Week 15 of Health Happenings, Week 2 of training on my own. Zac set me free, but we still talk almost as much as before, and I'm still following almost exactly the same routine.

Let's talk about excuses

I've been talking with people at every stage: some just getting started, some who started and fell off quickly, and some who've been at it for years. The thing I hear most from people who can't get going is excuses.

• "I need equipment." I've done 90% or more of this whole journey at home. The only equipment I own is a pair of 15 pound dumbbells I use a couple of times a month.
• "I need someone to push me." Help is great, but if you wait for someone else, it only gets harder to start.
• "The weather is bad." When we started in February I bought snowshoes and snow boots and went walking in the dark, in the snow.

When you commit to your health, you just get it done. You don't make up excuses. You find reasons.

This past week

Alright Robyn and I made a beautiful spaghetti squash dinner, roasted in the oven. I kept up my sprint intervals with short breaks, did a 7K run, and then set a personal record: 11 kilometres. Okay, that's a fib, it was a very light yog. I'm experimenting with low, slow, long runs. That one took a while to recover from.

The weigh-in

Down 3.4 pounds. Back when I started at 251.8, I wasn't sure I'd ever see these numbers. Now the 100s are in sight, and that's the next goal: get under 200 pounds.

If you're watching this and know you need to start, what are you waiting for? As soon as this episode is over, get off the couch and go for a walk.

Joe is not a doctor or a dietitian. This is his personal journey. Talk to your healthcare provider before making big changes to your diet or exercise.