A few years ago, I found myself 50 pounds overweight and was diagnosed with hypertension and pre-diabetes. Not exactly where I had foreseen myself going when I was younger, but middle age and its health issues creep up on you sooner or later. Back at home, faced with either developing a life-threatening disease or walking away from it, I decided to throw away the cookies, white bread, and other unhealthy foods in my pantry. I also got tough with myself: I was 46, my natural metabolism was gone and never coming back, and I could either exercise and eat right – or not.

In the days to come, I would have a lot of arguments with myself. I had been used to sitting around, doing nothing more strenuous than rolling out of bed. Now, as I lifted weights, danced to YouTube videos, did taekwondo in my living room, and ignored my cravings for sweets, bread, and pasta, I sternly told myself that this was my one and only chance to walk away from diabetes, and it was on me to take it.

It took about a year to lose 55 pounds, and yes, I walked away from diabetes. I also no longer have hypertension, or I suppose you could say it’s basically in remission so long as I live a healthy lifestyle. I am not on any medication for high blood pressure, which I keep down by walking every day and being careful with my stress and diet.

I can’t speak for other people who struggle to lose weight or who grapple with exercising each day. What I can say from my own experiences is this: the key to living a healthy lifestyle is to change what is going through your mind. For me, in order to lose weight and leave behind the threat of diabetes, I had to change how I saw myself and my future.

I had to be honest with myself. I was 47, and while I wasn’t ready for a nursing home, I wasn’t a teenager anymore, either. I had to face the reality that every action I took – or did not take – was going to result in some kind of future for myself. Being a middle-aged woman automatically meant that I was losing muscle mass every year. If I continued to eat like I was 16 and didn’t exercise, I was only going to continue to gain weight, which would in turn lead to diabetes and doubtlessly other health issues.

I had to win the battle in my mind. Is this the answer for everyone? I can’t begin to say. If you are struggling with living a healthy lifestyle – and most of us do, let’s be honest – then I suggest looking at your thoughts first:

• I’m too tired to get up early to work out.
• I don’t have time to go to the gym.
• It’s okay to splurge every once in a while on pizza.
• I’ll lift weights tomorrow.
• Everyone gains a few pounds as they get older.

I told myself some of those even as the weight was creeping on. Is there any truth to them? Sure, there probably is. But, you will notice that those thoughts keep you from taking action, and that leads to an unhealthy lifestyle.

So, if you are struggling to eat well and exercise just like I was, then I recommend analyzing what is going through your mind. Are your thoughts realistic? Mine weren’t. Are you setting yourself up for a healthy future? I sure wasn’t. 

Does everything change quickly? Unfortunately, no. I would have liked to have lost the weight a lot faster! However, when you have the right thoughts in your mind, you open up the door to take actions that lead to where you want to go. That is the beginning of a lifelong journey to living well and protecting your health.