I’m not writing a blog this week.  It’s ok.

I’m burnt out.  It’s ok.

I burned the candle at every end.  It’s ok.

The only rule for this blog as it relates to my life is that it cannot get in the way of work.  At times, it does interfere with other aspects of my life whether fitness, family, or friends, and the key is balancing those sacrifices.  This week, the blog is the sacrifice.  It’s ok.

Today, not writing a blog is winning the day, as was sharing this short blog!

Dreams may feel shattered in the moment, but belief can make them happen in the long run.

Full disclosure . . . Legally Fit did not begin because I wanted to share my story.  In fact, I never wanted to do that.  Looking back on where I let my body get to was not something I enjoyed thinking about, and I rarely if ever spent time reflecting on it.  Those were not my happiest times, and even now as I write about my story here each week, reliving many of those moments brings back memories of embarrassment and shame.

The blog began simply because of my passion for fitness.  That’s what I wanted to share.  Over the past 11 years on this journey, I’ve learned so much while taking on many new activities and challenges, and I love everything about it.  But given that I am not a certified personal trainer or a professional athlete, I realized that the perspective I bring is one that must involve my story.  I am a lawyer who has learned the value of incorporating fitness into my busy schedule, and my life was forever changed by that lesson.

With Thanksgiving approaching, it occurred to me that one of the themes underlying many of my previous blog posts has been gratitude.  At its core, Legally Fit is about my appreciation for this life that has been transformed and saved and giving thanks to those who support my journey along the way.  Being grateful motivates me to share my story with the hopes of paying it forward to anyone who might benefit from my experience.  Approaching this holiday week, it also made me think about gratitude in another way – specifically, the benefits of being grateful.

With the time change recently falling back and wreaking havoc on people’s internal clocks, this seems like a good time to discuss one of the most important aspects to fitness – sleep.  Somewhat symbolic of my own sleep habits, I’ll keep this post shorter than most.

Let’s face it, for many of us, this might be the most difficult of fitness habits to control.  Some of the reasons for that are real, others may just be excuses, but I just know that I can’t identify very many successful people who confidently say they often get all the sleep they need.

When you’re on a journey – no matter where you are headed – the journey changes you.  That’s the point of it.  To start in one place and end up somewhere else.  Journeys require patience and focus, but in the end, the hope is that they lead to growth.  While the results may be unpredictable, the path you take is full of choices that are entirely within your control.