I moved to a Seattle suburb many moons ago. I lost touch with city friends and our impromptu meetings, my yoga house, kitty sitters, and several other services and connections. I had done that before while in Minneapolis, and I didn’t want to settle again for the sleepy towns that shut early and don’t offer a healthy commute.

I became unfit: stressors of moving for the fourth time in four years, and the distance to commute to work via public transport made me a slave to a 5AM to 8PM routine. But being back in the city is healing. Yoga several times a week, my beloved city walks in new neighborhoods and on Seattle Center’s lush grounds, all with the view of the Space Needle and mountains.

In February, I tried on my BMW Comfort Shell gear and shook my head with the poor fit and knew I had to lose a few pounds. Here’s how I dropped 15 pounds in 2 months in a very healthy way.

1. Told myself I could do it.
2. Made a plan I could enjoy and gave it as a gift to myself.
3. Roped friends into my routine.
4. Committed and followed through.

I started with soul flow yoga, a Home Yoga specialty class. Moved up to Hatha and coupled it with Restorative (I call it Kindergarden nap style). With this routine, I always walked to and from classes.

I wore a FitBit One walking and sleep tracker to try and log 10,000 steps a day. Counted calories and ate more frequent but smaller portions. Used the Fitness Pro phone application to track additional physical activities. Although I killed the One device, I kept up the healthy habits. Yes, I washed it. I had been synced with friends through the devices’ web sites, and now they think I’m lazy from lack of logging.

I needed a quick burn, so I joined friends to hike Tiger Mountain. I walk regularly with a dear friend, who is healing from multiple injuries after a motorcycle accident in September. Tomorrow, another friend is joining us. Getting out into the fresh air is so cleansing. The talks, effort, views and scents are plain healthy.

Yesterday, I tried on the cycle pants again and I beamed. Loads of room! Goal achieved. I’ll keep at it, for this is now part of my life to remain balanced. I can’t make excuses and there’s no time off for good behavior. Besides, I still want to be walking in my old age.

Yesterday, I took a class on anti-inflammatory eating. Got aches and pains? Psoriasis? Unexplained breakouts? Diabetes? A lot of this can be controlled with diet. Michelle Babb, the instructor, recommended a balance of beans, greens and grains. Also, your plate should be one half veg, a quarter protein and a quarter starch or grains. Great class and delicious food.

I feel much better with all of the above changes. I don’t look forward to eating on the road, but its motivating me to look for farmers markets and healthy options while I ride.

Burn it up! Ride safe.
Chel