What do you think when you see a person jogging down the side of the road?  I hope you think:

• Good for them
• I wish I could do that
• Wow, they are fast
• I wonder how far they go 

You know what I thought when I saw a jogger?  I thought, “Go home.  Get a life.  What a waste of time.”  It’s true.  I hated to see people exercising.  I just couldn’t imagine that running down the road was the least bit fun.  After all, who voluntarily sweats, gets out of breath and doesn’t look so great doing it. I was judging them for being fit.  I was jealous of their fitness.  I wanted everyone to be like me, so I wouldn’t feel out of place or inadequate.  It’s not a confession I make willingly, but it’s the truth.  It’s how I felt. 

The first day of my weight loss plan, back in 1997, I knew I needed to move my body.  I knew I was fat.  I knew I didn’t own a pair of shorts.  I understood it wouldn’t be easy.  But I also had enough knowledge about weight loss, that I really understood exercise was a vital part of any weight loss plan.  So I started that day, walking 10 minutes from my house, and 10 minutes back.  I didn’t get far, probably 10 or 15 houses away, and we are talking small lots and small houses.  But I did it, and I was proud when I returned.

Over the months that followed, I went farther and got faster.  In my mind, I told myself that when I got to be under 200 pounds I wanted to try and jog a little bit.  I knew that my knees and joints probably wouldn’t be happy if I tried to jog at 250 pounds.  The day I reached 199 was in September of 1997.  I got up, weighed myself and decided I was going to jog a bit.  I put on my exercise clothes, grabbed the dog’s leash and set off down the road.  I walked for a while, and decided to try jogging from one mailbox to the next one.  I started jogging and thought everything was going to fall apart.  Everything jiggled and moved independently of each other, but I kept going.  When I reached the next mailbox, I gladly stopped.  I did this occasionally during that first walk, not trying to push myself, but just to see if I could do it. 

October, November and December passed with me continuing to increase my jogging distance and the quickness of my pace.  In December I told John I wanted to sign up for a 5K.  He looked at me like I had lost my mind.  Why in the world would you want to run 3.2 miles?  I explained it was a goal, and I thought it would be fun.  “Fun?” he said?  But he was encouraging, and said, “Go for it.”  So I signed up for a charity 5K race to be held in March.  I practiced and trained, using a book I had checked out from the library. 

March rolled around and I couldn’t wait to go.  John and all the kids came to cheer me on.  I felt like a completely different woman standing among all the other runners.  No one looked at me and wondered if I’d make it.  No one even noticed me.  I was just one of the pack.  The race started, and I began jogging along at my slowish pace.  I didn’t stop running until I hit the finish line.  I was no where near the front of the pack, and not really even in the middle.  But I didn’t finish last, and I finished proud.  It was one moment that I’ll never forget.  John, Rachel, Grace and Mark all clapping and waving as I went through the finish area. 

Is there a fitness goal that you’ve always wanted to achieve?  Maybe if you commit to walking in a charity event, or jogging for a 5K that will give you the motivation to get up in the morning and exercise.  To this day, it helps me stay motivated knowing that I have a goal that I am working towards.  Try it!  Diane