What Motivated you to Start a Healthy Life?

[jayandrade22]

What's going on fitness fanatics! I am always fascinated by what motivates people or caused them to change and start living a healthier lifestyle (i.e. working out and eating right). Share your experience here and maybe your story can resonate with someone else and help them take the leap of faith!

I'll start:

My twin brother, who was a Division 1 athlete, was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and had a severe event that left him in the hospital for a week. When he returned home he was 30 lbs lighter, weak, and scared for how this disease was going to change his life. Instead of dwelling in this state he chose to control it, and I was there to support him throughout. Together, my brother and I changed our diet to support his disease and rebuilt ourselves physically so that we were in control of our lives, not some disease.

As an identical twin, I realize Crohn's disease may or may not be a part of my future, but that doesn't limit me. It makes me stronger.

 

[RWN]

Cute story! Love your optimism.

I've been trying to eat healthy & workout before but haven't really got that motivation to push me through enough..

but before 2 months my mom, a bit obese, went to the ER thinking she was going to get a heart attack.

I spent 6 days with her at the hospital. She is so scared of hospitals. Her crying because she feels like she didn't take care of her health. She never cries.. I felt so hopeless to help her situation, I wasn't a doctor. I had my semester finals the same week. I had to go take care of her, try and sleep, go to class and come back to the hospital. My father came after 3 days, my brother flew over after 2 days. I slept at the hospital with her, I couldn't sleep at all -- I would just researched health, food, exercise, diseases, everything you can imagine. It's like something in my mind just clicked, a switch..

I don't want my kids to ever live through that experience. Ok, If I get into a car accident, that's not in my control.. but I AM in control to what goes in my body. I'm not being waterboarded with junk. Therefore, I choose to be healthy. I need to be healthy.

P.S Thankfully my mom is OK, she just needs to exercise, take stronger meds as she has diabetes/hypertension! I threw everything unhealthy out of the kitchen and replaced it with healthy stuff.. now I just need to get her exercising!!!!!!!!

 

[CrazyOldMan]

Good luck getting your mum exercising. Both my parents have had heart attacks or strokes, both on medication, neither smart enough to take it seriously.
For my mum there was an ironic justice. She'd always said a heart attack was the way she would want to go, quick, over in a flash. Like most however her first heart attack wasn't fatal, just 30 minutes of agony with her body telling her it was dying. I wasn't happy about it but sometimes you see irony like that and it feels just in its own way.

Yes the heart health etc of the rest of my family is a major motivation for me to look after my heart. I don't expect to live forever but I want to be able to enjoy life until my time comes.