When I grow up, I want to be Paden.

As I enter into my second week of this blog, and my journey toward optimal health, I want to share something with all of you about self- discipline.  This story does not revolve around me…as I have very little self-discipline.  This is a blog dedicated to my son, Paden.

Paden, as many of you know, is 15 years old.  He will turn the big “16” in July.  Paden Garrett Anderson is, as I have often joked with my friends, my switched at birth child.  Someday, years from now, my real son will come knocking on my door.  He will stand there and say…”Hey, a mistake was made many years ago…and you took the wrong baby home from the hospital.  I am your real son.”  And I will say, “I knew that there must be some kind of mistake, as I could never have given birth to this amazingly self-disciplined child.  Now, go away…because I’m keeping this son, because he is my role model.”

Many moons ago, when Paden was only 7 years old, I was absorbed in a wonderful book, by William Dufty, titled, “Sugar Blues.”  This is a terrific book for people who are looking for information on the pure evil that is sugar.  I have to admit that a great deal of it went straight over my head, and does every time I read it…but, I have read it 2 or 3 times over the years as a reminder of just how bad sugar is for all of us.  As I often do with informational books on health, I read several passages out loud to my family.  Most especially passages about how sugar had actually brought down whole armies, and weakened the health of entire cultures…and how sugar was most certainly linked to a number of diseases that were rarely heard of until we brought it into our daily consumption.   Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease…well, I am not telling you all anything you don’t already know.  And truthfully all of that is not the point of this blog today.  So…back to my amazing son, Paden…

At 7 years old…he was listening.  Not only listening…but absorbing the message in this book.  Pure and simple, the message was…sugar is bad for us.  From that day forward, he eliminated almost all sugar from his diet, at least all the foods with sugar in them of which he was aware.  All candies and cakes, ice cream and donuts, pop tarts and breakfast cereals, and so on and so on.  Now, there is added sugar in almost everything we buy today, I am aware of that.  It is added to just about everything!  That is why we are a population so gravely addicted to sugar…because it is in everything!  But from that day forward, if Paden saw the word “sugar” on the label…well, he simply would refuse to eat it. 

I will never forget the first Christmas after Paden began his sugar free “ healthstyle.”   I was making fudge, my  favorite holiday gift, to give to all of our friends and neighbors, and Paden literally broke down crying in the kitchen, telling me that I was a very, very bad person for poisoning all of our friends with my Christmas fudge.  I felt guilty all Christmas season long. 

It was not long after that that I rented the family a very popular video from Blockbuster called “Supersize Me.”  Oh my goodness…that was an eye opener…for all of us.  From that day forward we swore off of all fast food…and to this day, with the exception of Chick-fil-a, we have not touched fast food.  I could not be happier about that decision.  But, again, that was the work of my son.  He simply looked at us at the end of the video and, at the ripe old age of  7 ½, said we were done with fast food.  If that hamburger and french-fries could sit on that guy’s shelf and not have mold of any kind after 6 months of sitting there…than there simply was not any real-food in there…and no real food equated to no real nutritional value.  So…that ended our fast food days.  And we have no regrets…zero.

 My point…and I want to make it loud and clear…is simply this.  Start reading to, and educating, your children at the earliest possible age about the things they are putting into their bodies.  Why?  Because Paden didn’t have 40 years of bad eating habits to overcome when he made the choice to eliminate sugar and fast food.  His little body wasn’t addicted to all of the things my body was addicted to.  Giving all of that up was as simple as walking or talking for him.  He heard it was bad for you…and thought, well then why would I continue to put things in my body that I know are going to be bad for my health?  He will never go back…there is not even a single doubt in my mind about that.  HE WILL NEVER GO BACK.  

I hope someday, when I grow up, I can be just like my son. 

Paden, when it comes to healthy choices, you are indeed my role model.  And I have a feeling you will inspire many, many people with your wise choices for the entirety of your life.  And isn’t that a blessing, indeed.

 

Today I turned 54.  I have been looking forward to this day for many, many months now...for one simple reason...I have decided that today, April 3rd, 2014, is to be the day I will start my new life.  A life of better health, a life of making better choices, a life of taking control of my actions and making my actions count for something.  I plan to change many aspects of my life this year...but the thing I want to share with all of you on this blog is my journey this year to optimal health.  For most of my childhood and young adult life...all the way up until my 39th year, I was blessed with a lovely figure and the ability to eat most anything I wanted and to not gain weight.  I stayed active...worked on my feet most of the time...and did a lot of walking on a daily basis.  Then, suddenly, a few years after the birth of my second child, everything came to a screeching halt.  The weight gain was a gradual process...it didn't happen over night...it just crept up silently, and without much warning. 

Here is the part that bothered me the most.  It wasn't so much that I was gaining weight, although I hated to look at myself in the mirror and most especially in pictures...but more than that it was the feeling that I was being a hypocrite.  For all of my growing up years, I had watched my mother and my younger sister struggle with their weight.  And as they struggled, I would always think...and sometimes verbalize...how hard can it be to lose unwanted weight? Simply stop eating all of the things that are keeping you overweight.  Simple, right?  Avoid sugars, avoid starches and cheese and dairy and all of those things that pack on the pounds. And get out and exercise.  Hello!  That's all it takes...so why couldn't they, or wouldn't they, just do it! 

Well, as I sit here today...in my 54th year...I suddenly understand that it is not as easy as it sounds.  I love sugar, adore pasta's and cheese and dairy...and bread...don't even get me started on bread!  Bagels with cream cheese, pastries of all kinds, baguettes with butter and jam for breakfast...oh, I adore it all.  And the simple truth is that my body is now addicted to them.  And to stop eating all of the things I loved most in this world overnight...well, it just wasn't that easy.  I would give things up for a few days, and see the scale drop a few pounds, and then suddenly it was as if my body just couldn't cope without it's fix of chocolate, or bread, or cheese...I just had to have it.  And so, I would give in and, WHAMO!  There were the few pounds I had lost, packed back on...oh, and of course, a few more just for good measure.

Well, no more.  I am done with this roller coaster ride.  I am turning in my ticket for a refund, and getting off this ride, for good!  And, so, today begins my journey.  Today, I start my journey to optimal health.  And when I say optimal health, I mean optimal health for a woman my age...54.

My goal for this year is very simple. 

I will lose 54 pounds in my 54th year!

A lot of friends and family think that that is too much weight for me to lose at my height and at my age.  But, I don't agree.  I know where my body should be...and I know what it is capable of...and I definitely remember what it felt like to be 54 pounds lighter.  I remember it like it was yesterday...and it felt great!!! 

This morning I started my day at 5:00am.  An hour I hadn't seen in many years, and almost entirely forgot existed...except to get up occasionally and let the dog out, and then climb back into bed and roll over for another 3 or 4 hours.  Not today...today I put on my running shoes and headed out the door to meet a friend at 5:30am for a wonderful morning walk.  We walked for a little over a mile, and that was all.  My body could have easily gone for another mile, but the bottoms of my feet were burning...literally on fire.  I walk all day long around the house...so I didn't understand why the burning was so bad, until I got home and realized that my running shoes did not have much life left in them, and that if I was going to take this seriously I was going to need to invest in a good pair of sneakers.  So, tomorrow I will be heading out to purchase a new pair. 

So, other than the daily walking, which I will continue every day, rain or shine, I also plan to eat a very simple menu.  My diet will consist of fruits, vegetables, baked or broiled chicken and fish.  That is it.  Nothing more.  I will drink water and unsweetened tea...and although my heart will miss the wonder that is "sweet tea"...I will survive.  ( If you live in the south...you know...sweet tea is simply a staple in every refrigerator)  I considered many dieting options when I was looking at starting this blog.  I thought of Weight Watchers, which has been very successful for many people.  However, since I want "optimal health", I don't feel that microwaved foods fit the bill.  I realize Weight Watchers is not all about eating only their foods, it is about counting points...but just the thought of that wears me out.  I don't think that Atkins, or any of those diet plans fit the bill, either.  In looking at the very best health choice for the long haul...it simply had to be a diet of as many organic, freshly grown, non processed foods that I could consume on a daily basis.  So, that will be my diet for the rest of this year...and most certainly for the rest of my life. 

And lastly, I'm going to dance!!!  I'm going to dance like no one is watching, as the saying goes!  Every day...whether I'm all alone or with my kids...I'm going to dance!!!  Music blaring, feet moving, heart racing...yep, that's going to be a huge part of my day...moving my happy feet!

I would love to encourage as many people as I possibly can to join me in this journey.  But, truly, my goal is a very selfish one.  I want to be around for a very long time.  I want to see my children marry.  I want to be around for the births of my grandchildren.  I want to travel a bit more and see places like Greece and the Orient, to visit my daughter in New York when she moves there next year and to visit my son at college when he heads off to start his life...and I want to see experience it all feeling great and looking great! 

And so...my journey begins.