Afraid Not

Lindsay Eichelman
Public Relations Manager

Tuesday I was camped out on my couch as the snow pummeled Indianapolis watching The Biggest Loser. I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again: It is the most inspiring show on television.

While I was enjoying the show, a seed of thought was planted in my head when Dan, the largest man EVER to come on the show, had a minor meltdown on the treadmill as Jillian berated him. That was a seed of fear.

I watched as Dan struggled with his fear of running on the treadmill at 400+ pounds and envisioned with him snapping ankles and dislocated knees. I listened as he admitted being afraid it wasn’t possible to lose the weight and when pushed admitted that was because he didn’t know any differently. He struggled with the fact that when he looked in the mirror, he tried to envision a thinner person — but he couldn’t.

As I witnessed this breakdown, I got to thinking about my own fears. I try to be a relatively fearless person, but the bottom line is, there are a ton of things that scare me. I’m scared of losing a loved one, of failure (on so many different levels), of heights, of looking stupid, of small confined spaces — the list could go on and on.

And in some ways I’m afraid of winning AND afraid of losing this weight loss battle. Part of me is afraid to win the battle because then I could always backslide and fail again. Also, if I conquer this battle, what new battle will face me? I’m afraid of losing the comfort of comfort food and the old habits of my unhealthier life. A very small part of me wonders what will happen if I really do win? Will the world come to a screeching halt?

On the flip side, I’m afraid NOT to beat the weight battle. I’m afraid for my physical and mental health. I’m afraid if I don’t beat it, it will hinder me from accomplishing the things I want, and I’m afraid of passing on my weight struggle and unhealthy lifestyle to someone else.

The bottom line is everyone is afraid of something. Often, that fear is the very thing that causes us to fail. As we enter February, I’m adding to my healthy habits goal list one more item: stop giving in to fear. If nothing else, maybe by trying to reign in my fear and worry, I can eliminate some stress from my life. What are your fears and how to do combat them?