No time for excuses

Over the holidays I had several people comment on my weight loss. It always feels good to be recognized and validated. What was amazing to me, was people's reactions when I answered the question I always seemed to get: "So, what's your secret? how did you do it?"

The answer: Good old fashioned diet and exercise. Move more. Eat less.

It seemed like everyone I talked to was hoping for a magic pill or a quick fix. The truth is, this has been a LIFESTYLE change for me and my family. We've given our diets a complete make-over.

One thing I'm noticing the further into this "journey" I get, is that I have little patience with excuses...mainly because I used to be The Queen when it came to making up reasons not to exercise.

I've had a lot of people tell me that they "wish" they could run followed by one of the following excuses:

1)It hurts.
Guess what? The first run I ever went on lasted approximately 2 blocks. My chest hurt, my knees hurt, I couldn't breathe and I felt like I might die. I was well over 200 pounds and it was not easy.

2) I don't have time.
Well, seeing as I'm a wife and mother, I know all about the time excuse. My work day begins at 4:30 AM. I work part time, and then come home and chase my 2-year-old. I have to wait until my husband is home at 5, or take my toddler in the baby jogger to get a run in. More often than not I'm exhausted before I even lace up my shoes, but I still make myself get out there and do it.

3) I don't have the energy.
See above note about exhaustion. Plus, before I started exercising I was tired all the time, too. I decided that I was sick and tired of being TIRED.

I've come to realize that in order for someone to get serious about weight loss they have to be ready. There is absolutely nothing I can do to help someone lose weight if THEY don't WANT to.

I also try to encourage folks that find running to be a daunting task, to find something they enjoy doing. Maybe running isn't their "thing", it just happens to be mine.

I firmly believe that anyone can become a runner at any age. It took me 30 years to take the plunge; prior to 2010 I don't think I'd ever run 3 consecutive miles. There's a quote that sums up my feelings on running best:

"It is very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit" ~ George Sheehan

Happy running! If you really WANT to become a runner, you can become one!