July 25, 2025 The Sweet Truth About Health: Finding Your ‘Why’ When Everything Else Feels Like "Why Not?
“The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at.”- Jesse Owens
Listen to audio, or read this meditation:
Let me tell you something, friend – we're all walking around saying we want to be healthy, but most of us are about as committed to that goal as a cat is to taking a bath. It's the classic case of loving the destination but hating the journey.
About four decades ago, I stumbled upon a little paperback gem called "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. Now, this wasn't just another health book gathering dust on my shelf – it was a wake-up call wrapped in research about what sucrose does to our bodies. Picture this: there I was, hustling in the insurance business, jogging my five miles three times a week like clockwork (from age 30 to 50, mind you), trying my darndest to stay out of doctor's offices.
But here's where it gets real – I had to read that book six times before something finally clicked. Six times! That's not stubbornness, that's the human condition in all its beautiful, messy glory. When I finally committed to cutting out sucrose and wheat, I lasted a whole year. Then came my niece's wedding, and well... let's just say that piece of cake tasted like a year's worth of willpower crumbling in my mouth.
Fast forward forty years, and here I am at 82, circling back to that same commitment. Why? Because at my age, every doctor's visit feels like rolling dice with my independence. My reason is crystal clear: I despise medical appointments, so staying healthy isn't just preference – it's rebellion against inevitability.
The beautiful truth is this: I'm still mobile, still feeling good, with nothing more than slightly elevated blood pressure and a prescription I'm determined to eliminate with ten more pounds gone. Not bad for an old sugar addict, right?
Here's what I've learned through practical, sometimes painful experience – you need reasons so deep they make your bones ache with determination. Half-hearted "shoulds" and "ought-tos" won't survive life's temptations. They're like paper umbrellas in a hurricane.
**Your Action Step:** Write down your deepest, most personal reason for wanting better health. Not the pretty reasons you tell others, but the raw, honest truth that makes you uncomfortable. Keep that paper somewhere you'll see it daily. When temptation whispers "just this once," let your why roar back "not today."
Because friend, without that fire-in-your-belly reason, you're just another person hoping good health will magically appear while you're busy living like it doesn't matter.
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