WHAT’S WEIGHING YOU DOWN?
Three hundred thousand people die each year from illness.
That figure is equivalent to the exact population of former capital, Germany Bonn. I anticipate your next question is, “what kind of illness?’ OBESITY. What an unsightly word that we choose to ignore. However, that’s hard to do unless you have not turned on the nightly news or heard about the infamous McDonald’s commitment to our health. NO MORE SUPER SIZE? Some of us were so sick to hear this, after all, McDonald’s is the best place to go when you have just enough time to pick up a juicy hamburger or when our kids cry Mickey Dee’s. We keep telling ourselves we will take an alternate route back home so our kids can’t see the golden arches.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention not only reported that 300,000 people die each year from obesity but they also point statistics at tobacco smokers. We all know that tobacco kills, so why do we need media advertisements to remind us of the harm that some of us commit to our body each day? And, what about the alarming figures for heart disease and stroke. When you think about these references, it really makes you want to pass the butter to the trash instead of to your dinner guest.
Many of us cry a river when a loved one leaves this earth because they didn’t take of themselves either by diet restraints or lack of exercise. For example, in my family, I have lost four relatives to heart attacks and strokes. So, the signal that I received from this was I have to take better care of my health. My husband and I buy low fat butter and sometimes I even pass up the sugar on my rice. Try it. Rice really tastes good with just a little bit of pepper, but NO SALT.
My small contribution to preserving my life makes me feel good and empowered. It only takes one small step to move and that’s just what the Department of Health and Human Services has done. They have created a widespread initiative that will help Americans live healthier, happier and more satisfied lives. But guess what, this isn’t enough. As a concerned friend of yours, I am asking that you take small steps in your family too. Cut back the salt in your diet, pass up the butter and devote fifteen minutes each day if possible to some kind of aerobic activity. I find the tread mill is a great place to start. Let’s work together on this initiative so that we won’t have to be weighed down by drastic commercials and governmental interference.

We are a work in progress!
There is not a timetable for our growth!

Erica Taylor, MBA is the owner and CEO of Phenomenal Ambitions Consultants, Inc., nationwide motivational speaking, training and consulting firm dedicated to empowering companies and individuals.

To request her services, call
(210) 601.0028, or email her at etaylor@phenomenalambitions.com for more details visit www.phenomenalambitions.com