Making Excuses

Photo grabbed from Hammock Inc. at flickr

Do you think it's safe to say that every once in a while we all make excuses? We have a reason for procrastinating on an assignment, an explanation for why a project isn't finished, an argument--with visuals--for why we didn't reach or surpass a goal. The list of possible situations is endless and the idea of making excuses really comes to the forefront when thinking of New Year's Resolutions. How often do we hear people say they reverted to smoking or broke their diet--two common resolutions--before January is up? A lot.

And in just this week, not only did I find myself making excuses for why I could eat that last cookie I brought back from Deer Valley--and the last piece of brownie from Alta Lodge--but I read about one of our favorite media icons caught in a web of excuses as well--Oprah. What's not to say about Oprah? Always in the news, featured in tabloid rumors, gaining even more publicity.

Oh Oprah...we read about your admittance to tipping the scales at 200 pounds. Oh Oprah...we heard you were launching a program--Best Life--in 2009 to lose weight. Oh Oprah...we know you want to combat your thyroid problem and reach a healthy relationship with food. But Oprah...no offense, but even you're making excuses these days. We read the confession you posted on your website about your weight loss then gain and how you desperately wanted to hide your body for magazine cover shoots. But didn't it ever occur to you that the downward spiral often starts from making excuses for the eating or skipping the gym instead of tackling the problem head-on?

Betsy Dru Tecco says it simply in her book, Food for Fuel, "...YOU can control your weight. YOU decide what you eat and how much you eat. YOU decide how active you are...."

Guess it's time for me to take that action and head to the gym before I settle into a TV-watching ritual this evening. Posted by Kate