Getting Selfish: The WHY

There's a lot of negativity surrounding the word "selfish". Many things can be construed as "selfish" and the interpretation is very subjective. Some people will say that investing in your health and fitness is selfish. Some people will say that spending time at the gym takes away from time with your family. And in turn, that's selfish. I have a hard time with this on a daily basis. Besides the regular Mom guilt, I'm also a practicing Catholic and THAT comes with a whole array of guilt built right in. Because Jesus was a self-less man and we as Christians are to follow Him and His teachings, once we divert from that ever so slightly, we feel selfish and guilty about it. Overcoming this is a daily battle.

It has to change. I have to change the way I think about my ME time. Getting healthy is more than about how my clothes fit and how toned my arms look. For me, this has been about getting off of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication for the first time in 5-years. It has been about letting my husband (a very talented photographer) take photos of me in my daily life and letting him post them without me freaking out that I look fat. It has been about the skin on the backs of my arms clearing up for the first time since, well, ever. It's been about my confidence level. My ability to stand up straight and carry myself into business meetings like I matter instead of hiding in layers of clothes and long scarves. THIS is more than just weight loss and muscle mass. This makes me feel like I can be a better mother, a better wife, a better person overall. THAT is why.

I want you to think about your WHY and I want you to dig deeper than "For my kids" and "For my family" and "So I can live longer". I want you to, well, if we must use the word, then I want you to Get Selfish! Are there a pair of pants in your closet that you wore years ago and you felt HOT in them? And what you wouldn't give to get back in them and have that feeling again. That confident, untouchable, catcalling, wolf-whistling feeling? THAT's what I want to hear about. We are ALL doing this to change bad habits, to be able to chase our kids around the back yard, to live a longer life, BLAH BLAH. I've heard all that. I KNOW all that. Those are my reasons too - you know, the ones that DON'T make me feel so selfish. Dig deeper.