Step 1 of any journey has a point of origin. If I am going to make the journey to optimal health, I need a roadmap. I selected the Mediterranean Fasting Lifestyle as my roadmap because it was not a “diet,” but laid out a change of lifestyle that would be easy to maintain. To increase my chances of success the book advises you to get a benchmark of your current health. I needed to visit my doctor and have some tests run.
A complete physical is something I do annually, as we all should. My doctor ran some blood work, did the usual poking and prodding as well as some checks of agility, etc. In a couple of weeks, I went back to discuss the results. I learned some things I already knew – like I need to lose some weight and be more active. I have a sedentary desk job. I don’t take the breaks to move around throughout the day that I should. I grab quick food at irregular times. Sound familiar?
I also learned some things I did not know. It pays to ask questions about the blood tests that were ordered and learn what each tells your physician. Most of us don’t do this and it can be very helpful when identifying vitamins and/or minerals we are lacking. We focus too much on cholestrol, TSH and BMI - the things we hear mentioned in commercials for statins, the new weight loss drugs, etc. They may be important, but so are other indicators of our health that are routinely screened for but rarely discussed in depth.
Now armed with this information and an enthusiastic green light from my doctor I’m ready to begin improving my eating habits and practicing intermittent fasting as laid out in the Mediterranean Fasting Lifestyle.
Now that I know I am in good enough health to start exercising I have elected to join the new gym that recently opened in my neighborhood. A tour of the facility and an introductory session with their in house trainer made me feel comfortable about purchasing a membership. Visiting the facililty on multiple occasions at different times will give you a good idea of what to expect. I was pleased to learn that there were many people of all ages, and in varying degrees of fitness that frequent this location. I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable and that is one predictor of whether I will stick with it!
I also happen to live in an area where we have many parks and beaches that have walking paths as well as bike paths. These will give me options so I can change the activities and not get bored or always be indoors. A little fresh air and sunshine will be a welcome change to sitting in front of a computer all day.
Check back in to find out how I am getting on with making these changes in my day to day life. I’m sure it will get it right eventually, but there will be bumps in the road, I am sure!
