Go to Health

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Reaching our dreams is a daunting task. Losing weight is hard but certainly not impossible. Let these motivational messages help you reach your health and wellness goals.

Chances are if you are on this website, you have a desire to lose weight.  I believe as our journey begins, that is our focus.  As it progresses, I hope you come to realize that a benefit of losing weight and becoming thinner is a healthier - and hopefully longer - life.  Unfortunately, for many of us, the downfall to losing weight is becoming obsessed with the number on the scale.  Don't let that define who you are as a person.  You may be overweight.  Perhaps even morbidly obese.  But those statistics don't define who you are as a person.  Do you care for your fellow man?  Do you try to do the right thing?  Do you occasionally let someone in front of you on the expressway when they have their blinker on?  Do you contribute to a few charitable organizations when your finances allow?  Do you lend an ear to listen or arms for a hug to a friend that needs it?  Do you let someone know when they've given you too much change?  Do you forgive people that have hurt you?  If you've answered yes to most of these questions, then the number on the scale isn't what's important.  It's the content of your character that really matters.  Focus on that, love yourself and the rest will take care of itself!

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Last week the family attended the annual prom for my daughter Amanda's skill center.  The skills center is a facility for developmentally delayed adults in which they are taught life skills.  As I was in line awaiting entry, the men and women that attended the prom were dressed in their finest.  Suits or tuxedos or prom dresses and evening gowns.  The men were clean shaven and the ladies had their hair and make up done.  No matter what their physical traits, these young men and women were proud of their appearance.  It brought back memories of my own before I lost weight.  Times when I felt I didn't deserve to dress up, fix my hair or wear make up.  How many times do we leave the house in sweat pants and t-shirts because we don't feel we are worthy of a pair of nice blue jeans and a blouse?  How often are we invited to a wedding or party and simply take a old, worn dress out of our closet instead of shopping for a new outfit?  Don't let your physical traits dictate how you should appear in public.  There's no reason to wait until you lose weight to take pride in your appearance.  You are worth the effort right now!

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My family and I are on a bowling league.  It's a fun league, not one where you plan on winning a lot of money at the end of the 8 week league.  While I'm not a great bower, I can count on one or two strikes a game.  The past few weeks, no matter what I did, the ball seemed to veer to the right.  My usual approach is to put my right food on the middle dot.  Each week, time after time, I would put my right foot on the dot.  And each week, ball after ball, my bowling ball would end up taking out the 10 pin and with any luck a few others.  Finally, after several weeks of dealing with this frustration, I moved about 2-3 boards to the left.  My ball still veered a bit but - lo and behold! - it hit to the right of the head pin and I got a few of the strikes that I'd been missing.  Why didn't I consider changing my approach weeks before after several episodes without success?  How often do we do that on our health and wellness plan?  We repeat the same behaviors meal after meal, day after day, week after week and get discouraged when we don't see the results that we want on the scale.  We see the scale creep up, feel our clothes get tighter, lose a bit of energy but continue to repeat the same behaviors and get frustrated and shocked when the results don't differ!  What worked before might not always work.  If you find this happening to you, don't be afraid to change your approach.  You just might get a strike at the scale!

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Yesterday morning on the way to work, I encountered an awful traffic jam.  The vehicles were barely moving.  I programmed my GPS to take me to work knowing it would leave me in the traffic jam I was in.  But my GPS has a detour function that would bring me around this bottleneck by taking me just a bit off route.  Wouldn't it be great if we had a detour button that would be used to assist us on our health and wellness journey?  At a party and not sure what would be a healthy selection at the buffet table or not sure if you can resist those that you know aren't healthy?  Hit the detour button.  Wanting to exercise but just able to find the time or ambition?  Hit the detour button.  Reaching for the soda instead of water?  Hit the detour button.  If we only had a button that made it as easy as me getting out of that traffic jam!  But alas, we don't.  Or do we?  We do have detour buttons.  They are our support network, information on the internet, guidance from those that have gone before us and learned from mistakes, books containing a wealth of information.  Even this web site <grin>!  Granted, it's not as easy as hitting the detour button on a GPS, but it's not a difficult as we might think either.  Take advantages of the "detours" you have at your disposal to help you reach your destination - a happier, healthier life!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!  My second favorite tradition of this holiday is the corned beef & cabbage.  Albeit I opt to have the cabbage only.  My favorite tradition is that this is usually the only time of the year when I can hear one of my favorite songs:  The Unicorn Song by The Irish Rovers.  Believe it or not, it usually brings a tear to my eye when those "silly unicorns" don't make it on the arc because they are playing on the hill when the rain started.  I know that unicorns are mythical creatures but it's fun believing in them.  How many of you are treating your health and wellness goals as mythical creatures?  Something fun to believe in, but nothing you think you'll ever really see.  While we're certain to never see a real unicorn, don't ever believe that your health and wellness goals are not real.  There's nothing mythical about them!!  Believe it and you'll see it!

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Rain, rain, go away.  Come again some other day.  Remember that song from childhood.  I'm sure there are many people in Michigan singing it loud and clear right now.  It's easy to "not like" (hate is probably too strong a word) the rain.  Try as we might, it's hard not to think about the cloudy skies, dripping umbrellas and - in some cases - flooding.  Why is it so much easier to think about the negative?  Our journey to health and wellness is much the same way.  We think about the negative things.  Giving up our favorite foods (at least huge servings of them) for much healthier alternatives, having to exercise instead of sitting on the couch to watch TV or sleeping in, drinking water instead of soda.  Those things might sound as negative as the clouds that bring the rain, but when the rain has passed we're blessed with fruits and vegetables, flowers and trees, lakes and ponds.  We need the rain.  Much the same way we NEED the healthy foods, exercise and water.  Because it brings the results that we enjoy - a happier, healthier lifestyle!  Turn those negatives into positives!

Remember the saying from elementary school.  If March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb.  How did your March come in?  How did your Go to Health March come in?  Did it come in like a lion?  Roaring and ready to fight the day with all you had.  Did you start your day with some exercise or meditation?  Have you planned your menu and stuck to it?  Or did your March come in the like a lamb?  Timid, shy, not really putting forth too much effort.  Nothing against the cute little lambs, but I doubt they get what they want or command respect as much as those lions do.  No!  Not the Detroit Lions.  The lions on the jungle.  When it comes to your journey to Go to Health, be a lion; not a lamb.  Command respect, fight for what you want and need and don't be afraid to roar when you don't get it.  I don't want you to alienate your friends and family, but those that respect themselves often get respect in return.  Respect your dreams and goals and others will as well!

Today begins the Lenten season in the Catholic faith.  A good friend, Carol Ann, shared what her weight loss support group is doing for Lent.  Lent is traditionally a Christian practice.  But Carol Ann's Lent is "officially" a health and wellness practice.  And it should be for you, too!  L-E-N-T means Let's Eat Nothing Trashy!  Can you fast for forty days from today until Easter and eat nothing trashy?  I'm vowing to practice L-E-N-T a little differently this year.  Yes, I will practice it in the religious sense.  But I'm also going to practice it in the health and wellness sense.  So, no matter what your religious or personal beliefs, I encourage you to practice L-E-N-T with Carol Ann, her weight loss support group and me!

Most of you know that this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday.  Even if you don't practice a religion that follows the beliefs of Ash Wednesday, you've no doubt heard the expression because it follows Fat Tuesday.  Ahhhhh!  Fat Tuesday.  A day that can lead us to needing our fat jeans.  Don't be bound by traditions.  Being in bondage to traditions can quickly derail you from your health and wellness goals.  If you want to enjoy a treat for Fat Tuesday, help yourself.  But don't do it out of obligation to some long-held tradition or do it simply because "that's what we've always done."  A new, healthier, happier lifestyle is a better tradition anyway!

Feel the music!!  Don't for a minute under estimate the power of music.  When you hear a song that was on the charts during your high school years, doesn't it take you back to that time in your life?  How about if you hear your wedding song?  Reminds you of that special day, doesn't it?  After my divorce, I couldn't listen to Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis without it bringing tears to my eyes.  Doesn't gospel music give you a sense of peace?  And when you hear a song that was played at a funeral you were at, don't you get reminded of that person?  Find those special songs that add meaning to your life.  Use it to inspire you to continue on your journey to Go to Health.  I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross always makes me think that I can handle ANYTHING that comes my way.  Let it keep you motivated to continue just a bit longer with your exercise routine.  If the Rocky theme song is on my MP3 player, I'm good for another mile even if I was ready to quit.  So tune in and turn it up!

Valentine's Day ....  A day in which we are meant to express to our loved ones what they mean to us.  How did you express your love to your significant other and your family?  More importantly, how did you express your love to YOURSELF?!  I showed my heart now much I loved it yesterday by taking only two pieces of <FREE!> pizza at the bowling alley (one of them being vegetarian), refusing seconds when they announced several times that more <FREE!> pizza was available, doing 30 minutes on my treadmill to start the day, and getting skim milk in my latte at the coffee shop.  Remember to show yourself the same love and respect you show your friends and family.  Think of some of the things you've told yourself in the past.  Have you ever called yourself a failure?  Have you ever looked in the mirror and said mean things because you were unhappy with what you saw?  Have you ever told yourself you'd never lose weight?  Now imagine what you'd do if you had a best friend that said the same things to you that you sometimes say to yourself.  You'd probably stop being his/her friend.  Or look at it the opposite way ... Would you ever say the things to a dear friend that you say to yourself?  Probably not!  Be your own best friend!  Love yourself with all your heart!  And each time you express love to a significant other, child, parent, sibling, friend, etc. .... Be sure to express the love I hope you have for yourself as well!

Today's message isn't as upbeat as those in the past.  It's actually rather tragic.  A mother has been charged with a felony for not attempting to control her daughter's diabetes.  The details, available here, are devasting.  It's just so sad.  Are you aware that this generation may be the first that doesn't outlive their parents?  Unfortunately, many of us not doing enough about it.  While what happens outside of the home probably doesn't help, it's not totally to blame.  It's because most children aren't being taught how to eat healthy or how to be active.  Please take the time to teach your children and grandchildren those things.  It's not abuse if you don't, but it's definitely an injustice.

Quite often, when we're working towards are dreams and goals, we think that we have to worry about the rest of our lives.  We really don't.  Today is the only day that we have to get through.  Work on doing your best today and tomorrow will take care of itself.  Of course, you need to do that tomorrow, too!

David (my husband) and I went to see Larry the Cable Guy this past weekend at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.  At capacity, the venue holds over 2,500 people and I'm fairly certain it was a sold-out show.  The only entrance to the theatre is four sets of double doors at the front of the building.  As we were exiting after the show, all 2,500 + people were departing through the front doors.  It was like a stampede of cattle minus the trampling, of course.  As we were making our way towards the front doors, I looked up and noticed an EXIT sign off to my right.  I headed that way and asked an usher if we could exit through those doors (I wasn't sure if perhaps it was an emergency exit).  He stated that we could.  Not only was there no wait because no one else (literally NO ONE ELSE!) was taking those doors, but it was closer to our car.

I hope you're finding this website a useful tool in helping you reach your health and wellness goals.  A carpenter requires tools to do his job.  Hopefully his tool box is stocked with the best that the market has to offer.  He's probably been trained by someone that's built several houses.  That's the only way he's going to build a quality house - with the proper direction and tools!  Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how great the tools are in his tool box or how well he was taught.  He has to use the tools and experience of others to his full advantage to construct a house he'd be proud of.  Have you accumulated useful tools in your weight loss tool box?   Are you using all your tools to their full advantage?  Have you reached out to others that have been successful and allowed them to share their experience with you?  Remember, the tools can be provided for you.  The knowledge of those that have been successful can be shared with you.  But only YOU can build your house.  If you never open that tool box and don't use your tools -- your house (weight loss goals) will never be completed!

Remember, with each day comes a new sunrise.  With that sunrise comes an opportunity to begin again with a better outcome then the day before.  When your head hits the pillow tonight, how do you want to feel?  Take advantage of this new day and  let it bring you one day closer to your health and wellness goals.  Now go to health!

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