Re: Somebody Needs to Hear This Message: "Love Yourself"

I'm going to use the example of my own son and his gorgeous wife to show how a person or a couple might LIVE the Natural Healing lifestyle. He is 28; she is 26. They both work full time and have no children (but I'm being denied my fair share of grandchildren! lol).

Dil weighed over 200 pounds when she married Son three years ago. She started having serious gall bladder issues within a year and opted for surgery (she didn't ask my opinion). Without a gall bladder, Dil knew she was always going to have to watch her health. It scared her to already have serious health problems in her early twenties. This was their motivation to live a healthier lifestyle.

Dil knew she had to get the weight off. She knew she couldn't eat anything fatty or spicy. For an entire year she and Son adopted Bob Greene's Best Life Diet, Phase 3. They learned to count calories and cook much lighter and healthier. They subscribed to "Cooking Light" magazine. They also decided to work out in the morning, which meant they had to get up at 5:00 AM. This was VERY hard on Son, who has always been a "snooze button" guy. He HATED getting up to walk in the dark and cold, but he did it because he loved Dil. At first, it nearly "killed" them to walk a mile. Then it nearly "killed" them to mix walking with jogging. They really thought it nearly "killed" them to run a mile. In a year, they were ready to run their first 5K race.

In order to get up that early to run in the dark, of all possible things to do at 5:15 AM, they had to go to bed at 9PM. So they only had 3 1/2 hours every night to do whatever they needed to do. They soon found out that running took a lot of energy. They took bottled water and juices with them to work to make sure they stayed well hydrated. They needed to eat more often to keep their metabolism up, so they started bringing raw almonds, raisins, fruit, and healthy snacks to work. They quit eating fast food and started bringing big salads and wraps to work with them. They quickly moved to organic foods, and felt a definite difference in the way they felt.

Dil lost 35 pounds that year, and Son lost 20, getting down to his ideal weight.

The second year, Son and Dil became mostly vegan. They added a second workout in the evenings, replacing their TeeVo habit. That year they completely redid their house on the weekends, selling things on Ebay, having two garage sales, and listing things on Craigslist. Dil dropped two dress sizes that year, happily consigning her old clothes to make room for some "tiny" things. Dil began a women's ministry to help Christian women look and feel their best. Dil dropped another 35 pounds that year, and both she and Son ran their first 10K race in Austin.

Today, Dil is within 10 pounds of her ideal weight and looks stunning. Son looks great. Dil and Son are 75-25% raw vegan. They are training for their first half marathon, and may run the Austin Marathon this year. Because of the "awareness" that comes with becoming vegan, Son and Dil became animal rescuers. They are wearing mostly natural fiber clothing. Dil is looking into becoming a fitness instructor at a local gym. She has a fashion consulting business and also is a part time home decorator. Son got a promotion at work. They found a church they could get plugged into, and both are very happy serving in the music ministry there. They threw out all their toxic cleaning chemicals and replaced them with "green" products. They use much less paper products. They are landscaping their yard, getting in the sun more. They are looking at juicers, and want to get their Superfood and echinacea from me. They are now interested in colon cleansing. I am hoping to get Dil to start doing Liver Flushes since she doesn't have a gall bladder.

Son and Dil are HUGE motivating factors in my life because they are just regular people. I know my son well, and know he HATES to exercise, and would rather play video games all night long. He used to live on delivered pizza and orange soda when he was a bachelor. Now he talks about ab workouts, personal best running times, and making his own raw pineapple salsa. Is he still a "regular guy?" Absolutely! Ask him about UT men's football, basketball or baseball and be prepared for a complete rundown of each player's attributes and weaknesses.

People, you CAN live this way. It takes discipline, and honestly, I think we all "hate" discipline. But look what can happen when you commit to this lifestyle! You have no idea right now what opportunities will open up to you when you choose to love yourself.

I'm going to say one more thing for the sake of the ladies. We are such givers and nurturers. We always put others before ourselves, but often it's at the expense of our own health and happiness. It is NOT FAIR for a man to come home after work and veg out in front of the TV or computer and expect his wife to do everything for the rest of the night. The housework is "the housework." It is NOT "woman's work." If you husbands want anything from your wife in bed, then you need to help her with the children, the dishes, and getting ready for work and school the next day so y'all can both go to bed at the same time and at a decent hour. If you want your wife to clean the kitchen and do the laundry, then you be a good Daddy and bathe the kids and tuck them in, or help them with homework or whatever. Y'all support each other. Love each other. Be a winning team together. Your babies are watching y'all.

Healthiest of blessings,

Wings
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