The Wake Up Call: May It Happen (Gently) To You

Glad to hear the injuries were minor! I worry about my daughter and husband out having adventures together all the time. She is an almost-2-year-old daredevil and he encourages it all.

I run and eat my veggies to be a good role model for my daughter and because heart disease and breast cancer run in my family.

Stephanie

I'm glad your daughter is okay, that's a frightening phone call to receive and makes your heart stop for a moment.

I have 4 children, I realized that I can take better care of them if I take better care of myself. I too try to live for each moment and despite our somewhat chaotic lifestyle, I try to enjoy the simple moments each day brings. I am making more conscious choices not only about what I cook and eat, but what I prepare for my children. I've also begun a regular exercise program. I know it's an adventure of small steps to make it to my goal, but I'm going to enjoy the journey.

Gail

Glad your daughter is okay! I started my healthy journey to set a good example for my kids and feel good enough to play every day. I continue it to motivate the people I love and because life is so much fuller and enjoyable now that I'm healthy!

Em

So happy your daughter is ok! What a scare ! I am motivated also by the death of someone special to me, far to early. I want to feel good and be here for my family. Loving ourselves also sets a good example for our children.

Deb

So glad your daughter is ok!

Frani

I'm glad everything worked out! I breath caught when I read the tag line. My choice to start living a healthier life style was because I was on the dangerous path towards diabetes. 5 months later I'm 35 lbs lighter, eating as fresh as possible, and being as active as a couch potato can be (baby steps). Now my son is into eating the same way and has trimmed down also.

Monica

Happy to hear all is well!

My decision to be healthy is after watching people I love abuse their bodies withe cigarettes, alcohol, or bad food choices. It seems ungrateful in a way. To be blessed with health and then to unravel it with bad choices. I also want to ignore what culture throws at me. Eat, eat, eat--be skinny, skinny, skinny. I choose to be healthy.

PattiPaige

I have always eaten fairly healthy and have exercised on and off. My father, who is a brittle diabetic, nearly died in December 2010. His kidney's failed and he was in a medically induced coma for 4 days. He did not take care of his diabetes and now at age 55y he is on kidney dialysis and almost had his leg amputated. It was scary. I have two small children and I cannot put them through what my siblings and I have gone through with my father- My wake up call!! I have lost 15lbs and I have never felt better in my life!!

PS-glad your daughter is ok:-)

Melissa

Yikes! So glad that your daughter is O.K.

I've always been pretty healthy, but having kids has inspired me to pay even more attention to what goes on my plate. I know that they are learning from me and I want to be a good role model. And it's actually been great for me. I've managed to kick my sugar addiction. Used to need my "fix" after dinner every night; now it doesn't even cross my mind. Watching my mother suffer from vascular dementia for the past 9 years also has been a wake-up call. You only get one body, and you gotta take care of it! For kids, I think an important place to reinforce this is in our schools--which is why I created my School Bites blog: http://school-bites.com. It is frustrating when you're making big efforts to be healthy at home only to have them undermined at school.

Stacy Whitman

If I die, my sister-in-law will influence how my children are raised. And I want to keep my toes.

Denise Koster

I discovered that I can manage my depression through healthy eating. For the first time in my life, I know what it's like to feel good. It's no secret processed food attributes to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. It affects our mental health too! My success has inspired me to start a blog recently to share my discoveries and hopefully pay if forward.

Mandy @ findvitality

For starters, glad that your daughter's injury is minor. Thank goodness. I too, just like you, made the decision to make a significant life style change after my mother passed away. She died much too soon and was still relatively young but had been overweight for many years and had a billion health problems because of it. Diabetes was the worst and she spent the last several years of her life going to dialysis three times a week. I watched her suffer and saw how difficult even the most simple task was for her and winded her and I made the decision then to stop following in her footsteps as I too had been significantly overweight. I joined WW last July and have lost 115 pounds thus far. I love the way I feel and the way I look and hope that this will help me live longer and be more active as I have two small children (6 and 4). I want to be able to do things with them.

Lisa Weiss

Well wishes to Ruby! Show & Tell will definitely be fun for her!

Thank you SO much for recreating food! I have been a member for 2 weeks, and I am addicted to your daily emails! I can't wait to see how you will re-create "comfort" foods. I have tried several of the recipes! Yuuuuummm!

Jessica

So glad to hear your daughter is OK.

I have always enjoyed exercising but stuck to the same things. I was an OK eater, but didn't always look for the healthiest options. A life-changing cancer diagnosis (aren't they all?) in 2004 left me with a second chance to make more of my life. I cherished more my relationships and weeded out those which were unhealthy - I stopped taking people for granted. I also began to exercise in different ways and to explore healthy eating choices - I stopped taking good health for granted. For me, it became about making more (or the most) of what I have and cherishing all of it.

De Keimach

Glad to know your daughter is okay, Lisa.

Me, I'm motivated to make healthy choices because based on what I've seen and read, it seems that a healthy diet and exercise can minimize the chances (or the severity) of the typical Western diseases: cardiovascular problems, cancer, etc. and I don't want to suffer from those as I age.

Andy D

Wow, sorry about your daughter.

I don't have any kids yet, but I started my journey (I'm far cry from getting there ) to becoming healthy because I realised that I should love myself. After years of dieting for X or Y reasons and falling off the wagon I said why not do it for me ? I'm worth it .

I know that I might sound selfish but believe when I said that for me it was a breakthrough.

By the way I love your blogg. Its my first time adding a comment since I discovered it a month or so ago . I love what you do and its always a pleausre reading you.

Gaelle

My wakeup call wasn't so gentle...my first husband died of cancer at the age of 37 almost 20 years ago. I am very proactive about my health now, especially now that I've been given a second chance at happiness. I married my best friend 3 years ago. He's six years younger, so I want to be sure I'm around to enjoy golden years with him

Jean

I am a wife, mother of two wonderful little boys and an oncology nurse. The gift to care for individuals with cancer shows me how precious life is and everyday irritations we think are a big deal pales in comparisson to others struggles. Really puts life into perspective. Making healthy food and lifestyle choices is a must for our family to ensure we are around to spend time together and make the most of every moment. Glad your daughter is ok, that phone call must have been terrifying.

Kimberly

So glad she's ok!

I started getting healthier about my eating and activity with one of those ah-ha moments looking at photos from a vacation. I couldn't get over the image of myself and what a chunky monkey I'd become. I had always eaten what a I wanted but was very active when younger. When my activity slowed but my eating did not, the pounds set in. I was determined and got back on the clean(er) eating wagon and started back to a workout schedule. I was diagnosed with Hoshimoto's hypothroid along the way and found it is more manageable through a healthy lifestyle. I don't like the gym so I do kickboxing and CrossFit and have shed 40lbs. Through better eating and getting back to regular fitness routine I have found my self again. It is truly a lifestyle change (or resurrection) for me as I don't do anything I can't live with forever. I don't believe in temporary diets as they only create temporary change.

I love your site for all the healthy recipes and the word-to-the-wise info on decieving snack choices. Can't wait for more!

Kat

My doctor motivated me. She told me I would have to be on medication if I didn't do something, my bp was high and cholesterol was over 200. That really shook me. I thought about it a lot over Christmas week, did nothing, thought about it some more and finally have lost 15 lbs, have 10 more I need to lose. I feel better, & want to feel even better! Very hard to add in the exercise factor with kids, full time work, husband, busy life...thanks for your emails, they really help me. :)

Jacki