Pregnancy - Getting Over the Stumbling Blocks

Being pregnant again is strange, though I'm well-adjusted at this point to the idea of having twins. I haven't begun to feel any movement yet, but that's not far away. I'm currently 14 weeks.

The first trimester I was exhausted! I could not get enough sleep. My energy level was very low, though I managed to pep up a little when I would go to the gym. I tried to be in the gym three times a week but mostly got in two trips. I ran until I was eight weeks, but stopped around that time and began walking instead when we learned we were having twins.

I spent the first trimester eating pretty much anything I wanted. I was nauseous all the time. As soon as the nausea would hit me, I'd have to eat to make it go away. During the first three months, I had an aversion to fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, and coffee. I tried to eat the fruits and veggies, but they made me ill. I went cold turkey off my decaf coffee and peanut butter. The only foods I really wanted were red meat, cheese, and orange juice. I also ate a combination of mixed beans, boiled egg, and sweet relish.

Consequently, I've gained 21 pounds. It was hard to step on that scale because I knew it would look ugly to me, if not slightly depressing. But, today is the beginning of a new day. My nausea has gone away and I've begun to get control of my eating schedule. I've tracked my food for the first time in months today. I feel great about being on track. I'm no longer having any cravings or aversions - I'm very thankful. Chicken, fruits, and veggies have all come back into my diet.

Before anyone gets on a soapbox about my pregnancy nutrition, please know that I'm not restricting my calories in order to lose weight. I'm simply tracking them so that I don't go over my prescribed calories for my pregnancy. I was obviously eating way too many calories in the first trimester. I'm not "dieting."

Also, I'm not down about the weight. It's an obvious must (to a degree) for pregnancy. I know I will take it off after my delivery and I'm fine with that. My spirits are high and I'm positive. It came off the first time - it'll come off again.

It's a great day. The sun is out and it's beautiful. I'll get out and spend some time in the sun and hit the gym later as well. I'm relieved to be back in a healthy place. Thanks for all the well-wishes!

Thoughts on Pregnancy and Then Some

Okay, I'm absolutely exhausted! That has to be where I begin as if there were any better place to begin. My brain at this moment just can't seem to think past the fog that is my pregnancy fatigue. Maybe once I take a nap I can recover enough to gather my thoughts.

I'm back and slightly recovered. I'm much better prepared to offer my thoughts...so...

Being pregnant again - it's an interesting experience in that it felt a little anticlimactic since I've done it once before. Of course, that was before I learned we were having twins. Now all of a sudden I feel like I've never done this before and I don't have a clue what I'm doing. It's new all over again. Talk about time-consuming. First, calling everyone to tell them of the pregnancy. Then calling all the same people again to tell them it's two. I hope I don't wind up making a third call. Whoa, would that one be scary.

When the doctor said my abdomen felt big for my gestational age, I thought, "Oh, that's not good." Minutes later he confirmed why and I was in shock. I can't say I was thrilled. Mostly I think I was shocked, then scared. It brought up so many more questions and I know enough to know that the changes are going to be more exacerbated because there are two. I wasn't exactly prepared for that, although I knew there was always a possibility. Apparently, there's more of a possibility than I thought. Women over 35 are twice as likely to have twins - I'm 36. Hmm. Who'd have guessed it? Oh, and taking Clomid didn't lower the odds any, since 10% of Clomid pregnancies result in twins.

I live in Yokohama, Japan - mainland. Stop the presses! Why?! Well, I can't deliver multiples on mainland Japan. Hmm. That begs the question, where then will these children be born? It turns out we will be moving temporarily to Okinawa. By we, I mean me and Koen, and whoever else wants to come and help me cook once I can't get out of bed. LOL We'll be there from April until the babies are born. That's supposed to be somewhere around August 10th, but I'll keep you posted.

All of this keeps life interesting. We knew the year would bring many changes. Here is our current tentative timeline:
February - a trip to Hokkaido, Japan for the Snow Festival
April - move to Okinawa
July - probably give birth
August - hopefully go back to mainland Japan
Sometime through all of this, we will be looking for our new orders, probably organizing another international move, packing out our house, getting passports for the babies, and who knows what else.
December/January - leave Japan for sights unseen...

Yes, life this year will definitely be an adventure. I'm looking forward with great anticipation to the year of a lifetime!

The Day I Thought Would Never Come

Let me share a brief story...

I was married in January 1999 and much to our surprise quickly became pregnant. Now I know what you're thinking, but it was truly a surprise because I have PCOS and hadn't had a cycle in the seven months before I became pregnant. We had our beautiful little boy nine years ago.

When our son was 2.5 years old, we began trying to have another baby. More than five years later, using Clomid, we finally became pregnant. At that time, I was beginning to lose hope that our family would ever grow. We were elated of course and it was strange to be pregnant again after so many years.

At 3.5 months into my pregnancy, I went for an appointment. I told my doctor, "It's weird how I don't even feel pregnant." I just thought I was having a great pregnancy experience. Little did I know at the time that my doctor was horrified to hear those words. She immediately began looking for a heartbeat that was nowhere to be found. My baby had died two weeks before, but my body never went through the symptoms of a miscarriage. I was heartbroken to see that my baby's arms and legs had begun to disappear.

Six days later I had to have surgery, a D&C, because my body was not doing its job. In that week, I was an emotional ball of mush. I was so close after so long! I didn't understand. During this time, I listened to the song, "Praise You in This Storm" and my eyes were opened. I realized I couldn't praise God when times were good and curse Him when they were bad. I cried out to Him and through tears that still gripped me, I thanked Him, even though I couldn't understand why. I purposed at that moment to accept God's plan for my life even if it didn't include more children. I prayed that my heart would be changed, my desire taken away - and God answered. My desire completely went away. I even began to think of all the blessings of NOT having more children! I also prayed that God would bring back my desire in His timing.

Fourteen months later, I'm very happy with my life. I have lost 60 pounds and found another calling for my life that includes my own fitness as well as reaching out to others in encouragement. I truly believe that if I can do it, anyone can do it!

In October, my heart began to change and I began thinking of children again. I wondered about God's timing. I was guarded, but one month later decided to try again using Clomid. Now here I am, PREGNANT! I'm almost in disbelief, mostly that my heart turned, even though I know with God all things are possible.

All of my ups and downs, tears, joys, triumphs, and failures - I realize that these are things that have been necessary to make me the person I am. I hope they have made the person who will be best suited to be a Mama to this baby.

If I hadn't lost these 60 pounds, I can't imagine what kind of mom I would be. I'm so thankful to have taken this journey. It truly has been a journey to a new life, both figuratively and literally. I have to use this opportunity to praise God! With Him all things are possible!

(If you are reading this and going through a difficult time, I encourage you to listen to the song, "Praise You in This Storm.")

Sharing a Legacy of Hope and Perseverance

Today was a beautiful and inspiring day, none of which would have been possible had I not wrestled with my food and exercise demon and come out victorious - had I not come out believing in myself. This moment is brought to you by Spark People and one life changed...no, make that two.

The Marine Corps sponsored a Toys for Tots 5K today on Yokosuka Naval Base. My whole family decided to run it together. The entry fee was a new unwrapped toy for every participant. So, first, we went shopping before heading to the starting line. There were lessons to be learned, but not among the toys.

The horn blew and we started at a good clip, with my son jogging easily and setting a good pace. It wasn't long before he was ready to slow a little, then not much after that when he was ready to quit altogether. He had brought a lime green bandanna to wear around his neck but had taken it off. As he was about to give up, I took the bandanna from him and grasped one end tightly. Handing him the other end, I said, "Come on, I won't let go...we can do it together every step of the way." I wanted so desperately for him to overcome all that held him back and simply persevere.

I spoke to him of children who would benefit from this thing we were doing and of those who walk more than 5 kilometers just to get a drink of dirty water. We spoke of Mt. Fuji and other challenges that life ahead still holds. I pulled and pushed him. I cheered him. I empathized with him. I shared bits and pieces of life wisdom with him. This is not the first time I've told him I believe in him . . ."You CAN do it!" Even still, today was different. Today was that opportunity for him to rise above something bigger than himself and not just to call himself a conqueror, but to feel it in his spirit.

During the last leg, as we could see the finish line, I was giving him a pep talk. I wish I could recall the exact thing I said to him at that moment, but I'll never forget his response..."Yeah, just like YOU believe in me." At that moment, my heart swelled with love and hope - hope that he will embrace those words and grow to be confident, not fearing life's challenges. He confirmed that he truly listens to me and believes me when I've said, "I believe in you."

As we neared the finish line, he told me he was ready to sprint. He let go of the green bandanna we had carried together for the last 3 miles and we sprinted together to the finish line. During the whole race, he never once stopped moving forward. He had his ups and downs, but he never quit and as we crossed that finish line side-by-side, he became a little more of the adult I will someday know him to be.

After grabbing some water and finding my husband, we stood together to listen to the race results. My soft-hearted eight-year-old son said to me, "That was the hardest thing I've ever done - I'm glad I did it." In that moment, I learned the most beautiful truth . . . today he came to believe in himself.

Overcoming Me

One day my soul woke up - and it was fat! It didn’t happen overnight. I wasn’t always fat. I had spent the last eleven years eating emotionally. It started with my husband’s death. We had been newlyweds. Emotional eating stayed with me long after my wounds began to heal and even after I remarried. It had become a habit. I had a clue that I was hurting myself, but I felt powerless to overcome it. Food held control over my life, but I was ready to live differently. There was a glimmer of hope that my life could be different. Then Spark People showed up with a soft knock and an invitation, “Can Audri come out and play?” This began a journey of self-discovery I never could have imagined. See, I didn’t realize my personality and my future were being slowly buried!

Spark People helped me realize for the first time that to be successful I had to make some serious changes. It wasn’t enough to make a New Year’s resolution and hope for the best. I had to truly commit myself to being different, but first I had to believe it was possible. There were some things I knew to be true, so that is where I began. I knew I had not always been fat. I knew others had overcome even greater weight obstacles than mine. Mostly, I knew that through my faith, I could lean on a very special promise – “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13, if this is something God is bringing me to. After acknowledging these things, I felt prepared to commit myself to whatever it took to conquer myself. Within a week, I came to understand there were four strategies I would need to use to set myself up for success.

First, I had to honestly assess my battle with food. My “if they don’t see me eat it, it doesn’t count” attitude had to go! Using the nutrition tracker, I took a close look at my food choices, and my eyes were opened! Over time, I chose to eliminate caffeine, table salt, alcohol, sodas, and excessively high-fat, high-calorie foods from my nutrition plan. Some were harder to let go than others, but one by one they fell by the wayside in exchange for healthier options.

Second, I had to stop hiding my struggle. Those who loved me had known all along anyway – my size 18 wasn’t a good disguise. I was only fooling myself. I realized I had fallen into a habit of secretly losing a little weight with the hope that others would notice. When the loss wasn’t noticed, I would become discouraged and eventually quit. I decided to try a different approach and bring my family and friends into the program with me. This way, I was encouraged and held accountable. Eventually, I joined a team and even started one of my own.

Third, I had to have goals to work toward. I set concrete short, medium, and long-range goals based on my interests. Some I knew were attainable, like doing cardio four days each week. Some were a stretch for me, but also attainable with hard work, like climbing Mt. Fuji. I needed to have something on the horizon to aim at, a target. It was important to have it close enough that I could focus on it, unlike looking at my overall weight loss goal. If I had begun by focusing on losing the whole 70 pounds, I would have become overwhelmed and possibly quit.

Fourth, I set a concrete plan in motion to help me succeed. I wrote out my plan on my Spark Page to keep myself accountable. This included making my nutrition and fitness trackers public, so others could see what I was tracking. I devoted myself to following my plan, even on the days when I wanted to quit. I determined there were only two choices: to quit or keep going – and quitting wasn’t an option.

Along the way, a funny thing happened. I found myself! Each honest step I took loosened the control food had on me. Once I began to see the fruits of my labor I realized that I could have done it all along. I had been making excuses and giving away my freedom to choose a better life. Through overcoming the old me, I realized that my personality had been stifled. I wasn’t energetic enough to be on the outside the person I was on the inside. Now, I have a zeal that was lost for years. I am alive! I’ve even tackled new physical challenges and along the way come to think of myself as an athlete. That’s amazing to me!

Perhaps the greatest consequence of my weight loss (59 lbs. to date) is that I have the ability to speak into the lives of others in a meaningful way. I never thought I would see the day when others would call me an inspiration. Living as a fat person enabled me to relate to the “fat struggle.” I guess those eleven fat years weren’t completely wasted after all.

Don't Wish Me Luck!

A couple people have recently said these words to me, “Wish me luck.” It got me thinking about luck and what it means. The dictionary says luck is “advantage or success considered the result of chance.” Do we really want our weight loss to rely on chance?

For years my weight loss and health were left to chance. Chance is defined in part as the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood, or controlled. In short, I was not controlling my weight loss efforts through a means that was clear and understandable and could predict my success. This set me up for failure. Without proper planning and execution, losing weight will be an elusive goal.

I’ve taken two trips across the country and each time took planning. I spent a significant amount of time preparing – finding the right map, searching for hotels, investigating points of interest, etc. I made phone calls for some reservations. I cleaned out my car and made sure I had jumper cables. I checked to make sure I had my insurance card in the glove box. I called family and friends to coordinate visit dates and times. The time spent preparing was invaluable, though not fully realized until I was in the midst of my travels.

In spite of planning, I inevitably hit some snags, especially during my first trip. Here are a few of my “snags”: getting lost, flat tire, sold-out hotels, car damaged by flying debris, lost a/c, caught in torrential rains, caught in a sandstorm, 3rd-degree burn on foot. In spite of my meticulous planning, I realized two things. First, I hadn’t thought of everything, like having a spare tire. Second, even my good planning couldn’t overcome some of the situations I encountered, like losing my a/c in the middle of summer in Texas. For those, I just had to rely on my patience and quick thinking to get me through. Yes, this was a memorable trip, to say the least, but what does it have to do with losing weight? Everything!

Assume the story above was about my weight loss journey. This is what it would look like. I spent a significant amount of time preparing for my weight loss – finding the right program (Spark People), searching for healthier food and recipes, and investigating fitness options to find the one I liked the most and would stick with. I bought a digital food scale and rid my house of high-calorie and fat-laden foods. I created a vision collage to increase my focus. I bought some exercise DVDs, one set of 2-pound weights and a stability ball. I enlisted the support of my mom and a close friend, Ashley. I developed short-range, medium-range, and long-term goals – something to really strive for.

My time spent preparing was invaluable, though I didn’t realize initially how much it would help me. In spite of my planning, I inevitably hit some snags. Here are a few of my “snags”: potlucks, dining out, people pushing fattening food on me, visiting houseguests, bad weather, meetings, injury, illness, fatigue. The list could go on. In spite of my planning, I realized two things. First, I hadn’t thought of everything, like how to cope with people who would try to sabotage my plan. Second, even my good planning couldn’t keep me from becoming fatigued, injured, or sick – although good health and planning can often keep those things at bay, not always. For those unplanned times, I had to rely on my good habits, tact, patience, and quick thinking. Yes, this has been a memorable and successful trip so far!

I understand what people mean with they say, “Wish me luck.” They are looking for support and encouragement. They are afraid of not succeeding and want to hear, “You can do it!” They want us to hope along with them for something better - a change – freedom from the weight that has held them back for years. I hope and long for each and every person to experience this freedom. Once I finally tasted it myself, I realized how much the weight was holding me back from experiencing life.

With all these things said, I have come to a conclusion. I will not wish you luck, leaving your future to chance. I wish you SUCCESS – the kind of predictable success that comes from setting goals, proper planning, and execution. You are worth it. You are able. You can do it!

On Top of the World - My Experience Climbing Mt. Fuji

My goal of climbing Mt. Fuji came about quite by accident. Actually, it's my son's fault. While creating my vision collage, he stumbled upon a photo of Mt. Fuji. I thought it would make a great center photo since it was large. As my collage took shape around the photo, it occurred to me that I could make climbing that mountain my goal. Voila! I had my first lofty, long-term goal. At least it seemed pretty long-term at the time.

Just after making my collage, I met a woman on eBay. She was selling some workout DVDs, which I purchased from her. In the process of communicating with her over the purchase, we found some common ground and began e-mailing one another on a regular basis. It is this woman, my newfound friend, who took a leap of faith six months later and flew halfway around the world to climb a mountain with me.

Three days after meeting in person for the first time, we headed out at 12:30 a.m. to catch our bus for Hakone National Park, where Fuji is located. We drove an hour, caught our bus, and rode another three hours to get to our starting point. With walking sticks in hand, we headed out on an adventure that would strengthen the bonds of friendship. Within minutes the rain came.

The path began easily enough. Our bus had dropped us off at station 5 and before long, we were greeted with a nice view, looking down on the clouds. We walked along on flat ground, talking about our strategy for pacing ourselves. Soon enough, the terrain began to change. During our 6-hour and 15-minute ascent, we zigged and zagged upward. We climbed stairs. We climbed steep boulders. We climbed in loose gravel. Occasionally, we stopped for electrolyte water or organic energy bars or to simply take a short rest. The rests got longer and more frequent the closer we got to the top, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

As we ascended, we passed a variety of people going both ways. One Japanese man even had a toddler on his back. I couldn't help but wonder if he had made it to the top. In retrospect, I don't think he did, but at the time I marveled at his accomplishment.

About 20 minutes into our climb, I asked my friend to pray with me. I gave the climb to God. I asked him to give us the strength to climb this literal mountain, as well as for protection. My friend and I spoke briefly about believing in angels. She felt she had received confirmation of a guardian angel just before we got on the bus. After our prayer, my step quickened. I felt a burst of energy propelling me forward. At that moment, I was more sure than ever that the mountain was already conquered, though my body slowed, my head certainly kept up the mental momentum!

We stopped at every mountain hut to have our walking sticks branded with a unique design. With each stamp, I grew more determined. Inevitably, we would stumble across people from our bus and we'd have a brief exchange. Several times we exchanged "ganbatte" with Japanese people. This word means "do your best" or "go for it."

There are ten stations on Fuji, with the tenth at the top. Around the 8th station, my hands began to get really cold and one of my fingers had turned yellow - a symptom of my Reynaud's Syndrome. I worked to get my circulation back, then put on my gloves and kept trucking. Around this time, we rounded the corner of one of the mountain huts and came face-to-face with a steep wall of rocks. My first reaction was, "YES! Let's do this thing!" In fact, this was a scenario that replayed itself numerous times. Each time, I had a similar "oh yeah!" reaction. It was my own way of cheering myself along. It worked for me.

Somewhere about halfway to station 9 I began to experience some altitude sickness. At first, I only felt slightly dizzy. Obviously, the dizziness only got worse the higher I moved. Within about 30 minutes, I also felt nauseous. We stopped, drank, and ate, then began again. We moved more slowly. Though my friend was not experiencing the same effects, she was an amazing support throughout this process. Together, we worked through it taking five steps while breathing deeply, then stopping for two deep breaths. Eventually, I did begin to feel better and our pace quickened somewhat.

For the last 1.5 hours or so, the wind and rain picked up. A storm was rolling in. At times, the wind was so harsh that we had to brace ourselves against our walking sticks and lean heavily into the wind to keep from being blown over. Just when I thought the climb was never-ending, we ascended the last flight of stairs, passing under a red, Shinto tori gate. We had arrived!

We stood in line to have our walking stick stamped with two special red stamps, then stepped out to find the crater. The wind was blowing so hard and fog was covering the crater. It had become dangerous and we were told not to go to the crater. We could not have seen it anyway. We planned to travel around the edge for however much time we had left, but ultimately could not for safety reasons. It was hard to come all that way and not see the crater and the view around Fuji.

After making a quick bathroom break, which was really a squatter, we bought some fresh, dry gloves, took some pictures at the pillar monument, and decided to head down.

Compared to the ascent, the descent was only 2 hours 45 minutes. It was also zig-zagged, though the terrain never changed. It was loose lava, pea-sized gravel. My toes pushed into the toe of my boots. Over time, my big toes became quite sore. In the end, I finished the descent with one cracked toenail and a blister between two toes. Not bad, I think.

During the hike down, I realized we were surrounded by some beautiful plants. They were so lime green that they almost appeared to glow. The rocks were lovely as well - a rainbow of colors, but mostly red and turquoise.

There was one truly inspiring story I saw unfolding on that mountain. On the descent, we passed a young Japanese girl moving very slowly while her family encouraged her. This girl had one foot that was inverted, like a club foot - yet she made it up that mountain! My friend and I wanted to cry. It made all our obstacles pale in comparison.

Once down the mountain, we stopped for something to eat and did a little souvenir shopping. I had an "American dog," a.k.a. corn dog. It was much different from a true American corn dog, but I was thankful for it. Finally, I stopped at the post office to mail a few postcards before heading back to the bus.

I slept awhile on the ride back to base and woke up just as they were playing a video - "Touching the Void." It's a documentary about the perilous and near-fatal climb of two friends. It was an appropriate topic and made me wonder if I could ever do the kind of climbing required to scale a 20,000-foot mountain. I'm not convinced that's an undertaking for me, but I won't rule it out. Like Confucius said, "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This was my single step. I'm just not sure yet where the journey will lead. I'm excited to find out!

Climbing Molehills and Mountains

When I was little, I recall my mom saying on more than one occasion," don't make a mountain out of a molehill." She was teaching me to assess a situation honestly, not exaggerating the intensity of the problem.

I believe this attitude has helped me conquer many obstacles in life. Some of them have truly been "molehills," while others have been mountains. My molehills and mountains have consisted of things like moving around the world every three years, deployments, family illnesses, college, miscarriage, molestation at 12, and widowhood at 23.

On August 23, I climbed Mt. Fuji. It was the most physically difficult thing I've ever done in my life. At times I felt my body wouldn't make it. I was pushed to what I thought was the limit of my capabilities, and yet I conquered that 12,388-foot mountain! Though the altitude, wind, rain, and cold took a toll on me physically, mentally those obstacles had become molehills to me. I had given myself no other option than to see the top of that mountain!

If I had stopped years ago and applied this logic and tenacity to my obesity, I imagine I would have conquered that sooner as well. I was perfectly capable of literally climbing a mountain. The problem was that I had turned my weight into a figurative mountain so much larger-than-life, that my mind could not overcome it. Now, I realize that it was my mind preventing me from succeeding at my weight loss, not physical limitations. Turning molehills into mountains helped me defeat myself before I even got started!

So, today is a celebration - a celebration of overcoming great obstacles! I glow with joy for reaching the top of my literal mountain. Mostly though, I glow from the realization that somewhere deep inside me is the strength and fortitude to overcome obstacles both large and small. See, the important lesson my mom taught me is not to determine which is a mountain and which is a molehill, but that I can conquer them all.

The Architect or the Wrecking Ball?

I was thinking today about the who's, what's, when's, where's, why's and how's of life. Others think on these as well and they can either make or break your success, not only in your journey to greater health, but in life in general. It all comes back to the question of our internal dialogue, that is, what we say to ourselves. Are we our greatest fan - a veritable built-in pep squad, or are we our greatest disappointment - undermining our intentions with hateful talk we would never perpetrate on others?

Maybe you already know which you are - the architect or the wrecking ball. Then again, maybe you don't. If not, see which of these questions most resembles your attitude.

Look out! Here comes the wrecking ball!

Who even cares if I lose weight or not?
What difference is it going to make?
Where is my motivation going to come from? I don't have any!
When am I going to find the time to eat healthy and exercise?
Why do I bother? I'm never going to lose weight. I'm a yo-yo!
How am I going to get the weight off? I'm too far gone!

Now, here's the architect!

Who is going to be positively affected by my healthy lifestyle?
What changes do I need to make to be successful?
Where can I turn to for support when I need it?
When I stumble, are my coping strategies strong enough to help?
Why is it important for me to change my life?
How am I going to feel when I reach my goals?

So, which one are you - the architect or the wrecking ball? Today is the day to figure it out and take some positive steps to turn your attitude around!

Reasons or Excuses?

Excuses, excuses. Some people thrive on making them. In fact, often we spend more time honing our excuses than the time it would take to actually do something productive. Why do we waste this perfectly good time? How much of life have we missed out on as a result?

Many of our failures in life are related to fear. Fear fosters a failure to act, which means automatic failure. So, in order to get where we want to go and overcome this failure to act, we have to understand what is motivating our fear. Is it fear of failure? Fear of embarrassment? Fear of sub-par performance? Fear of injury? Fear of judgment? The list goes on. To move forward to greater health, adventure, and success, we must identify the fear that is fueling our inactivity. We all have likely personified one or more of the fears listed above at various points in our lives. But how do we know when we are being ruled by fear? It's my conclusion that fear often manifests itself as excuses.

Excuses are a powerful symptom of fear and differ from reasons. Reason is defined (in part) as sound judgment or good sense; to think through logically. By contrast, excuse is defined (in part) as a pretext or subterfuge. Subterfuge is evading a rule, escaping a consequence, or "dodging." So, here is the real question. Are we using excuses or "dodging" those things that would get us active and healthy or are our excuses truly legitimate reasons.

Today is the day to determine once and for if our fears are what stand in our way of reaching our goals. There's no better day than today to stop undermining our own success. It's time to sweep away the lingering excuses and push forward toward the prize! Like Mom said when I was a kid, "Can't never did!"