Once you know...

Once you know something you really can't ignore it and yet we do everything in our power to hide from the truth. The question is why? I have a miniature schnauzer named Brooke and she is prone to getting pancreatitus. This means she has to eat a low fat diet and shouldn't be eating table food. Unfortunately, it is in a dog's nature to beg and she looks so darned cute doing it. So every once in awhile we slip her some "people" food. No harm no foul right? Wrong...she spent almost all of last week at the vet because her pancreatitus was acting up. Imagine that.

It wasn't her fault, she being a dog has no idea that what her masters give her, out of love, can presumably harm her. I empathize with her. The problem is that I know what can and can't harm me. Just like we knew that what we were giving to Brooke could harm her. Yet, for a large portion of my life I have chosen to do it anyway. At first, it is an active choice and then sooner or later it becomes a habit. It's so much easier to drive by a fast food place than cook a healthy meal. It's so much easier to sit on the couch and watch T.V. It's easier still to smoke a cigarette than actively try to deal with stressors in your life. And yet, like the great Albus Dumbledore tells Harry Potter, "Someday you will have to choose between what is right and what is easy." =)

How is it that people, including myself, knowing what we do today about healthy eating and the harmful effects of smoking, continue to do what they know is bad for them? The answer: because it is hard not to. A friend of mine once told me that no one ever said it would be easy, they only said it would be worth it. That is what keeps me motivated to change my unhealthy habits, even if it is hard, it will be worth it. It means more years on this earth, more activities and fun. It means running a mile without stopping due to shortness of breath. It means so many things that the difficulty is worth it.

It might seem overwhelming at first, but for me the way to combat that is to take small steps. Like cutting down on portion size. picking a salad over a burger, leaving cheese off the sandwich and so on. One small change can lead to another and then one day they will all be taken care of.

So today I focused on making healthy choices. Black coffee, yougurt and a whole wheat bagel with sugar free jam for breakfast. A mixed greens salad with turkey and fat free french dressing for lunch and an oven roasted chicen breast sandwhich on wheat, no cheese no mayo from subway for dinner. Its not perfect but its a start. I feel full and proud of myself for doing the best that I could do today. Then I took my dog for a walk and she was so excited she made me jog the whole half mile. Like I said, it's a start, and it wasn't easy but therein lies the worth.