heart attack

I am the master of my health and also the master of my appetite. Who is control?  You or your cravings? Do you give in to eating sweets easily even though you know they are wicked for your health? Do you turn on the TV instead of a walk around the block after dinner?  Do you have a propensity to gravitate to foods that are quick, cheap and easy? Stop! Stop it now! Don’t wait until the first heart attack to get serious about your health.

It is shocking how many American’s take the easy road to eating instead of the mature and responsible route to good health. Yes, it takes a little effort to eat responsibly but it is definitely worth it if you look at the entire picture. Some people view eating as part of the entertainment in their life instead of what it is really meant to be…fuel for life. People associate overeating as a sign of celebration but do they have to celebrate everyday?  No!  Sure, you can knock your calorie count out the window when it’s Christmas or your birthday but not everyday.

Okay, I get why kids want to eat hot fudge sundaes everyday because they are KIDS with no self-control. You, on the other hand, are all grownup and can make informed and responsible choices, yet you still let yourself succumb to bad food decisions like, yes I can eat that pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Oh, boy!

So, today, I want you all to pick yourself up and be the MASTERS OF YOUR OWN HEALTH!

• Bring lunch with you instead of eating fast food
• Drink lemon water instead of coffee
• Stop drinking soda
• Stop drinking alcohol
• Drink plenty of water everyday
• Get lots of sleep
• Walk instead of going to lunch with the gang
• Juice for health
• Plan social events around physical activities, not food related
• Get a blood panel taken so you know what your cholesterol is
• Reduce your blood pressure
• Don’t snack between meals-give your digestion a break
• Don’t eat after dinner
• Have a vegetarian meal once a week
• Get familiar with raw veggies
• Don’t eat sweets unless it’s a special occasion
• Skip the chips, crackers, cheese
• Need more health info, follow my blog

Do you have Diabetes Type 2? Did you know that is totally diet related as in bad diet and that is curable through changing bad eating habits into good eating habits?  Yes, it is!

High blood pressure? I cured mine (they wanted to put me on pills) by juicing celery, carrots, and ginger. Nice combo! Please try it. I have lots of juicing advice on this blog. Watch the documentary…Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead by Joe Cross for a juicing education.

I just interviewed William Anderson who wrote The Anderson Method for Weight Loss and I asked him why do people go on a calorie restriction diet, lose 10 pounds, then find themselves binge on food (usually food that is high in calories and low in nutrition) after and put the 10 pounds back on and more. He said it is because of addiction. It is just like being addicted to alcohol. Yikes!  It makes sense. What is the definition of addiction?

Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving,

Are You Addicted?

diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. (source:ASAM.org)

So, you know it is wrong and bad for you yet you still do the thing that is causing ill health, a larger than desired body mass and a shorter life expectancy. Hmmmm. Does that sound like someone that is Master of Their Own Health?

Is this an example of the Peter Pan Principle? People never want to grown up? They still want to act like little kids who allow themselves to eat anything they want because they never want to grow up? Also, what about parents that stockpile their pantries with every kind of junk food and candy because junior wants it but wipes away the tears when their child comes how from school crying because the kids called her FAT. You, the parent, are also responsible for what your child puts into his or her mouth. If you have a obese child you have just set your own flesh and blood up for health problems. social problems, and a shorter life expectancy. I’m sure you do not want to do that so clean out the pantry and announce the new eating plan today.

The message here is to take charge of your own life and be in control. If you are having problems with food addiction and can’t seem to get a grip on eating healthier seek a therapist that specializes in eating problems.

Please keep in mind that healthy eating is a learned behavior and takes dedication and time. It is a habit that you will develop with practice. You have to reprogram the mind to reward itself with healthy food and learn to dislike even the thought of eating junk food. You can do it! I had a weak self-control, and nobody and I mean nobody has a weaker self-control than I once did, and I managed to reprogram my mind and refine my taste buds. If I can do it, you can do it.

Last summer when I went back to my hometown in upstate NY I was shocked to see how many of my friends and neighbors had health problems including heart attacks and strokes, and some were younger than me. What was the common link? Bad food habits. One person who had an heart attack (gosh, we almost lost him) is an exercise fanatic and skis the black diamond trails on Stowe and Killington but has terrible eating habits and like to overindulge when drinking. Why should I or he be surprised? It was bound to happen and it will happen to you if you are not Master’s of Your Own Health.

I just wrote a book called The Insomnia Cure-How I Kicked Insomnia Out of My Bed and told my neighbor about it who takes a sleeping pill every night. I told her about the book and she asked if it involved hard work as in giving up sweets and I said YES. She said she didn’t want to work that hard and would rather just take her sleeping pill every night. She is also on lots of other prescription medicines and is overweight. She has bowls of candy all over her house and a bowl on her nightstand so she can nibble while she lies in bed watching TV. At her last doctor’s appointment her doctor gave her the speech about if she didn’t start living healthier to expect a health emergency soon. She tells me life is too short to not live the way she is living as in no I won’t give up sweets and eating whatever she wants. I sometimes wonder if this is some sort of suicide. Oh, by the way, she is younger than me and my husband and someone thought she was my husband’s mother. Yeah, that’s another thing eating unhealthy will do to you…age you! Inside and out!

Terry Ryan

Terry Ryan is a Internet Marketer, Social Media Expert, and health blogger. Follow her on Slimhealthysexy.com