New Year New Behavior

​This is the year of change.  It’s the year of changing my behavior.  It’s the year of changing the trajectory of my life.  It’s the year to take care of my health.  It’s the year to take control of my health.  It my year.

Fixing the depressive cloud is paramount on my list of changes for 2024.  I’m not exactly sure how to fix this.  Emotions are a funny thing.  But I’m vowing to be as present and active as possible in whatever changes are necessary to bringing back happiness into my life.

I am now 51 years old.  I worry more and more each year (each day) about my health.  I’ve been overweight for most of my life.   I’ve been lucky most of my adult life with good health. I’m lucky, because I’m considered morbidly obese.   In the last year I have seen and heard about people in their fifties dying..heart attacks, cancer and all other sorts of illnesses!  Did you catch those two points…these people are in their fifties…and I am in my fifties!   Humbling!

I can’t change genetics.  I can’t change some things. I mean, my father died from cancer which puts me at a higher risk.   I can’t change that.  But I can take the proper precautions…and this year I am finally getting my colonoscopy.  (It’s scheduled).  I’m determined actually take care of my health, and for that means being more diligent about preventative tests and doctors appointments versus my previous attitude of ‘I’ll get to it tomorrow, next week or even next year’

 What I can change is my weight and my fitness levels.  This is a new year and I’m determined to make and maintain the changes necessary for a lifelong change.  It will theoretically help the GERD.  It will theoretically help the pain in my knees and feet (it did the last time I lost weight).  And it will enable me to live my life more fully!

I’ve been doing this weight loss thing a long time (kind of embarrassing really) so I know what needs to be done.  

-exercise/movement

-water consumption

-keep calorie intake in line

-track my food and efforts

Seems simplistic, but it’s quite difficult.

I joined a 2024 miles in 2024. I have done these on a few previous years.  It requires me to propel myself about 6 miles a day.   I’m a planner so I’m already thinking about banking some extra miles for ‘those days’.  Those days are the ones where I may be sick, or injured,  or just not feeling it!   It is for those days that I am already scheduled for tests.  (Endoscopy, colonoscopy, and barium swallow and my routines will be totally disrupted).   So on New Year’s Day I was on the exercise bike at 6am!   

I’m slowing making the changes so that I can see a change in my life!  It isn’t going to be a fast change…but change is coming!