A Simple Resolution to Improve Your Health

I love this time of year!  When I drive down the street, I see everyone in their brand new jogging outfits, with iPods and water bottles. The gyms are packed full of people that are ready to lose those extra pounds or get into shape. The sad thing is, it only last a few weeks. By the end of January, no one is jogging down the streets and the gym is back to the same people that were there all of last year.

There is an old saying that goes something like - “If you always do what you have always done, you’ll always get what you always got.” (I fell into this trap more years than I care to mention).  So when I was thinking about what I was going to write about for this year’s big resolution pep talk, I decided I would not do ‘what I always do’.

I am not going to give you the ol’...Ra! Ra! Go get ‘em...this is the year you can do it...hogwash.  Nope, this year, I am not going to tell you to ‘try try again’ because the truth is, there’s nothing different this year than last. You’ll just set yourself up to fail again.

So, don’t do it. Don’t focus on losing weight or counting calories or exercising more. Instead, this year, I want you to focus on just one thing.

re·spon·si·bil·i·ty [ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee] - the state or fact of being responsible.

I know we think we are responsible. We go to work, raise our families, pay our bills and are good citizens. That is all great stuff, but sometimes we get so busy being “responsible” for our stuff, we do not pay attention to our own well-being and the well-being of our families.

The way I see it, we are at a crossroad in our country. If we keep eating the convenience foods that are readily available and do not take an active role in figuring out where it comes from and why it’s making us sick, then we will be headed down the same path, which continues to get worse.

If you don’t like where that path is headed, then you have a choice. You can take the other path - the path of stepping up and taking responsibility for what you feed yourself and your family. We really can’t push it off with justifications like, “I don’t have time. My kids won’t eat it. I don’t know how.” None of these excuses changes the fact. And, the fact is - it’s our responsibility to protect our health. No one else is going to do it for us.

It is time for a new approach and what a great time to start. If I could give you any advice, it would be to stop making the same resolution as you did last year. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. Instead, try something different.

Notice where you put the responsibility of your health - the back burner? the doctor? pills? your kids? This year, take back that responsibility. And when you do, you may be surprised to find those extra pounds come off without you even focusing on them. Wouldn’t that be nice for a change?