What's Your Excuse?

"I'm too tired."
"I don't have enough time."
"The kids need me."
"I can't afford to go to the gym."

Do any of these sound familiar to you? These are some of the common reasons (excuses) that people use to not work out. How do I know them? Because I have used every single one of those excuses and probably some more creative ones like "I don't want my boyfriend to see my wobbly bits bouncing all over the place."

Right now the excuse of the month for me is "I'm too tired." Hmm, I wonder why? Well, right now it's nearing 11 p.m. as I am typing this. I need to get up and get ready for work at 5:45. If I go to bed soon, I can get almost 7 hours of sleep. Last night I went to bed close to midnight. Today I had a fast food breakfast, fast food lunch and leftover pizza for dinner that we had last night. We were supposed to go out to dinner last night, but we were too tired. I wish we had, because between last night and tonight I polished off an entire pizza by myself. Now I feel super bloated and surprise-TIRED!
I am making myself tired. I come home, clean, cook, and spend time with my family. That doesn't make me tired. It's the crap I'm putting in my mouth and the late nights. If I were treating my body right, I could come home, work out, and still have time to make a good meal for my family and clean. Plus, I'd be tired enough after to get to bed earlier.

 Sounds so simple, doesn't it? It's because it is. I am my own obstacle. Chances are, you're getting in your own way, too. Basically, if you want something bad enough you go for it. I was looking at the Team Beachbody message boards and this member talked about how his wife, who has multiple sclerosis and is in a wheelchair had success with P90x. This made me feel ashamed. I can walk, I have no debilitating diseases, and this woman with MS completed one of the hardest workout programs out there! I am tired of getting in my own way. I'm telling you, stop getting in your own way! There is a way to fit in just a few minutes of exercise. There is a way to eat healthier, even if you are on a budget. Do your research! The next time you find yourself coming up with an excuse not to work out, think of that woman with MS. Think of all the other success stories you hear.
It's important to be honest and tell you that I started this entry 2 nights ago. Guess what? I was too tired to finish it.

I'm going to start an excuse jar, kind of like a swear jar.  Every time I find myself making an excuse to not exercise or make an excuse to eat the sundae I just had, I'll put in a quarter. Let's see if I can keep from filling it. Stay tuned!

 

Cheater!

I started writing this blog 3 years ago because my dad's declining health scared me enough to make some changes. Well, in 3 years I could have reached my goal, but I'm now 10 pounds away from my starting weight. I've tried several weight loss methods. What I tried didn't fail. I failed! Weight Watchers has been the most successful for me by far. I lost 42 pounds. I also completed the Focus T-25 program from Team Beachbody. Well, what happened?

I became a slave to food again. I began eating when I was bored, stressed, tired, etc. I started eating just because someone else did. I also stopped exercising. Mix bad food choices with a sedentary lifestyle and you get one tired, bloated, crabby woman. My headaches came back daily, when they were almost absent while I was actively trying to lose weight.

I have no issues eating healthy. I love to eat healthy. I just need to stop making excuses to have the carbs and sugar. I need to stop saying, "I'll start again tomorrow." Someone told me "Everyone needs a cheat day." No you don't! When you cheat on a program, you cheat yourself. You're adding extra fat, sugar, or wherever else to work off. Why do that to yourself? I have cheated myself for years. I've cheated myself out of smaller clothes. I've cheated myself out of more productive days off because I'm too tired and lazy. No more cheating! I am tired of wasting time. I keep starting over and over again. My dad doesn't get to start over. Due to complications from his diabetes he lost a leg. I want to keep my limbs and my life!

How will I do that? By exercising some self control & limiting my sugar intake. Writing out grocery lists and sticking to them. Most importantly, if I do slip, I won't put myself down, because that will just lead me to feel sorry for myself and say "What the hell?" and eat some more.

I want to inspire others to succeed. That won't happen if I keep cheating. No one likes a cheater!

Courage

It takes courage to admit when you have a problem. Some may see it as a sign of weakness if you can't handle issues on your own. They prefer to fight their battles alone. When it comes to the battle of the bulge, I'm declaring war.

I’m tired of being scared of how my life is going to turn out if I don’t make changes. Making changes and having a healthier lifestyle is not easy. The weight did not come on overnight and it certainly will not come off overnight either. Like it or not, there are no quick fixes.

Too many people give up because they don’t see results quickly enough.

It’s not just about having discipline. It takes courage. Courage to hang in there when your 35 year old friend with metabolism of a teenager wolfs down 3 donuts while you pretend that the gluten-free toast with manufactured eggs and non-dairy cheese is THE best thing ever. It takes courage to eat that bag of chips while binge watching The Walking Dead, get on the scale at your weekly weigh in AND own up to the fact that the gain is YOUR fault. It takes even more courage to NOT do that again. Most of all, when it seems like you have no support system, when people are making fun of you with your tracker, laughing at your “weird foods”, and even tempting you with foods you are trying to avoid it takes courage to keep going. Remember why you started to lose weight in the first place. It’s about you, first and foremost. YOUR health. YOUR well-being. You are brave. You started this journey that too many people are too scared or proud to admit that they need to take. I wish you safe travels and success.