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Let me explain. A while back I broke my toe. I wish I had a good, exciting story…Like I was mountain climbing or running a marathon or something real impressive. Nope. I was walking and BAM a couch jumped out in front of me. (I know, I told you it was a pathetic story.)

Anyways, the toe was broke and that sucker hurt like crazy! Now, I could have let this completely set me back and stop my workouts. Heck, I couldn’t even get a shoe on because the darn thing was so swollen so I did have a pretty good excuse. But it’s just not my nature to quit…I look a challenge dead in the the eye and laugh in it’s face…ha..ha..ha! Not really, I did take a few days off but I started feeling sluggish and overall “crappy”. I knew I had to do something. 

My solution to the problem? (Ok, let me just say I do not recommend anyone doing this but hey, it worked for me)… I cut the right corner off of an old pair of shoes and let that piggy stick on out and be free. Now, I couldn’t run or even walk all that fast at first but this did allow me to get moving again and I could get back on the fitness floor to lift weights (can’t be on the fitness floor at a gym in sandals…not safe). You see…I didn’t look for excuses…I found solutions!

 (see…I told ya!)

Now, that’s example one. Not a few weeks later I was delt another potential set back.

My family decided that we would move from one local gym to another so we could start playing Tennis (our other gym didn’t offer it). So, on a Friday I cancelled my membership at the old gym and was waiting for Monday to sign up for the other. I call on Monday only to find out that they had a fire. Now, to a gym rat like me this was terrible news and for a second I started to think that I would just have to skip working out until they opened back up in a few days.

I didn’t want to get out of the habit of exercising(very important word there…habit!) so I decided to mix speed walking with running and throw in some squats, walking lunges, Pilates, push-ups and dips off the kitchen chair. No, it wasn’t quite as good as my normal routine…it was better! I forgot how great Pilates was…man were my abs sore! And it’s so fresh and different I really feel excited about working out… for the first time in months.

The BIG LESSON learned here is don’t let life’s crap set you back. You gotta stop with the excuses. Get determined…get creative and most importantly NEVER give up. You deserve success but remember…excuses will never get you there.

Til next time…Best of Health

Darlene

 This is the article that appeared in the “Health & Medicine” section of the Evansville Courier & Press on Monday, September 24 2007. Please feel free to leave your comments below.

I was born and raised right here in good old Evansville. My mom and dad were hard-working everyday folks that did everything they could to care and provide for me and my sisters. They passed on to me not only their hard work ethic, but also their love for good’ol Midwestern cooking!

I grew up on ribs, fried pork chops, fried potatoes, fried green tomatoes…do you see a pattern here? I’m sure you expect to hear that I grew up with weight issues and joined the 35% of Hoosiers that battle with their weight. Well, I’m very happy to say that’s not my story at all. I didn’t grow up the healthiest kid and the road I took to become healthy wasn’t easy, but I did it. I broke The Curse!

That’s what I call it…The Midwestern Curse. It’s generation after generation of unhealthy traditions that get passed down to you and set you up for a lifetime of health woes. Now, it’s not that your parents or grandparents wanted to do you any harm. They were just doing what they were taught by their folks….and their folks before them. Question is…where does it end?

Think about your current health status…now think about your parents and their parents? Do you see any patterns? Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or overweight?

That’s the curse- the unhealthy habits that are causing generations of people to battle with unnecessary and preventable health issues. Let me tell you my friend, most people are not born with these health problems and I’m pretty darn sure if you make healthy choices (aka. put the junk food down and get to movin’) you can put a stop to or at least make a good dent in most all of them.

It’s about choices. Yes, sometimes there are inherited factors that come into play, but for the most part - it’s all you baby!

Good news is that you can stop The Curse anytime you chose. You can make the changes necessary and end unhealthy eating habits and start living a more active lifestyle. You can save your children a lifetime of health and weight issues by teaching them through your healthy example.

I know it sounds like a lot of work and I’m not going to lie to you, it is. BUT it can be done and I’m living proof. To help you get on your way to breaking that curse I encourage you to pick three things you know you can change. That’s right, just three. I find that when people try to change everything all at once it’s simply too much and they just set themselves up for misery and failure.

So pick three. Maybe walk for 20 minutes a day, sub in water for 2 of your daily sodas and cut your calories by 100 this week.

Once you master these three, then move onto three new healthy habits. Before long you will start living, feeling and looking better than you have in years. Plus, you will have broken The Midwestern Curse and started a new, healthy way of living for your family and generations to come.

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