Sunday, August 12, 2012

Out of the mouths of babes...

OK, so out of the mouth of one babe in particular. Today while standing in line at Kroger C looked over at the cover of the magazines. There was the National Inquirer staring her in the face. It was this cover.



And then, with no ill intent or meanness to her voice she said, "Look at that girl, Mommy. It looks like you."

There I stood, no idea what to say... beet red with embarrassment. How could I get on to her for stating what she saw. She wasn't trying to be mean or to hurt my feelings. And later on, she was hugging me and loving on me. My size didn't affect her love for me.

But I cringed. I don't want to be a rail-thin model (who I know is most likely airbrushed on the magazine covers), but I don't want to be that obese person, either. It was eye-opening. It strengthens my resolve to have no excuses for why I can't exercise and why I can't stick to a healthy eating plan. C isn't going to love me any less if I don't lose weight, but I hope that in the process I can make my six-year-old daughter proud of me. I want to be a good role model for her in so many ways, good health being one of them.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

No Excuses

I listen to a station called The Fish. This morning they were talking about overcoming obstacles. A lady named Sandra called in and shared her story. She and her husband had been in an accident, and in that accident she lost her husband and her ability to walk. She had to relearn how to do it. Before the accident nine months ago she had been a runner, so it was a big adjustment for her to have to have a wheelchair or walker. Since relearning how to walk she has done three 5Ks and is planning on doing more.

It got me to thinking. Sandra could have very well said after the accident, “Well, guess I can’t walk anymore.” She could have accepted that this was her new life. But she didn’t. She didn’t make excuses for why she couldn’t do it. She just did it… even when it was hard… probably even when she didn’t want to. She didn’t give up on what she wanted because getting there required work.

Sandra probably had no idea when she called the radio station this morning that she would touch someone. She made me realize that I have no excuse for not eating right and getting to the gym. “I’ve had a long day at work” won’t cut it. “I’m too tired” shouldn’t really be in my vocabulary. I’ve got a lot of weight to lose, and sitting around wishing I could lose weight is not going to make it happen. If I want it, I have to be willing to work for it. No excuses. If I’m too tired work or cook a healthy meal, I probably don’t want to reach my weight loss goal badly enough. I need to determine if my reason is valid or not. If it’s not a valid reason, then I need to do what my body needs.