Day 99

Day 99: Like many out there, I've struggled with my body image most of my life. As early as grade seven I recorded in my journals about how unhappy I was with my appearance and weight and how I wished I could be thinner or taller or have a better complexion. It's a battle I've fought the better part of my life, really. I've never really made friends with the mirror. A neat by-product of this exercise has been the "forced discovery" (if you will allow that descriptor) of positive elements in often neutral or even negative situations. About a month and a half ago I decided to try and apply that thought-process to my own health, both physically and mentally. In an effort to improve both I started waking up at around 5am to go for a walk on my mostly-unused treadmill. At first it was an achievement to just get out of bed at that hour (if you know me at ALL you know I am NOT a morning person). But I did it, and bit by bit, day by day it got a little easier. I recorded my daily progress in a little workout journal, marking how far I went, how long I walked, and most importantly, how I felt. Physically, I didn't notice a big change right away. But mentally...wow. There was a noticeable difference in the days I did walk vs the days I skipped. This routine offers me almost three full hours of my day that belong strictly to me, three full hours before anybody starts to look for me for work or anything else. It's awesome. Today's happy though is to note that I'm beginning to finally notice physical changes as well. This little diary is one that I record measurements and weight in, and while I certainly am not going to post that information online, what I will say is that it's starting to go in the direction I want it to. Starting to see those results makes me extremely happy. #100happydays

A photo posted by @kaileyjane82 on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:08pm PST