Easy Doesn't Work

Last year, I decided to lose some weight. And I did. I ended up losing about 35 lbs. Sometimes people will ask me how I did it. When I tell them that I ate a lot less than before and cut way back on processed food and nearly cut out sugar completely, I can see their expression change to one that resembles disappointment. That’s not what they want to hear. I get the feeling that most people are hoping I’ll tell them about a new pill or a shot that I took that made my butt fall off. Or that I drank a tablespoon of vinegar before every meal and my third chin simply went away. People want something easy. They want a remedy that will allow them to reach their goals without changing their lifestyle.

I’ve read a couple of articles recently that suggest that Americans are addicted to comfort. One in particular suggested that this addiction is at least partly responsible for the opioid epidemic because the modern American has no threshold for discomfort, much less pain.

What does all this mean? I have no idea. All I know is that I don’t like the idea of being thought of as soft even though I am prone to choose the path of least resistance more than I’d like to admit. Since I lost weight last year, this year I am going to try to get fit. I am going to do hard stuff to make me stronger. I am going to subject myself to discomfort. And not just for fitness sake, but partly because I want to know if I have what it takes. Can I do hard stuff? I think so and I think I’ll be better for trying.