Healthy Choices....food for thought

They say life is made of choices. We've all made some good and bad choices.  Some of those choices not only have an impact on us but those around us.  Others are small  but even those small choices can have a ripple effect.

When we think about choices we often think about things like, should I take that job even though it means moving either yourself or your family or moving away from loved one.  Do you buy that house in another province or state?  You really want that car but it's just a tad out of your price range.  Or what about that new suit and those shoes you always wanted should you buy them even though you know it might leave you a bit short on paying your bills this month.  Or you have fallen in love and believe you have met your match yet others oppose the union and you go with it anyways knowing that is could have long term effect on your family relationships.

Yes choices they aren't easy, but we do make them, every day of our lives.

I'd like to talk about those health choices we make.  Most of us I think have a pretty good idea of what a leading a healthy life style means.  I think if we are savvy enough to be able to access the Internet, read blogs, post a blog and the myriad of  other things we do on the Internet we should be able to access information that would help guide us to leading a healthy life style.

Being a nurse I see folks everyday that as a result of their "choices" of life style have brought them to the hospital. The hyper or hypoglycemic diabetic patient, the alcoholic, the drug addict, the over indulgent overweight orthopedic patient, the type "A" personalities and their increased risk for cardiac events.  Some folks fall into all of these categories.  And I bet that every one has a reason or excuse for why they are in the state that they are in, most of them not taking responsibility for the life style choices they make.

We are all human, we innatley make mistakes or bad choices.  I would like to think that we could learn from our mistakes or bad choices and move forward to making positive good choices for ouselves.

We've just come through the overindulgent season of Christmas.  All the parties, the sweets, the snacks and huge dinners, the being pressed for time and not being able to excercise or plan a wholesome meal.  Ah it's easy to slip into the "oh I'll just pick something up at the fast food store", it's quick it's simple and little clean up.  How convenient.  However, there does come a time or should I say I hope there comes a time when we just have to say ENOUGH.  It's time to get back on track.  Why does it take a visit to the hospital to give people a wake up call about taking responsibility for their health issues and the choices they make.

Back in the later part of October I watched a movie it was the opposite of "Super Size Me". It was an Australian fellow who was morbidly obese and realized he had to change his ways.  Long and short of it, he lost his weight by going on a Juice diet.  Along his journey he helped countless others do the same thing.  The wonderful thing about this movie was that he just asked people to try it for a week.  One week, I think most of us can do something for one week.  I was hitched.  The next day I started.  I lost 6lbs in my first week. I was estatic with the results.  I continued and lost 10lbs.  I'm now eating solid foods and I have lost 18lbs. and I feel fantastic.  Now this isn't about me and my weight loss it's about taking control and being responsible for the food choices I make in my life.

I have changed my diet completely and I have seen the increased energy and I thank myself for making positive choices for ME.  Sure I am human, I still like sweets and I do eat them occassionally, but then it's time to get back on track.

Let's acknowledge the choices we make good and bad.  What I'd love to see is more folks taking responsibility for their own health and I'd love to see a lonely quiet ER one day as a result of it.