Please Don't Judge Me Because I am Fat

Last night I participated in a Walk-A-Thon for our local school district.  I walked 7.25 miles.  I am the heaviest I have ever been, and I can still go out and walk 7.25 on a whim.  Two weeks ago I walked 7.5 miles in Bloomsday.  A month ago I did 3 miles in the local fun run. 

My point is, I am heavy, I am considered obese, yet, I can go out and walk such distances without it phasing me.  So what does this mean?  I firmly feel it means that my muscles are strong and my lungs are in decent shape, I just am carrying around an extra 60 lbs on this small frame.  I am not making excuses, my goal has been and will always be to stay in shape and try to trim off those extra pounds.  But I am living proof that one can be heavy and still be active.

I will admit, I used to be one of those people who would look at someone heavy and think "Boy, they need to lay off of the chips and burgers and get moving."  No longer.  I don't always eat perfectly, in fact this past weekend, I literally fell off the bus of any so called diet I was trying.  But, I am not sedentary.  I do not sit and shove food in my face and watch television.  And yet, I know people look at me and think "Boy, she needs to lay off of the chips and burgers and get moving." 

Through my struggles, I have realized a few things.  Fat doesn't always mean lazy.  Fat doesn't mean that people aren't trying.  Fat isn't always because people are shoveling food in their faces.  Fat can be a result of nasty diseases like PCOS.  Now I am the one who cowers when in public, thinking that all eyes are on me and disecting the food on my plate and judging my choices.

But, that doesn't mean I will give up.  I don't want to be fat.  I don't want to be obese.  I want to fit back into my size 7 jeans or even size 9.  But, even if I reach my goal, I will never judge anyone on their weight again.  Ever.  It was said perfectly by a young girl last evening at the Walk-A-Thon, "You are you, and that's just how you were made."  What an amazing insight. 

So, consider your weaknesses and realize that, "You are you, and that's just how you were made," and be proud of you.

Exercise for fun = BLOOMSDAY!

I spoke of making exercise fun, right? Well, this last weekend I drove 400 miles round trip to participate in a run/walk called Bloomsday in Spokane, Washington! (Check out the race at http://www.bloomsday.org/).  Crazy, right?  My sister, my niece, my daughter and I all walked this in this 7.5 mile walk this year.  My brother-in-law RAN the crazy race and then WALKED it again with us!  We had a blast.  The only thing missing was my mother; she couldn't make it this year. 

My stats (just for fun!)
Finish Time: 2:43:45
Overall Place: 45,875 out of 50,611
Ran with a pace of 21:57 per mile
The average pace for 30-year-olds was 14:04
Placed 842nd among 915 people the same age
Placed 9th among 10 people from Arlee, MT
Placed 1,993rd among 2,117 people from Montana
Placed 33rd among 35 people with the same last name
Placed 27,429th among 30,568 females
Placed 551st out of 612 among 30-year-old females
Placed 2,607th out of 2,929 people in your age group

The city of Spokane, Washington.

Starting line!

The first hill of the race...

Looking behind us!  It is a good motivator to see so many people behind you!

Going up DOOMSDAY!

Only a 1/2 mile left!

These were in our registration bags so we all wore them in honor of my brother-in-law's brother who passed away last summer after a courageous right against colon cancer.

Exercise: Think of it as an Adventure!

If you have read any of my previous posts, you'll know that I am an athlete; just because I am an out of shape athlete that struggles with my weight doesn't mean that in my heart I am not still an athlete.  I live for the "high" of finishing a race or playing in a game or hiking up a mountain.  It is my understanding that not everyone experiences this.  I find that hard to imagine, but as my husband is as anti-exercise as they come, I know that it must be possible!

After making many reflections back over the years, I realize that no matter what I do to exercise, I pick an activity I enjoy, which may be why I am able to reach that "high."  Pounding out miles on a treadmill just doesn't interest me, so, of course it will be boring and dull and feel like work.  Right now my exercise primarily consists of hiking up the mountain behind my house, and once the snow is gone (isn't is almost May?), I will dig out my bike and add that to my routine.  I like to explore new routes and find new paths so it adds variety to my life.  I also have "enlisted" my husband and daughter into embracing the exercise lifestyle, even though as I mentioned before my husband despises exercise.  Through the years, as I have tried to convince him that it is good for him, I have realized he is much more apt to take part if I don't say, "Honey, let's go exercise!"  I change the wording and say "Let's go for an adventure as a family." Taking a walking adventure with the family, for some reason, doesn't sound as intimidating as exercise to my husband.

My guess is that occurs with many people.  Do I enjoy putting the miles on a treadmill?  Heck no!  But, going on an adventure and exploring new routes can make something that sounds dull and boring really appeal to the non-exerciser!  My daughter has even picked up some of the enthusiasm, when we go for walks we "explore" and make "scientific observations."  I really think people associate exercise with going to a gym and sweating for hours on a treadmill.  I have never enjoyed this.  Even when the weather is poor and I have to ride a stationary bike, I read a book or watch a movie while I am doing it.  I also have competitions with myself and see how long I can stay above a certain RPM.  My mind never settles on, "Oh man, I am just sitting here going nowhere."  In my head, I am going somewhere. 

I guess the biggest thing I have realized over my lifetime is that you can mix good old fashion exercise into your daily routine without making a point of saying "This is exercise."  I think that when you do it in a more subconscious fashion, you can really enjoy the moment, AND get the benefit of a healthy lifestyle.