Motivation

The Diet Blog asks today "What Motivates You?" After my race on Monday, I think I have to admit that my motivator might be a "temporary" motivation, but here it is: aging.

Aging??? You think I'm kidding. Well, I'm not. I am blessed with really good genes from my mother. Now, she'd kill me if I mentioned her age, (and she's strong, she could do it too!), but have a look at a photo of her, and then add a good 15-20 years to your best guess. Seriously. She looks better at (age I can't mention) than most American women do at 40. It's an inspiration.

Then there are celebrities like Madonna and Sheryl Crowe. These women looked healthier at 40 than they did at 30, and I am inspired by that. I might have "wasted" my health as a young punk, but I'm a grown-up now, (no comments from the peanut gallery!) and I know that I can be one of those amazing ladies that are healthier at 40.

So, that's my motivation. I weighed about 275 lbs on my 30th birthday. I huffed my way through gentle yoga classes and made eating a huge lunch my competitive sport. On my 34th birthday, I was closer to 170, and prepping for a 5K run. A "light yoga" class is a little fun for me, and I do enjoy a weekly gentle yoga with my wonderful hand-standing mom (and my amazing weight-dropping sister as well).

But being thin today isn't enough: at roughly 170lbs (okay, I was up at WI today, but who's counting swelling?), I'm much more fit, but still flabby in areas, and not exactly the picture of health. I am making very long term goals with regards to my health: I'm shooting for a 10K around my 35th birthday, and working up to having run a half-marathon by the time I turn 40. And yes, I do expect to be (superfically) sexier at 40 than I was at 30. (Not too hard considering.)

So many losers slip up and gain back once they've reached their goals, but my real goal isn't to get to X weight: it's to be at X weight/fitness level 6 years from now. That means consistency. That means thinking long-term and big-picture. And as I approach 40, that will mean planning for 50!

Posted by foxydot at May 30, 2007 1:21 PM