Don't You Forget About Me

Don’t You Forget Me




Knock, knock.

Is this thing on?

Hello? Hello?

Is anyone there?

Oh, hi. It’s me-your healthy self. Do you remember me? We used to be really great friends, once upon a time. We did a lot together-run on the treadmill, lift weights, practice kickboxing, danced, did pilates…good times all. I miss that special time we spent together.

I think kickboxing was a lot of fun. You huffed and puffed your way through, but were ultimately successful. I began to look forward to Mondays after work because you were ready to “punch, punch, jab, kick”! Tuesday evenings were belly dancing, and oh man did you get your groove on! Those shimmies and shakes and the waterfall-you were working it girl! Thursday nights were ballet conditioning-going back to your dancer roots, which helped increase your flexibility and posture. On Fridays, that Latin dance groove and Zumba helped increase your endurance and cardio levels PLUS were a lot of fun. You got back to your old club kid ways and had a blast.

The challenge of running a 5k was something you were up for. You trained really hard for it, and met that challenge. However, you stopped running one morning because you were tired and then, well let’s just say life happened. I know I miss you feeling the endorphins-that runner’s high-that let you feel strong, confident and powerful all day long, no matter what. Then there was you actually taking a break during the day and walking, either outside or in your office building. You started lifting weights and began building up strength. It was getting easier to carry in the groceries, your back pain began to subside and your clothes looked great on you. You began to have all sorts of definition-dare I say, getting cut?-and your posture improved greatly. On top of it all, you were doing Pilates, which lengthened your muscles and helped you stand taller. Your gait became more graceful, and your twirled like a ballerina again, instead of lumbering along. I really miss you going to Saturday morning yoga, because you were able to stretch out that body and get all Zen.

Speaking of Zen…your spiritual life has really fallen apart hasn’t it? I mean, I know you have sporadic moments of spending time in prayer, but overall, you don’t seem to be consistent with it anymore. Your prayer journal is blank. You seem to collapse into sleep every night, and not count your blessings as you drift off. You don’t meditate anymore, and how you carry yourself shows that. Its obvious that you are not cleansing your mind and spirit everyday. You have stuck chakras, and that is causing distruption on so many different levels. Not only that, your relationship with G-d has fallen by the wayside.

I miss you drinking water, especially when you added lemon and mint to it. It kept you hydrated, and you had more energy. No more aches and pains, you felt younger than you had in years. I think you miss feeling that way too.You stopped putting unnatural foods and drinks in your body, and it reflected all over you. Every single molecule looked and felt better.

You also started to take better care of yourself overall. It was fun going with you when you got a mani and pedi, and when you got that rocking hair cut-oh man, good times! The outfits you put together played up your assets and you just looked really, really good. You also got enough rest every night, and practiced self care, with giving yourself spa time at home and out as well. You went out with friends and read books. You enjoyed life. You weren’t living in that self inflicted bubble of unhealthy choices.

What I really miss most is you eating fresh, nutritious food. I miss the fruits and vegetables you consumed by the bushel. I loved how you incorporated them into every meal, and made sure that most of what you ate was healthy and nutritious. I miss spending the time reading labels and recipes to make sure your whole family ate well. I learned to love high fiber foods, because that would help counteract your family’s history of cholesterol and triglyceride problems. Oatmeal became a breakfast of choice, especially after you started to add fresh ground peanut butter, fruit and soy milk to it. You made so many really healthy choices. You didn’t even have to cut back on calories-you were losing weight because you were feeding your body what it needed, not junk. The cravings for junk food disappeared, and you actually began to crave healthy stuff. Wasabi pea trail mix became your go to snack. You ate so much salad, you used to joke that you had it at every meal and snack. You made smoothies for a quick breakfast. The transition to almost vegan was smooth, and it you wore it well. Your skin glowed, your hair was thicker and shinier, and those bags under your eyes disappeared. You weren’t a wreck, and it showed. You were glowing.

So, what do you say…can we make plans to get together again? You know where to find me.