You are largely in control of your health, not your doctor. And taking control of your health doesn't depend on whether or not you have a medical condition.
Taking control means developing habits and discipline.
The most important thing you can do is educate yourself. You will learn about your health problems and how you can take care of your body. What do the latest studies say? The Internet is a great place to research health issues. Sometimes just finding different ways to do things can help.
Take some time now to decide what your health goals will be for the coming year. Write down the goal(s). Some examples of goals might be:
– stop yo-yo dieting and focus on being healthier.
– start exercising regularly.
– to move towards my ideal weight.
– find alternative ways to control diabetes.
Then list specific ways you can achieve those goals. For example, try a new healthy dinner recipe once a week, go to the gym five days a week, or research nutrition online for 10 minutes a day.
Work on your mind and thought patterns. You have to believe that you can become healthy and reach your ideal weight before you can. Learning to accept what you can't change but try to change what you can is key. A big part of being successful in improving your health comes down to feeling good about yourself.
Find time to do something good to reward yourself for this commitment to improving your health. Reward yourself each week when you find yourself achieving your goals.
Having another person to work with will make you more successful in meeting your health goals. This partner should be someone you can trust and share your feelings with.
It helps to have an accountability partner. We work harder when we know someone is watching and holding us accountable. A good partner also helps us stay realistic in our goals and challenges us to grow.
Try to find someone who will encourage you in your down times and celebrate your successes with you when you reach your goals. And of course, you need to be such a partner to your friend in return.
You might consider forming an informal support group with some of your friends or acquaintances. People who belong to a group with common interests and a common goal achieve more. The group can meet weekly or monthly to discuss progress or problems and help encourage each other. Sometimes all a person may need is a different opinion or just a little encouragement to help them overcome a place where they are struggling. Even if you are doing great, maybe you could help someone else who is struggling.
Communication is important when building a group. Establish a regular time and method for reporting progress to each other and stick to it. Set realistic benchmarks to track your progress. Reward yourself for the effort. Do something fun as a group once in a while.
Working with others on common goals can be very rewarding. This makes the trip more pleasant and at the same time more productive.
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