I was chubby as a kid. To my recollection, as best as I can remember, I don’t think I was ever overweight given my age and height; I was just a little soft in the middle and my brother always made fun of my double chin. When puberty struck me with a growth spurt, the weight got stretched out over a taller figure. While I was hardly skinny, I was decidedly less chubby. And even then, I never really obsessed over the number.

In all honesty, I’ve never been especially concerned about my weight. This isn’t to say that I’ve always been in tip-top physical condition — quite the opposite, actually — but my weight was just a number that didn’t really matter. If anything, I was more interested in improving my cardiovascular health or in increasing my muscle strength.

Maybe that’s changing. Maybe that has already changed and I haven’t really noticed until now. Maybe it’s about time I take this a little more seriously, as I’m obviously not getting any younger. And clearly what I’m doing isn’t doing me any favors.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Just the other night, I stepped on the bathroom scale and weighed myself. It was more out of curiosity than anything else and I didn’t think that I would care one way or the other what number I’d be shown. But then it hit me.

I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life.

Ever.

This was just after having dinner, but that’s no excuse.

I weigh about 40 or so pounds more today than I did during my university days. About half of that weight I’ve gained since becoming a dad and I don’t think the two events are unrelated. You see, I’ve never owned a gym membership, aside from when I had “free” access during university. It was “included” as part of our student fees, so I took advantage in between classes.

That was a very long time ago, and despite the recent revelation about my weight, I have no real intention or ambition to start going to the gym now. It’s just not my kind of thing. That said, I definitely do need to start making some healthier lifestyle choices and I do need to be more active.

Got to Get a Move On

As you may recall, I tried getting into a weekly running routine earlier in the summer, but that deflated pretty quickly. I just wasn’t committed enough and I didn’t allow my fitness to be a priority. It probably didn’t help that it wasn’t exactly comfortable either and I struggled to find (and justify) the time. That needs to change.

Before becoming a father and taking on all the responsibilities of a work-at-home dad, I’d oftentimes go for extended walks in the afternoon. They were just walks, maybe to the park or the coffee shop, but at least they got me out the door and on my feet. Maybe I need to start doing that, possibly with a jogging stroller in tow.

For a time, I thought that I’d whip myself into shape through more active video games like Dance Central and Wii Fit. After the novelty wore off, my motivation waned and the Kinect sat idle. Maybe I need to brush off the dust and give it another go. Maybe I need something else. I don’t know.

A Healthy Decision

My challenges are not unique. I’m sure many parents struggle with finding the time to exercise. I just need to convince myself to make this a priority before my health becomes an even bigger concern. It’s simply (and I’m using that term very lightly) a matter of finding something I’m willing to do and then sticking with it over the long haul.

What has worked for you? Where do you find your sustained source of motivation?