At a wedding recently, my husband and I reconnected with some old friends. When I say old, I mean from years ago, high school friends. We are not “old”, we are now middle-aged, late fifties and early sixties, you know, the new thirties and forties. Or are we old? I was amazed at how quickly after the hey, so good to see you, the conversation went to body parts being replaced, being tweaked, creaking, popping, or just plain aching. Were we at a wedding or at a rehab reunion? 

Mary had a knee replacement that didn’t go well. Dianne needed some knee work and wondered how I could stay crouched down between her and Kathy during our conversation as they sat at the table, and still get back up. I can do that but oh the bursitis in my right hip gives me trouble I said. Did you know that menopause causes bursitis? I asked her. I read that on the internet. 

Another guest piped in about her gastritis, and another is watching his salt intake due to high blood pressure, and don’t even get me started about the LDL and triglycerides everyone is worried about.

In life we don’t always have a choice as some medical conditions are hereditary. One in particular is Familial Hypercholesterolemia, speaking of cholesterol. It affects nearly 1 in 250 people according to the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov). I often hear friends and acquaintances commenting on how they will not take statins, they will resort to a rigorous diet and exercise program to ward off those evil statins. Unfortunately, for some, medication is a necessity in order to manage some ailments and live a productive life. However, there is always a good reason to maintain a good diet and exercise program, regardless of what ailment one might have. 

My husband and I left the wedding and had a very familiar conversation about really getting serious this time about using the exercise equipment every day, and only bringing healthy food into the house, and drinking less wine - and we are going to start on Monday (of course). We feel we have reached an age where it truly is imperative that we follow through on our plans to live a healthier lifestyle.

The truth is that when I eat a salad, or a steamed vegetable, or a bowl of fresh fruit, my body rejoices! I literally feel my insides shouting with joy! And it tastes good. When I start my day with a walk or twenty minutes on the rowing machine, I feel energized and strong. Who wouldn’t want that all the time? The trick is to let our bodies do the talking, not our brains. The brain says potato chips are salty and oh so good and once you eat one you have to eat the whole bag - because you do not want that bag of chips hanging around. Monday is coming after all.