Dear friends,
I still remember when the doctor told me -- told me I had diabetes. That was ten years ago. I had gestational diabetes when pregnant with my son and it went away when he was born. And I had it again when pregnant with my daughter. But then {oh why?} it didn’t go away. And suddenly, there I was: a young woman with a forever kind of illness.
The doctor dispassionately ticked off on her fingers the risks if the diabetes was not treated: eye disease, heart disease, kidney disease, obesity and {oh!} premature death. And then she looked at her watch. {She had another patient, you see.} But as she walked out the door, she said, Remember to eat right and exercise, and you’ll be okay. And then she was gone.
I’ve already decided to live until I’m 100. (There’s a lot on my To Do list.) So whether I like it or not, I’ve had to follow the advice of that doctor with the poor bedside manner. Although I love food, I try to stick to a diabetic diet on most days. And exercise? Well, I wanted to talk to you about that. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about you and me and exercise. I was thinking that the three of us could do something together.
This past August, I started the Get Fit Challenge. It was a way of keeping me committed and accountable to regular exercise. And I asked other people to do it with me and a bunch of them do. The Get Fit Challenge is great because even though it’s firm (a set number of one hour workouts every month) it’s totally flexible (you can do whatever exercise you like and on any days you wish). We support each other on Twitter {I'm @MyMarrakesh}. If you’re not on Twitter, you can join in a flash and if you’re already on Twitter, well, then, that’s perfect, isn’t it?
The October Get Fit Challenge is almost over but the November Get Fit Challenge is just around the corner. So I thought that maybe you’d like to hop on and join. Do you want to look great and feel even better? Or maybe, live to be 100? {I need some old age type friends to hang around with when I’m 95 and heading off to Tibet or Rio on vacation.}
Email me at moroccanmaryam{AT}yahoo.com and I’ll hook you up with the Get Fit Challenge template and rules. {Oh just do it. You know you should.} And please spread the word.
With love,
Maryam in Marrakesh
Image by Anna Wang in my Moroccan dining tent at Peacock Pavilions.
PS So so gratified by the number of emails in my inbox signing up for the Get Fit Challenge! *Amazing*. Why don't you be one, too?