Listening to Music Along the Way

I have found that for any trip in the car, whether it’s a mile up the road to the grocery store or 8 hours up the road to Atlanta, it is important to have good music. Music keeps me from getting bored. I know, who can get bored in a car when you are only driving a mile? The answer is this girl! So it is vitally important to me that I have a nice, eclectic variety of music: local radio (which, quite frankly, isn’t what it used to be…I do miss the days of JJ Jackson, Mark Bell and Randy & Spiff!), Satellite Radio and, of course, my own mixture from my MP3 player where I have anything from The Monkees and Mumford & Sons to Les Miz and Cats to Kid Rock and Eminem.

So, now that I have rambled on about my wide and varied musical tastes, you may be wondering what this has to do with my figurative road trip. Well, it’s simple: variety is the spice of life! The hardest part of making such a drastic change in my life is not getting bored with my food or exercise routine. As far as my food goes, it’s true that I do eat a lot of the same meals, but I make sure to fix the chicken/Boca Crumbles/salad/turkey etc. using different spices or cooking methods in order to give it a different flavor. Another thing– and this is a huge deal for me– I am trying different things. I have never been one to wander too far outside of my comfort zone when it comes to food, but I have found that I am open to a wider variety than I once was. I still have some weird food avoidance issues, but those will never go away.

While there are some minor challenges with food, it’s the exercise that often times makes me cringe! Since I don’t do anything too strenuous or difficult (boot camp, anyone?), I have to make sure that I stay interested in my routine. All I do is walk…on a treadmill or outside. I have found that I have to be in the right frame of mind to get on the treadmill. I would rather walk outside, in the sunshine and fresh air, but sometimes, I have to get on that blasted treadmill. When I do, I am thankful for Hulu and Grimm. I have noticed that much like my meals, my walking patterns are very predictable. So far, however, it’s not been an issue for me. I keep my trusty MP3 player handy and fully loaded with music.  While my food tastes are slowly opening up, my musical tastes are also expanding. With my new found love of BBC Radio 1, I have been introduced to new music from across the pond. And since BBC R1 doesn’t have the same affliction as most Pop/Current American stations (playing the same 5 songs OVER and OVER, ad nauseam), I don’t out grow the music quite as quick (side bar: if I NEVER hear Taylor Swift again, it will be too soon! Just sayin’).

So, in order to stay on the road and get to where I’m going, it’s best if I can mix up my on the road entertainment a little. When I get bored, I tend to veer off course, and while it doesn’t bring me to a complete dead end, it does make the trip just a little bit longer. But that’s OK, too. I have the rest of my life to finish my journey.

Driving While Impaired

First, let me say that I do not condone driving a vehicle while impaired in any manner (alcohol, drugs, fatigue, texting, etc.), but I know that people do it, even if it is against the law. I think that there is a tendency to drive impaired on the figurative road trip as well. I know there are days that I am tired of exercising or eating healthy or passing up the scrumptious double chocolate something-or-other recipe that someone posted on Facebook. There are days–mostly on Saturdays in the Autumn, “Go Dawgs”– when I just wanna sit on my couch and drink beer. And you know what, why not? I’m not driving anywhere. The thing is, just like on the real life road, if you are going to imbibe, then don’t get in the car! If you need to sleep, don’t drive; if you need to text, don’t drive; if you need to drink, don’t drive. If you want to take a break from your rigorous routine, then do it, but just get back on the road after your break is over. All too often, people decide to take a quick break from working out or eating healthy and then they never go back. That’s when things go awry. If I thought of this journey as having been on a diet all this time, chances are, I would have given up a long time ago. I had to make the connection, in my head, that this is a life style now. And if I want to have something that may not be “healthy”, then I have to make sacrifices along the way: more exercise or fruits and veggies as a meal so that I consume food but not points, where there’s a will, I’ll find a way!

So, just because you want to have fun, doesn’t mean your progress is permanently halted, it just means that you have either pulled off to the side of the road to take a nap or you are letting your DD drive for a while.  The key is to make sure and eventually take back control.  I feel like in every post I say how important it is to “get back on the road” and I don’t want to be repetitive, but, I have to keep telling myself that it’s not the destination that is important, it’s the journey. If I keep repeating this mantra, I know I’ll believe it one day!

The Road is Long, but the Journey is Worth It

Have you ever looked at something and said “this is going to be difficult”? Have you ever let the potential difficulty stop you? Why?

I knew when I started this expedition, that the road was going to be long and not so easy. But what I am finding out, is that while it may be arduous, it is also the best journey I have ever taken. It has been my experience that the things you have to work hardest for in life are the ones that come with the sweetest rewards. I read a quote the other day that was posted by the owner of Thrive Weight Loss (who also happens to be engaged to my childhood BFF) that said “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, I’m saying it’s going to be worth it.” And it struck me like a bolt of lightening! Maybe your it is a weight loss journey or possibly a job promotion that offers the chance to relocate, or maybe your it is simply living a healthy, happy life.  The harder and longer the road is to your destination, the more you will be able to celebrate and revel in your accomplishment.

So, where ever you are on your own personal Road Trip, don’t think about how far you have to go, think about how wonderful it will be once you arrive, because nothing worth it is ever easy and nothing easy is ever worth it!