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    DRAGONCHILDE   43,214
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Reminding myself

Monday, September 03, 2012

It's been a while since I started this journey. It's been a slow journey, one that is on a par with the slowest loser. One year, 23 pounds. (Was 25, but I gained them back.)

I have to remind myself of why I'm on this journey, though.

My primary motivation are my two little girls. Their names are Elisabeth (6) and Rebekah (4). First grade, and preschool, respectively. I want them to grow up seeing healthy as the norm. Strength as the goal, not thinness. Making healthy choices.

But it's more than that. I want to do this for them, but I want to do it for ME, too! I want to be able to run a Tough Mudder. I want to be able to run, period. I want to be able to ride my bike crazy amounts of miles. I want to join my cousins in their races. (One cousin just ran a 10k, and is training for his first half. The other rides 30+ miles on a regular basis.) I DON'T want to follow my mom down the path of Type II Diabetes.

I have big goals for myself. And I'm going to meet them. So why are you here, really? Yeah, I know you want to lose X amount of weight. We all have that goal. But WHY do you want to lose the weight? What's your real reason for reading this blog, for logging into Spark every day, for trying to lose weight at all?

What's your motivation?
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

-CORAL- 9/4/2012 3:27PM

    Because I'm vain!

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JENNY160 9/3/2012 11:19PM

    Because I want to feel strong and good, not achy and weak. Because I don't want to have all the physical ailments my mother has. Because I want to wear cute clothes, and tuck in shirts, and not see my blubber stick out further than my breasts when I sit down.

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MPLANE37 9/3/2012 10:42PM

    Great reasons for staying healthy. I want to stay healthy for as long as possible for me and for the loved ones, just like you do. That is my main reason to hang out at SP. Staying healthy is a too broad statement, with no precise definition of what it really involves. For me it involves a body fat % that is near the lower end of the healthy range. It involves phenomenally well-tuned nutrition, and quality exercise, not a lot of pointless exercise. I am sometimes shocked to see how much some people exercise. Health and exercise have an inverse U-type relationship. It is not true that the more you exercise the healthier you are. There is an optimum amount of exercise of optimal intensity that you need for maximum health benefits. Anything both less or more means less health benefits. Anyway, good luck in your pursuit of a healthy life!

Comment edited on: 9/3/2012 10:46:25 PM

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FUN2BAROUND 9/3/2012 6:47PM

    I want to feel better, be able to run further faster, and I want to wear cute, SMALLER clothes. :)

There are other more lofty goals, like being healthy, being a role model for future olympians, and world peace...but for now I'll focus on these!

emoticon

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REXTINE1 9/3/2012 6:44PM

    It was pain that got me started. I accidentally walked my dog 13 miles on what I thought was a nature trail that was actually a snowmobile trail. Then my right knee hurt so much that I couldn't sleep, and the only cures were glucosamine sulfate (50 per cent chance it would work) and "lose weight" from at least three reputable sources. Now I just want to keep going as long as possible.

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IAMLOVEDBYYOU 9/3/2012 6:29PM

    I want to be able to go anywhere with my life, and I don't want my weight or poor health to stop me. I want to backpack through Europe, volunteer in an orphanage in a 3rd world country, or trek through the amazon forest. More than my physical health, I want to deal with the emotional aspects of overeating... I don't want to be afraid of having these adventures because I won't have food or I'll have to just eat rice and beans every day. Also, I don't want the social stigma that comes with being overweight. I don't want to scan every room to look for someone heavier than me. I don't want to shy away from talking to athletic guys. I don't want to sit out of a kickball game because I can barely run.

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STONECOT 9/3/2012 5:51PM

    I hate being always the last person in a group, always puffing like Thomas the Tank Engine! Always red faced and sweaty, always aching, always worried that once again I'll have to turn back. I want to be the same as the rest of my family, fit and active, almost without ever thinking about it.

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CHICCHANTAL 9/3/2012 3:41PM

    Oo DC, now you're asking! I want to escape my upbringing, and my mother. That's what I want.

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OBIESMOM2 9/3/2012 3:36PM

    why? Well...I never had weight problems until I turned 40. I was naturally thin (too skinny, actually. But 'skinny fat') until my mid 20s. Then I worked at it to keep the weight off. The older I got, the harder it was. So I know that it's NOT going to get any easier.

I have a lot of type 2 diabetes in my family too, Heather. While weight is not the only contributing factor, it does greatly increase the odds. Sis is maybe 10 lbs overweight and has been borderline diabetic for years.

my blood work is good; my BP is good. I just need to get those lbs that have crept on to creep back off. And I'm so close!

the downside is that the closer you get to goal, the more difficult it is to lose. The upside is...I AM SO CLOSE!!!

I do love seeing my resting heart rate get lower as I get healthier.

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JADOMB 9/3/2012 2:31PM

    My driving force is my daughter's wedding in January, but my motivation is LIFE. Just too many things and reasons for my journey. NOT ONE thing that tells me to stop.

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ARCHIMEDESII 9/3/2012 2:17PM

    I've lost the weight and have kept if off. What keeps me going ? I like being fit. I like seeing that I have muscles. I don't want to be a couch potato again.

My fitness goal this year is to do a Spartan Sprint. There's one being held in Fenway Park and I'm signed up. A Spartan Sprint is similar to a Tough Mudder, just a shorter distance with more obstacles. a bunch of friends from the gym did the Tough Mudder this year, but I missed it. May do it next year depending on how I do wit the Spartan.

I also want to live a long, healthy and productive life. Too many of my relatives have died because of cancer, diabetes and now heart disease. I don't want to join them.



Comment edited on: 9/3/2012 2:17:52 PM

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JJAQUES41 9/3/2012 12:13PM

    I want to do this so my energy level stays more consistent; so I can go to sleep at night -not lay awake for 1-2 hours; I want fewer headaches and migraines-to figure out what's my trigger (food journaling is the first step) I want to feel sexy not only for me, but for my husband; I want to be a parent that can do activities with my 12 and 16 year old kids and their friends (blazer tag, paintball, football games, etc) not sit on the sidelines relegated to taking pictures.

I want to live to be 110 and see my grandkids and their kids and know that I had a full and active life and did all I could to enjoy it!

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