Staying motivated, what keeps me going?

It may sound like bad news to you, but you already knew it didn't you? The total lifestyle change is here to stay. There is no crash diet, it has to become a habit. It is more than just fitting into that bikini in summer, it is about being able to change your own clothes when you are a great grandma, it's about playing hide and go seek with your grandchildren, it's about keeping up...ok that might be difficult but I'll write it anyway, keeping up with your teenagers.

So what keeps me going?

1. I never had any "in between clothes". I had my maternity wear, and then I had my other clothes. About four sizes in between...I did not get comfortable, I couldn't, I looked really bad in my maternity clothes for a while, everyone complained, but I chose not to get comfortable. It was either get back to my old wardrobe or look pregnant.
And now it is to maintain this wardrobe. I want to fit into my skinny jeans, have a choice of swim suits, and slinky little black dresses. I want that, and I know it takes work. It sounds vain, but it isn't. You live in a house in which you pay for the view, you pay for the security, for the gardens surrounding it, for the suburbia lifestyle, you have to work for it. It's the same thing.

2. Force of habit
If you do something long enough, it becomes a habit. Your body gets used to it. You get a high off exercise that you miss when you don't exercise. I actually get a pinch of catholic guilt when I eat a high calorie meal or snack, then I repent this sin by working my tooshie off. I get sluggish if I don't exercise for more than two days. Do it long enough...you won't have a second thought, it'll just be you.

3. I want to inspire others
You oxymoron you!
Yes, I can hear you think it....I'm an oxymoron. You know what? I don't mind it at all. There have been people in my life that have inspired positive change starting with my little one. Without them, I would be a very different person. Without inspiration, artists would never create the master pieces that they do. I want to show you that it is possible. We have a litany of excuses here....it's my genes, I have children, I can't exercise, africans have curves....I know them, I have used them, and I decided not to use them anymore. If I slack, I expect you to tell me so, because I have made this journey public.

4. I love a healthier me

Knowing that I can possibly prevent a lot of sickness just by living healthier, and having such knowledge, why not practice it? No one likes to be sick, or suffer the physical, mental, not to mention economic effects of being sick. Being healthy should actually be number one on this list but it is not in order of importance.

Ok, that's it for now. What are your reasons?