Let’s face it, I love food! I throughly enjoy the eating experience; discovering new flavors, textures, techniques, rediscovering old favorites, re-inventions of classics and so on. With the exception of a few restrictions, there isn’t a dish I wont be willing to try. It truly is one of the simply joys of life the wife and I treasure. We can have an amazing experience from pennies on the dollar to a little more than the average American spends on dinner every week. Up to this point the journey has been a fulfilling one.
Enter 2017. What a year it has been so far and we haven’t celebrated Valentine’s Day yet! (Well, we actually don’t celebrate it but that’s for another post) I didn’t welcome the new year, it welcomed me with a whole world of hurt. If it wasn’t the flu it was my joints, then some mutated form of the flu, an infection. I’ve practically been indoors most of the year so far and it has not been a pleasant experience. Then my latest bout pretty much left me immobilized for a week exposing other health risks I’ve been ignoring for years. Well, enough is enough. Needless to say something needs to change, if not for me for my wife…for my future kids. They all deserve better than what I’m offering right now. They deserve someone who can take care of them, not someone who depends on them every other day to do the simplest of tasks. Let me tell you, it’s been hard.
I’m a creature of habit. My day revolves a routine. It can change from day to day but the routine has been set and any little change can directly affect how productive I will be that particular day. Knowing this allows me to make small changes to my routine. It hasn’t been easy but it’s the most pragmatic way for me to reset how I go about my day. Kicking off my day with a healthy juice sets the standard from the get-go. I’ve noticed that on the days when my lovely wife prepares me a juice in the morning I tend to be mindful of my food intake throughout the day. I don’t look to satisfy pangs with snacks but rather with fresh fruit, nuts or a juice. And yes, even if it means paying $1 for a banana from Starbucks – it’s the price I have to pay for not prepping my snacks. That’s all fine and dandy you may be saying to yourself right now but are you seeing any improvement? To be honest, not yet. Either I haven’t been paying attention or there really hasn’t been any major improvements. However, I am fully aware that taking it this slow will yield results in the long run and I’m trying really hard not to focus on instant gratification but rather on making a lifestyle change. I’m not after a great body (at least not yet) or weight loss but rather on making wise decisions regarding my well being so I can enjoy a lifetime with my wife.
So there you have it. Do I slip up once in a while? You bet I do! Just the other day I had a Snickers and it was delicious! Did I feel guilty, not really because I know that I will enjoy one again, someday. In the meantime I’ll enjoy this delicious banana and God forbid, this celery juice.
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2