A month or so ago I read an article on The New York Times website that referred to a Canadian study that had been done on cancer survivors. Apparently, those who have fought cancer once and survived aren't changing their unhealthy habits to healthy ones after being diagnosed! What?? That's like those people you see wheeling their oxygen tank into the smoking section of the restaurant and lighting up along with everyone else at their table.
Maybe these survivors think that if they have fought it once and came out successful then they can easily do it again without needing a change in their lifestyle. They don't really need to put in any extra effort, do they?
I've seen this also in some (notice the word some, and know that I have actually known these people) people who have received gastric bypass surgery. Doctors, I hope, explain to them how and why they must change their eating and exercise habits if they want their surgery to remain a success. And yet some receive this surgery and stay just as unhealthy as they ever were. They may be slowly gaining the weight back and therefore not notice. Or they may stay more thin for awhile but unfortunately, skinny does not equal healthy. And often, these people balloon right back up to their original size. The quick fix just didn't work out.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to meet a couple from Texas recently who have implemented healthy choices into their lifestyle as a result of cancer scares. (They have made me proud!) Determined to live long, healthy, and happy lives together, they now eat fresh, organic, nutritious foods at most every meal. They now take their health seriously. But they also seem as though they enjoy taking it seriously. It's not a burden for them. Instead of dreading those same old veggies or trying to cut calories, they simply explore their options, choose wisely, and creatively have fun preparing and savoring each delicious and God-given meal.
Most of us know by now that as we exercise we are lowering our risk of many types of cancers, including colon and breast cancers. Another interesting fact many may not realize is that if we are diagnosed with cancer, overcome it, and then take up exercise we have a lower risk of cancer recurrence and a greater chance of living a longer, stronger life.
So why do we, the young and disease-free, care about any of this? Because what we do now determines what becomes of us later on. I am here to prevent each of us from one day saying, "I should have..." or "If I had only..." Choose what you know is best NOW...today even. And we'll have no life-altering regrets later.
No comments:
Post a Comment