A Life Sentence

A Life Sentence

Looking after your health and well being is not a part time job. You have to maintain all your efforts for a healthy body every day for the rest of your life.

All the squandering of your health begins to show at age 60. That’s when you notice you have gained weight and don’t have the same stamina and energy.

Don’t shrug it off. Pay attention. I’ts time to start taking that 30 minute walk nearly every day, do some exercises and check your blood pressure and glucose levels.

Go to your primary care physician to get a physical and ASK to be checked for pre-diabetes. The numbers of people in America with pre-diabetes are frightening especially when you realize that most of them will go on to have type 2 diabetes.

Doctors do not emphasize the danger of pre-diabetes enough, and it is very dangerous, and it will have life-long consequences.

It’s up to each of us to be our own advocate.

When I was told I was borderline diabetic the only information I was given was “no carbohydrates and no sugar” which sounded impossible. Be sure to ask for more help and make sure you have a talk with your doctor and get definite instructions on how to reverse this. It is reversible and it is relatively easy.

Of course you will need to change your diet to get back to normal, but you will need, not just a diet, but a complete list of the best types of food to eat to combat the lack of insulin. I.e., whole grain bread, brown rice, legumes and more fruits and a big variety of vegetables.

The hardest part of remaking yourself is maintaining the new ‘back to normal’ body. Having reversed the pre-diabetes, losing the excess weight and walking two miles a day is not a cure. It is a life sentence.

If you don’t keep on that diet, if you don’t keep walking every day, if you don’t exercise, if you don’t watch your blood pressure – YOU ARE DOOMED.

I understand our own minds and bodies want desperately to keep all that extra weight. It is very difficult to have the will power to overcome that little voice that says “Oh, it’s only one slice of pizza” or “one scoop of ice cream won’t hurt”.

But, it will hurt.

It will hurt when you have to take blood pressure medicine every day.

It will hurt when you have to take insulin pills or, even worse, give yourself shots.

It will hurt if you start having signs of dementia.

It will hurt your pocket book and your bank account.

Your insurance premiums will be higher.

So, take your punishing life sentence with grit and determination. Have the will power to get that healthy body so you can live a long and interesting life.