Hello there! Welcome to Be RNewed. This is a blog helping people realize that healthy habits can be easily applicable and it’s never too late to start trying. My name is Phylis Kago and I have been a Registered Nurse in Acute Care for five years. My journey to health began a long time ago. Actually, let me rephrase that; my journey to health began all my life. See, growing up I was always the chubby kid. I remember being bullied for my weight in grade school and being terrified of PE classes that had physical assessment tests. As a kid, of course, it was hard to be health-conscious because any type of vegetable was just gross, but that excuse expired fast when I become an adult. Through some unhealthy habits, I ended up gaining weight and I remember stepping on the scale at over 200lbs and realizing something needed to change. So, I went on a health journey to not only lose weight but to get control of my eating habits and overall lifestyle. I was wildly successful and lost over 50lbs as a result of hard work and discipline but little did I know it was just the beginning of what would be a lifelong journey. No one tells you that losing weight is hard but keeping it off is harder because, for example, you lose weight in 1-2 years, but you’ve got to keep it off for the rest of your life. It is an intentional and active choice to make your health a priority and create a lifestyle that can support that. To take it further, these habits are meant to prevent the diseases we are all warned about like high cholesterol and heart disease.
Okay, let’s put a pin in that story and fast forward to my nursing career.
So, as I mentioned, I have been an RN for five years. I got into nursing because I was always interested in science and the body, but I also wanted to care for others in a time of need like disease. The one thing I enjoyed most was getting to take care of the same patient over multiple shifts and witnessing their recovery and ultimate discharge. Through a nurse-patient relationship, I came to wonder what my patients were like as young people. For example, when taking care of an 80-year-old woman, I wondered “What was she like when she was 30? How was her health? and were there any disparities and barriers in health education?” Whether then or now, I saw a need to inspire people to take care of their health earlier in life. Especially before you end up at the doorstep of disease, where change becomes mandatory. The irony is that I was struggling with this exact topic when working 12hour night shifts. I never knew how much intentionality you need when it comes to taking care of your health (like in keeping weight off). So, as a night shifter of course I was not sleeping well, I was not eating well, and I ended up on medication for thyroid issues. I realized that I could have been unintentional in neglecting my health, but prioritizing health had to be intentional, and I wanted to empower others to do the same. Additionally, there is so much health information always promising so much but never teaching how to start, and most importantly, how to maintain the process. Plus, it’s also easy to forsake health when our bodies can better handle life’s stresses. However, when you realize that health is invaluable, taking care of yourself becomes a form of self-love. So, whether you are a beginner and don’t know where to start, or whether you have been recently diagnosed with a disease that requires a lifestyle change, be empowered to know that you can still be in control. You don’t have to feel defeated or like health and wellbeing are elusive. Through this blog, I show you where to start through the SMART method. This was an acronym I learned in Nursing School that was developed in 1981 by George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham and has since been praised for its practicality and efficiency in goal completion.
I love this quote by James Clear which says:
“Bad habits repeat themselves not because you don’t want to change but because you have the wrong system for change”
So, join me in this journey where I tackle different topics, recommend different foods, and challenge you to make healthy habits SMART, which is an acronym for Short/Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Timely. I want you to realize that it’s never too late to start prioritizing your health. The goal should be to:
“Allow yourself to be renewed one choice at a time so you can love yourself in health, one day at a time”
References:
- Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: tiny changes, remarkable results: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. New York, New York: Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
- Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives. Management Review, 70, 35-36.
Disclaimer: I may be a health professional, but I am not a practitioner who can prescribe treatments. I want to emphasize the importance of consulting your doctor, especially if you have a medical history or take specific medications before you try out any recommendations