Enjoying the sand under my feet hasn’t always been easy

Jodi Davis

| 2 min read

When is the last time you visited the beach? Building a sand castle, taking a walk along the water’s edge, climbing a sand dune, playing a game of beach volleyball and splashing around in the lake are just a few ways to enjoy several hours of fun in the sun.
A day spent at the beach is great fun. It allows you to enjoy different forms of exercise too.
Walking through the soft sand is my favorite thing to do when I’m visiting the beach these days. I enjoy it because it’s much easier for me to do; it’s wasn’t such a simple task when I weighed 300 pounds.
Recalling the days spent at the beach when I was morbidly obese allows me to appreciate moving through the loose sand with little effort, something I thought was impossible before I started losing weight. When I walk in the sand today, I’m not out of breath or feel like my heart is beating uncontrollably to the point of nearly passing out. The migraines and feelings of heat exhaustion are gone too. Nobody knew that I was going through those things years ago. I didn’t tell anyone. It was embarrassing to admit.
I was also scared. I knew that my body was telling me that I needed to take care of it better. Those old memories are tough to bring up but I feel that I must. They help me remember that the stress on my body caused by my excess weight was real. They also remind me to believe in possibilities.
I never thought I would see the day when walking on a sandy beach would be easy to do. I use to believe it was impossible. I thought losing 160 pounds was impossible too, yet both of those things happened. How?
All it took was one first step.
It wasn’t in the sand. It wasn’t at a beach.
The step was taken within.
I believed it was possible.
The effort was similar to that of walking through the loose sand at times. There were a few times when I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere, but I kept going.
Those steps lead me to endless possibilities.
I’m enjoying them today.
Those possibilities are available to you too.
Take that first step.
The impossible will become possible – I believe in you.
Photo credit: A Healthier Michigan

A Healthier Michigan is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
No Personal Healthcare Advice or Other Advice
This Web site provides general educational information on health-related issues and provides access to health-related resources for the convenience of our users. This site and its health-related information and resources are not a substitute for professional medical advice or for the care that patients receive from their physicians or other health care providers.
This site and its health-related information resources are not meant to be the practice of medicine, the practice of nursing, or to carry out any professional health care advice or service in the state where you live. Nothing in this Web site is to be used for medical or nursing diagnosis or professional treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other licensed health care provider. Always consult your health care provider before beginning any new treatment, or if you have any questions regarding a health condition. You should not disregard medical advice, or delay seeking medical advice, because of something you read in this site.