Motivation

What motives people? With obesity on the rise all over the US even in children what could motivate us to do something about it?. It is hard work to loose weight and it takes a huge commitment of will power and time. I am the first to admit I have my moments of weakness (especially for chocolate) and sometimes it is hard to get motivated to go work out. So what keeps me going.?

1.) the first key to getting me started was the fact that I had several family members get ill recently. The one that got to me the most I must say was my brother. We are pretty close and even though he is 9 years older than me it was hard on me to think of his current medical condition. He is overweight and last summer was diagnosed with gout and kidney stones. Not life threatening but still the same a very real very painful condition. I realized I wanted to be healthy in 9 more years not ill.

2.) The next motivator was the fact that my doctor said I had caffeine induced lumps in my breasts. This opened my eyes to the fact that the 4 to 5 sodas I drank per day were really having an effect on my body whether I realized it or not. My pap test also came back abnormal which was pretty scary. I have seen the suffering of chemo and cancer. I didn't want to go through it or put my family through it. Even though I don't want to die I didn't want my family to have to burden a sick wife and very expensive medical bills , so I decided I was going to let nature take its course, but I would try getting fit. I am happy to report my last pap was clear. I was also having ovarian cysts on a very regular basis. I was having very large ones that very so painful I couldn't even turn over in bed when they would rupture. Happy to report with diet exercise and a little hormones those are long gone. I was also having very heavy bleeding during my monthly cycles. We are talking going through super sized stuff in just 10 minutes. At this point I was very worried I just might have cancer. But again with hormones my symptoms improved but not 100 percent,. After diet and exercise I am 100 percent normal, in fact sometimes they are very light, a sign of an athlete.

3.) I didn't like the way I looked especially the fat accumulating around my knees. It just looked gross.

4.) I didn't want to be a drain on the medical community. Our medical system is so messed up.

So what initially got me started was was being scared of being sick. I must admit it was hard cause I did feel tired a lot at the begining, but as my stamina improved so did my energy.So starting out my BMI was 26 which isn't too bad but still overweight. I started my exercise program at a slow pace with just walking (probably at a 3 or 3.5 can't remember) on my treadmill. It would take me 45 minutes to go a little over 2 miles and burn 350 calories. That was 8 months ago I am now running at 6.6 and the same amount of time gets me over 4 miles and 700 calories. Granted I usually don't run that far but sometimes I do.
Well in 4 1/2 months I reached my goal weight. I lost 40lbs. I now have a BMI of 20. I can even shop in the juniors department again. Don't hate me I worked very hard to get here. I worked out every single morning getting up at 5:00 AM to get my workouts in before kids and work. So now that I reached my weight the hardest part is maintenance. A family member recently said better not throw out those fat clothes you'll need them when you gain the weight back. That made me even more determined to not gain it back. So what keeps me motivated now? I'll admit it is harder now that I am where I want to be. It is easy to say Oh one skipped workout or one piece of cake won't hurt too bad. But it is hard to get back on the wagon after taking a trip off. so I...
1.) remember that comment about the clothes.
2.) have set a goal to run a 5k, don't know what I'll do after I actually do it.
3.) try to remind my self how much better I'll feel after that hot sweaty run. I do dread it before hand, but I feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards, and I do have more energy.
4.)remind myself of how healthy I am now and how I don't want to go back to being sick.
5.) the fact my husband likes the way I look and I don't want to let him down, even though he'd love me anyway.
6.) to be healthy and active for my kids and to set a good example for them.
7.) remind myself of the way I feel when I put on my new clothes.

What held me back before was its so much easier to sit and watch TV. I was tired alot. I was addicted to caffeine. I do have bad knees, but they are improved since I have lost weight there is less stress on them and the muscles around them are stronger. And lastly lack of desire and attitude.

So it is hard , very hard, but finding motivation is the key. Attitude is also important. I found I can run farther if I tell myself how good I feel instead of focusing on how much longer I still have to go. However you have to watch your body doesn't adjust to much to your routine. I am currently running mostly cause I am training for that 5K, but I hope to add in different cardio soon. I really think I would like kickboxing and we are talking about getting a heavy bag. I also think Zumba looks fun. Maybe I'll get to try them soon.
Lastly it helps to have someone to support you. My husband is that person for me. He has even started working out and he wants to do the 5K with me. Tomorrow we got a sitter so we could run together. let me tell you running on the open road is different from the treadmill. I have trouble pacing myself and wore myself out the first time and wound up having to mix in walking with my running. Tomorrow will be my 2nd time out, so I will try harder to pace it more evenly. I was really bummed after the first run. Anyway even though not everyone has been supportive like the clothes comment person It helps to have that one person there to back you up. Of course my partner can also be an enabler at times. He loves ice cream and always asks if I want some. If I say no he says oh neither do I. Then I feel like I am depriving him somehow so I break down and eat a bowl with him, but its always low fat. It's nice we can be there for each others ups and downs. I also have a good friend who is battling the same fight. I wish I could help her more, but I know she is strong and can do it, but recently she has had some personal issues set her back. I want to be there to inspire her, but I don't want to push too hard and drive her crazy. I know she can do it though.
In closing I have only had 2 sodas since November. That was a huge habit for me to break. Now I really don't crave them and they don't taste the same to me. Now if I could get chocolate to do that life would be smooth sailing. Well I hope I inspired someone to find their motivation. It is hard but well worth the battle. And yes I still do dread those sweaty runs, but I do them cause I am motivated.