As I work to drop the excess weight and tone up, I do what a lot of others in my position do – I track my food, exercise, and progress using MyFitnessPal. There are all kinds of tracking apps out there, but this is the one that works best for me.
One of my friends on the site has lost nearly 100 pounds in the last year and a half. To show his friends on the site that such transformations are possible, he posted a series of his “before” pictures. Then, later on, he posted a statement about his frustration with people who say they want to lose weight or get in shape, but then continue to make a series of excuses about why they can’t. Essentially, his point was if you make a bunch of excuses, then you must not really want it as much as you say you do.
Sure, some people were offended and had valid, medical excuses for stalled progress or frustrations, but the point he made is solid: If there’s something you really want – if it really means that much to you – you’re going to find a way to make it happen. You’re going to make changes in your daily routine, your eating habits, your support system, and you’re going to make it work.
That’s not to say that you won’t slip up, and in the series of comments that followed this guy’s post, he fully admits that he has experienced many of his own slip-ups, but that he hasn’t given up because of them. And that’s the key: Don’t give up.
Lately, I am the queen of excuses – I’m tired, I’m busy, I’ve been sick, I’m out of town, it’s a holiday, it’s a work event, it’s… – fill in the blank. But I’m (slowly) overcoming my excuses a little at a time.
For example, every day at work I try to get out for a walk for both my breaks and during my lunch hour. Today it has been raining nonstop, and I just did not want to walk in the rain and then stand around in wet clothes. I could’ve skipped my walks (and, truth be told, I skipped my lunch hour walk and studied for my certification instead… baby steps). Instead, I decided to take advantage of the on-site fitness center and use the elliptical and treadmill to replace my break time walks.
Why did I do this? Because getting even a few extra minutes of exercise during the day is worth it to me. And, I’ll admit, my current job has some great perks, such as my sit-stand workstation, on-site fitness center, healthy vending machine options, and more – perks that I understand many people just don’t have. But the point is the same: If it’s worth it to you, there aren’t enough excuses in the world to stop you.
Badass Is the New Skinny 