Somebody told me last year that if I didn't watch my p's and q's I was going to get cancer in a couple of years. I'm not talking about that overall and completely general "Eventually everybody dies of cancer because everything causes cancer" attitude, I'm saying some MD took at look at me and saw something evil growing.
Worst part was, he said he couldn't really do much about it except do what he could to monitor it and hope to God my immune system was strong enough to fight it off. I had to laugh. My immune system might as well have been shot by a firing squad--after years of working with kids, working in social work, and making sales calls on doctors' offices, I had no immune system left. If the wind blew funny one day, you could bet your ass I would contract three months' worth of the kind of Bronchitis that wouldn't respond to any antibiotics but horse pills. On top of the easy contraction of illness, I was always exhausted and feeling ill and run down.
Then, I watched someone very dear to me pass away from cancer last summer. Mind you, the type I would have gotten wouldn't have been deadly like my friend's was, but not pleasant nonetheless. And watching him go down when he had been invincible prior to that was not only heart wrenching, but a reality check. So, being the stubborn little bitch I have always been, I told myself I wasn't going to go out like that. Kicking and screaming and beating cancer in the face, maybe, but not passively and inactively.
So, I re-vamped. I took a look at my life and what was healthy and what wasn't and I stepped it up. You're going to think I'm insane when I spill all of this to you, but if this isn't a testament to proactivity, I don't know what is. I hope maybe some of you will reevaluate your life and see what it is that needs change--both in the health arena and otherwise--and do it. Change isn't something to be afraid of and drag your feet about. Sometimes it can save you.
Here's what I did:
Diet
Don't sit here and tell me you are eating everything you should and avoiding everything you shouldn't, because then I will call you a liar. LIAR! There, I said it.
I went on Weight Watchers. My boyfriend makes fun of me for counting everything I eat and telling me it isn't necessary (bless his heart), but I don't care. I wanted to lose some weight and I also wanted to boost my immunity, so I knew my eating habits had to be the first thing to fix. It's hard, but I seriously feel SO much more energetic and so much happier with the way I look. I dropped 37 pounds, and I am in the best shape since high school (while still having T & A...couldn't give those up and disappoint the fans...well, one fan...a six foot tall guy who sleeps in my bed every night).
Why Weight Watchers, you ask? Hmmm...good question, Readers. Weight Watchers is the healthiest and the most recommended by doctors. The diet is designed to make you eat AT LEAST five fruits and veggies per day, two dairy items (be aware of the dangers of osteo!), lean meats, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocados. It is designed to make you lose weight slowly and keep it off because of portion sizes and choosing items that are better for you than a big slab of chocolate cake for dinner. They say it is a lifestyle change and not a "diet," which can be daunting to think about giving up the stuff you love permanently. But, you have extra points to splurge every week, which not only re-sets your body so it doesn't go into starvation mode where you stop losing weight, but re-sets your disgruntled dieter's attitude as well.
Besides Weight Watchers, we vowed to start eating more organic stuff. Well, I vowed to start eating organic, and he had to eat what I bought. :) I had a discussion with my Islamic coworker about Hallal meat, which apparently tastes better, the animal is killed ethically, and also has no hormones and antibiotics injected into it. Anyway, I have been told by a holistic profesisonal eating organic and natural products is the best way to fight cancer. So, whatever we can afford, we buy organic and all-natural.
