Article:
The Day that Changed My Life
By Roslyn Franken 
When I was 39, about to turn 40, I got on the
scale one day and couldn’t believe my eyes. I was sure that the scale was broken, as
how could I possibly weigh what the scale was telling me? I stepped off the scale, kicked
it around a bit, and then stepped onto it again, hoping that it would magically display a
lower number that I would much have preferred. To my disappointment, the number remained
the same. I was devastated because it was the heaviest I had ever weighed in my life. I
had tried so many fads, diets and gimmicks to lose weight in the past, but obviously none
of these efforts had produced the lasting results I so desire. I couldn’t tell you
how many times I had lost weight only to gain it back as soon as I went back to my old
eating habits. I would like to share with you how that day changed my life in hopes that
it will help you to change your life too.
When I got on the scale that day, many thoughts
passed through my mind. Firstly, I was about to turn forty, and for any of you over forty,
I’m sure you’ll agree that it doesn’t get any easier to reach and sustain a
healthy weight and lifestyle as you get older. All my clothes were getting tighter, it was
getting harder to shop for clothes that fit properly, and I lacked the level of energy
that I used to have. I was feeling increasingly insecure in my body and appearance which
was creating the kind of stress that only helps to pack the weight on and keep it there. But mostly, I was fearing the many weight-related
health risks that come with poor eating and lifestyle habits such as diabetes, heart
disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, some forms of cancer and more.
For me, health was a huge motivating factor to
change my ways because at age 29, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had gone to bed one night
only to wake up at 3:00am with my neck so swollen and painful that I
could hardly lift my head up off the pillow. It turned out that I had a tumour resting on
the main artery to my brain resulting in Hodgkin’s Disease, cancer of the lymph
nodes. After nine months of chemotherapy, I learned a lot about myself and about life that
I only truly came to terms with ten years later on that fateful day when I finally decided
to take charge of my health, my weight and my life.
I recognize now that in the ten years following
my cancer experience, I had allowed myself to steadily gain weight because I felt that on
some level I deserved to eat whatever I wanted because after all, look what I had come
through. I was just happy to be alive. In those ten years I also endured many other
painful life adversities including job loss, divorce, extreme financial distress, a car
accident and the devastating loss of my mother to cancer. The last thing I wanted was to
deprive myself or have to be burdened by watching what I eat and exercising regularly. All
I could see was the burden and sacrifices I would have to make in order to live a
healthier way.
This is exactly how many people think when
faced with the idea of change especially when it comes to healthy eating and healthy
weight management. Many of us resist change tooth and nail because we are afraid. We fear
failure. We fear making mistakes. We fear the unknown. We fear the time, energy and effort
that is required to create the positive and meaningful changes we so desire because we see
it as only a burden with many sacrifices. We don’t want to have to give up anything. And so instead, we stay trapped within our comfort
zones where even if we’re not healthy or happy and don’t feel good about
ourselves, at least we know what to expect.
On that day that changed my life, I decided
to turn all my fears into determination and let go of all my negative attitudes towards
changing my eating habits and lifestyle. I was too tired and too fed up to go on the way I
was going and made the conscious choice to focus on all the benefits to be gained rather
than the sacrifices. Instead of viewing the necessary changes as a burden, I saw them as
an opportunity instead. This shift in my thinking was the launch pad necessary to take me
to where I wanted to go with my health, my self-esteem, my energy and my desire to thrive
in this lifetime and not just survive. I was tired of just surviving. I wanted to thrive.
If you too want to thrive and not just survive,
then you too can turn your fears into determination and your negative attitudes into
positive ones. This is where your lasting success will stem from. I encourage you to make
a commitment to doing your best in any circumstance with an open mind and open heart to
learn, make mistakes, get knocked down and get right back up again. When you do this, you
will gain not just the lasting results you want, but the confidence and motivation to
reach for even higher goals. The number on the scale does not define your self-worth, only
YOU can define your own self-worth and by going out of your comfort zone, opening yourself
up to new possibilities, turning your fears into determination, and turning what you see
now as a burden into opportunities, you can achieve the healthy living results you so
desire.
Roslyn Franken is
a proud cancer survivor and acclaimed author of The A List: 9
Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living and Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors. She is a motivational speaker and host of the How to Thrive after 35 internet radio
show. Roslyn also offers one-on-one coaching by telephone and
email conveniently accessible world-wide. For more information, send email to info@roslynfranken.com or visit www.roslynfranken.com.
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You may use this article, but only if you clearly include this
complete statement with it:
Roslyn
Franken is author of The A List: 9 Guiding
Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. She is a Weight Loss Coach and
Motivational Speaker on positive living solutions for positive results for greater health,
success and quality of life. She hosts How to
Thrive After 35 Internet Talk Radio and is co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors.
Diagnosed
with cancer at age 29, Franken fought back to become a long-term cancer survivor. Then at
age 39, at her heaviest weight ever, and concerned for her health, she decided to fight
back once again, only this time to overcome her battles with food and weight once and for
all.
Roslyn
owns Roslyn Franken Group, committed to helping people lighten up their lives one bite at
a time by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, balanced lifestyle, and positive
outlook.
For
more information, visit www.roslynfranken.com
or view her video at http://www.roslynfranken.com/highlights.wmv
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