Change Starts With You

The biggest excuses I hear from those who want to "get fit" but don't ever really make the effort to do so is they either 1) aren't motivated or 2) don't have the time. Those reasons may as well be the footnote to about 60 percent of all the fitness plans that end up going the way of the dinosaur.

While I empathize with those who don't succeed, I know that if you want something badly enough, you'll make the effort to do it no matter what your circumstances. So, I've never been a big fan of any one who complains and gripes about bodily dissatisfaction if the only moves they've made towards changing is to talk about what they're going to do as opposed to actually doing it.

On a personal level, the majority of the women in my family are either overweight or obese and it's a condition most of them have come to accept—and even embrace—as a fact of their life. They've convinced themselves that they're just "curvy", "thick" or "real" women.

I often look to them as motivation to not become complacent because, as shallow as it may sound, my desire to be thin trumps any desire I have to over-indulge in the types of foods that were once a staple of my Southern upbringing.

That next level confidence I have in myself as a woman and as a, pardon my frankness, sexual being, comes in large part from being comfortable with my body—both clothed and not. You can't buy that sort of thing over-the-counter and you certainly won't understand the great love it inspires within oneself to know that you've set a goal and stuck with it.

Fitness more than anything is about making a personal commitment to change. You are sending the message to that inner you that the outside will match the inside. You can't do that if you're constantly making excuses and justifying the bad choices you make regarding food.

I read an article recently and something in it struck a chord with me. The author said that, where being healthy is concerned, you know what you should and should not eat, and you understand that there are consequences to being cavalier with those choices. So, if you never reach your physical potential, the fault lies in you. It's a simple message that speaks volumes.

If you want better, you do better. It's not rocket science.

And that change starts with you.

Staying Fit Means Keeping Excuses To A Minimum

As a mother of two, I worked hard to get back to my pre-baby body after my pregnant one took over and—though I haven't one regret about the experience of being pregnant—it was a challenge that was both frustrating and character building at the same time.

So when I hear women say that it's "impossible" to look good post pregnancy, I find myself perplexed—call it arrogance, call it ignorance, call it an inability to empathize, but I feel it's just an excuse to not do better.

There are many women out there who managed to get back to a healthy size minus a gym or a trainer and despite the responsibilities of being a mother.

I choose to take a little time for myself, everyday,  to exercise. I do yoga, meditate, or play with the kids, but I make a decision to put my body into motion. I work hard at it not only to appease the vain side that exists to some degree in every one of us—let's face it, we all like to look great in a pair of jeans—but also to teach my children to 1) never neglect the Temple God gave you, and 2) to always remember to make time for bettering yourself—even if it means putting something or someone on hold for a moment.

Now, before the mommies cite me for being a bad parent, let me make this very clear: my kids are my top priority. They don't lack for anything as far as love, attention, and nourishment are concerned—nor does the hubby for that matter. But, in order to be that woman who can do it all, or at least appear to, I have to attend to me first, and that means feeling good about the skin I'm in.

Every woman deserves to look in the mirror and feel like a pretty girl—no matter what her age. Being fit—like it or not—contributes to that perspective, and you won't get fit by sitting on the sofa making excuses.

Am I saying you have to be a size 4? No, absolutely not, but I am saying that there is always time for you, so, take it and use it wisely.