Moving Past the Obstacles

Most people give the same line when they talk about losing weight: I know what to do, I just don’t do it. Kathy, a woman who has lost over 80 lbs., offered a slightly different twist on that line when asked how she’s different now. I knew what I needed to do, but I had a physical impairment that was stopping me from doing it.

That physical impairment? Her weight. Kathy’s weight was what was stopping her from losing it. She didn’t feel good, her energy was low and even standing up was tiring. Then she found a way to break the cycle. She’s kept her weight off for more than a year because she continues to do “what she needs to do.” Losing weight not only transformed her physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Everything is different.

If you find a way to move past those excuses, obstacles and physical impairments, you'll find the best version of you waiting at the end.

Diabetes: Not Curable, But Manageable

You may already know that one of the risks of carrying extra weight around is developing diabetes. However, are you aware of how serious it really is? Diabetes affects 23 million Americans. One in four people don't even know they have it. Here's why that can be a big problem.

People with diabetes face the following complications, among others:

• Greater risk of heart attack and stroke
• Vision impairment or blindness
• Kidney damage
• Nerve damage that causes tingling, pain and numbness (called neuropathy)

Diabetes cannot be cured, but like weight problems, it can be prevented and/or controlled. The key word here being control - of which you are in when it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes. There are many medications that can help you manage diabetes. However, study after study shows that no cocktail of meds is as effective as making true, lasting changes to your diet and exercise habits.

How Green Can You Go?

What do you enjoy most about St. Patrick's Day? Green garb? Green beer? The ability to wear something that says "Kiss Me..." without getting funny looks? On this one day of year, when we're focused on the color green, let's use the occasion to think green when it comes to our diets.

Green vegetables offer unparalleled sources of body-nourishing vitamins and minerals.

How do we love thee, dark green leafy vegetables? Let us count the ways...

1. for the disease-fighting vitamin C contained in cabbage and bok choy.
2. for the muscle-boosting iron in broccoli and spinach.
3. for the vision-promoting vitamin A in arugula and romaine lettuce.
4. for the bone-building vitamin K in mustard greens and kale.
5. for the fact that they won't make us look like Popeye, but help us to feel as strong.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Don't forget to dress yourself in green - on the outside and inside.

Resolution or Lifestyle?

March has come in like a lamb here in the Midwest. We're all breathing in every single one of the beautiful 50 degrees after a long, very cold and very snowy winter. You notice your neighbors, those you may not have seen since oh, November, start to resurface. Ahhh...spring is nearly here.

Now is a good time to re-evaluate your New Year's resolutions. This is typically the time of year when people lose sight of those goals they were so focused on at the beginning of the year. Have you progressed? Are you headed in the direction you want to be? If so - congratulations. Good for you. You're making the resolution a part of your life instead of an empty promise.

If you've loosened the reigns a bit and started to sink back into what's comfortable, into what you know - check back in. Don't wait until next January to get healthy again. Focus on all the good things you did to get healthy - even if you're not exactly doing them now. It doesn't matter. You made the first, sometimes hardest step in the healthy process. Make a promise to yourself to rid the resolution mode and truly make health a lifestyle.