Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Why Bother?

The original post in a series that spawned this blog over here.

So in case you haven't noticed, exercise and healthy eating are things that are near and dear to my heart. This isn't because I'm some nutty whacky fitness freak who wants to bench press 1,000 pounds and run three minute miles, although I'm sure that's how it might seem sometimes with my data collection and tracking. It's not because I want to fit into a pair of super cute size 0 pants, although I do enjoy being able to wear the normal-sized clothes hanging in my closet. And sure, when I step back and take an honest look, part of my motivation for exercising and being healthy is because I like the way I look. Who wouldn't feel that way?

But at the root of the issue? THIS is what it's all about.

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For me, it's more about health - it's about growing up in a family where everyone struggled with weight issues and heart disease. My mom lost her dad to a heart attack when she was a teenager. I almost lost my own dad when he had a near-fatal heart attack in 2005. My dad's dad had multiple heart attacks over the years before he passed in 2008. In a society where obesity levels are through the roof, heart disease is killing a million people EVERY YEAR, and preschoolers are being diagnosed with diabetes, I want to do the best that I can for myself, my husband, and my own child. Not only do I want to be healthy for them, so that we can live a long life together and I can watch him grow up and meet future grandchildren, but I want to provide him with a good example - I want him to grow up knowing that fruits and veggies are an important part of life, that ice cream and cookies are good, too, but that they're only "sometimes foods," and that exercise is good for the body and for the soul.

I don't know that I'm the best person to be giving advice - I often have trouble with a broken motivator, and there are many days when my give-a-damn isn't working, either. Plus, I'm willing to overshare, which leads to some brutally honest and maybe TMI posts, like what happens when you don't do your kegels after childbirth and then try to do plyometric training. Even so, I do have some ideas and thoughts to share with you, so here I am.

5 comments:

  1. Looking forward to the weekly posts. We're trying to make healthy choices for the same reasons. I have a strong history of cancer and almost everything else in my family...

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  2. Absolutely agree!  Can I reshare this post on my blog?

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  3. Of course! Where's your blog? I don't see one in your profile. I'd love to read it!

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  4. I totally understand about the family history...we've got it all in my family (heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, etc.) so I make it a point to do what I can to avoid that.  Speaking of which...were you trying Insanity? 

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  5. We're in Week 5 of Insanity and it's totally kicking my butt. I'd say it's more of a second step after resuming post-partum activities. Shawn would probably like it, too.

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