What Will It Take?
Many of us seem to put our health on the backburner. Between carpool and after-school activities, stressful jobs and bosses, and endless chores and responsibilities, it seems hard and sometimes overwhelming to find time to think about what and how much we are eating and if we are exercising.
Food is a constant in our society. Not only do we hold great ties and attachment to it from a familial and cultural perspective, but we also use it to celebrate and reward ourselves and others, as well as to comfort us, to fill other voids in our lives, or to remind us of past events and loved ones. In addition, we can now eat in places we otherwise never would have dreamed, such as libraries and bookstores. In fact, I anxiously await the day that the restroom attendant is selling more than breath mints and chewing gum.
With all of these cues, demands, and ties to food – it is hard to let go and separate ourselves and our health from the joy attached to the tastes, smells, and memories of breaking bread with family and friends.
However, sadly, when things catch up with us – when we are diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, or need to go in for heart surgery or learn that we have been diagnosed with cancer – everything gets put on hold. We can no longer maintain all of those other outside responsibilities with our level of declining health.
Many of these conditions are preventable through weight loss, increased exercise, and improved diet. Thus, the thoughts of regret start to creep in. “If I had just listened to the doctor when he suggested I drop a few pounds.” Or “We talked about cooking more as a family – why did I keep grabbing take out all of those nights?”… “If I had just slowed down a little bit and invested some time in myself and my needs.”
Just as your favorite car salesman is always asking, “What will it take to get you in this car today?” I am compelled to ask a similar question – “What will it take for you to decide now is the time to lead a healthier, more balanced lifestyle that will set you up for joy and success in the future?
For some it is a life-altering illness; for others it is a request from family or a loved one; and for you it may just be the day that you decide “enough is enough.” I am tired of feeling sluggish and making excuses for myself. Today is the first day of the rest of my life – and I want to live it loud and proud.
Whenever you or a friend, colleague, or loved one do have that revelation – remember that you are not on this journey alone. Whether you decide to join a support group, choose one girlfriend as an accountability partner, or select a Lifestyle Coach to help you along the way – you will most certainly be glad you did.