Blog

My Kids Destroyed My Body!

Posted By: Jan Gusich on 10/11/2010

That sounds harsh, I know. But it’s true. And it’s still happening.

Last week, I went to Arizona to visit my boys, Adam 24, and Devin 21. Until that visit, I had been doing great on my fitness program at Fitness Together in Cleveland – exercising 4 x a week; eating right; limiting alcohol. I was excited to show them I had lost a few pounds and determined to keep going. That lasted about 2 hours.

Within minutes of touching down, we were at a bar doing shots and eating buffalo wings. What? My kids have played havoc with my body since the day they were born. I’m still trying to lose 20 pounds of "baby" fat (not to mention a few stretch marks, hemorrhoids, and vericose veins I could live without).

As someone who has always struggled with weight, I remember stepping on the scale one day after Adam was born. I was so excited to shed the pounds. And I did – two of them. Not to repeat myself, but...What?! The child alone weighed nearly 7 pounds! Sometimes life isn't fair. I still hold a grudge (sorry Adam).

Now that my boys are adults, they think it’s funny to try to get their mom drunk. They rarely succeed (well, there was that one time they had me singing in an Arizona Karaoke bar; hey I'm not proud of it!!). But they do get me drinking – and eating – more than normal. So….

I’m back in Cleveland and getting back on track. Today is day one. Tonight will be my first exercise session in two full weeks and I feel like a marshmallow. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned through my fitness process it’s that if you have a bad day (or in my case, 10) its okay to forgive yourself and get back on the horse. That’s what I’m planning to do. Giddy up!

Jan Gusich is the owner and CEO of Akhia, one of Cleveland's premier Public Relations firms.