Being "Spurred" On...

Yesterday as I got up from my desk for probably the millionth time ever, I felt 2-3 sharp pin pricks in my heal.

I slowly walked a little ways and then thought to myself, oh geez...is this heel spurs??

For the last couple months I have been having more and more aches and pains. Last year I started with lower back pain. In the past few months this lower back pain has returned along with pain in my arches.

And now this.

Of course I googled and on WebMD one of the causes of these symptoms is being overweight.

UGH!!!!

Yes, God I know I am overweight! Is this how you are convincing me to take it seriously? Because it's working!

It occurred to me that being overweight makes me feel so much older than I should be right now. So I decided to see if I could find a quiz to PROOVE that I am physically older in years than I actually am. (gluten for punishment??) Pun intended...


And here are the results according to the lengthy quiz on the Dr. Oz website:

So now that you all know my birthday...

Honestly these results are MUCH better than I thought they would be. I think the fact I don't smoke and rarely drink has a lot of barring in this case. However, the quiz was seriously detailed. I mean it asked me the emotional state of my marriage! haha

The fact that according to this quiz I have already lost 4.8 years of my life due to my own lack of self-discipline is mind opening. So basically I am shortening my own life by half a decade thus far.

I can say this definitively because I am really on paper, pretty healthy. I have all the right numbers (except on the scale) and my doctor(s) have always pointed that out to me...almost as if they are shocked (I don't blame them).

All in all, I just really want to be HEALTHY. 

If you have never been 50 lbs or more overweight, can I just say....as a warning....IT SUCKS!

I can't imagine being over 100 lbs over weight. It would be exhausting!!

It's way more painful and difficult than you imagine. You can't do things. It's harder.

Life is more of a struggle.

In the end, all of this has helped me to realize that physically I can't ignore these bad habits anymore. It has got to stop. My back is killing me right now and there is NOTHING I can do about it until I lose this extra weight and gain muscle to support my core. 

I have no other choice.

BTW you can take the quiz here: Dr.Oz Real Age

Joining A Gym!

Last week, we joined a gym. Planet Fitness to be exact.

The first gym I ever joined was right after high school. I had just dropped out of college (I had been there 2 months) and had decided to take time off, get a "Real" job and figure things out. On my way to work there was a women's gym called "Lady Fitness." This appealed to me because at the time I was extremely shy and insecure (I still am, but way less so) and I just wanted to workout and get healthy without the idea of any boys being around to see me sweat and look awful with no make-up.

I signed a 2 year contract. $25 a month. I thought my mom would kill me.

I went to this gym a handful of times.

The next gym I joined was Planet Fitness. I joined with a group of work friends almost 10 years later (from the first gym membership) and mainly joined because it was cheap and there was no contract. I went more regularly to this gym. I canceled and rejoined a couple times as I saw fit.

Fast forward 2 years later (I got married and moved to another city) and I am now the heaviest I have EVER been. I bought the largest size jeans I have ever bought only a few weeks ago. As I sat in the dressing room I thought, I gotta DO something! Anything!

So here I am, rejoining Planet Fitness, this time with husband in tow.

The first week I went twice, Thursday and Friday (I joined Wednesday).

Now it is Monday and I forgot my gym bag (the bag I packed the night before) at home. I realized this as I was driving into work. My gym is close-by work and 30-45 minutes from home. So I have a conundrum.

Do I drive the 30-45 minutes home and get my gym bag and come back? Spending an outrageous amount on gas doesn't sound appealing. OR do I skip Monday and make it up later (like going in on a Saturday)?

These are the little obstacles that can make or break a new fitness plan, particularly for someone like me.

I am 100 lbs overweight. I like food. I like sleep. If anything stands in my way of that gym, I am done for. (So says the gremlins in my head) Google gremlins and Brene Brown for more info.

And here is another thing....I AM 100 lbs overweight! I tell people this and they look at me like that's impossible! Maybe because I'm taller I carry weight differently?

I am 230 lbs and I should weigh 130-150 lbs. I have been 130-150 lbs much longer than I have been overweight and I KNOW that that is my healthiest.

I am not trying to be model thin.

I want to be able to pick things up off the ground without hurting.

I want to be able to walk up stairs without feeling light headed or out of breathe.

Anyway, I have to figure out how to get in a workout today without the gym. I have to learn to adapt to any obstacle and not get upset when I can't do what's "comfortable".

I mean lets face it. I am anything but comfortable 24/7, what's a little more in order to get to where I need to be?

Thanks for reading! I would love your thoughts!