Thursday, February 28, 2013

Don't Be Shackled By Your Health: Break Free™

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It’s hard to believe it’s National Heart Month again.

 I’m joined by Taylor, who you may recall from our popular YouTube video “Shrink and Move: Small Steps That Lead To Big Rewards”.


http://healthywage.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/shrink-and-move-small-steps-that-lead-to-big-rewards/

Taylor has many reasons to monitor his health closely. He has a family history of cardiovascular disease and he has Type 1 diabetes.
This year Taylor wants to remind people that…”KNOWING YOUR NUMBERS” is the first step towards empowering yourself to reach and maintain your optimal health. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge (remember Dr. Phil)? Choose to be the driver of your health—that’s freedom!

We all have important health related numbers to monitor and use as data points for our wellbeing. They include your weight, cholesterol, Blood Glucose / HbA1C levels (if you have diabetes).

Taylor uses a really simple mix to manage and motivate himself towards a healthier and fuller lifestyle:

  • technology,
  •  his doctor’s input, and
  • his own inner “barometer.”

Prior to truly accepting and managing his condition, Taylor often found himself in a state of turmoil—he didn’t know how to live life as a diabetic with a heart that could be a ticking time bomb. He became literally imprisoned, by his disease.
With the help and guidance of his doctors and family he decided to break free and take back control of his life.

Through education, information and “knowing his numbers” Taylor learned that there was another, more liberating way to live with his conditions. It’s no longer the “I have to be perfect” mentality with regards to his health related goals (and other things too). Through that understanding he no longer feels guilty, frustrated, or that he’s being a “bad” person when he decides to reward himself with a special treat.
Taylor knows that striving to be perfect is the perfect set up for self-sabotage and self-loathing. He also knows the kind of stress that kind of thinking can put on ourselves, all of which is the opposite of mind/body wellness.

Believe it or not, he saysTaylor did it—so can you!

Go out and get the support you need to take yourself out of those self- imposed shackles.

Don’t you deserve one get of jail free card in this game of life?

A special thank you to Taylor for sharing his health journey and wisdom with us.  “it’s a lot simpler and much more enjoyable to learn about and accept your particular health situation, and ultimately get out and get after a better way of living with it”.




Ellen Resnick, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco and Redwood City, California. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and incorporates the use of mindfulness into the treatment of depression, anxiety, and emotional overeating. She runs a holistic weight loss program called Center for Thoughtful Weight Loss, http://www.thoughtfulweightloss.com. You can email Ellen at ellenresnick@gmail.com.

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