Wow. I was just talking about this with my sister last night. When you have an eye opening experience like we've had for the past year, you can't ignore it and it has definitely motivated me to be healthier. For many years my dad was in denial about his health. He had high blood pressure, smoked, and was diagnosed with diabetes though he never even attempted to manage it. He has lived with me for about the past 10 years and was in denial with the "it will never happen to me" syndrome. He would ignore me and my siblings when we tried to confront the issues. He said repeatedly he would go when his time comes. Well it didn't work out like that. He's had a series of strokes and now is completely dependent upon others for every aspect of his life due to being paralyzed on his right side. His speech has been greatly affected. Only a few words at a time seem to work their way out as he just can't seem to coordinate his thoughts with his voice. Now imagine yourself, not being able to move or tell anyone what you need.....This is my motivation. I can't imagine living that way and family medical issues tell me these are heriditary issues. I don't smoke, have high blood pressure, or diabetes but I am overweight. That's why I have taken small steps that will gradually add up. I drink more water than I used to. I have all but cut out fast food. I'm working to eliminate as many processed foods from my diet as possible. The majority of my shopping is on the perimeter of the grocery store now. I have learned how to cook and have recently discovered you can put just about anything in the crockpot in the morning and it will turn into a scrumptious dinner. I have learned you don't need salt in your kitchen. I've learned to like batch cooking and creating my own healthy frozen meals. And I just added an elliptical to my home gym so I feel like I'm making strides in the right direction. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm still human and reach for comfort food if it is around and I find myself in an emotional moment. (I had a trigger moment and reached for the Halloween candy the other day at Target. Argh! Why did I buy that?) It's a process though-small steps gradually making changes.
I know there are others out there just like my dad living in denial (or maybe not in denial but not doing anything to change it.) I wish they could live just 1 day in my life. If anything in this post rings true to you or someone else in your life, please feel free to share my story. And shout from the roof tops "TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF PEOPLE. YOU DESERVE IT!"
| current weight: 168.8 |
 |
FORUM: 
TOPIC: 
