Resolution Challenge Week 5: Comparison is a Bitch

We've just finished week 5 of the Resolution Challenge. Oh yes, we're still in it! You would think that the three-week detox would've been the hardest part of the Challenge. In many ways it was, but the assimilation of these newly-formed healthy habits into everyday life presents so many struggles on its own.

It doesn't get easier the more times you do a Challenge like this, either. Things happen, life changes in significant ways, and, well, all that meal planning and self-care we were so good at making time for during the detox now have to come face-to-face on the calendar with deadlines, events and real life.

Well said, Cameron. Image via Pinterest

My biggest struggle this past week (and in week 4) wasn't just in navigating post-detox life left on my own devices (ooh a cupcake!) Comparison, that ol' thief of joy itself, came creepin' up on me with a vengeance. It starts slowly - a fleeting thought in class of how much slower I am in doing burpees as the girl next to me. Then my real competition shows up & starts messing with my head.

• Why can't I do these as well as I did before?
• Why is it so much harder to come to class every day than it was last summer?
• Why am I so much more tired?

Past me is doing a number on current me's progress and thought process. It's hard not to be so hard on yourself! Never mind the fact that my life is completely different from just a year ago, mostly because of my full-time job. I haven't done Zumba in months because my bestie isn't teaching anywhere in Seattle right now. I don't have the time flexibility to work in naps when I want to, or go get another workout in when I want to.

The structure I knew I needed and wanted in my schedule means I have to be that much more intentional about how I spend my time. It also means letting go of how things were before. Easier doesn't necessarily mean better. I am much leaner and more fit overall than I've ever been during the winter. I really enjoy how light and alert I feel, so I'm still making good food choices and avoiding the snacks and weak moments.

Sometimes we have to work harder to celebrate these small victories and be present in the moment.