I woke panicking that I'd overslept.
It was 3am and three hours before my alarm was due to go off. I managed to get back to sleep, but there was no doubt that when the alarm went off the nervous anticipation would return. This was to be no ordinary day.
I'd made the decision a while ago, but today was the day I took action.
The nerves really kicked in when I sat down in the briefing. We were in a small room that reminded me of the mess rooms from my days working on building sites. It was basic, but functional. The biggest difference was a big TV that was showing a video of what I was about to experience. Seeing the man in the video hang his legs out of the plane it all suddenly became real.
The thing is, this reminds me of my juicing journey.
I remember when I first made the decision to see a nutritionist back in 2009. I felt the same nervous anticipation sitting outside her home with my food diary. I was committed and on the edge of a major change in my life.
As I dropped out of the plane, at around 13,000 feet, the free-fall was rapid. For the first 30 seconds or so I was travelling through the sky at approximately 120 miles an hour, then as the parachute was deployed everything instantly slowed down. In fact, I actually went back up a little, before a controlled, slow decent.
Rapid progress to begin with
Another similarity with my weight loss journey - rapid progress to begin with, and then things slowed down. Actually, after an initial big drop, my weight went back up. Then, as with the skydive, there was a slower, but controlled decent until I reached my target.
I had no idea how slow it would feel once the parachute was open. I felt like I would just hover in the sky forever. I was descending, but the progress was so slow it was hard to notice. It was so relaxing and peaceful though. I decided I was simply enjoy the view.
If you are on a journey to reclaim your health, then remember this: If you are making progress (no matter how slow it may seem) you will get there. Sure, you may get blown off course once in a while. Your weight may temporality go up on it's way down. Don't panic. This is a NORMAL part of the journey. My advice is simple - relax and enjoy the view.
Images courtesy of the author
Originally posted at naturaljuicejunkie.com