Introducing Andiamofit: 5 ways Andiamofit can help you change your life

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I remember my first day as a nurse like it was yesterday. My shoes were as new and as unbroken into as I was. My navy blue uniform was fresh and clean and I was eager to put my new nursing equipment to good use. I was enthusiastic and ready to take on whichever challenges came my way. In retrospect, perhaps I was just naïve.

I had visions of comforting my patients during their darkest hours. I wanted to “fix” whatever it was that was stopping them from living their best lives. I wanted to send them on their ways again with fresh starts. But I soon discovered that the harsh realities of nursing were light years away from my initial expectations...

One of my first patients was a kind gentleman in his 50’s. He appeared fine from the neck up while lying under his blanket. Had I not received report on him, I would’ve wondered why he was hospitalized. But his blood sugars were dangerously high. An opportunistic infection had taken hold of him. He had severe abdominal distress. He was morbidly obese and his range of motion was quite limited. He could hardly eat on his own. He couldn’t go to the bathroom by himself. One of his legs had recently been amputated due to complications from diabetes. And now he was at risk of losing his other leg too. As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, the skin on his back was beginning to break down from lying in bed so long.

I’d seen a lot in nursing school but was way too new to be desensitized to this.
 
How in the world did this happen to him? And how could he only be in his 50’s? How was he going to take care of himself when he left the hospital? But there was no time for questions. I had to rush to prepare him for dialysis. I decided I’d ask him more when he returned. As a newbie nurse, I wanted answers. Little did I know I’d be even more pressed for time when he returned to me later that morning.  I had to give him about 15 different medications and then restart his IVs. Given his bleak condition, nothing I did seemed to be enough.

Unfortunately I would soon learn that my feelings of helplessness and overwhelm would become increasingly common as my nursing career progressed.
 
Enthusiasm for my new job quickly waned as it became apparent that I had brought a knife to a gunfight, and Band-Aids for bullet wounds. Nursing school had fully equipped me with the knowledge and skills to take care of my patients. But I had not equipped myself to learn how to accept the despair that I was witnessing. The health problems that my patients presented with were far greater than what a hospital could fix. I wanted to do more to help.

I discovered that my patients’ experiences were rather common. They often felt:

• Hopeless, helpless and overwhelmed
  
• Frustrated by having to take so many medications
• Exhausted and burned out by frequent medical interventions
• Surprised by how suddenly they ended up in such poor health
• Terrified of losing their abilities to function without assistance
• Sadness over losing a sense of self and independence
• Isolated and detached from others
• Confused as to how to get better
• Very low on energy and motivation

 
These feelings may be familiar to anyone who has had a health scare or who has helped someone else get through one. The good news is that whether you are in the midst of dealing with a health crisis yourself or whether you are just motivated to avert one, the steps towards better health are similar.

There are actions that you can take today that can decrease your chances of succumbing to these “lifestyle diseases”. I’ve seen (and cannot unsee) the ugly consequences of these diseases.
 
A lifestyle disease is most commonly caused by:

• Poor nutrition

•  Lack of physical activity

•  Tobacco use

• Excessive alcohol use

 
Lifestyle diseases include:

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Dementia
• Cancer
• Chronic lung disease
• Diabetes
•  Chronic kidney disease.

 
You are not alone if you have one of these lifestyle diseases. According to the CDC, 6 out of 10 people have a chronic disease that can lead to debilitating consequences. The good news is that you can take control now to decrease your chances of getting one of these terrible diseases. AndiamoFit seeks to provide clarity and hope.

AndiamoFit seeks answers to some of these common questions:

• I know I need to make some changes but how do I start?
• How is my physical health linked to my emotional and mental health?
• How do I navigate this very complex healthcare system and what should I know?
• I have tried to make healthy changes but how do I actually stick with them?
• Is it too late to change? Will my efforts even be worthwhile?

• What steps can I take now to stay as healthy as possible?
• Will a small change really even make much of a difference at my age?
• How can I stay active when I don't really like exercising?

 
The truth is that most doctors simply do not have the time or resources to devote to answering all of these questions. They also cannot follow you home and coach you. Furthermore, we already know that eating fruits and vegetables is good for us and that we should exercise more. If it were simply a matter of knowing what was good for us then no one would ever get a lifestyle disease.
 
The tricky part is learning how to stick with meaningful changes. We cannot rely on our healthcare system to totally cure us of our ailments because I have seen firsthand that it cannot. Symptoms can be managed as they arise but it is up to us to take control of our health. Believe me, you do not want to be on 20 different medications with a hundred different side effects. I want to help you before you become my patient. My desire to help in a meaningful way has led me to ask 3 major questions.
 
 These questions were the driving forces for AndiamoFit:

1. Why are so many relatively young people so very ill?
2. Are these terrible diseases preventable?
3. What can be done to help people before they become my patients?

 
Getting old does not have to be a miserable experience. Your calendar does not have to be filled with doctor’s appointments. You should not have to pour your retirement dollars into expensive treatments and co-pays.

What if I tell you there is another way to age? What if there was a way to feel energetic again and a way to start over? I am here to tell you that there is another way. Over time, small changes can yield big results. Studies have shown that significant increases in strength and improvements in physical capacity can happen at any age. There is hope for all. I want to do my part to help now so I can have one less patient suffering needlessly later.
 
The 5 reasons you should follow AndiamoFit.

AndiamoFit will seek to:

1. Provide hope and inspiration as it relates to getting healthy
2. Offer tips/advice on how to stay motivated to maintain healthy behaviors
3. Share knowledge so you can make informed decisions about your health
4. Be as insightful and interesting as it is informative
5. Create a community of like-minded individuals who are ready to take control of their lives

 
Andiamo!
 
Andiamo is Italian for “Let’s go”. When we were kids, my father would always say, “Andiamo!” before taking us out on a fun adventure. So now I say to you, let’s go and embark on our journey together towards fitness and good health. Andiamo!

Be sure to leave a comment to share what health and wellness topics you would like to learn more about!

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