Yes, I am like you!

I  meet many people young and old and always the first thing that they want to confess to me is the state of their health.

I often wonder if when people meet financial planners that they feel the same need to confess their money problems. I once ran into an acquaintance at the grocery store and she immediately started justifying all of the food within her cart.

When I am off duty, as in not in the gym, I am just like everyone else but rarely treated as such.

Yes, I eat junk food. Yes, I slack off and put on weight, though when I say this people usually slap me and say, "ya right!"

I even had a specialist tell me to leave his office because in his opinion, there was no way I was going to suffer the same health problems that some of my family have had and therefore he would not even listen to my concerns. He took one look at my physical self and would not let me sit down!

The point is I can see a bit of myself in every person. I may not know what it is like to have to lose 50 lbs but I know what it is to be self conscious about my weight and worry about what others think of me. I sympathize with this struggle.

I completely understand how injuries can lead us to become immobile and how eating can become a way to ease the pain. I see how people gain the weight and I know how hard it is to lose it in a society that socializes around food.

I know what it is to participate in an activity that is hard but necessary.

I know that the younger you are when you put on the weight, the harder it is going to be to lose when you are older.

I know many people in their late thirties and early forties who are in worse shape than the parents who attend my fitness classes. People always claim that retired individuals have time to exercise and that is why they are in shape. I agree to an extent but consider how much harder it can be for them to get to class because of arthritis or other age related health problems.  It is hard for everyone, no matter their age.

I know all of the excuses.

I know that life is busy and that it is hard to get to the gym but I also know the signs of people who have given up on themselves.

I know that at some point you will have to put yourself first on your to do list or you will be forced to deal with poor health because it has become so bad that you cannot take care of your loved ones.

I know that the last thing that you want is to become a burden to your friends and family.

I know that if you loved yourself more, you would address the issues that are keeping you from taking better care of yourself.

I know that you need someone to tell you that you are worth it!

You deserve to live life pain free. Your family is counting on you to be there to help them navigate life. They need you to be in the best shape that you can be. If you will not do it for yourself, do it for them.

Start today.

How are you going to get into shape?

Stop the excuses and get busy taking care of yourself.

Beth