Sometimes, you make decisions on your own. Then, there are times when you are forced to make a decision based on circumstances. I have come to learn that life gets your attention in ways that can feel devastating, frustrating or painful. The situation is designed to force you to change in ways that you may have been plain stubborn about. Loss is a great teacher and it seems that loss of freedom is a great motivator to change. I am experiencing one of those moments.

I received news from my doctor that I am prediabetic. I don’t have the disease, but I am on the cusp. If I don’t do something soon, I will be diabetic and that is something that I do not want to happen. When I was working, I used to get exercise by walking and I was eating pretty healthy. All of it went by the wayside once I was home. Potato chips, sodas and sweets found their way back into my menu. Exercise was just a thought It didn’t seem to find it’s way into my schedule. Now, I don’t have a choice. If I want to stay healthy and not have diabetic added to asthmatic and allergy sufferer, I need to do something.  I have no excuse. I have heard the call and it’s time to make a change.

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”- Buddha

I am a firm believer that life gets your attention by any means necessary even through harming you or putting you in danger. At that moment, you are being asked a question. Do you want to live or do you want to die? You have to figure out if you choose life. In this instance, my body is telling me that I’ve been killing myself with food. I have been using sweets, salts, drinks and fatty foods to commit slow suicide. So, now, my body is asking me if I really want to die. And, in that moment, I realize that I don’t. I have so much more to do and to live for. So in the grand scheme of things, is it more important to me to be able to eat junk or is it more important for me to live to be able to fulfill my dreams? I don’t want to be hobbled by illness. I would rather take control of my life and stay away from the hospital as much as I can. The threat of more drugs to take is enough to make me want to take care of myself. I spend so much money on medication that it’s scary. My mind has been changed as well. I know that I will be shedding so much more than just weight. I know I need to rid my life of some stressors. I have an excuse to focus on me. I always look at illness as an excuse to be selfish and focus on myself. It’s a blessing to have a a reason to make yourself important when you don’t know how to do it on your own.

So, my call to action is to lose weight and eat right. I’ve done it before. I am trying to decide if I want to use a weight management system to help me. First step for me is, more water and less junk. Healthy eating, your girl is back.  The month of May will be about incorporating exercise. I know that it takes 28 days to adopt a new habit so if I can go hard for 28 days than it should be instilled. My mind has to get on-board if I want to make a life change.  I will let you know how it is going.

Is there something calling you to action in your life? What are you avoiding? What small change can you make today?

“I say the universe speaks to us, always, first in whispers. And a whisper in your life usually feels like ‘hmm, that’s odd.’ Or, ‘hmm, that doesn’t make any sense.’ Or, ‘hmm, is that right?’ It’s that subtle. And if you don’t pay attention to the whisper, it gets louder and louder and louder. I say it’s like getting thumped upside the head. If you don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that—the brick wall falls down. That is the pattern that I see in my life and so many other people’s lives. And so, I ask people, ‘What are the whispers? What’s whispering to you now?'” — Oprah