Posted by Alicia Leeds on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 @ 01:22 PM
I was at the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. It's one of my favorite yearly rituals, standing along the sidelines watching the runners come in...and the event never fails to deliver. As soon as I see the first wheelchair racer come around the corner onto Boylston with just seconds to go, I tear up.
It's not just that I admire the sheer grit it takes to run (or wheel) for hours on end - after training for months on end...it's something about knowing that those who cross the finish line have had to find solutions every day to overcome the challenges they faced to get here.
It's kind of a cliche to say that weight management is a marathon and not a sprint - but it's actually marathon after marathon after marathon. You don't ever get there - you're never done with weight management. There's always another choice to make, another snack to eat, another meal to create.
There are days when I feel fed up with the whole thing. When it would feel a whole lot easier to just order in - or be a couch potato with a season's worth of Will and Grace. Sure. Lots of days.
But being successful managing my weight is about doing it anyway. Knowing that I won't cross the finish line if I don't do the work today. I have to dig deeper for the reasons why - and when all else fails- I bribe myself.
Not with food!
...I treat myself to the movie I have wanted to see, the book I have wanted to read, a massage or a manicure. (It's a new pair of shoes if I really have to sweeten the deal!)
Truth is, there are no adoring (tearful) crowds cheering any of us on to the end of another day of vegetables. But you know what it took for you to take that walk today. You know how much you had to plan for your 5 servings of veggies and fruits.
You have to be your own coach and cheerleader - but you know the best part? You win every time!
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Sat, Apr 18, 2009 @ 05:36 PM
Yesterday, I ran into someone who dumped me in high school, someone for whom I thought my unrequited love would last.
It didn't (as luck would have it) the love of my high school life was - well, pretty much forgotten, after a semester or two at college. Time is wonderful that way! ... and since then I have been around the world and back, not to mention...25 years! that have passed... and well, imagine my surprise... when out of the blue - there he was.
Steve? (not his real name) Oh my God! Is that you?
(Oh My God. OH MY...holy...)
Freeze frame. Full Stop. This is the moment. Forget about the weddings and the graduations and the vacations and the birthdays and the whatever other event you find yourself on a diet for. The three week countdown so you're jogging, running stairs and doing a hundred crunches morning and night, eating celery sticks and baby carrots and - you're almost in the white shorts from last summer...forget all that...Really. Hit Play.
Oh My God, Alicia? You look fabulous! (I do? I do.)
Well...WOW, Steve...It's good to see you, too.
This is a rewarding moment in a life well lived. One answer to the big why... All the morning walks and broccoli, yoga classes and veggie burgers, personal training and HMR shakes; this is a moment that makes it all worthwhile.
Neither of us has escaped the signs of 25 years gone by. We've aged. There's no getting around that one. But in this moment, I am so glad that I have done my best to do it well, gracefully, healthfully.
Are there any moments in life for which you don't want to look, feel, and be the best you can be? Are there any chance encounters with an old flame which wouldn't be enhanced by knowing that through the years you've done the things you have to do to be healthy, look good, feel good?
I never really was too upset about the breakup, certainly never out for revenge...but after we caught up for a few minutes and then we said our - "so good to see you"'s... I have to admit, there was a sweet taste in my mouth after all.