Choose Your Hard

Plenty of things in life can be hard....or are hard.  But there are so many beautiful things in life that it makes all the hard crap worth it.  Parenthood is a great example.  I KNOW parents can relate.  Parenting is some HARD stuff, but then there's those sweet moments among the chaos that make all the tough parts seem not so tough and totally worth it.

Kate helping our dog eat his dinner

Losing Weight Is Hard & Being Fit Is Hard

I look at fitness in much the same way.  I'm not going to sugarcoat it.  Losing weight is hard.  Building muscle is hard.  It requires a lot of work physically, mentally and emotionally. You may think you're going to drop dead after your first week(month) of training.  You may feel like your lungs will literally explode right out of your chest.  You may puke.  You may feel hungry.  Resisting food temptation is hard.  It requires constant monitoring.  After all, those living the fit life are recovering sugar addicts and are constantly on the verge of relapsing...or at least I am.  Will power is much like a muscle, and the more it is worked, the stronger it gets.  It's hard, too, but the benefits of strengthening your will power and your body FAR outweigh the hard that comes along with it.

Because of being fit, breaking down and tossing a 30 lb jogging stroller in the back of my car isn't a wind-sucking, red-faced task.  I can do it with ease and not miss a beat, all while holding my 11 month old who weighs as much as a sack of potatoes (lucky for her, chunky baby thighs never go out of style).  Because of being fit, unloading a full load of groceries

doesn't take forever, and I can usually get them all in 2 trips. ;) Because of being fit, I know I am setting a good example of what health and loving your body is for my girls.  They are learning early on the importance of eating healthy food to fuel their body, not learning to indulge in junk food to drown their emotions.

Because of enduring the hard of being fit, I know that I'm doing everything I can to ensure I am here for my family as long as possible.  Not only am I ensuring my longevity, but I'm insuring that my quality of life is optimal for those years.  What good is living until old age if you can't get out and move around and enjoy it?  That only happens by getting in shape and staying there.  You can't be in shape without giving a damn about what goes into your body and that also takes hard work.  Eating clean and eating for fat loss are both hard.  Food prepping is hard.  Researching the right foods to eat is hard.  Taking the time to try new recipes is hard.  So is being fit hard?  Yes, but is it worth it?  ABSOLUTELY HELL YES.  

Being Fat Is Hard
Being overweight is also hard.  I know, I have been there.  I was never morbidly obese, but I was 201 lbs after having my first daughter and on my 5'4" frame, that wasn't a pretty site.  I had never been that big before.  In high school and college I fluctuated between a size 4-8, 120 lbs-145lbs.  I had never truly been on the other side of the weight fence (despite feeling like I was fat everyday of my teenage and college life).  I have felt the discomfort of thigh chafing.

Obesity makes driving hard.

I have felt like an over-sized giant in my car. I have avoided the mirror completely getting out of the shower.  I have hated every article of clothing in my closet.  I have avoided shopping (and that killed me!).  I have been nearly snubbed next to young college girls in a sub shop line.  I have been ignored by construction workers (and that's hard to do).  As nice as it was to not hear a whistle and an 'owww!', it kinda hurt too.

When you're overweight, it's hard to be on your feet all day.  They feel bruised after six hours.  It's hard to feel out of breath going up 10 stairs...or for so many, it's just going 10 feet.  It's hard to have Diabetes and have to manage it--and pay for it-- on a daily basis.

It's hard to take time off of work to be sick and laid up in a hospital room.  It's hard to afford and take medication everyday for high blood pressure and cholesterol.  It's hard to deal with the digestive issues the Standard American Diet gives you.  It's hard to tell your kids you can't play with them because you are too big or too tired or can't run or have bad knees.  It's hard to see their disappointment.  It's hard to hear them say they don't want to be fat like their parents.

Photo credit + article on
obesity's relation to arterial stiffness

It's HARD to be overweight.  And what are the benefits of being overweight?  What's the reward at the end of the day?  There isn't one.  Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.  It takes a lot of hard work to be fat and what do you get in the long run?  An early death.  A gazillion medications to pop every day to keep you from keeling over.  Is being overweight hard?  Yes, but is it worth it?  ABSOLUTELY HELL NO.

Choose Wisely
There are plenty of things in life that are hard.  Many of those things should be hard so that we appreciate them more.  If a workout wasn't called a WORK out, it would just be an easy out. The hard work is rewarding in the long run because it benefits you and everyone who loves you. Conversely, the hard associated with obesity is empty.  You get nothing out of it in the long run but lost days, lost memories, lost time.  Choose your hard, and choose it wisely.