How to reclaim your health in later life while living in France

France has excellent healthcare, but you need to put in the effort to make the most of it. 

This painful truth hit home hard when I recently had some nasty health shocks. 

I have overcome various demons, but one remaining problem had been defeating me for decades. I found myself with a seemingly insurmountable weight problem, which plunged me into despair. 

The day of reckoning

The first scare came when I manifested all the symptoms of bowel cancer. I had three procedures under general anaesthetic and, mercifully, I do not have cancer. 

However, when the gastroenterologist informed me that, due to lack of oxygen during the procedures, they had to intubate me, I was mortified.

I then underwent a sleep apnoea test, which revealed that I was stopping breathing 30 times an hour for 30 seconds at a time – the likely culprit being my weight. 

I went to visit my médecin traitant (GP). I know all the excuses – big bones, medication, being post-menopausal and genes. However, I had been a couch potato for years, did not exercise, and thought I could get away with eating what I wanted. 

“Some day”, I kept telling myself, I would finally manage to lose the weight and keep it off. 

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Putting in the work

My doctor put me on a strictly supervised course of medication. Although it is not the holy grail or a quick fix, it has enabled me to take back control of my eating.

I had to eat my words – as I had always sworn I would never accept medical help. 

I am now walking between 3-5km daily with my husband and dogs, enjoying the beautiful Provençal countryside. 

At first, I resisted the daily walk as if it were an appointment to have my teeth pulled. However, as the weeks have gone by, I have come to look forward to our sorties and I would sorely miss them. My husband and the dogs are delighted. 

Everything about my life has improved in a short space of time – my diet, my mental and physical health. As a result, the kilos are falling off, I feel optimistic and this time I know I can and will keep the weight off.

There are, of course, unwelcome sequelae as a result of years of overeating and the legacy of my previous couch potato life. 

I am now wedded to a nightly technology third-party in our bed – a CPAP machine which forces air into my collapsing airways. 

At first, I hated it and the cumbersome mask. Now, I almost look forward to going to bed because I have realised it’s my new best friend. 

After decades of a shocking lack of sleep (and no wonder), I am sleeping a good eight hours a night. I have been told that I will have to use the machine for a year or so – another deterrent for piling the weight back on again! 

Just do it! 

I have been reminded of many things in a short time. As we age, the road gets narrower and we can “get away” with far less. 

I realised that fear was at the root of my lack of activity. I felt fat, stupid and was concerned about what others would think if they saw my huffing and puffing. 

I was failing to take responsibility for the state I had got myself in – and that’s okay because I am a flawed human being with weaknesses as well as strengths. 

Now I can see the gift in my recent bout of ill health. 

I had also forgotten how to be grateful for life’s little things.

The solution? Suspend your thinking – and act. Consult a healthcare professional. Share the burden. Ask for help. Don’t do as I did and put it off until “some day” because that day may never come.

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Focus on the positives

I have much to be grateful for but spent too long sitting on my self-constructed pity pot. 

It is important to live each day as if it were our last. It saddens me when I witness so many people settling for less than they deserve, especially when we can improve ourselves and our lives. We can choose to change direction whenever we wish. 

I acknowledge that it takes effort to reclaim your health. Certainly, it is going to take me a long time to be fit again. But getting a grip – doing, and not just thinking – will keep me consistent. 

If I can do it, so can you. I look forward to keeping you posted on my journey.

Tips for reclaiming your health

- Set yourself small goals

- Choose an enjoyable activity

- Find a fitness buddy 

- Seek professional help

- Listen to your body

- Celebrate your successes.

Can you relate to Cynthia’s efforts to take control of her health in later life? If so please write to her at cynthia.spillman@connexionfrance.com