I’ve had that long, tiring, possibly bad day and I’m about to reach for something chocolate when I’m picking up essentials at the grocery store. Lately I’ve actually stopped and thought about it, and I’ve ended up putting that not-so-good-for-me food back or I’ve not even touched it to begin with.
Little victories really do happen the most when we truly stop and listen to how we’re feeling!
My best friend’s brother died this week. After the funeral etc. were finished, she wanted to just veg at home, eat junk food and watch a movie. In the past, I would have either been there and been bingeing, avoided the night completely for fear of eating, or obsessively worked out beforehand. Instead, I went to her house, curled up on the couch with her and ate chips, held her hand, and focussed on what she needed. The chips didn’t hurt me.
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