I had a scare last week. I was ambulanced to the hospital with chest pressure and sky-rocketed blood pressure. It was a bit of a wake up call.
I have often wondered, usually while watching Biggest Loser, ‘why is it exactly that people wait until it is a life or death situation before they finally start thinking about doing something about their weight??’ I think I figured it out today.
It’s like this: My body is kind of like my military dress shoes. They are super shiny on the upper. The laces are in excellent shape…have never let me down. I have solid footing on them and they serve their purpose of covering my feet and getting me around. But, as you can see by the picture, the sole is completely cracked in half. When I stand or walk around, no one notices…not even me. I am not in a hurry to replace them. But some day soon, I’m going to step in a puddle and get soaked or the shoes will completely break in two at that crack. They will then become useless and I will have no choice but to replace them. At that point, it won’t matter the cost or the inconvenience. At that point, it is more inconvenient to not get a new pair.
The difference is that my body cannot be replaced by a new one I purchase when I wear this one out or it breaks down. I’m pretty sure the vast majority of health issues that I have encountered in recent months has everything to do with my weight. I was also told at the hospital that although my issue was not related to my ticker, I do have a fatty liver. It is a condition, if left unchecked, can kill. So how do I deal with this? I have a few options. I could choose to ignore this warning, as I have done with every warning up to this point and just wait to read my obituary in the paper one day. I could insist to my doctor that I get put on a pharmacy full of meds to “manage”. Or, I could take the most difficult road to recovery…the one that has the most satisfying payoffs, like an extended life and feeling pretty good about myself inside and out…I could exercise and eat better and lose weight.
Let’s not fool ourselves. Motivating oneself to lose weight is just as difficult as motivating someone else to do it. It is possibly even more difficult, at least I believe this to be true for me. What is will power? No, seriously, what is it? It is a force of proportions that both intrigue and terrify me. It terrifies me because the only thing that can really motivate people to better themselves physically is vanity. Those of you who are successful in having a noteworthy physique cannot argue against that. Unfortunately, those who lack the motivation cannot be labeled as “humble”, but rather lacking a healthy sense of self-worth. I want to be able to get my results right now and do the work later. I want there to be an option D…maybe just getting credit for the million times I have said, “I really need to lose weight!”
I’m getting older and I’m feeling age wearing me out. But, I will look at some positives: I have a lot of things going for me, and I can recover from this setback. The main reason that I know this is because I have value to a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. I have value to my Heavenly Father. I have value to the Great Physician. I have value to the One who will never leave me nor forsake me. And the best thing of all is that I’m really not alone in this. Thank God, I don’t have to rely on my own ability to motivate myself.
We will see what the next few months bring about. It is time for several cool changes in my life. I am hopeful for every one of them. I’m starting with a new pair of low quarters.