Watching Your "Wait"

Is this you?

• "When I drop twenty pounds, I'm going to start running."
• "Once I'm healthier, I'll run a 5k."
• "I'm going to sign up for one of those relay races when I lose this gut."
• "I wish I was in shape enough to train for a marathon."
• "I'm too fat to jog."

If you have no idea why anyone would say those things, good for you. Great for you, actually. But, if you have heard those words coming out of your mouth, we need to talk.

The road to physical fitness begins the moment you decide that you want to improve your health. It's that simple. You might choose to drink a glass of diet soda instead of regular soda or choose water in place of any soda at all. You might take a walk instead of spending an afternoon watching television while sitting on the couch. Or you might opt for a smaller portion of your dinner or skip the usual seconds.

Whatever you do, your very first action starts you on your journey. So go with it. Let yourself experience all the new and amazing things that come your way. Leave fear behind and embrace the opportunities.

And do them as soon as you possibly can. Don't wait. Check with your doctor, get cleared to start, and get moving!

Start biking. Or walking. Or running. Or all of those things. Running helps you drop extra pounds, so why wouldn't you want to do it as soon as possible? (My teammate, Carly, started running when she was 349 pounds. What's your excuse?)

Sure, you will run a faster 5k after you lose weight and get healthier. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't run one now. Sign up and go for it.

Sign up for a relay race. Or a half marathon. Or an obstacle race. Who cares if you still have weight to lose? Who cares if your stomach isn't flat? Events aren't designed just for people with perfect bodies. They are designed for anyone and everyone willing to train for and compete in them. So go for it.

The point of this rambling blog is simple. Life continues while you are waiting for the perfect body, the right size, or to hit your goal weight. So stop watching your "wait." Say yes. Live the life that you want to live and trust that your body will catch up.

I'm not in my "perfect" shape right now. I haven't ever been, to be honest. But that hasn't stopped me. I've acted as if I was an athlete, signed for and competed in all kinds of "are you kidding?!" events. And each time, I walked away afterwards feeling a little stronger, a little prouder, and a whole lot happier.

Now's the time, folks. Step up and walk into your amazing new life.
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And just for fun, I put this together on BitStrips. I'm pretty sure this is what it looks like in my kitchen as soon as I get home from my long runs.

After a long run, John pillages Ric's kitchen!