Sunday, November 3, 2013

Weightloss - Stages of Change - Denial

I can't get something out of my mind that someone said to me the other day:"But, Jenny, you were always fit!" Well, was I, first of all?And secondly, what was the person really saying? Yes, I was fit enough to run a half-marathon in a little over two hours, which is nothing spectacular, comparatively speaking. But I was very unhappy with the way I looked and how my clothes fit me in spite of all of that pavement-pounding. Seeing myself in the mirror now I must say is a totally different enterprise. I am not thinking, as I did then: "Will I need to do liposuction to get rid of all this bulge?" I am thinking: "Should I move all the carbs up to the morning and afternoon instead of evening to get the abs definition quicker?"And yes, I am much fitter then I was half a year ago. I could not do 40 pushups, and now I can! My core is strong, my buttocks are strong, my posture is improved and I am not embarrassed to show off my bare arms. I am still not where I want to be in my fitness and appearance, but I am not the unhappy middle-aged woman I was 8 months ago. I am a can-do woman; I am proud and happy owner of this marvelous 43 year body that, I think, is full of wondrous potentials when given a daily dose of TLC.The more I think of the second question the more I begin to realize that the question was not addressed to me, at least, not exactly. It reflects something deeper in the person's thinking. Namely, a denial. And I am not saying that judgmentally. We are all at one point or another are in that state of denial, being focused on different demands in our life, when fitness seems like a luxury we cannot afford. Or, maybe we are demoralized by the failed previous attempts to lose weight. You yourself maybe said or heard other people in your life say things like:- I've tried everything - nothing works for me. Maybe it is my fate to be overweight?- I am not vain. I love my body as it is!- I eat what I want - life is short, you've got to enjoy it while you can.- My uncle ate and drank to excess and lived to be 90.- It's my mother fault; she overfed me as a child. There is nothing to be done about it now.- There is nothing wrong with me -it's the other people that think I am a threat to my own health! I just wish they'd go away!What would lift the cloud of denial from your mind? Will it be the sad news in the doctor office? The tense, uncomfortable moments at extended family reunion? Or that revealing moment in the tiny fitting room when you see yourself in a mirror the way the others see you? Whatever the triggering event might be for you, I hope the decision to come out of the denial will happen sooner rather than later and that you join me and my friends on a journey of fitness and self-discovery!