The battle against myself is waged every night.  I’m noticing lately that I’m more conscious about what I’m eating and drinking.  After I found out how much sugar is in coke, pepsi, and other soft drinks I stopped drinking it!  I’m also eating healthier, but occasionally I’ll have my slip-ups when my alter ego, “Fat Eric”, is the decision maker.  I’ll always have a soft spot for fast food.  Growing up, a trip to McDonalds every Sunday for a Happy Meal was a reward for being well behaved in Church.  It was probably the toys that drew me to the Happy Meals.  In college, the easy access combined with a small budget, frequently led me to the Golden Arches.  Actually, I would pool up McDonalds Monopoly pieces with my roommates in the hopes of winning a million dollars!  My sweet tooth is my biggest guilty pleasure.  I’m definitely more aware now of what I’m consuming.  I’ve read books about the “Raw Diet” and done a lot of research online about how diet plays a large role in a healthy lifestyle.  I’ve been trying to make a conscious effort to eat healthier.  I’ve been eating healthier out of convenience.  My current reasoning for eating healthier is simple:  “Salads are easy to cook.”  I’m definitely more conscious of what I’m consuming.
While I’m become more aware of the importance of nutrition, exercise/ physical activity has never been an issue for me.  However, practicing “functional” activities is tough because it gets repetitive and boring.  I have noticed that I’ve been gravitating away from the balance and gait training exercises because it not a cardiovascular activity that generates Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) or sweat.  As former physical therapist, I understand the importance of functional goal setting, but with so many accessibility resources /alternative means of accomplishing things, I think  that I have managed to adapt to my impairments.  This is great, but I’m not content with adaptation.  I want to continue to address the impairments.  I do realize the I’m at risk for disappointment if my progress has plataeu’d, but part of me still wants to believe the potential to walk or even run is still there.  I just have to return to rehabbing. Time is precious, but I do realize that things are not going magically improve by them unless they are addressed.  Good intensions mean nothing unless an action plan is executed.  There is so much I want to accomplish, I just wish I had the energy to do what I want!