>U Mom Knows Best: Stop Making Excuses And Gain Control Of Your Health

Friday, January 15, 2021

Stop Making Excuses And Gain Control Of Your Health

You know what needs to be done in order to get in shape so stop with all the excuses!

 As a mom, I tell my kids over and over that they are the only ones who can control their bodies. Despite me giving the rules and helping them learn, they are the ones that choose to follow them or not. They are also the ones that live with the consequences of their choices and actions. So it is you who is responsible for your health and no one else. It is not the grocery stores or restaurants' fault. It is not the state's fault for gyms not being open. It is not your kid's fault for you not finding time to exercise or for eating their leftover chicken nuggets. When you treat your body by doing healthy things, it just feels better. The question is do you want to make improvements in your health or do you want to stay where you are?

How bad do you want to gain better health? 

 I understand that it is hard to lose weight or to stop eating junk food. Change never comes easy and it never happens quickly but change will never happen if you do not try. You can read fitness articles and buy a gym membership but you have to be the one to make the changes. You can keep using that exercise equipment as a clothes rack. You can tell me that I am lucky that I can run. You can say all these things but they ain't going to make a difference in your health.

 I am a huge fan of love your body and not letting that number on the scale define who I am. I admit that I own a scale but I rarely step on it. My scale performs a Full Body Composition Analysis so I use it for that. I exercise and eat healthy food because it makes me feel awesome. Exercise helps me manage asthma naturally and I look at healthy food as my medicine to avoid health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems. 

 I am allergic to dairy products. I can eat them and suffer through an asthma attack or I can avoid all dairy products, which is not an easy thing to do. I control my diet because I like breathing and not feeling sick. Trust me it was not an easy thing to eliminate all dairy from my diet but it was so worth the hard work.

  A fitness trainer can tell you how to exercise but they can not do the exercise for you. You know that you should eat REAL food and stop eating junk food. No one puts that donut in your hand. You are the one selecting the food that you eat. You are the one buying the food that is in your fridge. You have to be the one to make that desire into a reality. This article is not about body size as we need to stop body-shaming but rather a healthy strong body. Look at your body as a machine or a car. A car that gets bad gas or no regular maintenance will not perform well.

We ALL know that eating better and exercising improves your life in so many ways

 I can hear you say "but healthy food does not taste good!" My husband loves using this line with me as I remind him to eat his veggies. It is not that healthy food does not taste good, it is simply that you have conditioned your body to like certain foods or you have not learned how to cook healthy food to make it taste good. As a kid, I hated veggies and now I love them. The way to make veggies taste amazing is to oven roast them. Even my husband enjoys oven-roasted vegetables.

I know I should exercise, and I know I should eat better, but I just don’t have the motivation and don’t know where to find it!

  I can also hear you say " but I don't have the time to exercise!" My husband likes to tell me that exercise is no fun. These are just more excuses. I don't think that brushing my teeth or cleaning the house is fun but I do them because I don't like the end result of a messy house or tooth decay. That is how I look at exercise and healthy food. I don't want a body that is sick and tired all the time. I don't want a body that is more prone to illness like a lung virus. I don't want health problems that may not show up for when I am older. 

 We can make all the excuses in the world but it is you who has to live with your health problems. Yes, making time for exercise and choosing to eat food that our body needs are tough but so is feeling like crap when you are sick. Yes, sometimes the viruses are strong and will make us sick no matter what we do but things like the best handwashing tips and taking care of your body will help. The last time my family got sick with a strong virus (earlier this year before there was testing for Covid-19), my symptoms were milder than my husband and I recovered faster. I truly believe that my healthy body had a part in this as I rarely get sick. I have made exercise, nourishing food, and these immunity supplements a part of my life. 

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Start now and not tomorrow

 Own up to your excuses and start doing what you need to do to gain back your health to prevent future health problems. Sure today you may feel awesome today and think that eating that crappy food is not going to hurt you. Just talk to someone who is older and ask them if they experienced what I like to call THE OH CRAP I JUST TURN - fill in the age- SYNDROME. For me, it was when I turned 50 that my body turned on me. I started having running injuries and I started gaining weight. Thankfully I was already exercising and eating somewhat healthy food so I was able to correct things within months with some simple diet changes and lifting weights. 

 My husband, on the other hand, had a different OH CRAP experience. He turned 50 and went to the doctor for the first time in many years. He discovered that his blood pressure was high as well as his cholesterol. The doctor wanted to put him on medication but I convinced my husband to try diet and exercise first. My husband realized that his body was on the pathway to a heart attack. So my husband, not willing, made changes to his diet and started exercising. His blood pressure and cholesterol started to improve but it took a long time as he did not already have a healthy foundation like I did. 

You Got This

 You know what you have to do to take control of your health. Start by loving yourself and tell yourself that you deserve better health. Stop saying that I will start tomorrow as start now. Don't quit. You might stumble but keep starting again and again. They say it can take 30 days for something to become a habit.

Make goals ~ Make a plan ~ Make I should into I will ~ Eliminate temptation

 ~ So grab a piece of paper and write down some goals that you want to accomplish. The goals should be attainable and small so you don't set yourself up for failure. These goals could be as simple as drinking more water or eating vegetables with every meal.

~ Having a written plan will help you succeed. Place this plan where you can see it every day.

~ When you say "I should exercise", it never happens. Instead, say "I will exercise!"

~ Eliminate things in your life that get in the way of eating healthy food and exercising. That can mean not turning on the TV until you go for a walk or get on the treadmill to watch your favorite show. Eliminate food temptations by throwing away or giving away the food that you don't want to eat. Don't buy unhealthy food for others in your house and instead make the same meals for all. The best way to eliminate food temptations is to do a grocery curbside pickup so those donuts will not land in your cart.

Make it a part of your day - like work and sleep

  A healthy routine is a lifestyle thing, not a quick-fix diet to lose weight and then return to unhealthy habits. I don't like diets as they never work. Diets are hard and strict so they are hard to follow. There are some good diet plans out there that can help you with making healthy changes. So use a healthy meal plan and try some new recipes to discover a new way to eat.

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Fix your diet

- Switch out unhealthy foods with healthy options 

- Try new healthy recipes ~ check out these meatless meals

- Add a fruit or veggie to every meal ~ will give your body nutrition and fiber to fill you up

- Eat more meals at home ~ take out meals usually are unhealthy

- Try to use less fat in your diet

- Eat smaller portions of your favorite foods

- Serve the food then box up the rest and put it in the fridge ~ makes you think before grabbing seconds

- Sit down to eat ~ this will help you eat less and enjoy your meals

- Add more fiber in your meals ~ fiber fills you up quicker ~ check out this recipe for no-bake fiber bars

- Drink more water ~  try this Fruit-Infused Cold Brew Ice Tea 

Just Do It

- Start small ~ take a walk around the block- next day walk 2 blocks- keep increasing until you walk for 30 minutes

- Try morning exercise ~ getting it done first thing helps eliminates excuses the rest of the day

- Sneak exercise into the day with these fitness tips

- Switch it up with exercise and try different forms of exercise

- Grab a friend ~ go for a walk with a friend and use this time to talk

- Listen to music ~ music always inspires me to keep exercising

~ Invest in an exercise machine ~ Check out the exercise machine that I love

It starts with you!

 Nobody is going to do the work for you. It is your choice to decide to take care of your body. Decide today if you want to have a body that feels better and operates better. A healthy body also can resist and fight off germs better. If you don't start and give it a chance, you will never get there. Be kind to yourself and realize that no one is perfect. You will have setbacks in this fitness journey but you have the power to keep trying. Don't be hard on yourself and forgive yourself when you eat that pint of ice cream in one sitting or when you did not exercise. Use the next day to try again. There will be days that you are amazing with your health goals and there will be days that you did nothing. That is ok as long as you keep trying. You got this!









20 comments:

Brianne said...

I love this so much. Excuses are the biggest killers of a healthy lifestyle. There's always a reason we can find to keep doing what's easy.

Claudia said...

Preach! If you want to take control of anything in your life, you have to do it. You can't just talk about it and find reasons not to. Love it.

Kathy said...

I love this post! I need to get better at eating better and exercising more. I think it's wonderful to take back control of your life. Luckily I love my fruits and veggies, so I have no issues there.

Debra P said...

Lots of good tips here on improving health. I'm walking more lately and feel better when I do.

Kita Bryant said...

There really is no reason to put off getting healthy. I have already started and have been feeling great.

Ryan Escat said...

Change won't come unless you try, absolutely. Our success with our diet is up to us and our willingness to lose weight

Gust si Aroma said...

Yes! We need to stop making excuses. I find every kind of excuse especially the lack of time! But our health is not waiting us!

Chad said...

I've been consistent for a couple of months now and i love it! No more excuses for sure!!!

AiringMyLaundry said...

I just try to jog daily and I call it a day. I won't give up my junk food, but I always have water beside me. So it's small changes, but it's something!

Ben said...

Love it! I struggled for years with getting my body into better health, and the biggest reason for that was making excuses or thinking I had to do everytyhing perfectly right away.

Prime Beauty said...

Thanks for this post. I'm trying to change my eating habits. I am eating smaller portions, I gave up Coke and am eating healthier snacks. It's frustrating though, because I'm 65 and have a slow metabolism so change takes time.

Gust si Aroma said...

I've began with morning exercises and the best way to start a healthier life. Thanks for the suggestions!

Cristina Petrini said...


In fact, making excuses is the main theme of laziness so any occasion is good for not taking care of yourself. It's harder than it seems to live healthy!

Georgia said...

I try to be consistent and exercise at least for 20 min per day... I am also eating healthier and avoiding temptations and for sure Im feeling better

Heather @ US Japan Fam said...

I'm on a constant 10 pound yoyo and can't seem to get off. When I hit the upper limit, I buckle down - eat better, exercise, for a couple of months, then i start to relax, more desserts, less motivation to get off my butt... then the pounds come back. GAH! So frustrating!

Mom Knows Best said...

Maybe those 10 pounds don't need to go anywhere. Focus on healthy habits like eating healthy food most of the time with enjoying the occasional dessert. Aim for 3-5 days of exercise a week. Stay off the scale and realize that it is not about a number but rather a healthy body.

Mom Knows Best said...

It is hard to make changes with anything.

Mom Knows Best said...

You sure don't look 65 as you look good for your age. Try adding in strength exercises as more muscles can help with metabolism. https://www.momknowsbest.net/2020/02/the-benefits-of-weightlifting-for-older.html

Pay Someone To Do My Class For Me said...

This post provides a great perspective on how to take ownership of your health. By tackling the excuses we often make for not taking care of our health, Stop Making Excuses And Gain Control Of Your Health helps readers develop the mindset and habits to make healthier choices and take back control of their health.

michaelsrandall said...

I strongly urge you to cease making excuses and take charge of your health. It's essential to prioritize your well-being and make proactive choices that contribute to a healthier lifestyle. This blog has been immensely helpful in shedding light on various aspects of health management, empowering readers like myself to make positive changes. I greatly appreciate the valuable information and practical tips shared here, as they have motivated me to take control of my health and strive for a better quality of life.
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