I’m sitting here at my computer, occasionally looking out of my front window, thinking about how much I would love to stay in and not walk today. I’m trying to walk Ramsey more (the vet says she’s a smidge on the husky side) and I am trying to get moving more myself. Some people naturally enjoy physical activity, but unfortunately… that’s not me. I don’t inherently love to exercise, but I know I need it. However, I’ve noticed that after I exercise consistently for a while, my body misses it when I take a day (or – being honest – several days) off from physical activity.
When I was a freshman in high school, I was required to walk three miles within forty-five minutes every day (unless there was inclement weather). Never before had I spent so much time watching the Weather Channel (and never since). Some days, if it called for a slight chance of afternoon rain, I’d wait as long as possible to walk just in case it started raining and I would then have the chance to get out of it for the day. In retrospect, I don’t know why I made such a big deal out of it, and if I’d kept walking regularly, I’d be in much better shape today!
What I remember most about that year is how much I hated putting on my socks and shoes. That was literally the worst part. Once I actually began walking, it was no big deal. Sure, it hurt sometimes and occasionally my energy level was low, but consistently the worst part of the walk was that few minutes of preparation (putting on exercise clothes, tying my shoes, and stretching).
From what I’ve observed in doing relationship coaching (and in attending counseling myself) is that the hardest part is deciding to start the process. My experience with going to see a counselor came after a lot of consideration, trying to convince myself I didn’t need it, and procrastination. Once I went, I found that there was no reason to be nervous. It’s not unusual to have butterflies before starting a counseling process. Even though I loved the study of relationships and wanted to be a relationship counselor someday, I still didn’t know what to expect before Eric and I began our premarital mentoring program. But, we quickly got to know our mentor couple and enjoyed the process of getting to know each other better.
If you are considering pre-engagement counseling or premarital counseling, I assure you that making the decision is the hardest part of the process. Once you’ve made the decision to do something good for yourself (e.g., hire a personal trainer, take that night class, save for that dream vacation, etc.) you’ve stepped over the biggest obstacle: your mind telling you all the reasons you can’t do something.
I’m inspired every season by the contestants on the television show, The Biggest Loser. They begin the season depressed, hopeless, and completely down on themselves and their abilities; then, somewhere in the middle of the season several contestants suddenly realize… they can! They can lose the weight. They can be the athletes they never thought they could be. They can go after their dreams. But they all started the same way. They got up, got dressed, tied their shoes, started moving – started taking the first step.
If you are considering pre-engagement and/or premarital counseling, we would love to hear from you! We understand the initial hesitance of beginning a coaching relationship – believe me, I’ve been there! ~smile~ Whether it is for yourself or a friend you think who would benefit from it, please take a minute and check out our Counseling Services page and click through to any links which interest you. Also, feel free to contact us if you have any questions – we’d love to help you any way we can (not to mention submitting relationship questions for our new PreEngaged Mailbag Video series!).
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to put on my walking shoes. ~smile~