Don't Wait for Your Wake Up Call

It's been five and a half months since my husband's heart attack.  Since then I've joined multiple groups on social media for people who have survived heart attacks and for those working hard to make a healthy life style change.  One common phrase that sticks out to me is "This was my wake up call."

I've also read multiple research articles that discuss the incredible value of living a healthy lifestyle.  Reducing sugar intake.  Increasing physical activity.  Drinking water.  Eating fresh fruits and vegetables.  Research is finding that even if you have a genetic predisposition to things like heart disease and diabetes, making healthy life choices can lower your risk of developing these conditions.  (Please note that there are situations when living the healthiest of lifestyles cannot prevent these diseases.  I've read many many stories of people who are as healthy as can be and yet find themselves in the ER with a heart attack.)

If that is the case, why are so many of us waiting for the crisis moment to be our wake up call?  Denial?  Lack of knowledge?  Laziness?  Low self-worth?

I don't think people realize how much that crisis moment changes your life - physically, emotionally, mentally.  These crisis moments can also impact your personal relationships, your job and your social life in very dramatic ways.  You have anxiety.  You can't sleep.  You've lost control of changing your life style because now it is truly a life and death situation.  You're on a ton of medications which blows your budget out of the water.   You're down on yourself because you read somewhere or heard someone mention the impact that healthy life choices will have on your life, but you blew it off and now here you are in this mess.

So I encourage you . . . no I'm not encouraging . . . . I implore you to not wait for that wake up call.  Don't wait for the crisis to happen to add healthy choices to your life.  Do it TODAY!  Be kind to yourself - change is hard.  Start small - buy a bag of carrots and eat half carrots half chips with your lunch, go for a walk around the block, exchange two cans of pop today for glasses of water.  Every great journey starts with that first step.

One of my favorite illustrations that frequently pops up on Facebook.

From my perspective, the benefits of living a healthy life don't even compare to not focusing on your health at all.  I still eat donuts - I have one instead of four.  That one donut tastes so good and I don't feel sick after.  I still lay on the couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon - I also join friends for a relaxing evening of Yoga in the park.  I'd say that my life is fuller as a result of focusing on my health.

Starting now may not prevent the crisis from happening, but you'll be more prepared.  And if hopefully a crisis never comes - you will live life feeling fantastic and with enough energy to enjoy every single moment!  Learn from those of us who are on the journey and wish we hadn't waited for that wake up call to make changes in our life.

This cartoon may be blunt, but it 's true.

If you're not sure how to start, stick with me.  I'm going to spend some time over the next several weeks talking about how to begin making healthy life choices, how to keep going when life gets tough and how to celebrate success.