Bob and I woke up this morning at 6:20 to go work out. Were we excited about getting out of bed at that hour? No. Would we have rather slept another 40 minutes? Yes. Why did we do it? Because we have to. OK...we really don't have to. We can join the 65% of Americans who are overweight or obese. We can have added health issues like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and a host of others.
Living a healthy lifestyle isn't always easy. Yes, I will admit, it is easier for some than others. That's life though—we all have our battles to fight. It is much easier to drive through McDonald's on your way home from work with 3 screaming kids in the back seat than to cook a nutritious dinner at home. It is easier to turn on the TV after dinner than to take a walk around the neighborhood with your pet/family/friend. It is easier to drive that half-mile or mile to run errands than it is to walk. Some of the best things in life don't come easily.
I am tired of reading how obesity is someone else's fault: fast food restaurants, the food manufacturers, television, the government. The simple fact is, unless you are part of an extremely small minority, the calories you burn must be more than the calories you consume or you will get fat. You are the one who chooses how much food to put in your mouth and how much time you spend exercising. Only you can be responsible for your choices.
"But I just LOVE my daily [insert favorite junk food here]!" Fine. Just take an extra stroll around the neighborhood that day. "But I really just want to sit on the couch and watch TV." Ask yourself: How is this going to improve my life? Do you want your children to say, "She only lived to age 48, but she saw every Friends episode 3 times," or do you want to be having coffee with your friends at 58?
Posted by heather at January 5, 2004 05:50 PMi've also been on kind of a health kick lately and have noticed (at least in Colorado) that it can cost more to eat healthy than to live on fast food (grocery prices - and especially produce, are outrageous (here)).
Posted by: cliff at January 28, 2004 09:50 AM