Get Inspired

I was thinking back about the reason that I started swimming. Or the reason I started running. Heck, the reason I started eating better and attempting to be a healthier better me. I realized that I did all of this not only because I knew it was good for me, but because I was inspired by others. It doesn't matter who inspires you to be a better person, but I think, as a people, we need to find inspiration in others. And then, we need to turn around and tell them how lucky we are to have them in our lives. Today, I want to tell you about the people that inspired me to be healthy.

Susan Lacke

One of the reasons I wanted to talk about my inspirations was because of something posted on my facebook wall by this woman.

Susan Lacke: I'm so glad you have taken to swimming like a fishy. It makes sense, 'cause that's what your vagina smells like.
Erin Hennen: The love I feel from you is palpable. And by that, I mean I can still feel the STD from your last visit.
Susan Lacke: That's what they call herpes "the gift that keeps on giving."

To an outsider, this conversation is ridiculous. Hell, to me it's ridiculous. But not only did I laugh out loud, I felt a ton of pride. This woman inspires the shit out of me. She is my sisters best friend and I spent a lot of time with her while they were in college, bar hoping and smoking like it was going out of style. Then one New Years, she decided it was time to change. She was going to run a 5k. And she did. And less than two years later, she completed her first Iron Man. Now, an Iron Man is NOT a goal of mine, but good lord, when this woman puts her mind to it, she can complete anything.

And, on top of all the crazy training she did, she also got her doctorate. She is now a full time writer and has columns in many different publications including No Meat Athlete and Competitor. (check out her articles, I adore them http://susanlacke.com/writer.html)

Susan inspires me every day to keep trying. Mainly because I fear that if she finds out I'm slacking, she'll fly up here and kick my butt. She's scrappy.

Meghan Boyle

While Susan was busy becoming a running freak, she not only inspired me, but she also inspired my sister. Meghan and I have always been bigger girls. Once our metabolism started slowing down, the pounds came much easier. The first huge inspiration from my sister came in 2007 when she moved to London, by herself, to finish her last semester of school. When she landed at Heathrow, she had to figure out how to get herself and all of her belongings to her new home, in a city she had never been to before. Brave doesn't even begin to describe this adventure. If my sister was brave enough to start a new adventure, so was I.

Not only did she move to a new country, she dropped a crazy amount of weight. This is probably because she was broke and had to walk all the time, but nonetheless, it started her on a healthy lifestyle. She dropped more than 80lbs. Not only did this woman inspire me to go back to school and get my degree, but she inspired me to be healthy. Meghan ran a 5k a month last year and is now training for her first 10k. All of this with a knee issue that has plagued her since childhood.

I love these two twat-waffles so very, very much. Even though we call each other terrible names.

Find someone to inspire you. It doesn't matter if you know them, or you've just read about them. Realize that you can be just like them if you try. But also realize that you still get to be you, which makes it even better :)