Take Care of Your Own “Car”
I’ve discussed in previous posts how I consider my body similar to a high performance car. Think about it…your body is a miraculous machine. Your body is also like a high-powered, finely engineered transportation vehicle, like a space shuttle. Instead of liquid hydrogen, your body is powered by your own intake. The food you eat is the fuel that energizes the vehicle. What you put in your fuel tank is burned by your high performance activity or – in the case of low-octane, junk food – is put into your engine.
Think of your mind as the driver who takes control of and steers your body to victory or hits the wall. Your body is very much like a car. Drive it without proper fuel or maintenance and it will fall apart. You take it for granted to get you where you want to go, until it breaks down. Then it disrupts your way of life.
Most of us take the operation of our car for granted. We get in, put in the key, turn it on and zoom, our car goes wherever we want it to go. Like your car, your body only speaks to you by exception. You only notice it when it is damaged or inoperative. But, unlike your car, the spare parts business for your body is not as easy as going to the auto store. When an issue with your body presents itself, it can be an easy fix or something complicated. That is why health maintenance is a critical necessity for us.
To combat disease and aging, you need to keep your bones, joints and muscles flexible and strong. The right exercise means weight-bearing exercise and not only aerobics. Obviously, check with your surgeon and/or doctor regarding any medical conditions and your personal medical history before you start any exercise program. To stick with any exercise, have fun! Consider your exercise play time or time you spend with yourself. Consistent exercise depends on the enjoyment factor you have when you participate in your program.
Just as important is proper healthy nutrition and habits. What you eat has a major impact on your physical and emotional health along with illness and disease. Follow your surgeon’s weight loss surgery protocol or your own nutritional eating plan. Eat your protein first and supplement with vegetables, fruit and complex carbohydrates. This will keep you lean and boost your immunity. Eat a low salt, high-fiber, low sugar diet. Drink, drink, drink your water – 64 ounces minimum a day. Water is your friend in health and weight loss success.
Take your daily nutritional supplements including essential multi-vitamins, calbium (calcium citrate for malabsorptive wls procedurews), antioxidants and minerals. While we are losing weight or as a result of weight loss surgery procedures, we need to supplement our bodies with high quality vitamins and minerals. Do eat the right kinds of foods and stay away from the fast-food, fat-food, empty nutrition drive-thrus. The fast food habit is a viscious cycle and a difficult habit to break once started. You are doing yourself and your children a dangerous, long-term disservice by developing the habit of eating high-fat, nutrition-poor meals. Make your health your top priority. You can’t buy your health or life back after years of neglecting it while you earn your living or self-destructive unhealthy habits.
Imagine if you purchased a beautiful, expensive high-performance sports car and how you would take care of it. You’d keep it in optimum condition with the proper maintenance, you would use the best fuel you could for maximum performance. Cars can be replaced but your health and body can’t. Treat your body and health as your most precious asset because it is. You can’t fully enjoy life and those you love if your body and health are compromised.
Zoom……..
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator
