I haven’t been to the gym properly since before I left for San Francisco for my dad’s bypass surgery. Today, I finally went back, and it was so difficult. Just five minutes of running on the treadmill had me puffing, and it was so tempting to stop, but I decided that all the people around me gaining weight would be motivation enough for me to keep going and even faster. That sounds pretty mean, to use others’ shortcomings to motivate you, but if it works, then it works.

After my workout while I was in the shower, I thought about people I’ve known since middle school, high school, college, and what they looked like then versus now. Even for those I haven’t kept in touch with and have just stayed “Facebook friends” with, it’s as though so many are just letting go of themselves when it comes to their weight and bodies, and they haven’t even had children yet. We all make excuses and say we don’t have time to do things like go running or hit the gym, but as always, we make time for what’s important, even if it means dragging ourselves there, knowing it will be worth it in the end.