So…..Enough is enough. As the scale continues to climb and our health declines, my husband and I have made a conscious decision to take care of our health. During one of our family dinners – we have many very long and fun ones with our three kids (16 year old boy, 13 year old girl and 8 year old boy) – we mentioned that we didn’t want to be put into a nursing home in our senior years. The kids looked a little perplexed as they digested this request. They couldn’t comprehend why that would be a concern. My husband explained to them that IF we needed help when we got older, we would appreciate their time, care and concern for us and as in the custom of Asian countries, to take us in as opposed to putting us in a home. Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of opposition to this request. They looked at one another and looked back at us. “Why would WE have to take care of YOU? YOU are the adults, you take care of US!!” We could see the confusion in their faces and the objection in their eyes. Then, came the comment that has been repeated to our families’ amusement at parties to come, “Why can’t you be like our grandparents and live by yourselves??” Ah, out of the mouths of innocent babes. My parents are in their mid-sixties and are still quite healthy. They walk together every morning around their neighborhood. They eat sensibly with a diet that consists mainly of fruits and vegetables. They garden and do other yard work daily. They also get a good cardio workout on their elliptical in their home in the afternoons when the weather gets too hot to be outside. So the message was sent to us loud and clear. My bemused husband looks at me during that dinner and states, “I’m telling you, it’s going to only be me and you in the future.” Honestly, all joking aside, we hope we won’t ever need to look to our children for assistance in the future. My mom has always told me that “tears run down, they don’t run up.” This saying means that you take care of your children so they can take care of their children. Quite frankly, this is just an excuse that we will use to start our journey toward better health. I read somewhere online that everything that you can possibly do to your body, you can recover if you take the steps needed before you turn 50. So here we are, my husband and I on the eve of our journey. Wish us luck.