Soon after we got married in our mid 20s, we started a path of not putting ourselves on the list. I also found out at that time about my autoimmune thyroid disease. After our 4th kiddo in 2009, together we chose to make a lifestyle change and have been working as a team one day at a time ever since. Physical changes are obvious, but internal changes and our relationship with our Savior are even greater.
At the time early in our marriage we lived a life of little to no activity, lots of dining out and fast food, and no cause and effect mindset. We simply did not care. Although we knew better, we had absolutely no nutritional awareness or tracking patterns and since we dined out a lot, we always ate the full plate, which was most times double a typical portion size. We were headed down a path into a life that we realized we did not want to live.
If we didn’t like the outcome of our choices, we had to make a change. We had to rework our habits and our choices little by little over time. Now in our 40s, this is our lifestyle. After many years of learning, I came to understand that my system functions best with regular activity and whole foods. More importantly, we realized we have 4 littles to raise towards their own life purpose. Our mindset shift became, “Take care of you so you can take care of others.”
It is a slow daily process with no easy button or fast track. We look at each day as a blessing. Today we are able bodied, but quite honestly, tomorrow’s health and presence are no guarantee.
Make the most of the gift of today. Just keep going!