05
Aug
Healthy & Wealthy & Wise (I Wish)
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I have never been an athlete.
I would rather sit inside and read a good book. Or write one.
But. Something needs to be done. I feel like I spend a lot of time lately living in my head and hating my body. I am–let’s just put it out there–overweight. By about 30 pounds. And it’s not just a vanity issue. I have the cholesterol of an old man; my blood pressure’s been creeping up as the pounds pile on. Heart disease runs in my family.
I need to get healthy.
It’s something I’ve vowed off and on for the last five years. There have been times when I’ve taken weekly yoga classes, when I’ve gone to the apartment-complex gym regularly, when I’ve counted calories or points or kept a food journal. I’ve never stuck with it, never succeeded, and for a recovering perfectionist like me, that’s really hard to put out there. At the same time, though, it’s what I know. My mom’s struggled with her weight and various diet fads for my whole life.
I don’t want to pass those attitudes toward food down to my own (hypothetical future) daughters.
I love yoga. I love walking. But it’s easier to take the bus than walk when I’m in a hurry to get home and write. There are only so many after-work hours with energy. If I go to a 1.5 hour yoga class on Wednesday nights from 7:45-9:15, that means I’m not going to get much writing done. It’s a trade-off.
I love grilled vegetables and tomato & cheese sandwiches on rye. I love raspberries. But I’m a comfort eater, with the primary culprits being baked goods and cheese. My book’s been on submission, off and on, since December. There has been a LOT of comfort eating, folks.
These are the whys. I know them. God, I’m totally familiar with them. But I’m tired of making excuses. I’m not getting paid for it yet, but I look at writing as my career. I will always be waiting for something: notes from an agent, an editor, offers, feedback from critique partners, reviews, whatever. There will always be excuses. I need to start structuring my life around that.
I suspect I’m not the only person with this challenge. How do you make time to take care of yourself, without losing focus on your other goals?
