Take Action for Heart Health

On more than one occasion I have been called a Health Nut.  In fact I have often overheard anyone trying to improve their personal situation as “nuts”.

This morning on the elevator as I made my way up to my office I had one such encounter.  I had at the time two “Green Machine” juices from WholeFoods.

“What you drinkin, Ian?  That’s your breakfast?!”  (visualize an expression of complete disapproval with head shake).

The gentlemen that made the remark to me is someone I know on a daily basis.  He weighs over 300 pounds and has Type II Diabetes.  He has known me several years and is very aware that I had bypass surgery a little over a year ago.  He shares things with me from time to time, not inquisitively, more defending his situation.  “My blood pressure is fine, my cholesterol is perfect.”  Recently, he commented to me that he was hoping to qualify for a research trial to get free medication.

His daily regimen includes 11 separate drugs, including insulin shots.  That’s NUTS!

The sad part is that he is not uninformed.  He chooses not to make a change and trusts that his medication is the key to success.  He lives in a constant state of fear, waiting for the next symptom to surface and subsequently the next pill to “cure” it.

Sometimes your body and mind need to RESET.  There is a reason why your body is shutting down, why you are Diabetic or suffering from Obesity, or Depression.  They are symptoms; actually more like desperate cries for help.  “Pay attention to me now!”

I had symptoms and ultimately I was diagnosed with 95% blockage in my left ventricular artery.  That’s a pretty clear sign, ”Hey Big Guy, time to pay attention.”  Having my chest sawed open and my heart stopped for three hours… NUTS!

You ever get the “blue screen of death” on your computer?   The only way to restart is in Safe Mode.  Essentially an operating system that has just the basic essentials running, to determine what the malfunction is.

I think a lot of us would benefit greatly from a Reset.   Take a long hard look at the issues facing your mental & physical health.   Imagine hitting Reset.  Start over. 

Marshall Ulrich, ultramarathoner. (He ran across the USA, 3000 miles in 52 days. He was 57 yrs old).  He did it one step at a time.  As he put it: “millions of little steps”.  He accomplished an extraordinary feat, by stringing together a million very ordinary steps.  Nuts!

I ran 32 miles last month.  I do a long run every few weeks, it enables me to reset, to focus.  I am constantly resetting and improving on my daily routines.  Last week I started a Bikram Yoga class, not something I have ever tried before but I committed to doing it for 7 days in a row; I want to add a change to my life, to add another layer of health.

Definition of a Health Nut: an individual attempting either to maintain or initiate a healthy mental & physical existence.  Someone who is determined to take control of their own destiny and stack the odds.

Ian Welch

www.wholefed.or

Ian Welch of FL 12:05AM June 09, 2012