Counting Your Blessings, Choices

So how many of you were thankful for your health yesterday? Well, you should be and I sure hope that you are, no matter what the status of your health currently is. I know that this past week has brought about a little shake up in our small town world with two accidents to two very loved and cherished young individuals here in Estes. Unfortunately, one ended in death and fortunately the other with a hopeful feeling of a full recovery. When things like this happen it really makes you step back and think about the choices we make on a daily basis and gives us the opportunities to count our blessings once again.

Earlier last week I had this topic pegged after a discussion with a girlfriend who has recently had a personal/family shake up with regards to heart disease risk factors, which fits into the topic of being thankful for the health you have but more importantly be responsible for the decisions that you make for that health. Decisions that we make on a daily basis dictate not only what happens in your health on a daily basis, but what could happen in your future and if you will be around to even experience a future.

What do you say to a mom who has been the care taker for her husband and her family her entire life but never chose to care-take herself and ends up being the one to have a severe heart attack? What do you say to a husband that works hard every day of his life, doesnt drink, doesnt smoke and is not in bad shape after receiving a severely high risk cardiovascular scan of all his blood vessels around his heart, threatening his life? What do you say to a brother who was recently informed that his by-pass vessels are once again blocked at a serious level?

Do you keep saying that you need to exercise? Do you keep saying you need to reduce the stress in your life? Do you keep saying that you need to eat better? Do you keep saying you need to quit smoking? Do you keep saying you need to sleep better? Do you keep saying these things? Or do you just hope that when the event occurs that its only serious enough to shake some sense into the individuals that you love so dearly. Its only severe enough to wake them up into finally making the positive changes and decisions to start taking care of themselves?

Thats what I mean by experiencing a shake-up in your life, stepping back for a minute and realizing that I do have some control over the decisions I make and I can make decisions that will increase my odds for living a more healthy and functional life. I can take care of myself now so that I can continue to take care of those I love.

Im listening to my friend as she barely can control her emotions regarding her loved ones and I hear her frustrations over all her attempts to encourage, support and motivate these individuals to exercise on a regular basis. She is the one on the outside looking into the lives of these people she loves and she can see how important they are to her and wants them to do more to make sure they are able to live their lives for her and with her for as long as possible. They need to choose to be healthier!

She, as does all the research in the world, knows that heart disease risk factors are reduced with regular exercise. She, as the research supports, knows that if her mother, brother and husband had exercised on a regular basis there was a good chance that their lives wouldnt be threatened by this disease as severely as it is right now. She, as the research shows, knows that the poor health choices from the past can be minimized with a new change in choices now for the future of these individuals.

I would like to encourage you to consider your choices, whether it is the decision to wear a helmet when you are snowboarding or the decision to go for that walk every day. Consider your choices not only for you and your health, but for all those who love you!

 

Deborah Holmes

November 25, 2008