"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh

Monday, December 3, 2012

Losing weight and your health

Here's the skinny on weight loss. Since I became ill 25 years ago, I've been quite the hypochondriac. What didn't help was adding additional weight to the issue. I sensed a heart attack at every turn. My joints were getting more and more enflamed and walking up the stairs was becoming difficult. My blood pressure was elevated. My arteries were clogging. Migraines were vicious. And I worried about cancer and my life expectancy. Worries were ALWAYS there in the back of my mind.

Since I've begun a healthy eating and exercise plan those worries are GONE! The negative things that took up valuable space in my energy level are now replaced with things that I can do to change my world and that around me, not with worrying about things that very well COULD happen due to my lifestyle. The trade off has been worth it! I've traded ice cream and all the worries that went with it, not to mention lethargy and brain fog for energy and clarity of mind! It's about quality of life!

I know it's so hard to say no to the immediate pleasure of sweetness and say yes to fruit and vegetables. I couldn't do it if I allowed both things in my diet because my like for one would always trump my dislike for the other. The good news is that the MORE you eat what your originally didn't like, you end up developing a taste for it and actually craving the food and the feeling of health that it rewards you with. It all starts with a step.

I just grabbed this little chart off my FB account that I puts into concrete terms how the benefits of weight loss far outweigh the need to eat the junk food in front of you right now. Even if you are still young and your body is still in a very healthy spot, you are growing older by the day. You don't want to experience 90 year old poor health in our 40's, 50's and 60's. We need to celebrate and embrace life, not tolerate it from a place of illness.

The choice is yours! Nobody puts food in your mouth. Do not give anyone the power over you to ruin your day and cause you to harm yourself. Don't let your past negatively influence your present and your future! Don't let the bullies rob you of time in the future with your children and grandchildren! Take charge of your life instead of letting the world take charge of you! It's good for the soul!


No comments:

Post a Comment