One of the first things I would say you need to do is; Be Honest with Yourself. No matter how many friends, doctors, or family members tell you to get healthy or lose weight, until you are honest with YOU this process will never begin. No one can do it for you; although others may motivate and encourage you along the way. Sometimes gentle warnings will help alert you – breathing heavy after walking up a flight of steps or even the lack of will power to stop eating when your stomach is clearly telling you that it’s had enough.
No, those things do not encompass all the signs you need to look in the mirror and make some decisions and I bet you could even tell me a few. I will say my moment of honesty came in 2010 when I was told I had high blood pressure. This condition that plagues and is slightly accepted by many African Americans was not one I was ready to hear…considering I was only in my late 20s.
So what’s next? Others may differ with me, but I think that you must begin to educate yourself. Habits are formed around beliefs. If you believe a thing is ok, then your entire decisions center on that. We only change our thoughts as we begin to expand our paradigms with new information. When that comes to health, there a few things you and I have to be educated on: what the food we eat does to our body, what types of exercises are needed to be healthy and how emotional stability plays into our overall health and achieving our goals. The bottom line is don’t assume you know what to do.
Whether you read online, like you are doing now. Talking with your doctor about your choices. Getting a trainer or other fitness professional involved in your decision. If you have been living a life where you were not focused on your health, you will need to take strides to become knowledgeable on what is best. I don’t recommend you do this alone because you can waste your valuable time and possibly money as well. Check out Support is Crucial to get more insight on having help when making changes.
Grace and Peace
Princess Akeema
Holistic Nutrition Practitioner