Well here I am! One month has passed since I returned to Barre Forte, and I must admit that getting back to the barre wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. The festivities of the 4th of July holiday upended my first week back. I drank too much, I ate too much, and I didn’t go to the barre as much as I had told myself I would. Even after all the smoke had cleared from the fireworks and the last of the leftover BBQ had been tossed in the trash, I still hadn’t started going to class regularly. Life threw me some pretty crazy curve balls and I didn’t push myself to set a routine until July 14^th. By then, most of the troubles in my personal life had smoothed out and I was able to focus on myself again. I drew out a plan in a spiral notebook, signed up for classes, and made myself go.  Once I got the ball rolling, I started to see the numbers on the scale get smaller (despite their uptick in the opposite direction at the beginning of the month compliments of potato salad and stress eating).

Despite my set-backs this month, I learned a lot about perseverance and self-control. I can do what I set my mind to, but I must stay focused. Even more importantly though, I have to forgive myself for not making as much progress as I wanted to. Rather than being discouraged that I have not met the smaller goal I set for myself this month, I must find encouragement in making progress towards my ultimate goal of creating a healthier lifestyle, and a better and stronger body. This month, I’m 3.2 lbs closer to meeting my best!