Becoming lean

As a wedding present, Robb and Lucy and I got a high falutin fancy big wheeled independent suspensioned jogging stroller. Robb had talked me into starting to jog with him this fall, and the McLaren stroller we’d gotten when Lucy was born, while excellent, doesn’t have big enough wheels to handle the bumps and potholes on our roads at any pace faster than a slow walk. Grandpa came through and this fantastic stroller arrived today. I put it together tonight, and Lucy and I took it for a little test drive. And I had this intense realization.

In the past eight years, I’ve put on about 45 pounds. This happened because my activity level decreased, and my food intake didn’t. I’ve gone from a size 6 to a size 10, and the size 10 is starting to get tight.

I’ve blamed a lot of things for this. Society, genetics, time management — you name it, I’ve mentioned it. But you know the problem is?

I eat too much. I eat the wrong things. I don’t burn enough calories.

You know what the solution is? Eat better, and move more.

There is no magic pill that will make this weight go away. There isn’t a DVD I can use twice and be skinny. I can’t jog one day and expect my brown silk skirt to fit again. It took 8 years to put this weight on, and if I can take it off in two, I will be incredibly lucky.

What I can do is be dedicated. Believe in myself. Understand the importance of this. It’s not just about the clothes. My blood pressure is suddenly higher than it’s ever been in my life, and in my family, where it trends quite low in the women, could actually be a little on the dangerous side. Diabetes run in my family. Cancers of the colon.

I deserve better than this. I deserve to treat myself better than this. My family deserves for me to treat myself better than this.

My mission? To make sure that stroller sees a lot of miles.