What If I...

What If * I... Lived?

*instead of growing old and giving up,

*instead of staring at the television for 4 hours each night,

*instead of a half-gallon of ice cream,

*instead of surfing the internet all night long,

*instead of cookies, cakes and candy,

*instead of driving to the grocery store – or Dairy Queen,

*instead of yet another reality TV show,

*instead of a whopper and fries,

*instead of making excuses,

*instead of doctors, drugs and medical devices...

In other words – what if I take charge of my life and live. Live healthy and wisely. Move, balance, choose intelligently. Walk instead of drive; run instead of walk! Set goals, strive for goals, and achieve goals. Don’t settle; don’t surrender – to age, weight, mental health or medical issues.

What if you do too?

I want to start a movement . I want to stir up a groundswell of friends helping friends get healthy and stay healthy. For the rest of my life. Their lives!

We just finished up a "Biggest Loser Weight Loss Contest" where I work and the net result is a couple of us lost a good amount of weight and a few of us lost a few pounds. And most of the contestants have accepted their failure to lose more than a pound or two and gone back to their way of life – which is not much of a life. Even the ones who lost a good amount of weight are ill-equipped to maintain or further that success if they don't stay focused (me included!) It was just a contest after all. I fear for them and me in the weeks ahead.

What If I... Lived is not a contest or a diet plan or a club. It is a lifestyle of support, encouragement, ideas and forgiveness. The ultimate goal is enjoying healthy, happy and fulfilling lives. If we lose weight along the way, so much the better! If we learn how to accept our flaws and still enjoy life, that is success. And if we encourage each other along the way, that helps us succeed!