At some point, every parent has pondered on the possibility of a worst case scenario: “What if I passed away? What would happen to my kids? Who would take care of them?”
These are all natural thoughts, and while it may be gloom to ruminate on them, they are fair questions.
Ideally, the goal for parents is to do whatever it takes to avoid such severe and dour outcomes. For most, that means implementing a drastic change in the way they live their lives. An important lifestyle change can greatly affect how your overall health and life expectancy plays out. While the change can be as simple lowering your cholesterol, or staying away from gluten, others face a more daunting challenge.
Take Debbie Wolfe as an example. Debbie comes from a family riddled with health complications. In fact, four of her direct blood relatives were diagnosed with cancer. Two of the four were her parents; her mother survived in her battle with cancer–her father did not.
It took time before Debbie realized that the way they carried themselves was their ultimate demise. She writes in a post, “Both my parents and grandparents didn’t have the healthiest lifestyles. They worked all the time, ate poorly, had little or no exercise and smoked heavily. My mom was the only one who successfully gave up smoking in her mid-30s and started to eat healthy and exercise later in life. I think that definitely helped her beat her cancer.”
Debbie, a former smoker, understood that the detriments of smoking are life-threatening, but had struggled to kick the deathly habit. She knew if her mother could do it, though, she could pull it off. She simply lacked the motivation to do so.
In an article from She Knows, Debbie discusses how she found motivation to kick her habit and potentially save her life: her children.
“I was leading an unhealthy lifestyle, and I needed to make some big changes. If I didn’t do it for myself, I needed to do it for my kids. I’d do anything to save them from the pain I experienced watching my family be sick, and in saving them, I saved myself, too,” she writes.
Check out Debbie’s inspiring journey to a healthier lifestyle, and learn how you can help others who are struggling with the same problem she once faced:
I changed my diet and started exercising daily. After a few months, I stepped it up even more. I decided that life was too short to sit in traffic for two or more hours a day. I wanted to spend more time with my kids. After all, we have them for only a short 18 years. I quit my job and started working from home. Now that I’ve made those changes, I’m healthier and happier — and we all know a happy mom is an important ingredient to happy kids…
Read the rest of Wolfe’s inspiring story by clicking next to read on!
For me, being a part of their daily activities is important. I don’t want them to worry whether I will be there to watch their game or help them with a project. I don’t want them to worry about who will fix them dinner or if they’re wearing clothes that actually match. I’m the one that does those things, and I plan to keep it that way.
The bottom line is, I stay healthy for my kids. Yes, it makes me feel better and more productive, but my children (and my husband) need me. Nothing can replace a child’s parent. Even though I am an adult, my dad is a missing presence in my life. He is a missing presence in my kids’ lives. Being healthy doesn’t mean you have to be a size 2 or look great in a swimsuit. Making smart food choices and being active and mentally happy are all parts of the package.
I want to be around when my kids get married. I want to be a grandmother and spoil my grandkids. I plan to be around for a while. Staying healthy and happy benefits me and my family, and it helps ensure I’ll be around for all the stuff I can’t bear to miss.
Debbie Wolfe’s full story was originally posted on She Knows
READ: 5 Things moms wish they knew before pregnancy
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