I wrote this today after fighting through a morning funk.
It’s HARD to wake up everyday get out of bed and start your morning off healthy. Yes it would be easy for me to turn on the TV, throw a pop tart in the toaster and call it breakfast. Are there days I was to do this? YES!! Are there days I come close, YES!
That’s why I don’t buy pop tarts. ;~)
It’s HARD to shut off the TV and come up with something the family can actively do together. I don’t want to say it’s hard but it is, compared to the mindless act of a family sitting in a room in front of the glow and temptation that energy sucker in the den seduces us with.
It’s HARD to make a home cooked meal almost every night of the week instead of choosing take-out or my favorite food, pizza. Yes, dialing the phone and having 20bucks ready is much easier then planning slightly ahead, dirtying the kitchen and cooking something healthy while entertaining a toddler.
It’s HARD to do what you say you are going to do, isn’t it? How many times in my own life I’ve said a lot of things with good intention but then didn’t follow through. How many in yours? It’s easier to talk a big game then to actually commit to something and perform the required tasks it may take to do that thing you set out to do.
It’s HARD to feel like you are the one keeping the wheel going. To feel as if you don’t continue to make these hard choices the easy ones will begin to slowly take over.
Why don’t I just give in? Why don’t I just take the easy road? Why don’t I just sleep in, run through the drive-thru, keep the TV on, and talk about doing things I’ll never do.
Good questions. Today I think I experienced the answer.
I spent this morning cooking zucchini bread and dancing with my son. But we started off slow, the TV was on, I was on the computer and as the toddler asked for breakfast I realized I was about to take the easy way out.
So I turned off the TV, put on the radio and we cooked together. We danced to fun music, rolled around the living room floor and just had FUN. I even did a somersault, something I haven’t done in 25 years! In the middle of our fun-fest the toddler kissed me and said "I love you mommy", unsolicited.
That, my friends, was all the motivation I needed to make the hard decision again tomorrow.
18 Responses to All the Hard work is Really Worth it!
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About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
Totally agree. We all have these hard choices each day. Congratulations to you!
Oh i’ve had lots of those days ;) And you’re right you have to find the motivation to turn it around!
Isn’t that the best feeling in the world when the cuties say that unsolicited!?!?!?
And, thank YOU for motivating us not to take the easy road too. I have been too often this summer, especially with regards to my diet and health. Time to shape up and get it together…
This was so great Roni! As time goes on, I am finding some of these things to be a little bit easier, and it always surprises me when I consider all the possibilities, and I actually WANT to make the right choice.
Pick your hard!
Hard to make healthy choices, but it’s just as hard if not more “hard” to be overweight.
Glad to hear that you can make the hard choices. :-) Good for you.
I took the easy way out. Hit the alarm and went back to bed instead of going for my walk. Sigh tomorrow is another day right?
You are right on the money on this…this is what I have been struggling with for weeks…even wrote about it in my blog. (Blog to Lose of course!) I just couldn’t care less about program this past week. I am trying desperately to get back on track today…it is hard…but of course it is so worth it. When I read this it makes me feel so much better…thanks.:)
Roni you ARE right on the mark. It is so true.. we fall into the easiest and the fastest. and the Laziest.. i sure love your attitude. It helps me change mines. Thanks..
omg, Roni! I have been feeling exactly like this lately. Like, I am the only one leading my family to health. Hubby says he cares but puts the burden on me ;) It is hard to get motivated to cook on a rough day or get that exercise in. I need to turn off the tv more…….not for me but for the kids. I allow them to watch too much! Yesterday we spent the day doing fun projects. We made playdoh and mini pizzas. I will post pics tomorrow. Their faces say it all. At the end, my son said, “Mommy, cooking is hard work, but it’s so much fun!” That made me so proud ;)
What a great post … and it came at just the right time for me. I’ve been having a rough couple of days — ruined cell phone, car trouble, bum knee acting up — and this is just what I need to push me to go do some work with weights, even if I can’t take a walk or do any cardio.
Thanks.
This is awesome – thank you for reminding me why I am doing what I am doing! You are a superb example for all of us!
I can’t even tell you how much I needed to here this today! Because of you, I had a great day. My day started out slow, much like yours, but then I read this post. It changed my outlook and then my daughter and I took a really long walk in the park, then went to the pool and just stayed active! Thank you!
OMG – I got goosebumps reading this. SOOOO good for me to read today. In response to your “what will we do differently this week” I vowed to journal each day – should be simple, right? Well, so simple I failed to journal either day on the weekend. IT’S HARD! And now I am left with trying to make myself feel better (and not like I have failed) in saying journalling 5 out of 7 days is better than journalling none of those days.
ps. I love that you have included your toddler in this blog. I have a 16 month old and I now understand what unconditional love means – aren,t kids the best????!!!!
What a great post! I brought tears to my eyes. My 8 yr old son has gotten to wear he will wrap his arms around me and squeeze as hard as he can, sometimes it can be a little much. I even scolded him once or twice for being rough, because he does it when I least expect it. Then I realized that he can actually fit his arms all the way around me, something that he never could’ve done 120lbs. ago. Now I will saver those moments, but tell him to take it easy on me.
This blog is so touching, and so true!! I’m not even a parent and this part brought tears to my eyes: “In the middle of our fun-fest the toddler kissed me and said “I love you mommy”, unsolicited.” What an awesome example of how great the simple things in life can be :)
~Ellen (longtime reader!)
I’m not a parent, but a kindergarten teacher. I do put in a lot of effort not to stress the children up academically, but creating lots of fun activities in school that help them in their developments as well as let them enjoy their days in the school. When I was stressed up by adults in school, my child came to me said to me, “I love you!”. In one of the parent meeting, one of the mother told me, “My son came home one day telling me that Teacher Rosabel made him so happy that day!”. Those are the words that motivate me to do more for the children!