Getting back into the swing of things

After two long weeks, we went back to the gym tonight.

*steps onto soap box*
I am all for resolutions to lose weight.  I'm happy for those who get into the gym and stick with it.  I'm irritated by people who sign up for a membership and two weeks in NEVER GO BACK.  The machines were mostly full, but thankfully there is a small section of elliptical machines off to one side that most people don't notice.  My dad went with Jeff and I tonight and saw me walking over to them (which I never do...) and asked why I was headed that way.  Evidently I have gotten a bit more blunt (if you know me IRL, please feel free to laugh loudly at that last comment) than I used to be, because I flat out said, "I don't want to mix in with people who are faking it.  I can guarantee you that in two to three weeks, 85% of these people won't be here.  I'm here and I'm serious about what I'm doing."
*steps off of soap box*

Okay, now, I've been there, done that.  I've quit after a short time.  I've gotten down on myself and not seen results and given up.  But, I now see it as a HUGE waste to give up.  Let me explain.

1. A waste of money - Granted it's not this way EVERY gym that you go to now, but the majority require a 6 month to 12 month contract.  You pay whether you go to the gym or not.  If you are paying for something then USE IT.  You make house, car, and insurance payments because you USE them.  You buy food because you USE it.  Why would you pay for something that's just sitting and not being used??  It's not practical, logical or intelligent.
2. A waste of time - Generally speaking, people don't even give themselves enough times of going to the gym to let it become a habit.  It takes approximately 21 days to create a habit.  If you are only going to the gym 3 days a week, that's almost 2 months of time that you'd need to go for it to be a habit for you.  Most people give up on going after a month.  So, not only did you waste time going in, filling out the paperwork, taking the tour, etc., but you wasted the 120 minutes a week you DID go.  That's a waste of 8 hours a month if you make it to the end of the first month before quitting.  
3. A waste of effort - If you quit at the end of a month, you've given JUST enough effort to START seeing changes.  You know that old saying, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well"?  It's totally true!
4. A waste of life - If you start going to the gym to get in shape/lose weight/get healthy, chances are you either have a life changing illness such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc., or you quite possibly have the beginning stages of it and don't even know.  Did you know that in some people it takes up to 10 years to be diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic, because insulin resistance in the cells is what starts first?  By the time the disease is found, many times damage to kidneys has already been done in addition to damage to the eyes, heart, and many other areas.  By starting out and then going back to the same ol', same ol' or talking yourself out of thinking it's worth the effort, think about the fact that NOT going may shorten your life.  Did you know that in persons who have a waistline of 50 inches or greater TWENTY YEARS of their life is shaved off just by being at 50 inches and for each inch greater another 5-7 years are shaved off??  

I'm no where near where I want or need to be physically, but I am trying.  I see the gravity of waiting as long as I have and realize I may have shortened my time with my husband and son by not caring for myself up to this point.  The point is I'm changing it.  I'm making the effort.  If you made the resolution to lose weight/get healthy/WHATEVER - do it.  YOU are worth it.  If you can't do it for you at this point, do it for your family. No one wants to lose you young.  No one wants to lose you period.  Make 2012 the year you can say, "I DID IT!"  

I mean, if the world doesn't end on 12/21/12, you wanna look good to party it up on New Year's, right?

Distance run: 1.75 miles

Calories burned 316