Working out is hard as heck, even before you hit the gym. The hardest part of actually going to the gym or working out is picking yourself up to get out and do it. It’s not just a physical change, it’s mental and it’s emotional. Besides working full time and doing a lot within my church I am the support system to my children, siblings, and nieces and nephews, which at times can be mentally exhausting not to mention stress you the heck out. I work remote for my job several days of the week, which makes me really lazy. Get off work, relax my mind and sit in front of the TV after I sat and looked at a computer all day, why sure. I would rather sit back and fall into the world of Netflix and Hulu, fast food, have a glass of wine and smoke my cigarettes (hmm there’s where some more motivation is needed) than hit the gym world, it’s too much of a chore.
I've always been about an average weight, but started putting on weight during the holidays. Like most, I’m sure I took the “oh its the holidays. I’ll hit it hard when the new year rolls around” approach. I took no thought of what I ate, when I ate it, or how much I ate. I just ate. I was miserable, overeating and just not really caring for myself. I wasn’t active and I was tired… just exhausted. I’m too busy, too tired, it's too boring and confusing, I’ll go tomorrow. If you follow the news about health and fitness these days and the constant focus on obesity, you may get the feeling that you're doing everything wrong. You sit all day at the computer…wrong! You drive everywhere instead of walking…wrong! You watch too much TV, don't take the stairs enough, don't exercise enough…the list goes on and on. Sitting around, it seems, has become as dangerous as driving without a seat belt and, yet, that's how I chose to spend my time.
Since the second week of January, however, I’ve been doing hours upon hours on the treadmill or elliptical, and still haven’t seen the results I would like. I guess you could say I’m in a rut, fed up with the monotony.
I enjoy working out, but I really love to eat! And it’s tough to balance everything with working full-time and having a family. My biggest struggle with motivation is eating healthy and staying active at the same time. I find that I can typically exercise OR eat well, but I struggle to do both. I really benefit from having a support network of friends who encourage me and help keep me accountable. I want to stay healthy for myself and my family and I am always looking for advice and tips on how to do that in the easiest, most manageable way possible.
All through my childhood and young adult years I was very active and athletic. It still bothered me that i weighed more and was thicker than my friends. Looking back at old pictures I would now kill to have that physical me back. Somewhere along the way i stopped being active. Going to work, coming home to cook dinner and sitting on the cough to watch tv before going to bed became my norm. How did this happen? How did i not realize the extreme between the two lifestyles? How has all this time passed? Now, at 47, i am the heaviest i have ever been. I have always put off a confidence about my weight and appearance, however now I am starting to worry about my health as i am getting older. With the ups and downs of everyday life, marriage and work i have found myself not as confident with myself as i thought i once was. I have been thru a lot of health issues, some i will be dealing with the rest of my life both physically and mentally. I have also been diagnosed with depression and anxiety issues for the last 15 years. With all of this being said i am ready! Ready to be healthier. Ready to be more active. Ready to become a better me for ME!
