On Thursday, April 1, 2010, I made the decision to change my life, for me. It sounds so drastic when I write it. In truth it wasn't a big, momentous occasion. It was a subtle mind shift that was really only recognizable to me. I did it not for any altruistic reason, just a simple one - to get healthy. A little over a year ago I got a wakeup call from Doc Johnson. Congratulations kid, you're officially a diabetic. I had been borderline for a year or 2 prior, like a time bomb waiting to explode. I knew it; I felt it but I had no desire to change. I was comfortable with my life and it was working for me.
So on April 1, 2010, I made a decision to make some changes, slowly, in stages. I knew if I tried to do it all at once I'd fail. No one would notice but me so I wasn't under any kind of pressure except the expectations I put on myself. I still don't know quite why it stuck this time. Maybe it was timing. Maybe it was Doc putting the fear of God into me. Maybe it was me finally realizing I've got one life and if I screw it up, no one give a fat rat's ass but me.
I had no real plan other than to take this in stages. The 1st step was to quit drinking. LT took me to Seablue on March 31 last year for one last hurrah and I never looked back. I wasn't a chronic alcoholic but definitely a binge drinker. I can't count the number of bottles of Cote du Rhone, Prosecco, grappa & scotch I've been thru over the years at my Happy Place, but I'm certain it's in the hundreds. My liver had the enzymes to prove it. Cutting booze out of my diet had the single greatest effect on my body. Within the first 10 days days I lost almost 10 pounds. That's quite a motivator.
2nd stage, start exercising. That happened around May 1, 2010. Now when I say exercising I mean simply walking. I have paths in my gated community so I just walked them. Every day. Started out with a brisk 1 mile. Did that for about 2 weeks, then added another mile working my way up to 4. Now I manage to hit about 4.5 miles a couple times a week alternating between walking and jogging. I never thought I'd say this but I actually like jogging now that I can do it without feeling like an emphysema patient. Getting motivated to go more than a couple times a week is still challenging, especially with my schedule, but once I get out there with my iShuffle blasting Chris Botti I feel alive and it gives me a chance to think - to clear my head. Clearing my head is more beneficial to me than the actual physiological effects exercise has on my body.
Stage 3, eat healthier. This was the hardest part for me, not because I eat a bucket of KFC every night but because I HATE cooking. Absolutely loathe it. There's a reason Seablue is my Happy Place. I love it when someone else cooks for me. So instead of trying to be someone I'm not I just found 2 or 3 healthy things that didn't set me into a rage to prepare and have been eating those 3 things for a year. Ok, well honestly, I've been eating those 2 or 3 dishes AND Seablue for a year. Hey, I'm not an idiot.
Stage 4 I quit smoking. I think November 13th was my last Dunhill. I never really considered myself a smoker - even though I was. I probably averaged 2 packs a month. Some nights I might have smoked a pack in one night and then not again for a month. I didn't smoke at home, didn't actually crave them but smoked when I drank, when I was stressed at work, when I was with people who smoked or just because I needed an excuse to get out of the office and go outside for some fresh air. (Yes I'm aware of the stupidity of that statement.) Quitting smoking was probably the easiest for me. I miss the camaraderie of smoking backstage with the crew during a show though. I smoked Dunhills, blue box, thanks to Hunter S. Thompson. I used to carry them in the small of my back in the waist of my pants. The box was shaped perfectly for that.
5th stage was to get a personal trainer. Got him at the end of November. I went for about 3 months. I stopped going because I realized that while his method of discipline and approach may have worked for some it was ultimately up to me to fit this into my lifestyle if I was going to maintain any sort of momentum. Trying to make my lifestyle fit his regimen was a recipe for failure so I quit. Now I'm continuing on my own and continuing to lose weight and stay fit. I think in the upcoming months I'll try and find another trainer.
That brings me to present day - 363 days later. I'm down 40+lbs, back to non-diabetic blood sugar levels, no more medication, normal cholesterol & blood pressure, a 'poster child' for diabetes as my endocrinologist calls me. Not exactly sure what's in store for stage 6 but I'm guessing it has something to do with finding purpose & love. Otherwise why bother with any of it, right?
