My five brothers are all diabetic. And I lost one of them a couple of years ago due to that. So I suppose that is enough reason for me to search and practice a healthy lifestyle.

I do not want to lose any family member to diabetes further… much so myself. My wife and my kids will have none of that – including all the people that are dear to me. Put them at least at a hundred “close” ones and that’s enough reason to keep my sanity and health. I cannot imaging all the broken hearts and tearful eyes on my grave.

Fizzzzzzz…. And It Is Supposed to Add Life.

The sound of it lingers in my head, associated to a refreshing thought and experience. The pop of a soft drinks still carry that effect in my neural pathways... but no longer as strong as it was 7 years ago.

It was supposed to “add life” like the soft drink company’s “appeal” to the masses during the older decades. But did it? On the other hand, the competing brand even lauded theirs as the taste of the new generation. Was it?

Boldly Branded

They were successful – we all bit the advertisements lock, stock, and barrel. Then decades after, studies revealed that unregulated sugar intake (which is the main ingredient in these beverages) was the culprit in many of our illnesses.

Even cities like New York had sought to ban sodas (albeit unsuccessfully) while other localities and countries levied higher tax. The recently implemented TRAIN law did just that too (although creatively by imposing higher tax on high fructose corn syrup that are mostly imported to favor the local sugar producers).

This prompted a soft drink giant to reduce its operations and manpower here. I am not against soft drinks per se but I believe that all sugar intakes should be taken with regulation and that sugar-based products should be honestly evaluated and promoted.

From Cow’s Milk to Canned Goods

That is the way it works. You need not wonder. Even cow’s milk that used to be disparagingly branded is now the accepted standard replacement for mother’s milk.

How on earth did that happen? And why not goat’s milk? Carabao’s milk? Giraffe’s milk? Or our supposedly closest kin, the chimpanzee?

It’s the wonders of advertising and branding that we end up taking things uncritically until we realize that the message was not as “honest” as it was intended to be.

Zero Soft Drinks in 7 Years? 

Was it a challenge? A realization? An admiration of someone who did? But whatever the reason, I did stop drinking soft drinks 7 years ago. I was a regular drinker before that.

What did I get for stopping? My sugar level until today is normal despite the fact that I have a proven genetic disposition for diabetes.

Similarly, my friends and colleagues of the same age range (and some a lot younger) are already taking maintenance for this 4th largest cause of death in the country. Also take note that the top 2, which are Heart Disease and Stroke, are closely related to sugar and carbohydrates intake as well.

Confluence, Conflict and Confidence

I remember admiring a colleague in my previous job who surprised me when he declined my filial offer of a soft drink during an event. What? I was not even offering an alcoholic drink!

He drank water instead. It pricked my curiosity! How could someone be able to refuse something refreshing and tasty? But that encounter gave me hope that I could free myself from the shackles of this “addiction”. He did it! I surely could, too! 🙂

In contrast, I do remember a person with strong religious inclination, who, despite the fact that his addiction to soft drinks has already caused him cataract problem, refuses to give up the habit. In fairness, he is no different from the rest of us.

I am simply highlighting that even the deep theological persuasion is not immune to the “adds life” association. No amount of morality or doctor’s advise can shy us away from what we believe is pleasurable.

The messages are wired and fully reinforced in our brains as often we watch those commercials and solidify it with our own drinking spree! We are our ultimate doctor and decision-maker after all.

I felt the pressure during the early days especially during company occasions as well as family celebrations. What got into him? He used to be one of us having a soft drinks and a smile.

Everybody seemed happy drinking their colored carbonated drink – and he was not? Boy, was he not missing out on the sizzles of sodas with varying flavors now at that!

I wonder too if that was the same thinking when it comes to smoking – they were in and you were out?  But at least, if such strange behavior got anyone to reconsidering their drinking habits, then it is all worth it!

Pleasure-, Pride-, or Purpose-Driven?

It is perhaps a combination of all when you sum it up that gives you the conviction to live a healthy life. Well, I believe we are a reflection of what we like and dislike. So our greatest pleasure is in the thing we have believed in, whether that be sugar-rush, seriousness-rush, or surreal-things-rush.

So the moment you catch something wonderful and true – contrary to what you have been taught – just start with it. Stop taking that soft drink. Cut that smoking habit for a day. Refrain that tempting dish, or that chocolate cake that you devour.

Take the first step and feel the slightest sense of pleasure, pride, and purpose behind it. Then cherish it like a sip of wine that you allow to linger and roll in your mouth before you give it a real good gulp. Relish it to its last trace enough to make you yearn for the experience again the next day.

It will not be easy during the first days, weeks or even months – somehow, there will always a trace of that former pleasure in your head.

But as you “meditate” and reinforce this new found sense of enlightenment, it will become easier by the day. Before you know it, you will already be immune to the temptation even when your family, friends, and bosses around do otherwise.

You will arrive into that zone of dignity and discipline that not even the powerful cannot question nor undermine – a level of conviction that brings pleasure, pride, and purpose all rolled into one.

So cheers and let us drink to a less-sugar, happier, and healthier lives! 🙂

Note: We can help your team live healthier, happier, less stressful, and more focused and engaged lives. Drop us a line at connect@icross.ph.