I want to say sorry for all the horrible thoughts I have had in the past about the mummys at school who used to arrive in their gym gear.

“Oh she’s SO vain

She clearly has nothing better to do with her day

Does she have to turn up at school dressed in this:”

That’s spandex to you and me.

I do not consider myself a horrible person.  I try to fight the corner for tolerance and teach my children to do the same.  Then why was I consumed with such negativity?

Envy.  Pure and simple.  I could not be arsed to do something about my own health and body, so I most certainly wasn’t going to applaud somebody else’s efforts.  Insecurity, guilt, indifference, jealousy.  Nasty things.  Brings out the worst in us.

After all, I had earned my babyfat.  I had a bad back.  I was VERY busy being a full time mum.  I had commitments.  I liked to eat.  I liked to drink. It rains a lot. I can’t run because when I was born I had clicky hips. I liked to make excuses.  I did not respect myself.

I lost 10kg courtesy of the divorce diet (results guaranteed, not cheap mind you) then the prospect of internet dating made me work out with a PT, but I never enjoyed it and did not keep it up. Apart from the weight, put that back and kept that up, no problem.  Because I wasn’t doing it for the right reasons, and until you find the reasons right for you, which might well be different from mine, it will not be sustainable. Because then you will not find excuses to stay home.  You will find excuses to train.

My reasons are:

To be as strong and healthy as I can so that I can live a long life and fight disease

Be an example to my daughters

A teeny bit of vanity so that I can walk to the pool on holiday and not scuttle from palm tree to palm tree whilst wearing a burkini.  Ok, maybe wearing a wrap, but walking tall nonetheless.

So, I am sorry.

And yes, I need to shave my legs.  One thing at a time.

And I still like to eat.  And drink.  But about that another day.