Making Health A Priority

As a mother of three, I can be a very busy person. Anyone who has children, a partner, or a full-time job will know: finding time for health is not always the top priority. We wake up early, work all day, and then do it all again. Making health a priority is an active decision. The three main issues I had with making health a priority was finding the motivation to work out, finding the support, and realizing the scale needed to go.

Finding the Support I Needed

My husband is a wonderful provider, friend, and father. He is also the best cook of unhealthy food I have ever met (can you say deep-fried Oreo?). He loves sitting on the couch with me and watching movies as we gorge ourselves on the wonderfully fattening creations he makes in the kitchen.
I needed to tell my husband that I needed support. He agreed to watch the kids without fuss as I went for a run. He started to cook lighter. Before long, he was even telling me how proud he was of me and the changes he was seeing, even when I came home angry about how I felt my run had gone.

Finding Motivation

Here is the time where scouring the web for workout inspiration images worked for me. The more I read, the better I started to feel about going out and spending the 30 minute sweating and cursing. I posted the photos to social media, and soon became an inspiration to others. With each friend that told me I was their inspiration, I started to feel like I had to go out and keep inspiring.
Soon, every day I was posting on social media. Sometimes on my own page, sometimes on others to keep them motivated. I posted my ups and downs. Before long, I had a daily journal of my workouts.

Throwing Out the Scale

I got rid of my scale! It seemed the numbers would never move, or would go the wrong direction. I work hard for a full week and would gain two pounds. Why should I watch what I eat and abuse myself running hills when there are no results? I needed to measure my success in a different way.
I took initial measurements just to see if there would be a change in my waist and thighs. In taking these measurements, I refused to check them again for at least two weeks. I needed to give my body time to change.
I started a couch to 5k program. They can be found all over the web or in books. I found an app for my phone which told me when to walk and when to run. With every day, I realized it was a little easier and I could make it a little farther. I started measuring success in more ways than just a number. Soon, my pants were fitting better and I was able to see a change when I looked in the mirror.

As time went on, I saw and felt changes. I used my run as an excuse to get some ‘me’ time. With every mile, eating better became easier, zipping my pants became easier. I tracked my miles and I had come so far, I couldn’t start all over again. I became proud of myself.

Angela Clark is a contributor for Healthspo to see more from Angela click here.