Most mornings I climb the bathroom scale and wonder for a brief moment why my weight has gone up a little. That late night meal …snack… or the calorie dense dinner may have contributed. Perhaps, the fact that I had been too busy to go jogging outdoors or on the treadmill could have been the reason. Who to blame? “I must prioritise my life! Work no dey finish.” True. I’ve said this a million times over the years. The revolving door keeps shooing me away. I must choose my hard. CONSISTENCY is the key!
On the flip side, when I have a disciplined stretch, I lose weight, my blood pressure and blood glucose (HbA1c) without fail show a left shift. The combination of (food) portion size restriction, reduction in carbohydrates, better sleep and regular physical activity ALWAYS result in weight loss for me and subjective / objective improvement in health.
However, without fail, life happens to me! Busy, busyness and seven-day headlines and deadlines. At work and fortnightly Group Consultations for 8 to 12 patients living with Diabetes, their score cards show it without fail. 70-80% of them have BMI of 30 and above. It is true that our genes, the environment we live or work in and the quality of Health Services affect our health and wellbeing but we have little or no control over these factors. The one factor we can control is our Lifestyle & Behaviour.
We all have Pain Points. What are the things you know you should do that you do not do? Any idea why you don’t do them? Although the context is different, Paul said in the good book, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do…”
So this is my daily battle. It’s in my wider family. I see it all around me – staff, colleagues, friends and so on. My patients have their struggles too. We all could use a helping hand. My daughter and I have decided to do something about it – DiaHype:
We’ve been named as a finalist in Tackling health inequalities: the Mayor’s big ideas challenge. Find
out how our idea will make communities in West Yorkshire healthier and the journey we’re on to make this a reality https://wybusiness-skills.com/business-support/growth-support/innovation-hub/mayors-
big-ideas-challenge-for-smes/
We are grateful to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Challenge Works, Nexus and Seven for putting together Tackling health inequalities: the Mayor’s big ideas challenge on behalf of Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire.
Tobi Hector-Goma has an MSc Health Informatics & Data Science and her first degree was in BioMedicine
Abiye Hector-Goma is a Leeds-based GP with a passion for enabling people (especially in UK and Nigeria) acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence to look after themselves.
