Selfish

     I'm probably the last person who should be going off about taking care of yourself.  I do like to think that I do it ok. Although I've never gone for regular visits to a doctor or dentist, unless you count the gyno, whom I'm forced to see to keep me in birth control pills. Getting older I've realized I've got to do something to stick around longer for my kids and just feel better in general. It's something I want bad enough to make me be selfish. I would never say I'm the perfect picture of health yet I know I'm doing better than some other people.
     I'd like to live as long as possible. Yeah sure I say that now and hey, maybe that will change eventually. I certainly do not eat perfect. There are some things I won't give up. But I've learned the word MODERATION and hold it dear. I love soda! Love it's sweet yummy taste, and the bubbly carbonation. I didn't love the fact it helped me gain a lot of weight to become over 200lbs seven years ago. I tried to cut it out and that wasn't working. I tried some diet sodas figuring I could get the tatse, somewhat, without the weight. Then I heard all the horrible things drinking too much diet soda does to your body. I decided that really wasn't a good trade off. I found flavored seltzer water. I get the bubbly fun and a decent taste with no calories and no harm to anything else. Win win right? Sure it'll hold me over for awhile but I still treat myself to soda, the real deal, every once in awhile and on special occasions. I deserve that much. But I still deserve to do better for myslef on most other days.
     I can go on and on about small changes I've found that worked for me to help me stay thinner and healthier over the past seven years but that's probably not going to work for anyone else but me. You've got to stay informed and read and read and listen. I don't read everything I see about foods and weight loss, just the ones that interest me. The ones I feel could help me learn something, could help me be better or just help in someway I'm not sure of yet. And with all that information you pick what's right for yourself. You pick what you can handle to change or start new with. Don't worry about the rest. You know yourself best and what your capable of making work for you. Try things that may work. Stick with the ones that do. At least you tried some of the others. Learn more about what works for you. Be selfish that way. No matter how old you are we can all learn something new about ourselves.
     What I don't understand is someone who sees a doctor on a regular basis and completely ignores everything they say to help them help themselves. Who must be referred to specialist doctors and doesn't see that as a red flag or wake-up call to do better, to be better for themselves and everyone else. A great source of information that gets blatantly ignored-why bother going? Why hurt yourself, your body and all the people that care about you that way? I just don't get it. Information is power. Information has never been more readily available 24 hours a day over the internet. With so much out there to help you why ignore it all? Compare and contrast what the doctor has told you but do something, try something, to find the parts that work for you. Ignoring it all and being Selfish that way hurts everyone.
     I'm not the picture of perfection but at least I'm trying. I don't want to be better every day but I do enough days to make me move, to eat and drink a little better, to do so many other things that make me better. If I'm better everyone around me benefits from it too. I just hope I always want to be selfish in a good way.