Everyone knows it: we need to eat better and exercise more. Not exercising is easier. Eating junk tastes better. Where does the motivation to do the right thing come from? What finally got me off the couch?

In October 2020, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

It is my own damn fault. My diet was terrible and I knew it. I drank too much. The peak of my physical activity was shambling from the couch to the fridge. Even though I ran a marathon in 2008 (stealth brag), after checking that off the bucket list I just let myself go.

So I made my way to the doctor’s office weighing in at 220lbs. No surprise, my fasting blood glucose and A1C numbers staged an intervention.

This was exactly what I needed. It wasn’t easy news to hear, and it took me a bit to adjust. But today (5 months later) I am healthier than ever. It is a shame it took a diagnosis to kick me in the ass, to get me to do what I know I should have. With the fervour of the recently converted I want to shout from the rooftops, “Kids! Take it from me! Take care of your bodies!”

I’ll end with, frankly, the reason I even started writing this. Here is my before/after:

Someday I will write about what I’ve learned about diabetes (edit: done), how I changed my ways: started to eat better and began running again. For now, I am just enjoying looking at that picture. It encourages me to stay the course. If it helps anyone believe they can do it, awesome. Because you can!