Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Love and Donuts

Growing up, I was really never much of an athlete. I tried softball when I was younger and was a fairly good pitcher - until I was hit by a line drive. After that, sports really weren't my thing. I liked the activity associated with sports and the comradery, I just did not have the competitive nature that helps you excel.

My eighth grade year I tried basketball and I sucked at it. So, beside track, the next best thing to do was try out for cheer leading. My first tryout I made the Varsity team and was so excited. I finally felt like I found my niche. I continued to do that until I went to college - after that, I was just a college student partying her way through the next four years of her life and I LOVED every single minute of that experience.

During my freshman year, I was so consumed with the whole college thing that fitness and health was thrown to the side. The end result was gaining about 15-20 extra lbs in the first six month of school. Now, I'm 6 ft tall, so 15-20 lbs doesn't necessarily show on me, but when you go home for the holiday to find you can't fit in a size 12 jean THERE'S A PROBLEM PEOPLE.

From that day forward, I made fitness and health a priority in my life. At first it was just something I did to get the extra weight off, but eventually in became something that I loved and lived for. It was a great stress reliever for me when I was feeling overwhelmed with school and the reason I was actually at college - to gain an education and NOT waste my parents money on beer.

When I went home after my freshman year, I was a lifeguard and never felt more confident in a bathing suit in my life. And honestly, that wasn't what my goal was - to look great in a swimsuit. It was about taking control of my life in every aspect.

After college, I maintained my health and after I had Piper I went through a time where fitness had to take a back burner to my failing health. With the colitis that I developed, it zapped every bit of energy I had and nothing I did helped. It was an ugly couple of years - but through it all, I maintained my sanity. Through that time, I still made it to the gym or worked out on the treadmill albeit not as hard as I used to. The deal was, I was not going to let this illness take control of my life. I was going to do my damnedest to control it.

I gained control of this disease fully about one year ago and just as I was feeling better, I felt a completely different thing going on within my body. I felt like a 35-yr-old woman trapped in a 80-yr-old persons body. At first I played it off as a change in my workout routine, but after several months of feeling the same way I made a Dr appt to see if what I was feeling was normal. When the blood tests came back, it revealed that I had Rheumatoid Arthritis - what I refer to as an old person's disease. You're welcome, Mom! I was never so relieved in my life to know that I wasn't losing my ever loving mind and that there was something legitimately wrong with me.

Every part of my body ached - from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. And the crazy thing about it is the Dr told me I probably would have ached even worse had it not been for my level of physical activity.

For most people, this would have been the opportune time to through in the towel and yell "UNCLE!", but I didn't and I never will. With all the good and bad I feel every day of my life within my body, fitness and health will always be there. I truly believe that it has helped me in every aspect in my life. My goal is to be around a long time for my kids and watch them grow into the adults we are trying so desperately to help them become.

I hate excuses. I hate your excuses. I hate laziness. I hate your laziness. I can't do it and I won't do it. Should something happen to you because of your level of inactivity and you're not around, I will be upset with you for a very long time. If something were to happen to you because you are too stubborn to get in shape and be healthy and I lose you and in turn lose the kids I am helping you to raise, I will never forgive you for that. Period.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I've ever known anyone who's been impacted on so many levels by their approach and commitment to physical fitnes. I'm not sure I've ever seen my own physical fitness having such a huge impact on my emotional and physical well being. What many do to look a certain way, you do for much deeper reasons. It is a way of life that in many ways has given you life. It's eye opening to consider my health and the impact that it not only has on me but on others around me. It's also considering it from a spiritual perspective. Our body is his temple. It's causing me to think about it in a slightly different way than i have before. I've heard that before but not sure i've given it real thought. Here's the verse. I Corinthians 3:16-17 "16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." My charge would always be to consider everything we do as a means of glorifying God. Just like it says, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceipt. It gives a slightly different motivation to ones health. All that being said, I love me a good twinkie every now and then. Good stuff Sams. :)