Goodbye January Goodbye Fat!

Well hello *almost* February!!!
January has come and gone.
 And with the holidays has come a little extra plump *if you know what I mean* and now it's time for that to be GONE too!!!!

Of course I say this as I'm sitting here eating half a pint of mint chocolate cookie icecream, whoops! Okay, so I'm not quite at that stage where I'm ready to be good all the time.

Getting back into the routine of working out and refraining from unhealthy foods can take me a few weeks.  But it is true that the more frequent and more intense I work out, the less I cave for unhealthy foods.  I mean, why put all that work into going to the gym only to turn around and undo all that hard work?!?!?

Alycia from the Crowley Party put it perfectly yesterday when she posted the following:
{Saying "Oh, I've already ruined my good eating today.  I'll just eat crap"
 is like saying, "Oh, I dropped my phone on the floor.  I'll just smash it till it breaks".}

I don't know about you, but my freshman 15 didn't happen until after college.  Ummm how the heck did it work out this way!!??!!  I guess back in the college days I had to walk all the way to a cafeteria and you know, for the food that was served, it just wasn't worth it most days.  Back then I was also very careful about what snack food I had on-hand in my dorm room.  Now, the kitchen is my oyster and readily accessible curse!!!

Another major difference between back then and now is the vast difference between states.
Having gone to school in Florida, there was always ample opportunity for exercise in the great outdoors. Even ask this girl, she was/is also a runner and pretty hard core, too! Back then my days were filled with trips to the gym and long runs around the many "mini lakes" surrounding my college town.  It was always warm and sunny, full of that vitamin I've been missing alot of lately.  It was invigorating to sweat everything out before heading to class.  Many days, exercise was a total detox, a relaxer, a motivator, a pump it up activity, a survival mode!!!
And of course, many days were spent laying poolside with a good book in hand! =)
No hiding behind a baggy sweatshirt or long jeans then.

Here comes the huge sad *sigh* because let's just say, winter days in Chicago aren't always as motivating or cheery as they were in Florida.
Can you tell by the grey skies in the picture below????

Pretty grey, huh?!?
 I'm not going to let these grey days get the better of me!
These next three months are my commitment to kicking some you know what and making a difference.
Maybe this post will be a motivator for you, too.  Remember that you have time if you make time.  Make time to go to they gym.  Take some time out of your busy day for yourself.  I find that I'm able to give more and give better to those around me if I've taken time out of the day for myself.
I don't mean this in a selfish way, but in a balanced way.

 I also find that it's a great window of opportunity to read through blogs, respond to e-mails or simply pray!

Do you ever find that it's difficult to get into the groove of working out?
What strategies do you use to help get yourself over that hump helping you pass into that phase where it gets easier to stay committed?