Over the last six months, I haven’t been maintaining my eating and exercising routines that have helped me rectify some health issues. My weight has been creeping up, along with my blood sugar numbers.
This hasn’t happened all at once, but slowly, over time. I don’t know about you, but it’s easier not to think about it if changes happen over weeks and months versus hours and days.
When I wrote my post about control the other day, I didn’t think that I’d be writing a part two. Something happened yesterday got me thinking, and I wanted to share it with you.
I was meeting with my chiropractor yesterday, and he was asking me about the medications I take on a daily basis.
One of those that I have to take each and every day is called synthroid, and it makes up for my slow-functioning thyroid. Before I realized I had thyroid issues, I was feeling really run down all the time, and it seemed like no matter what I did for exercise, I just couldn’t loose any weight.
Once my doctor put me on this medicine, my metabolism kicked in and I started to feel much better, and the weight came off pretty easily.
Now, here’s the reason for today’s post. When I told my chiropractor about the medicines and supplements I was taking, he asked me how I was taking them. First thing in the morning, all at the same time. That was not the answer he was looking for.
He told me that I shouldn’t be taking my synthroid with my daily vitamins, because the two don’t react well to each other. In fact, the synthroid more than likely isn’t being absorbed properly. Instead, I should take the synthroid, then wait a couple of hours and take my daily vitamins. That way, everything will be absorbed into my system properly. Wow, I wish my regular doctor would have mentioned this to me, especially because he is aware of everything I take. That being said, I’m going to make an appointment with him to review what the Chiropractor said, just to be sure he’s right.
So, the point of this is that the control I spoke about the other day can be spun many ways. We need to look at our lives, especially those areas where our care has been intrusted to others, and review things from time to time. This will ensure we are maximizing our potential to live healthy lives. Sound like a good plan?
I had the chance to attend a wellness seminar last night led by Dr. Laura Ruby. Dr. Laura works primarily with women to help them understand the relationship between chronic symptoms and core nutritional imbalances, environmental factors and poor lifestyle choices.
I was one of the few guys there to hear what she had to say, and I left impressed with what I heard. When I got home, I jumped on to her website and found the blog post below. I wanted to share it with you today, as a gentle reminder that good health is one of the keys to a happy and fulfilled life. We all have to work with what we’ve got, but simple, everyday changes can make a huge difference in our overall health. Even though the post focuses on women, guys can also benefit from putting her tips into practice.
Here’s another guest post from my friend Todd Burrier, who is always looking for ways to support people’s good health. He blogs at toddburrier.com. Todd’s post below is a reminder that learning all the facts about nutrition and not just going with what the marketers tell us is critical to our long-term health.
Several of my coworkers talked to me about my post yesterday. They thought it would be nearly impossible to consistently eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Hard, but not impossible.
Some raised the point about cost. Yes, there is an additional cost to eating healthy. But what is the cost of not eating this way? When you approach it like this, then I think you come to the realization that eating healthier is the way to go. The cost is worth it.
Now that the holiday season is officially here, I asked my friend Todd Burrier to do another guest blog. For those with health issues like diabetes which require them to exercise regularly and closely watch what they eat, this time of year can present problems.
The weather is getting colder, so it becomes harder to get consistent exercise. We go to lots of social events where tables are loaded down with all the things that we aren’t supposed to eat. Even so, we can survive and even thrive during this special season when we recall the miracle of Christ’s birth.
I’m blessed to have some great friends who have helped me in my efforts to reverse diabetes. This past Saturday, Jeff was my first guest blogger, and he wrote about the importance of physical exercise. Today, my friend Todd Burrier will be blogging on how nutritional supplements can support/improve glucose levels and our overall health.
This Tuesday night (November 9th) at 9:15pm Eastern Todd will be presenting a webinar/conference call about Diabetes. This will be a comprehensive overview. Todd will share information on a wide range of relevant topics that are all focused on living a longer healthier life whether someone is currently diabetic or pre-diabetic.
While this information will also be relevant for type-1, the majority of the focus will be on reducing risks and reducing severity of type-2 (90% of all diabetes) as well as avoiding completely for pre-diabetic people (20% of the adult population!).
Todd Burier is a friend of mine and he works hard at helping people live healthier and happier lives. He does this as a motivational speaker and wellness expert. The other day, he sent me a really inspirational email, and I asked him for permission to share it with you. He said yes and you can read it below. Todd has two websites at the bottom of his email. Take a minute and check them out.
Sunday as I was traveling, I landed in Memphis and was picked up by the man who typically shuttles me to and from the airport. As we were walking to the van I noticed someone walking very closely behind us. Almost like they were going in the same direction as us, but didn’t realize they were walking so close to us that it seemed strange. As we got to the van, this woman was still right next to us and at this moment the man introduced me to her as his daughter. This was the first acknowledgement that she was with us.
This woman is 40 years old, and the man had told me in the past about the disease that she and some of her other siblings were born with. Essentially they were born with no sweat glans, no ability to have teeth, and no hair. I don’t know the name of the disease only that the things I descirbed are just the tip of the ice berg. For many years it was questionable that they would live very long.
As we were riding to our destination I learned that she had spent all day at a Zumba seminar to get certified to teach this aerobic dance/fitness style (which she must teach with an air conditioner blowing directly on her or her body will overheat and she could die). It was hard to get her to talk because she was very shy.
On the way back to the airport a few days later I asked her Dad some more questions. She is unemployed, has had a very hard life (as you can imagine…not just living with the disease, but dealing with the verbal abuse she took from schoolmates making fun of her) and is trying to start her own business teaching Zumba. She has no experience running a business and no money, but she rented a little warehouse space and is giving it a try. I told the man that if he had her call me I would be happy to help her in any way that I could.
I was surprised when she emailed me and said she would like to talk. I called her yesterday and spoke to her about 20 minutes. I learned that she has a passion for helping peoiple with their weight (because she has had her own struggles) and she has a passion for dance, and Zumba gives her a way to do both at the same time. Of course she is going out on a limb by renting space in a warehouse, with no experience and no way to pay her bills, and no understanding of how to run a business.
I gave her a few ideas about how to make sure she could keep the doors open first, while she kept a roof over her head. She was so thankful, because she had no idea how to even think about what to do. Basically all I did was encourage her and help her see that she can do it.
That phone call felt very good for me. There is no interest or gain in this for me. It was purely to encourage and help someone else. And that’s the point of the story.
People who are trying to accomplish something need encouragement. They need people to cheer them on and be there for them. Not just because this helps them, but because there aren’t many people who do it.
People spend more time telling people why it won’t work or questioning the attempt. Why?
Sometimes out of ignorance…they simply don’t know any better.
Sometimes out of jealousy….you are doing something which makes them reflect on themselves.
Sometimes out of fear….that you will succeed and things will change between you.
Sometimes out of concern…they genuinely are worried you might fail (unfortunately this is a limited view becasue it is far better in life to try and fail than to not try)
Sometimes out of selfishness…because your goal will take time away from them.
There’s more, but this gives you an idea. Having been someone who has strived for goals in a very open way for years I can attest first hand that encouragement is a rare commodity. Anyone who is attempting to accomplish something is going to have struggle, doubt, fear, fatigue, etc. at various times.Help them. Be there for them. Encourage them.
Think of someone you know today who is working toward something. Call them up and let them know how much you respect what they are doing and how much you believe in them. Let them know that you know they can do it and that when times get hard, you will be there for them. Ask them if there is anything you can do for them. It will be a gift to them…and not bad for you either.
Many Blessings,
Todd
Todd Burrier-Making a Million Lives Better
“When we know about something that can help people we have a responsibility to share.”