Health tends to be a touchy subject for many people. No one really wants to hear that they're unhealthy, that they're doing the wrong things or that they should make changes by giving up things they "love" or "cannot live without" I can admit even I would be a little annoyed if someone told me I wasn't doing well enough when I think I'm keeping myself healthy. I can make improvements, definitely, but I'm pretty happy with what I can control at this point of time. From being the overweight child who would stuff her face and an awkward chubby teenager who was jealous of other girls to the woman I am today who mostly prioritises her health, I know what it's like to be in different positions when it comes to being "healthy". For those of you who may not already know, there's a little story about how I started my fitness journey HERE. As you can tell, I'm far from the "always been fit and healthy and active" type. So that's why my health is even more important to me now. Speaking completely from my experiences and watching the lives of those around me (unfortunately, my family mostly) not exercising, eating like shit and making excuses for yourself when you could actually make a change, is sad to see. I have sick, extremely overweight - maybe even obese, dying people, all around me (again, within my family) and for lack of a better way to put it, it's breaking me. From my grandfather to my aunts and uncles, and sometimes the odd family friend, they're suffering, some with completely preventable illnesses. Complaints of aches and pains, diabetes and medication are normal and this really is a terrible situation for people to be in. I never had an adult present in my life who showed me how to nourish my body in the right way and how to exercise and have fun with my health. I'll admit, my parents were definitely better than my grandparents, my aunt, and probably many other parents when it came to how we ate and lived, but now I know there could have been improvements which could have given all of us better health and habits today as well as taken away some of the struggles i had with my body growing up. As a child you don't think about it. You do what everyone else does because that's normal. But it doesn't mean it's the best for you. I was overweight and unhappy and far from healthy because of this. And if I never met the people who motivated me to live better, where would I be now? Or 10 years from now? Or 50 years from now? My grandad is 80 and he pretty much has everything except his head in his grave already. 27 pills a day, constantly weak, regularly swollen, massively overweight, diabetic, kidney's failing, constant hospital trips, and being completely and brutally honest, a burden.
I love him. But I don't love what he's done to himself or the fact that he never tried to change his situation - cause the answers are always in a pill even when it's preventable and reversible - and now my grandmother, aunt and mum are left to take care of him. This isn't a nice thing to hear but seeing him is a constant reminder of what I do not want for myself and what I would never want to do to my family. I want to grow old with a family and know that we can live our lives to the fullest. I want to be able to hike and run and go on holidays and adventures and laugh and make endless happy memories together. I never want to find relief from a condition that is completely avoidable in a prescription bottle or a hospital ward. I never want to find myself being a burden to my kids because I thought an unhealthy lifestyle was more important than my health. I never want to look into my own eyes in the mirror and know that I've let myself down. As far as it is possible, I want to be as healthy and live the best life that I can. That is why my health is a priority. I would only hope that the rest of you want that for yourself too.
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