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Staying Healthy in Times of Sorrow
Posted on Aug 20th 2010 1:00PM by Ashley WisniewskiFiled Under: Motivation, Tipping the Scales
Flickr: kevindooley
Another two weeks have gone by, and yet another two weeks I've seen the scale show a weight gain instead of a weight loss. Just as I suspected, the move from Michigan to Virginia proved to be catastrophic for my weight loss project. I was in Virginia for a week before even buying groceries! I relied on fast food and a variety of full-fat yet delicious home-cooked meals as nourishment.
Not only have I made poor food choices, but my exercise levels have been nearly nonexistent. There is no need to sugarcoat my behavior; I have been lazy. Sadly, the seat to my stationary bike is still in the trunk of my husband's car. Why is it so hard to exercise and eat healthy when I know all about the positive reasons to continue these habits? I always feel better after I've worked out, and I always have more energy when I've had balanced meals. Yet I have been inconsistent in both departments over the past couple of weeks.
I do not write this next statement for sympathy but because this is a project that is supposed to follow me through the good, the bad, the healthy and the in between over the next year: I am also learning how to be healthy in the wake of tragedy. Shortly after our move, we received word of the death of my mother-in-law. Shocked and sad barely begin to cover the array of motions I've felt since getting that awful phone call.
Right now I'm learning how to incorporate healthy food choices into a time filled with confusion, sadness, traveling and saying goodbye to a loved one. Food is the universal method of comfort, but I must find other ways to channel my grief. I need to choose to make my health a lifelong commitment, and I must learn how to continue to make choices that are consistent with a lifestyle change, not just a "when-it-is-convenient" change. Life is full of difficult and stressful situations. It is not practical to simply use those times as excuses to make poor choices. Rather, I must look at these times as ways to use health and fitness to work through my emotions.
I will use the next two weeks to regain my focus. I plan to tackle small objectives to reach my larger goals. I will make sure to include some form of physical activity into my daily routine, and I will make healthier choices. I will challenge myself to stop letting excuses and life's hardships get in the way of my healthy progress. While I might sound like a record stuck on repeat, at least I am still moving to the beat.
Rest peacefully, Sue. You were so proud of our weight loss and progress and often asked if I was feeding your baby boy. You will be deeply missed.
After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.
Lee is struggling to lose weight as well, find out why he's unmotivated.
