The Power of One

I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about my body. Which is not to say I've been oblivious to it up to this point, or that I'm conceited or obsessed with it, but allow me to explain.

I got my first taste of my own mortality on my father's 49th birthday. That was the day of his heart attack. I know, it really should have been my father's lesson, and it was to some extent, but I also took something away from it, and here's what it was: Life is fleeting. Our bodies are not indestructible. Things break and stop working well and if you don't take care of the body you're given, you get sick, or worse, die.

Now, at the ripe old age of 22, the lesson didn't really stick. I still ate whatever I wanted, drank socially and deliberate exercise was nonexistent. I have a family history of diabetes and heart disease, and cancer. I should really know better. So should we all. But we go blithely along, stuffing our bodies full of crap because it tastes good, or it feels good, or we don't think that eating it will have a lasting impact on our health. Every time. And every day, we make choices to drive rather than walk, to find the closest parking spot (and waste time looking for it), to shrug off the idea of a walk after dinner because, well, just look at those clouds! The dog languishes on his bed, getting tubbier by the day, and we silence the voice that admonishes us to get off our increasingly large butts and move. I always told myself - and others - that I would start getting regular check-ups at 40, that I would more closely monitor my blood sugar, that I would eat better and exercise more. Because 40 is when you actually have to start taking your health seriously, right? Right?

I am now teetering on the precipice of 42. I've had exactly one blood panel done, which told me what I already know; diabetes is a "when", not an "if" for me. I am otherwise pretty healthy, or at least my blood is. My weight has fluctuated over the last 15 years, but I am currently enjoying being within the healthy range for my height and frame size, and have mostly done so for the last 3 years, on and off. But I've had four children, and my body has changed. I have a harder time losing weight, I have less elasticity, and my midsection really really likes to hold onto fat. This old bod just doesn't bounce back the way it used to. And so, I need to get it into the shape I want to be in for the rest of my life.

This is where The Power of One comes in.

In order for me to achieve buy-in from myself, I need to be able to stick with it. And for me, that means taking small steps. I want to effect permanent change for my life, and to do that, I'm going to do the following:

1) Add one healthy thing to my life each month. This can be anything that increases my health and wellness, from committing to taking a daily vitamin, to meditation, to an exercise regime, to a piece of good quality chocolate a day.

2) Take away one unhealthy thing per month. This can be anything that negatively impacts my health and wellness, from culling my Facebook friends list, to reducing my simple carb intake, to not eating that double Mars bar.

So, who's with me?