My Excuses

When I was in 4th grade, we had a fun activity where we had to list 101 excuses for not completing a homework assignment. It was a race, and I totally won. When I went to present my rapidly completed list, the teacher took it, congratulated me, and then ripped it to shreds. While I was upset at the time (I worked hard on that thing!), it got the desired message across.

Excuses are dumb and should be thrown into the trash and exchanged for action and responsibility.

So, here are my excuses that will now be thrown away in my new efforts for health and pro-activity.

1. I have exercise induced asthma. It hurts to breathe hard. This can always be overcome as I temper it with regular activity- but breaking through those first few workouts is insanely hard and quite painful.
2. I have 3 kids. My life is busy, and my body packed on the pounds to love and nurture them.
3. I plan to have more kids. Why lose weight when I know I am going to put my body through another grueling and weight welcoming pregnancy in the near future?
4. I am busy. I have 3 kids. Did I mention that? On top of that, I have a writing job from home, a husband who enjoys my time, extensive responsibilities with my church group, places to drop my kids off and pick them up from, and neighbors who need my time and attention during their current struggles. (3 women on my street have husbands who are deployed, and 4 women within 2 blocks of me are on bed rest. I babysit a lot.)
5. It is cold outside. I live in Utah, and it is January. Jsut wait- in July I start complaining about the heat. These weather excuses are awesome.
6. I am the least attractive runner of all time. I am a redhead, and, as all fellow redheads know, extreme physcial activity causes those blood vessels that are too close to the surface of the too pale skin to make our faces a nice shade of mottled purple. On top of that genentic deficiency, I sweat. A lot. Its gross.
7. My husband still thinks I am beautiful. He supports me fully in this goal of mine, and has made personal goals for himself as well, but he reminds me all the time that he thinks I am gorgeous the way I am.
8. I don't like to be too tired. I get very little sleep due to my children, my insomnia, and my snoring husband, so engaging in activity that drains me of my precious energy doesn't always seem like the smartest idea.
9. I have back problems. I have three kids which means I have been pregnant at least three times. Putting all that strain on my tiny frame has left me with some very painful back issues. My OB even tried to find a masseuse who would work on me while in my late pregnancy, because he could see the strain that was being put on my perpetually bent spine. Nobody would. Liability issues. My back now has a perma-arch that doesn't like to be moved.
10. I am embarassed. I am ashamed of where I let myself get. I am depressed about how unhealthy my life has become. By making the efforts to work out and change my diet, I have to face all those bad decisions and that is hard.

OK, there you have it. Those are my top ten excuses for not wanting to work out and lose the weight before now. At this point, I feel they are all superficial and contrived. Being healthy and fit is far more important than any of the false luxuries I have trained my avoidance-prone mind to revel in. It is time to rip up this rap sheet of excuses and throw them away.

I am making the change NOW! Here's to the new year, and the new me.