Baptism by Sweat

I'm so happy to share with you my blog where I write about my experiences with health and life as I embrace the wisdom encountered maturing and aging. I hope you find some insight and inspiration from my journey as I do from the journeys of many others who shared with me and the world.

One of the great epiphanies I've had was a simple statement from a doctor one day when I visited with a case of the flue or perhaps a bad cold and they said, "the medicine you take for your cold helps with the symptoms, it's your nutrition, rest and sleep that do the healing". This statement breathed life into me not instantly but began to plant that seed of cause and effect and bigger picture thinking. Eventually the light went on about how what I eat and how I live matter more than I really ever thought about. We don't feel well, it's a no brainer to run into the supermarket and buy a box of over-the-counter drugs to tackle symptoms. When we are not feeling a runny nose and run down in the moment, we are at that same supermarket and the thought of key foods and nutrients to maintain health are not necessarily present.

Several years later, my life was in a state of turmoil and repetitive discontent, stress like never before or just maybe like the cup was about to overrun, my weight out of control, experienced some concerning symptoms and there it was: a visit to the doctor delivers the diabetes 2 diagnosis. I thought it was a death sentence, my kids' faces flashed before my blurry visioned eyes. I was prescribed a med and told that I would depend on it and with good habits of nutrition and exercise it may not progress. Apparently, I had ran the traffic light from prediabetes straight into the next level. I visited a nutritionist (one mandatory visit by dr's orders) who told me what we have all heard time and time again but now I handled it like a matter of life and death after all it really is at the very least a matter of quality of life.

Then I also heard that this condition was reversible, it was referred to as a lifestyle illness.

I was on a mission to eat better and move more. I decided to stop the medicine they ordered after two months, not because anyone recommends it or thinking it was right but for no reason other than determination to triumph over this disease on my own terms. In the meantime, my biggest enemy was stress, anger, frustration, my mental wellness... One day in a terrible situation, I took to a park where I walked fpr 30 minutes. Once done, I was covered in sweat, had listened to inspiring material in my headphones and I realized that it was more than my stress I had just washed away. The sweat became a symbol, I called it baptism by sweat. I started to repeat this ritual daily. The 30 minutes felt good and over time graduated to 45 and the 60 minutes. The feeling of achievement each day and the increased energy also incented me to eat better we know the power of momentum. There is a sense of satisfaction that suddenly makes food not your primary source of comfort and pleasure but a source of nutrition and of fuel. If we can also conceptualize that we eat to live not live to eat, we're on a good path.

I continued this walking daily and better quality of eating. knowing myself I would focus on the habits I could really turn into daily must do habits, the things that I could start and finish daily rain or shine. Gradual progress was important to me, consistently making the goal strengthened me. Each visit to the doctor I found out how well I had reduced my A1C, I had improved nearly all my numbers on lab tests, it was much like back in school and that feeling of getting A's on the test. I was excited to be tested every six months. I lost 30+ lbs. My walks went from 30 minutes to 45 minutes and on to 60 minutes nearly 7 days a week. I decided with my new found energy and confidence to try a new routine every morning at waking up, did a few pushups which had been a nemesis for me in the past, with this too I discovered that slowly after several months I could graduate to a greater number and so on month after month. When winter arrived, I joined a gym knowing I had to stick to the plan. I started going daily, close to a year later I started to focus on the importance of muscle building for longevity and better health, it was all part of a reengineering from within, 3 years later, I have continued on this path many good health habits remain from day one, new ones have come along the way through trial and error, some adjustments and resetting of expectations. Key lessons and insights along the way are that transformation is real and that identity truly is the single most powerful force to drive a human being.

I've heard the saying "live a life by design not a life by default."

I'm not saying it's easy or that I don't have setbacks or temptations. Think about the opposite, is it easy living in discontent? Transformation isn't easy but I'm saying it's possible and it's worth it. You are worth it. Your health is your wealth. And you can do it too.

Thank you for reading and please leave your comments below. I would love to hear from you and support you in any way I can.

Stay healthy and happy!