On January 1st, it was time to do one thing I'd been avoiding, pretty much all through the month of December. You know, it was time to pay the piper, face the music, pay the bill—I'm at a loss for any more metaphors, so I'll just come out and say it: it was time to step on the scale.
I'd like to first point out that what a person weighs has absolutely zero correlation to their inherent worth. I truly believe this. It's taken me a good long while to connect to it, but today I believe this wholeheartedly.
That said, if you can't bend over to tie your shoes without your stomach causing interference, I call that a mobility issue. Mobility is something that makes living every day just a little bit easier.
So when I saw the number was 177.6, my first thought was, "Oh s#@t!"
My next thought was, "Wow. That's almost where I started."
And my third thought was, "So, what are you gonna do about it, sister? Ain't no use crying over mountains of beautifully iced holiday cookies!"
And so it begins. For me, it's a gentle return to making healthier choices.
I have no intention of being some skinny minny. I have no desire to try and make my stomach hard and flat. Honestly. I am not built that way. Not physically or genetically.
People don't love me more if I'm a size 8. In fact, I'd bet money they like me less because I'm a lot more black and white when I do make it to that size category. When I'm black and white, I'm a lot less fun to be around.
My goal isn't to be less fun, you know?
So I simply shoot to move more and eat well.
Someone shared this awesome post by filmmaker Michael Moore with me the other day, and it really resonated with me. He writes: "Quit trying to be something you're not, be happy with the life you've been given, and just go for a pleasant walk outside."
Just the idea that you can simply try to move around more, enjoy the life you've been given and get a little healthier as you go.
I embrace the idea that we aren't all supposed to be tiny little things.
Yes, we can all do things to make our lives healthier. I know that when I'm eating good, whole, healthy foods and moving my body, my mind works better. My moods are more even. Things hurt less.
That sounds pretty good to me, you know? I want that as my focus.
It's also going to be my focus for my online workshop, Move More, Eat Well.
Each month in class, we journal about our story and as I was writing, I realized that there really has been a shift in my attitude about all of this. Feeling sorry for myself is just about the worst motivation I can think of. Instead, framing this process in a more positive, nurturing light is how I'm going to connect to feeling better overall.
I'll definitely check in monthly here as well to let you know how it's all shaking out.
For now, it's all systems go.
To learn more about Move More, Eat Well 2.0, click on the image below. You can join at any time in 2013. Tomorrow at Noon Eastern, I'm hosting a kick off video chat for my students. I'm hoping to take this message and really inspire people to continue striving to make small and lasting changes and doing it in a very life affirming, nurturing way.
