Remember when we were 7 years old? At that age, any insult (no matter how mean or despicable) could instantly be nullified by simply replying "I'm rubber, you're glue....whatever you say bounces off me and sticks on you!"

Even though we're not seven years old anymore, insults still aren't any fun at all! Many of us thought we'd outgrow name-calling and the 'blame game', but here we are....fully grown adults.....still playing those games.

Now, we may not all be calling each other names, but many of us are still playing the 'blame game'. We blame others for our weight gain. We blame others for our failed diet. We blame others for our PERCEIVED failures. But are others at fault?

Sometimes what we say to others 'bounces off them and sticks on us', to paraphrase the old rhyme.

While we'll admit that genetics plays a HUGE HUGE HUGE role in our weight, it's also true that each of us makes DAILY CHOICES that impact the number on the scale.

So who (or what?) are we blaming for our weight? Genetics? Fast food? A busy lifestyle? Ice cream? Family? Work?

The bottom line is that WHILE WE MAY BE ABLE TO LEGITIMATELY BLAME SOMEONE (OR SOMETHING) ELSE FOR OUR CURRENT WEIGHT, WE ARE ALL IN CONTROL OF OUR FUTURE WEIGHT.

Each of us knows how we arrived at our current weight. Perhaps we've always been heavy. Perhaps that weight crept on during the last few years. Or, maybe, we were thin until we hit age _____ and then the pounds started piling on. However we arrived at our current weight, the fact is that we're here. We cannot change the past. But, we do have control over the future.

No matter how hard we try, we can't change what we ate yesterday. In the same way, we cannot go back in time and alter the amount of exercise we got yesterday. The past is behind us.

But the good news is that THE FUTURE HASN'T HAPPENED YET. Each of us can choose to eat better tomorrow. Each of us can choose to exercise tomorrow.

The tendency to get 'stuck in the past' is a major reason why Americans are not getting thinner. Too many of us are wasting our time trying to place the blame for our weight on someone else, rather than planning to do something about it.

A perfect example are the lawsuits now pending against fast food restaurants. Thousands of people in the United States have decided that fast food restaurants are to blame for their weight. Are they right? Maybe, but probably not. This article isn't the place to judge whether or not restaurants are to blame for the obesity epidemic in our nation. Instead, the point we need to learn here is that IF WE WANT TO GET RESULTS, WE MUST STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE PAST AND START PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.

So, while some of us may have legitimate complaints about the past, let's ask ourselves if that really matters. Life isn't fair.....some of us are genetically inclined to be heavy, just as some of us are genetically inclined to get cancer. Either way, it's not fair. But rather than throw up our hands in dispair and give up all hope, let's take control of our future!!

Remember that we cannot change our past BUT WE ALL HAVE SOME DEGREE OF CONTROL OVER OUR FUTURE.

The moral of the story is to START TODAY. Sure, maybe we've skipped a few (or a few dozen) workouts. Sure, maybe we ate four servings of cheesecake yesterday. WE CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST, SO LET'S FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.

The past may be full of bad diets, skipped workouts and expanding waistlines.....BUT THE FUTURE IS YET TO COME!! Let's stop the blame, take control of our future, and get busy. It's our choice.

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.