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I am approached quite often by folks my age and older asking what I’m doing to lose the weight I have and how I’m kept it off. Unfortunately, when I give them the answer, the response is more often than not “I can’t do that because……” This post was originally written on Father’s Day for a reason. I’m going to tell you why your health is important BECAUSE…..
My dad passed away when I was a senior in high school. The year was 1979. My little brother was 10 years old and I was the oldest of four kids at 17. Dad was not feeling well at work and his buddies tried to get him to go to the hospital but he thought if he could just get home, he would be able to lie down and might feel better. Dad had a massive heart attack about 5 minutes from our house. He never made it home.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my dad but I truly miss him on Father’s Day. He was a very special man. He worked 2 jobs so that mom could stay home with us 4 kids.
Although he did quit smoking when I was younger (I don’t remember him smoking), weight was always an issue along with stress. Exercise was not really something that was a priority at that time. I don’t remember any of the adults in our family or neighborhood being active. They would sit on the steps and watch us kids play but I don’t remember the adults participating.
Heading into my 40’s, I’ll be honest. There were many times I thought to myself am I going to make it to 45? 50? I look exactly like my father and have the same body type. There is a difference, however, in that I have always exercised.
Starting from when I was a kid playing softball and swimming with the swim team then hit and miss in my 20’s but fairly regularly in my 30’s and now into my 60’s as a fitness instructor and yoga teacher.
I feel physically better now than I did in my 30’s. I also quit smoking when I hit 40 which made a big difference in how I felt. My blood pressure is never been above 120/80 and is usually in the 110/70 range. My cholesterol and sugar are all great.
I made the decision long ago that my health was important. First I married my high school sweetheart and although there were some ups and downs, we’ve been married 37 years now. My health is important because I plan to enjoy every year we have together.
My health is also important because I have two beautiful daughters now in their 20’s and 30’s. I want to see them become who they want to be and reach their goals and dreams. If they choose to have kids, my health is important because I want to be the type of grandma that my mom and my husband’s mom has been to my kids.
Another reason my health is important is because giving back to the community is a top priority for me. I want to help those struggling to create a business that provides them with the freedom they want and need so that they can be with their families,and not having to worry about where the next paycheck is coming from.
I haven’t thought about where my next paycheck is coming from in many years and could not imagine being in a j-o-b that I hated. We also support local animal rescues and have quite a few rescue animals ourselves including 3 dogs, 2 horses and 1 cat. We live on 4 acres in a rural town that allows us to not only have these animals but operate our business at the same time.
So right now, my question to you is why is your health important? Sit down and start with the sentence “My health is important because……” as I did above. You may find the answers you didn’t know you were searching for. Follow those answers – it could mean the difference between life and death.
