Our lives improve only when we take chances – and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves. – Walter Anderson
In regards to your health, how honest with yourself are you being?
If you have some weight to lose, a high cholesterol level to lower, or poor circulation to improve, what are you telling yourself when you reach for that second donut, piece of cake, or pie?
Do you tell yourself that you deserve it, that you will think about your health tomorrow, or that you just don’t care, when deep down, you do?
It doesn’t really matter how often your loved ones tell you that they are concerned about your health and they would like to see you lose weight, or how many times the doctor advises you to do so.
It all must start with you, and your level of self-honesty. You are the one who knows where you stand, you know what your health risks are, and you have an idea of some steps you could take to make some changes. However, if you continue to delude yourself that this sweet or those chips are what you really need right now and nothing else matters, then you are only serving to harm the body that you dwell in.
This isn’t meant to be an exercise in chastising yourself, but merely a call to action. I understand how easy it is to tell yourself that the sweet is more important right now, that it’s only one (in my experience, it’s never just one), and that you can clean yourself up later; and this is coming for the perspective of (thankfully) not having to experience severe health issues due to overeating and overweight. I can only imagine the added pressure that health issues can put on you. I encourage you to use them as a motivation to shape up though, rather than something to bring yourself down with, or feel defeated by.
You can make a game out of how quickly you can reduce your cholesterol, or your blood sugar, not to mention how getting some pounds off will help your joints. I know many people who have gotten off of medication simply by cutting out all fast and processed food, and returning to a simple diet of whole foods along with moderate exercise. While I cannot say that everyone will have these results (and I’m certainly not a doctor), the body has an amazing capacity to heal itself if you only give it a chance.
Get honest with yourself today and give your body the opportunity to right itself. Commit to implementing some small changes today to get yourself started, and get on your way to restoring your health, as well as dropping some pounds. Use your current level of health as a motivator rather than an excuse or a downer, and see how much you can improve it by changing what you eat and getting some regular exercise. You can do it if you think you can!
