Eek! I'm a freak?!

It's official! I am a health freak . . .  according to my son! At least that is what he informed me of (in WAY too loud of a voice) in the checkout line at Walmart. “THIS!! Is why we call you a health freak!” (Referring to the injustice of not being allowed to get a super sized bag of Nacho Doritos chips for he and his little sister.)

He’s right you know! I have turned into one of “them”!! The kind of person that reads labels and doesn’t have refined sugar and processed foods in my house and eats vegetables all the time instead of chips. And you know what made the difference for me? What changed me from "normal" to "health conscious"? INFORMATION! That's it. (Oh, and not wanting to end up with diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer like so many among our family and friends.)

 I still love chocolate, and carmel machiatto’s and could eat a whole loaf of sourdough bread in one sitting. But now I have information in my head that literally forces my steering wheel away from Starbucks and guides me back home - where I drink refreshingly cool water with blueberries in it, from a long stemmed glass and pretend I am one of those perfectly tanned and toned, rich ladies I used to watch play tennis at Hotel Coronado, years ago.

Getting my carmel machiatto with 2 extra pumps of vanilla, (stirred) from the barista that knew my name and made it exactly like I wanted it, was all about the feeling. So I had to change how I felt about drinking water! I went back to a different kind of school and started surrounding myself with people who knew more than I did, and I started listening. INFORMATION!

I didn’t just change the way I eat –I’m teaching myself why I eat the way I eat. And that makes all the difference!

Now I have the strength to ignore all the whining (from others and mostly myself) for a quick fast food fix at night. I have the energy and the patience to just keep chopping along, fixing our supper, until we all sit down together as a family and I can look around the table and know we are feeding our bodies what they need and there is nothing being served I have to feel guilty about!

Perfect? Nope! Easy? Not always! Worth it? Without a doubt!

So here's to anyone trying in even the slightest way to improve your health! Way to go! This health freak thinks you should keep on asking questions, exploring & experimenting! One less french fry? A little more water? Adding some veggies in? Taking that walk? Keep it up! Or maybe even try my blueberry water and join me on the courts of Coronado!