No Sugar Added??????????

I am constantly listening to women complain about how they look.
I am so fat, my flab hangs over my jeans, watch it jiggle.
Off to the gym again, need to loose weight.
I will be an elephant if I eat one more cinnamon roll.
Does my butt look big, well, it is.
No sweets, no sugar, no carbs, no cake, no ice cream, and for goodness sake, put down that creamer you put in your coffee!

I have plowed through life in a body that has taken on many forms. I have had many many many moments of self loathing, wishing this was smaller, that was higher, those veins would disappear. Looking at women my age thinking, how the HECK are you so FREAKIN' skinny??? Like, do you eat? I really want to hate you, but you seem to be a nice person. I mean, I look at food and gain weight. I had a gym teacher friend tell me it was genetics, and pretty much starving yourself after you turn 40. And of course, all those Dr. Oz shows, Biggest Looser shows, anything with a before and after, and you think, HEY I could be that after, right???

And then one day I decided I would start running. Carl and I decided we would start running together! I could not believe it! We began going to the middle school track in Bangor. We would go bright and early with Daniel, our then 1 year old, with a baby jogger, and buzz around the track until I had worked my self up to running 2 miles, and Carl, 5 miles. Yeah, gotta love the ratio. My 2 to his 5 and both took the same amount of time, but, hey, we were moving. I loved our time together. That we were doing it together. And it felt fantastic.

Then November rolled around for me and it got cold-ish, and school started again for him, and we stopped.  We talk about how we are going to start up again. My start up date is Monday April 2nd, and yes, that is right around the corner. My new goal is to work up to 3 miles, which is why I am starting sooner than Carl. I am hoping I won't have to pull out the snowsuit for Daniel on Monday so he wont be cold in the baby jogger, but, If I Must, I Must. I have goals.

Did I magically get skinny from my running. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I have accepted the fact that this practically 44 year old body is not moving in that direction. And I am okay with that. I do still look longingly at those skinny armed women. I cannot lie to you about that. Can they do lipo on the arms. I mean, that is all I am talking about, the arms. REALLY!;))))

So, if you are driving into the parking lot at William S. Cohen School, bright and early on Monday morning, you will see a Mom with a baby jogger who is beginning her journey back into exercise. You can wave, holler, but most of all, bring me a  large coffee from McDonalds, xtra cream & xtra sugar, and I WILL love you forever!

Loving this Life in this Body!!!
Julie K. Robbins