What Will It Take For You To Start?

What will it take for you to start?

Interesting question isn’t it?

It is a bit of a challenging one too…

What will it take for me to start? How do YOU know that I need to start anything? I like it the way things are! I am comfortable. Leave me alone!

Sound familiar?

I know it does to me! That is what I used to ask myself all of the time. Especially being a Naturopathic Doctor where I am surrounded by literature that emphasizes health. What does health mean? Who or what decides what health is? Do statistics? Do the collective opinions of Doctors? Does society?

Let’s address this. What does health mean? What comes to mind when you think of health? Is it being only in a thin body? In a muscular body? Is it a person that jogs every day for one hour? Is it a person that only eats ‘perfect’ healthy foods? And what are healthy foods anyway? No one seems to agree even to the answer of that! J

What does health mean? As an ND I know that statistics do indicate the likelihood that if you have a certain body weight and fat percentage that you will have an increased risk of various health-related issues. If you are considered obese or overweight, does that mean it will adversely affect your health? Statistically speaking, it will. But can you be the exception to the rule. Yes. There are always exceptions to the rule.

Now, if you don’t suffer any of the possible consequences of being overweight or obese, does that mean you are in the clear? That you don’t need to worry or fret about it? Or that you can just keep living the way you are right now, with no lifestyle changes. You can.

However, I am going to challenge you with what I was faced with personally (as a person that had fallen into the unfavourable statistics category).

My knees ached more often. My cardiovascular health was affected, going for long walks with my husband and son started to wind me. Wind me? I used to be able to go on the elliptical for one hour with NO issues. My energy was almost non-existent! I had difficulty waking up with my son in the mornings without a heavy dose of caffeine. My feet hurt constantly because of the additional weight that was on my body. But at the time, my blood pressure, bloodwork etc. was perfect. So, when it came to the ‘health’ gauges, such as my blood pressure and bloodwork etc. I was perfectly ‘healthy’. However, statistically, I knew my cardiovascular health risk had increased.

Now, even with the perfectly healthy indicators, did it sounds like I was having fun and enjoying life? Just reading that back to myself gives me a pang in my heart! It felt horrible!!! There are no words to describe how I felt. I can hardly believe now what I let myself adjust to! My body was crying out to me! This needs to change! I am uncomfortable, I am hurting…you’re hurting. Wake UP!

Unfortunately, I still decided to ignore it. I continued to prioritize other things in my life, my career for example (ironically enough as an N.D.) over my health! And then boom…I became a statistic! I didn’t think it would happen to me! I ate relatively healthy. I have always been healthy. Then one day, my blood pressure (that used to always be LOW-110/70) showed up as 150/87. 150/87?! No WAY! Tried again. No change. My eyes (and heart) couldn’t believe it.

My whole life, I always prided myself for having such low blood pressure since I was always super active! Now that my weight had creeped up and my career became more sedentary, I had lost my activity level! My blood pressure went up!!!

I remember the fear that I felt when I saw that number. Visions of medication for the rest of my life and the worst case scenarios crossed my mind (being a health professional it was quite the flash from the knowledge that I have)!

I went home. Cried. Sat with it. Wept some more.

Then the anger came up! The anger towards myself for letting this happen, anger toward my perceived responsibilities (such as my career-through no fault other than my own) that made me ignore one of the areas of my life that is one of the most important.

As an aside, I love my career! I absolutely love it. It was not being in clinic that was stressful. It was all of the online work that I needed to do to keep up that I was not used to delegating, such as regular Facebook posting etc.  Now, as part of my healing I have learned how to do what I want and need to do without being sedentary all day. I have also added in simple ‘movement breaks’ throughout the day, as when I am focused I stay in place. Not great for the body!

After I moved through the mourning (YES mourning for my old healthier self) and anger. I thought about my patients. What would I tell a patient in this scenario to help their blood pressure stabilize? You need to lose weight (in most cases), you need to be mindful of your diet and nutrition, you need to move your body more and you need to re-prioritize the areas of your life, and reduce your stress!!

From that day forward. I made a plan. I had some ups and downs. Some plateaus and difficulties. But with experience and knowledge, I figured out what my body needed to lose the weight in a healthy and sustainable way. I learned what nutrients it needed to stay full and satisfied, I started to move my body slowly at first, then when my energy improved (and my weight dropped) I was able to sustain longer forms of exercise and my endurance increased! I learned to deal with the underlying emotions that made me reach for food in comfort. One step in front of the other.

I can proudly say, that (without medication) I dropped my blood pressure back down to 124/76 (in 3 months!) and have lost over 25 pounds, 18 overall inches and 8 percent body fat so far!

I am not finished my journey but I have started and now understand exactly what I need to do and what my body needs to get there! Slowly but surely. I want this to be sustained and ENJOYABLE. This is for life, and it was not going to be achieved in 3 months.  Slowly and surely will make permanent results. Hasty and speedy makes short term, unsustainable results.

So, now back to my challenge. If you have a weight issue that is causing you any sort of stress, pain in the knees, being winded when walking, or feeling that your energy is non-existent; what will it take for you to start? >> http://www.stephaniefarwellnd.ca/Blog/ArticleID/1193/Quality-A-Word-To-Live-By

It took me to actually manifest a health issue for me to begin. I don’t want that for you. I want you to be brutally honest about your current health. If you feel healthy-your energy is great, you joints don’t hurt, all of your bloodwork is great, then keep up the great work!

If you don’t, I challenge you today to seriously look at the future you will have if your health issues get worse and to start with your whys.

>> http://www.stephaniefarwellnd.ca/Blog/ArticleID/1192/Your-Weight-Loss-Journey-Begins-With-A-Plan-Right-Nope-Here’s-What-To-Start-With

If at this point you are still reading, and are really wanting to start but don’t know what to do. Please consider joining my clinic’s weight loss program, The Goldilocks Method for Weight Loss: lose weight while keeping your morning latte, your girl’s night out and your sanity, and start YOUR journey with me today >> http://www.stephaniefarwellnd.ca/Store/THE-GOLDILOCKS-WEIGHT-LOSS-PROGRAM

I have been there, I understand the struggle. I have learned how to make weight loss easier (not easy-let’s be honest-change is needed for true transformation to occur!) and more enjoyable! It is a process that if undertaken and committed to will help you get to your personal health goals!