Some genes are no good.

My brother died two years ago of a heart attack. He was 35. My grandfather died of the same at age 42. My dad had three stents put in a few years ago… My family tree is plagued with stories of triple and quadruple bi-passes, and most all are on cholesterol-reducing meds for life. Add obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes from my mother’s side and well… the prognosis in regards to my genetic make-up: NOT SO GOOD.

I have made some fairly proactive decisions in my life in an attempt to ward off the inevitable… but let’s face it, we are all prone to fall back into our lazy routines in life. Over the past few years I have fallen down a slippery slope… too “busy” to care about what I eat at night, and too “tired” to exercise.

What really bothers me is that I should know better. If there is anything that my brother’s death has made me realize, it is that our time here is precious and that no one escapes reality. The reality in my family is that we need to consciously treat our bodies well in order to live a long, healthy life.

So, it’s time. Time to start over again, to make sure I have the best chance I can to live on my own accord. So I started running again…first time since high school that I’ve really stuck to it. Something is different in my motivation this time around. No matter what battles I fight inside my head while my brain is trying to sabotage my workouts, I’ve somehow managed to keep plodding along. It hurts, I’m sore, but overall my body feels good. It is empowering, knowing that both my heart and my mind are growing stronger… knowing that I’m giving myself a chance to beat the genes I was born with.