DR. PONDER: Like 'Christmas Carol,' we forge our own chain
One of my favorite holiday stories is Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”. The story opens with a visit by the tormented ghost of Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge’s former business partner. Marley’s soul has been condemned for eternity to carry a long and incredibly heavy metal chain in the afterlife. He warns the miserly Scrooge “I wear the chain I forged in life! I made it link by link and yard by yard! I [made] it of my own free will and by my own free will, I wore it!”
The symbolism behind Jacob Marley’s immense chain of misdeeds reminds me of the chains of choice we all forge in life regarding our health.
Just as Scrooge had the chance to change his life direction even in old age, we do too. And if we were to have our own ghostly wakeup call, what sort of chains would a 21st century ghost of Jacob Marley be dragging around today? Would such a chain consist of huge soft drink containers, monstrous bags of snack foods, gargantuan fast food boxes, and 65 inch video screens?
Newly diagnosed diabetics have their own life chains of differing lengths. Consuming sugary drinks from the minute you awaken to the time you get in bed? Keeping bags of processed snack foods in the cupboard, in the car or at the office to constantly munch on? Frequently purchasing meals at drive through and fast food restaurants? And spending all your free time in front of a screen of some kind? How long is your chain now?
The chains of addiction are strong, but not impossible to break free of. It first takes that “ah-hah” moment to kick in. You can’t keep putting off change until another day. Those days will rapidly become fewer in number, as the Ghost of Christmas future so bluntly showed Scrooge.
Talking about change is only the first step. Making change and sticking to it is the biggest hurdle to overcome. Get into a changed routine for at least 3 weeks and it starts to become a new habit. In a way, you are making a different chain: not one that weighs you down, but rather one that lifts you up!
We are on the cusp of the annual round of New Year resolutions that most of us never fulfill. I suggest you make simple changes to your routine. Stop or slow down dramatically on drinking sugary soft drinks. Working your way down to drinking none at all would be a huge accomplishment. In doing so, you will lower your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, bone thinning, and heart disease all at the same time! An added bonus is weight loss.
Stop snacking on things you get out of bags, made in a factory. Instead, snack on nuts and whole fruits. They’re full of antioxidants and fiber and are heart healthy choices.
Save yourself some cash by driving on by the drive through. Almost all of us consume too many calories when we eat out at a fast food restaurant. The best choice is to stay away or at least cut your trips to them in half. This too will improve your heart health, lower your blood pressure and weight, plus improve your diabetes control as well.
Finally, get moving! Reduce your screen time, or get creative or get a treadmill to walk on when you watch TV. Did you know that sitting down only burns 50 calories per hour? But standing up burns twice that many calories without even walking! And a walk can burn anywhere from 125-175 calories per hour. Remember, anything is better than sitting!
The chains we forge in life can be shed. They can be replaced with chains that support us, not drag us down. The final question is whether or not you need a ghostly visit to see the light!
Dr. Stephen Ponder has had type 1 diabetes since 1966. He has been a pediatric endocrinologist for 24 years. He is located at Lone Star Diabetes and Endocrinology. Email lonestarendocrine@gmail.com and phone 432-582-2414 or follow him at twitter.com/dr_steve_ponder.
