Mid-Year, Mid-Life Reflections and Resolutions

First off, let me warn you...this is a rare serious post from me.

Anyone who knows me (and especially anyone who has known me for many years) is fully aware of how much I've let myself go physically over the past decade or so. I've gained 70 pounds, and I haven't engaged in any intentional exercise since I moved away from Colorado 11 years ago.

Less people are aware of a couple of risk factors I am facing. My father has had heart disease for a long while now, and he's been through a couple of heart surgeries. My mother's side of the family brings a history of high blood pressure.

I can't shake the fact that my little brother had a serious heart attack at a young age...he was somewhere around the age of 30. (Luckily--almost miraculously--he made a unbelievably fast and full recovery.)

And right now, as we speak, my last and closest grandparent is gradually dying. I fear that she may only have a matter of days or weeks left.

I'm probably about halfway through my life now, and I've waited WAY TOO LONG to respect my health, so I'm starting now. I don't have a real plan of action yet; for now, I'm just going to take simple but meaningful steps to change my habits and my lifestyle.

Starting tonight at midnight, I am giving up red meat until further notice. YES, YOU READ CORRECTLY...SPAM IS SWEARING OFF BACON. It's not that red meat is killing me, but it's something I indulge in way too much, and it's a step that will contribute to my physical housecleaning.

Every week, I will add another rule. Sometimes I will remove something from my diet that I don't need to be eating; sometimes I will resolve to start requiring something that I am lacking.

Believe it or not, my gluttonous eating habits are not the worst of my weaknesses; exercise is even more of a struggle for me. My first step toward reversing that situation will be something very simple that I can stick to every day, by simply walking laps around the fairly large building in which I work, either at lunchtime or after work. On the weekend, I'll walk around my block instead. Gradually, I'll increase the amount of walking I'm doing.

In the near future, I'll probably sign onto a more serious diet solution and get a membership at a place where I can get even better and more rounded exercise...but getting started, doing something, doing ANYTHING...that is the most important step. After nearly four decades of trashing myself, it's time to start cleaning up for the decades to come.