The Encouragement Factor: A friend who once lived in England said, “I don’t know what it is about America, but the moment I set foot in your country I gained twenty pounds and I’ve never been able to lose it.”
The environment in America is one of continuous excess. We are invited to enlarge our meals and indulge in comfort foods. Some suggest those who make the food are responsible for conditions that could result in diabetes, but I won’t make that claim.
Each of us is responsible for the foods we consume. We may be somewhat ignorant of the foods that result in a healthy lifestyle, but the burden of our health rests on our own shoulders. After all if consumers had sincerely demanded healthy food and more health clubs business owners would have responded. Our actions and choices tell them otherwise. These entrepreneurs simply appealed to what they thought we wanted and then worked to supply it in abundance. We all agreed it was good.
The lifestyle we lead is also geared toward a sedentary or inactive lifestyle. We sit at the computer, we sit in front of the TV and we sit at sporting events. We are no longer required to be active for many occupations. This too contributes to conditions that may be more in tune with the development of diabetes.
It can be hard to break the cycle of inactivity. It may require a grieving process to make healthier food choices. The sad truth is if we don’t make those changes ourselves prior to onset diabetes we may be faced with the consequences of our inaction.
No one wants to hear those dreaded words, “You have diabetes”, yet we often place ourselves in long-term situations that can almost invite the disease to set up shop in our bodies.
If you have diabetes you should know that you can slow the effects of the disease by making the hard choices now to give your life outlook a whole new makeover. You can choose to manage your blood glucose through diet. You can choose to influence good health by developing and maintaining a body that is physically fit.
Perhaps one of the greatest problems for diabetics is there can be feelings of depression and fatigue that can make it easy to lay aside the good intentions you may have. You may need to seek out an accountability partner to help you keep your goals in view and keep your body in the best shape possible.
You might even try keeping a daily log that can assist in some self-encouragement to succeed. If you have weight loss goals be encouraged by those moments of success.
You are not in competition with someone else you are simply competing with yourself to manage your disease in the best way possible. You want to resist negative trends and instill a better series of opportunity that can result in a better self-image and an improved medical prognosis.
You will likely gain inspiration along the way from individuals who have lived with this disease for some time. In turn you may one day discover that you are the person who is encouraging someone else who may have been recently diagnosed with diabetes.
There is a fraternity involved in this disease. One that is developed when individuals face similar struggles and respond with care and comfort in the both good times and bad.
It’s never too late to change directions. Maybe this is your call to action. How do you respond?
