What motivates you?
Not too long ago one of my siblings called me. He proceeded to tell me that he had just made a sandwich out of old-fashioned white bread, tons of mayo and Spam. Then he told me how delicious it was and how much he enjoyed it. He was gloating the entire time.
OK, I thought. “Well, that is just wonderful”, I said, “I am glad you enjoyed yourself”. He got great pleasure out of sharing this with me. Why all the gloating, I wondered? What’s up with this?
He is not the only one. I am often teased by family, friends and neighbors about how I eat, do yoga or whatever is healthy. Trust me, I am not a fanatic. Well, I don’t think so anyway.
Then there is my Mom. She is 89 and has Crohn’s disease. She has suffered from it for over 12 years with chronic pain and lack of energy. She has taken 4 Vicodin a day for as long as I can remember and antibiotics at least once a year.
Mom's diet consists of mostly candy, cake type muffins and Ensure. I don’t even get how she is still alive. But, she is, thank God. She does quite well each day as long as she stays in her home environment. The sad part to me is that she is constantly suffering from pain. She keeps going to the doctor so they will “fix” it. But, they can’t.
I have sent her to other nutritionists thinking if someone else inspired her she might make a few changes. Didn’t work.
When I visit her she will usually eat what I prepare, and raves when I make her a yummy green smoothie, saying it feels like a shot of life going into her body. But, she will not do it herself. Opening a can of Ensure is the route she takes, and now her consumption is up to a 6-pak a day.
Then there is my own son, who also still enjoys fast food on a daily basis, and my sister who loves Jack In The Box tacos. I confess I used to love them too, but when I found out what was in them, well my love faded.
What am I to do? Obviously, nothing, because everything I have tried has failed. Even some of my good friends would rather take a drug with serious side effects than reverse or heal a condition that is giving them pain. They accept the condition blaming it on genetics and blow off the possibility that almost all symptoms can be reversed through diet and movement. We know now that we have the power to keep a negative gene we are carrying from expressing itself through lifestyle changes.
This does not make sense to me. It is amazing that I have the confidence to do what I do as no one in my family takes on what I teach. To make it more confusing, they write me and say how proud they are of me, and what I do, saying that they think I am amazing. ???? What is going on here?
Are you a person who has taken on the new food revolution, a person who cares about what you eat and are rather “picky” when it comes to your choices? Do others riddle you? Or do your loved ones take you in stride, saying, “yeah, yeah”, as they pop a Twinkie?
What is your story? I would love to hear.
Another thought: I just took a course to help me with my business. It was said over and over again that people are not interested in prevention. They are usually not inspired until they “have to make a move” for their survival.
Is this true? Is it true for you?
I was inspired before I got sick because I don’t want to get sick. I don’t want to be an ailing old woman. I want to be healthy, vibrant and strong so I can live my life’s dreams.
How about you? What motivates you? What inspires you? What makes you decide on awesome choices despite others around you who don’t feel the same?
Or, do you know better but do not do better? Do yo know better but do not care?
What do you struggle with around this whole issue of eating as healthy as you can and taking care of this grand body of yours?
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