So below is a list I created on June 19, 2009 in my old blog. Starting my new blog where I combine physical activity/healthy living with my academics, I want to add Reason number 11 three years after I started this list.
Reason number 11 for eating healthfully and exercising is for my Dad. My Dad was very proud of me. He would have been proud of me running 5K’s and 5 mile runs. He would have been proud that I am going to graduate (for the last time) with a PhD next May. He would have been proud that I am eating better and healthier.
He died last February, and I still miss him. Especially when I hit new milestones, like getting another degree or moving to a house or even something simple like my new bike or food processor. My Dad loved hearing about all this stuff, and now that I can’t tell him, it’s like he’s not part of that memory, that experience, and time moves further from the moment he left this world. Reason number 11 is a big one, and it has taken me three years to figure out why. Reason number 11 is about the experiences I had as a child of a sick parent, an ill parent, and a parent that made unhealthy choices at times, especially with eating and exercising. It’s amazing how much our parents are a part of our identities, even when we resist it. Still, at the ripe age of 32, I feel my dad’s presence within me. And he was always proud of my “healthy” decisions even when he wasn’t making them. So reason number 11 will stick with me always. I remember that my Dad, even though he didn’t make the healthiest choices, was always proud when one of his girls did. For that, I will love him forever, and I now that he is gone, I do feel that part of that weight (literally) can be lifted. I feel I am ready for the fight, the struggle, probably one of the hardest things I’ll do, in beginning the second half of my weight loss journey, and continuing the process of a more healthy me. Reason number 11 is my Dad.
Below are my aforementioned first 10 reasons. I want to add to this list at least once a month.
1. I want to have babies. Since it may cost a lot to even try to have them, I want to up my chances of even getting preggers by being at a healthy weight and having healthy things in my body.
2. I don’t want to have blood pressure medication at the age of 40. Any medication is expensive, and most health problems it seems are caused by some sort of unhealthy patterns.
3. I want to be able to move around when I’m sleeping. I want to be more agile and not have my arms or legs fall asleep after sitting in the same place for one hour.
4. I want to live past the age of 70. I may even write a book titled, “Why are there no obese people over the age of 70?” There’s a reason for that.
5. If I’m in danger and need to run for whatever reason, I want to know I can go at least three miles without getting tired.
6. I’m really getting into nutrition over calories. I don’t want to go back to thinking that a 100 calorie pack that is packed with preservatives is much better than a savory, 250 calorie meal of rice and fresh roasted vegetables.
7. I realized that I am never going to be 117 pounds and size 0 again (like I was when I was 17), nor do I want to. I felt better at 160 pounds and size 12, so that’s my healthy goal. However, I know I’m not going to look the same (the last time I was 160 pounds was when I was 21, and now I’m 29). I don’t want to be the same person I was anymore.
8. When I travel, I want to climb mountains and go on bike rides.
9. I commit to always adding to this list.
10. As I shed the pounds, I’m also shedding the extra “weight” I’ve literally carried around with me. For example, I now only have clothes in my closet that I wear (no bins of dusty clothes that haven’t been worn since 1998). I’m not holding on to that anymore for protection or hiding or whatever, just like I’m not holding on to the weight.
