Heed the call...

When did you first contemplate taking that initial step? How much time has passed? How many times have we put it on the back burner?

For me, it was the better part of 32 years. Thirty-two years. That is an incredibly long time to ignore oneself, but that is exactly what I did. That first step on my journey - my self-care plan, if you will - was one of the more difficult things I have ever done in my life. I was a life long obese child, adolescent, and adult who ballooned to 340 pounds. I was, for all intent and purposes, a statue. I could not walk very much due to back pain and and neurological issues that went along with it. Essentially, merely existing was a problem for me. I rarely if ever left the friendly confines of my own abode. Why? It took far too much effort. I was frustrated, angry, and depressed.

Sure, there were some out there who "tried" to get me on the path. One doctor told me to "push away from the table a little sooner", another prescribed weight loss pills that were not even approved by the F.D.A., and yet another said the key was common sense. While the latter advice was not exactly inaccurate, it was clear that I had none of that.

I kept making assurances to myself that the next day would be different. I would really do it this time - starting Monday. Heaven knows, I could never start a self-reclamation project on the weekend! Those were the days for me to be "normal". Unfortunately for me, "normal" days included far too much indulgence and too little common sense when it came to my own self-care. I am no genius, that I will freely admit. But how ignorant I was to listen to all of my own excuses and justifications for simply not taking care of myself.

Then suddenly, one day, it clicked. I cannot tell you what day it was and I am not sure that it matters. It was not an epiphany really or even a traumatic event. It was just an ordinary day when I could swear I heard the starting gun go off in my head, heart, and soul. That was the beginning of the rest of my life.

Normally, a fresh start on a self-care plan for me included swift and assured failure. But this time was seemingly very different. I resigned myself to accepting the fact that every day would be a learning experience. If I would fall, I would pick myself back up, dust myself off, and learn from it. If I make a bad food choice, or miss a chance to exercise, or do not get enough rest, I would not beat myself up over it. Rather I would do the best I could going forward.

Remember folks, we were given eyes in the front of our heads and not in the back, so we can see where we are going. Not where we have been.

Far too many people think that health and wellness is difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth. It all starts with making one small change whether it is watching what you eat a little more closely, eating cleaner (i.e. fruits and vegetables, foods that are not processed or processed as little as possible), getting a little more active, or something. ANYTHING! It is not about being perfect, all of the time. No one can do that. Rather it is about being better more often than not. To win the war of self-preservation, with your trusty self-care plan by your side, you merely need to win more battles than you lose. Obviously, the more battles you win, the better you are in the long run. Once you take that first step, you are already a winner for having started caring for yourself again and, for some of us, for the first time.

Listen for the starting gun. Do not let 30-plus years get by you before you hear that gun go off in your head, heart, and soul. Listen for that call. Take it, and go with it. Your body wants to be active and healthy, by its very nature. We are the only ones who are keeping that from happening!

Take that first step. While it may not seem like much on the surface, it is the first step of this never-ending journey of ours that will be the most rewarding and memorable for the rest of your life.

Be well.