Well, I know it is time to get serious about my health. It didn’t take a loving family member or well meaning friend to wake me up. I have known it was time for far too long. Now the question is, where do I begin.

I am grossly overweight — obese by all medical standards.

I smoke — enough said there.

There is history of heart disease in my family.

I am depressed and feeling like I am totally out of control.

Most likely the one health change I would choose to tackle first is the weight. One addiction at a time as my doctor says. I definitely know what I NEED to do – eat properly, exercise daily, drink lots of water. I can do the water part okay and I’m confident about that, but my word, I do love to eat! I also am a great cook and therefore, my plan will include pretending that I am taking care of a dear friend (let’s give her the name of Meme). In doing that, I must provide Meme with the right kinds of nutritious foods, prepared in a healthy manner. Then I guess I will have to take Meme out for a daily walk for starters, then gradually increase it by adding a little more every month, like maybe add in dancing — even if it is just me and Meme dancing around at home.

I think as I write this, I am already getting inspired to begin the new day in the new way. As much as I like to cook, I can put my creative juices into my meal planning. Instead of using oils and fats to saute my peppers and onions and garlic before I put in the rest of my ingredients (and aren’t those ingredients we use in almost every dish we make), I will simmer them in a small amount of chicken or beef broth — depending on the dish — then continue with the recipe. And if the dish I am making calls for potatoes, I will limit the amount of potatoes I use. Same with rice, but I will avoid making meals in which rice or pasta is the main course. I recall that long ago I created a recipe for Chicken Divan without the cheese. I created a sauce that LOOKED like it was cheese as far as the coloring (paprika will do that for a skim milk white sauce) and I made the broccoli the main ingredient in it with just a small amount of chicken. Now that it is all coming back to me and that I actually enjoyed the challenge of cooking low fat, low calorie dishes, I AM BECOMING INSPIRED to take care of Meme better.

Once I am convinced that Meme’s weight is under control and that she is getting sufficient exercise every day, then I can tackle her smoking addiction. I can already tell you that Meme is pretty stubborn about that. I will just modify the times and places that she enjoys smoking. Driving in the car is one of the worst, then of course, there is that morning coffee and finishing the day up with that evening glass(es) of wine or beer. Well, the wine and beer must go for a while. Then, the driving must be limited to fifteen minute trips for a while. And the morning coffee will be enjoyed in bed and Meme never smokes in her bedroom. How am I doing so far?

Now as far as the depression is concerned, if Meme’s weight has come under control and the exercise has become a way of life, then maybe the depression will be eliminated. After all, being able to wisely control yourself brings tons of self-confidence. If that doesn’t help with the depression, then I will insist that Meme seeks out medical and/or mental help. We’ll just see.

One step at a time — brilliant phrase that applies to every phase of life, don’t you think. Mental health and physical health should go hand in hand, though they don’t always. But now I have made a commitment to take care of Meme and once I am convinced that I am doing a bang up job of that, I think I will also shorten her name to just — Me.

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