A lot of people are interested to know whats it’s like living day-to-day with chronic disease–especially Crohn’s Disease, Arthritis, and Necrosis. I’ve created a YouTube channel where I share short updates about life with chronic disease–everything from doctor visits to general updates on how I’m feeling. I want the videos to be authentic as possible so everything is one-take with absolutely no editing or effects.
Let me know what you think about my Vlog, and if you have any questions you want answered about life with chronic disease.
Look, no one likes to focus on negative things, especially when it has to do with failure. Here’s the harsh reality of life–we all fail! Sooner or later it’s going to happen! Everyone fails at some point in their life, but how they react to failure tends to define who are they are.
Whether you fail trying out for sports, asking out your crush, or even for work, failing is nothing to be embarrassed and quit over. Look at Michael Jordan, who was cut from his sophomore, and then went on to be one of, if not the greatest NBA player in history. Okay, so what that’s an example regarding sports. What about real-life? Heard of Steve Jobs? He was fired from his own company after having a disagreement with the board about plans for future growth. I’m pretty sure some of you right now are reading this from an Apple device.
What sets apart amazing people like Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs was how they responded to failure. Instead of being too humiliated to try again, they learned what they did wrong and came back stronger than ever! Every last one of us can learn from our mistakes and failures and become better people!
If you fail, don’t give up. Keep pushing and trying and learn from your mistakes so you don’t make them again. You are smarter and better than you realize.
Sometimes a day at the beach is just what the doctor ordered. Seriously. Multiple studies in both the US and Europe have linked exposure to sunshine to lessen your chance of developing IBD. For those already with IBD, exposure to sunshine can help relieve your symptoms. Study #1Study #2
Eagle Beach, Aruba. Enjoying some unbelievable beaches and waverunning!
With that in mind, I had the pleasure of spending last week in the Caribbean aboard the beautiful Carnival Vista visiting Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Curacao, and Aruba. Long days loaded with sand and the sun is exactly what the doctor ordered for me! It’s surprising to notice multiple health benefits ranging from not noticing my arthritic ankles to enjoying more energy.
Carnival Vista docked next Holland America Eurodam in Grand Turk
The combination of the stress free week, thanks to the wonderful crew and staff of the Carnival Vista, and plenty of sunshine in the warm Southern Caribbean is exactly what my body needed during a very cold and snowy winter in Utah. If you read the studies linked above, you should now know that sunshine is the best form of Vitamin D, and if you are lacking Vitamin D it can cause IBD or make your symptoms worse if you already have it.
South Beach, Miami Beach
Always talk to your doctor about the best way you can increase your Vitamin D levels and make sure your skin is protected! It’s very, very important to remember to always protect your body while enjoying the sunshine. Make sure to use sunscreen and wear protective clothing. Skin damage just isn’t worth it!
If you’re feeling the winter blues and need an escape, a sunny vacation may be just what you need! Let me know your favorite vacations to catch some sunshine!
*The only limitations in life are the ones you set for yourself*
It’s a new year, and that means the opportunity for a new you! One of the most common excuses I hear people say for not setting a meaningful resolution is that they’ll just break it. Now, this is a very understandable concern because chances are you will indeed fail and not keep your new resolution! However, just because you don’t keep your new goal doesn’t mean you’re not making progress and becoming a better person! Skeptical? Hear me out, and follow these simple steps:
Make A Meaningful Resolution- Setting a goal that is unrealistic and unattainable will get you nowhere. In fact, it’ll probably make you feel worse about yourself. With that being said, how do you know if your resolution is a good one or not? Set a SMART goal! SMART is an acronym that stands for:
S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Achievable
R-Realistic
T-Timely
If your goal meets the above criteria, then chances are you’ve created a meaningful goal. However, if your goal is to get the body of your dreams chances are you’re not going to fulfill your resolution. Don’t fret, if you’ve made a bad goal like the one above, it’s easy to transform it into a SMART goal and it’s never too late to do so. Instead of setting the generic, ineffective goal of getting into shape, let’s look at the smart way to do so! If we say our goal is to get healthier and we’re going to do it by exercising 5x a week for at least 30 minutes per session, we’ve now created a SMART goal. We can go through our checklist to make sure. Is this goal specific? Yes, we are going to exercise 5x a week for at least 30 minutes. Is it Measurable? Of course! It’s easy to measure if we exercised or not for at least 30 minutes! What about Achievable? Exercising 5x a week is no small task, but you can do it! Realistic? You bet, it’s only for 30 minutes 5/7 days out of the week. Timely? Our period for completing this goal is for the entire year. That’s a long a time and is daunting to almost everyone, so it’s better if we analyze our progress month to month. Can I exercise 30 minutes per day, 5x a week for this month? Absolutely.
Learn Why You Fail! – Afraid of failing? Don’t worry about it. Seriously, don’t. The reality is everyone fails at some point in their life. Failure is a harsh reality of life. However, failing at something gives you one of the greatest learning opportunities. For example, if you aren’t achieving your goal of exercising for 30 minutes 5x a week, find out why. Whatever the reason, learn what you can do to resolve it. If you’re spending all of your free time watching TV instead of exercising, look at ways to combine the two. Maybe go to a gym and run a treadmill with a TV, or go to a cardio cinema. Learn why you are failing and find a way to fix it!
Let me know what SMART goals you have set for the New Year! Share your progress you make as you fulfill your goals. If you do fail, learn why and find a way to resolve it! Here’s the best year and you yet!
Dylan B. Nelson 