NOT FOUND: what are you doing.jpgThis is the time of year I like to address a topic that seems to rise up in many of our lives: Oops! What happened to my New Year’s resolutions? Whether you had one or a hundred and one resolutions, it may be time to re-address and re-calculate our goals.
I would like to focus mainly on the subject of health and fitness, since that is my chosen field of discussion for this newspaper and an area in which I need to be continually re-motivated myself.
There are so many wonderful benefits to making healthier choices when it comes to the way we fuel our bodies and our lifestyle. While eating junk food, smoking, drinking in excess and watching television or playing computer games may be tastier, easier and even more enjoyable to some, the long-term effects are not worth the momentary pleasure. A major key to living a stress free, sickness free and energy filled life is to eat healthy and exercise regularly.
There is no getting around it. It’s the way our bodies were created. Just like the engine of your car, proper fuel and maintenance ensures more miles, better gas mileage and a smoother, more enjoyable ride.
Once again, in referencing our 2010 New Year’s resolutions, if any of them had to do with your eating, exercise, water intake, sleep, health, etc. let me encourage you – it is worth starting again! We’ve talked about it before – it’s simply a choice. Now the catch is, you have to choose to make that choice. People make choices based on their priorities, so it’s time to make your future a priority. Your health and energy level today are a result of how you treated your body yesterday (or last month, last year, or last decade…). The choices you make today WILL affect your health and energy level tomorrow. Yes, that extra serving of cheesecake, late night party, last drag on a cigarette, or, “I am too tired to walk today, maybe tomorrow” excuse will add to the breakdown of your health.
Often times the reason our resolutions don’t work is that we are not taking the proper steps in making them come to pass.
Begin with writing them down. Statistics prove that even writing your goals down will help you achieve them. Be realistic in your goals. Begin with short-term goals that can be a part of your long-term goal.
If you know you need to lose weight or exercise, set a goal of walking three times a week. Pick a time each day that will work with your schedule and write it in your day planner. Treat it like any other appointment. Recruit a workout buddy that will help you with accountability.
Cut out one item of your diet that you know is not benefitting your future. Try packing your lunch rather than hitting the drive-through. You will save calories and money.
Drink more water. If you must have a soda, drink a glass of water before you pick up that soda.
Leave something on your plate. If you are a charter member of the “clean your plate” club, it’s time to turn in your membership card and leave some food on your plate. We have trained ourselves to continue eating even after we are full.
Take away your “triggers”. It takes twenty-one days to create a new habit. Change your patterns and you can change your habits.
Do you have to have a cigarette when you get home from work?
Come in the front door instead of the garage door and do something different.
You took steps to create the wrong habits, so you will need to take different steps to create new habits.
Yes, it’s March and it’s the month I like to look at the status of our resolutions to determine if we need to set new ones or just choose to begin those we set in January. I know…..you wish I would have talked about the health benefits of chocolate since this is the month to purchase Girl Scout cookies, but I needed to take care of pressing business and make sure we continue on our path to a healthier and more fulfilled life. My goal is for us to have more energy and better health at the end of 2010 than we do today.