Progress

Coming back from my barefoot beach walk today I saw a boy in a purple shirt on his bike ahead of me, speeding up the slight hill towards the block I live on. At first he peddled easily, zig-zagging with energy. I thought "to be a kid, full of energy, how wonderful" and I must admit I had a twinge of envy.

The boy was obstructed from view for a moment, and then when I saw him again, he was walking his bike up the last steep part of the hill. And this is something that I can now do, even in second gear. As I peddled to the top, I felt a little swell of pride, realizing that progress had been made.

Another area I have found progress in is my breathing. I used to wake up in the middle of the night and the stagnant feeling in my chest let me know that I had spent the last few hours of sleep breathing shallowly. I don't get that feeling anymore. I also remember to catch myself during the day, to see where my breath is at. Sometimes it's shallow, a few times it wasn't even happening. Breath awareness is the best place to start. You can even set your computer alarm to go off a few times a day so that you'll be sure to take deep breaths at least some of the time. Gradually, it will become second nature.

Health progress can be slow, and many people give up on whatever program they've started, thinking they're not seeing any improvement. But much can be achieved in just a few short weeks. Keep a  journal to mark progress, and give yourself a little pat on the back for great effort on your journey.