“I need to get in to shape.”
Have you ever heard someone say that? Have you ever said it yourself?
I never did. I’ve always been a curvy woman, and I like the shape my curves make. I never felt a need to change the way I looked because I liked the way I looked.
Then I hurt my back and had a baby, and everything changed. After my back injury I went from a curvy size 14 to a plump size 18. When I had my daughter I went up to a size 22.
For years I’ve been trying to lose weight associated with my injury and my pregnancy. My injury was four years ago, and my daughter is two years old. I changed what I ate years ago, but all that did was stall the progress of further weight gain.
I didn’t decide to make a change until I went to buy a new coat this winter. I went to three different stores before I found a coat in my price range that also fit me. Though I had experienced the same difficulty buying jeans, the thought of something not fitting the top half of my body—what I considered my “skinny half”—broke my spirits. I knew in that moment that I needed to address my weight gain.
Since I had already changed my eating habits, all that was left to change was my activity level. Unfortunately for me, that meant exercise.
You see, I hate exercise. I enjoy playing sports. I enjoy swimming. I enjoy being active. However, the minute that joyful activity becomes “exercise” in my mind, I refuse to do it. I’m not sure why I’m wired this way, but I am.
I am left wondering how to handle this. How do I improve my health when I so strongly dislike the activities that help me reach my goal? The short answer is research and experiment.
This week begins the start of my blog “Healthy the Hard Way.” Every week I will examine a myth, tip or tool related to overall health and wellness.
If you have ever felt the way I feel, I invite you to join me in my little experiment. Check it out every week at www.sinclairclarion.com to share stories, leave comments and see for yourself what it takes to get healthy the hard way.