JoAnne Zoller Wagner

Making Health the Highest Priority This New Year: JoAnne Zoller Wagner

Last August, JoAnne Zoller Wagner shared how she changed her lifestyle after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  We wanted to check in with her to see what she was planning for her New Year’s Resolutions. 

Since we last spoke, what, if anything, have you changed?
My biggest and most important commitment is to cook, believe it or not.  I have found that in order to have the low sugar, low fat, low sodium, high fiber foods that I now need and enjoy, I need to make time to cook, especially on weekends.  Our restaurant and food industry is moving forward, but not fast enough for my immediate needs!

What results have you seen from your healthier lifestyle?
In September, I underwent a three-hour blood glucose tolerance test.  All of my glucose readings — before, during, and after — were well within the normal range!  I was so proud.  My doctor said only a small percentage of patients control their diabetes through diet and exercise and without medication.

Where do you find your motivation?
Having a good doctor’s appointment like this motivates me to continue my daily efforts to live a healthy lifestyle.  And to be frank, having witnessed my sister die from diabetes complications is a powerful motivator.  Fear can certainly be energizing!

How are you going to approach your New Year’s Resolutions?
I have a few different resolutions this year. The first is to live each day full of gratitude.  I am grateful that there are many sources for healthy recipes, both on the Internet and in cookbooks; grateful for the early wake-up call about diabetes so that I could control it with diet rather than medicine; grateful for all my friends and family members who have cheered me on and encouraged me in my efforts to improve my health; and grateful to God, who has heard and answered my many prayers!

I also intend to continue exercising.  My favorite exercise is walking in my neighborhood with my husband, but when it becomes too icy to walk outside, I intend to use my Nordic Track, which I enjoyed using years ago.  It’s waiting patiently for me to get back on track!

What advice do you have for others as they deal with the day-to-day challenges of living a healthy lifestyle?

1. Make your health your highest priority.  Without your health, you won’t be able to make your contribution to the world, so this is not selfish!
2. Be a problem solver.  Don’t let any obstacles stand in your way.   Think your way around anything that could hinder you from achieving your goal.  If one way doesn’t work, try another way!
3. Don’t be too hard on yourself as you adjust your lifestyle to reach your goal of good health.  It’s a learning process, so even mistakes are valuable.  Forgive yourself and remind yourself that you’re in a process.
4. Reach out for support from friends, family, and God.  You don’t have to do this alone.  Love and support is all around you!