Seriously, I still don't know who is on whose team.

This post comes from my lovely wife Ellie, enjoy!

Have you ever been playing touch football and you go to throw the ball, but when you look up, all you see is a blur of people and you think, "Wait, who's even on my team?!" This usually results in some kind of sack, fumble, pick-six, or other tragedy for your team—no bueno. Knowing who is on your team is super-important! Just ask the Bards when it comes to football on the Cape. It's serious business.

So how does this relate to fitness and eating right? I bet a lot of you out there have someone you're working with to help you stay motivated and make healthful decisions, someone on your team and in your corner—what I like to call an accountability partner. This is someone who is supposed to be kind of like the angel on your shoulder (you yourself being the little devil). But what happens when you feel like your accountability partner hates you and doesn't want you to enjoy life's tasty morsels? Well, if you're like me, you spitefully stuff your face with Lindt chocolates at midnight and say (either aloud or internally, maybe both), "Take that, loved one! Can't tell me what to do!" Immediately afterward, you (again, if you're like me) probably regret eating all those chocolates and wish someone had been there to talk some sense into you!

Why is it that when I feel bad about my health decisions, or lack thereof, I wish someone had stepped in and intervened; but when my dear husband says, "Hmm, maybe we should save the rest of these Hello Dollys for another time. Let's go run!" all I want to do is sit on the couch and consume more sweets than I should? I know he has my best interests in mind, but I can't help but feel like he is definitely not on my team. Why would a teammate make me give up Hello Dollys? They're ridiculously delicious.

But, looking back over the past few months, I have come to realize that if I can just accept the fact that when Jon says we should put away all the deliciousness and get moving, he actually is not calling me fat. (Wait, what? My female ears are trained to hear "You're fat" in everything people say . . .) Rather he is trying to prevent me from feeling bad about my decisions. (It's like he knows me or something.) He knows that if I can just do some kind of something, like walking the dog, getting my gym on, or heading out for a run, I will have a better night than if I fall asleep on the couch out of pure boredom and laziness. And you know what? He's right. (I'm not afraid to admit that my husband is right. It happens quite often, actually.) And I am proud to say that, with this new realization, I got to try on the annoying-accountability-partner pants and push Jon to get out there and run last night. I didn't want him to break his chain, and I knew we would both feel better once we got out there (and even better once we were done!). We even included the dog, who has been a bit lazy lately. So I feel like if we can just come to the realization that when the people who know us best tell us something in the hopes of encouraging us to make healthy decisions, we unstuff our faces and thank them, for they are the ones who can see past the chocolates and into our futures (distant and not-so-distant). After all, that's what this is about, right? Staying healthy so that we can hang out with those loved ones longer and play mad touch football on the beach!