On Healthy Living

New Year’s resolutions are horrible things. At least the way most people do them is horrible. Somehow at the beginning of the year we get the idea that we should be able to change our lives for the better in a sort of all or nothing way that makes no sense.

If you’ve been living in an unhealthy way for many years, what makes you think you can suddenly start eating more vegetables and exercising every day just because its January first instead of December thirty-first? And when you flub up one day, why does that mean you don’t have to try any more?

I have a list of, I think, 21 “resolutions” for this year. I know I’ve already “broken” two of them. One was that exercising every day one; I blew it yesterday because I had a migraine.

But I haven’t lost hope, and that’s the key. Healthy living is not made or broken in one day. You might not be able to eat healthy every day, but the point is you’ve got to try again the next day, and the next and the next, until you’ve made a habit of eating more healthy foods on the whole than you do unhealthy ones.

If you’re still thinking about resolutions, resolve to try harder this year. Say “I’ll try to eat more vegetables every day” or “I’ll try to run a mile every day.” That way if you fail one day, your whole year isn’t blown. You can always try again the next day.

Here’s to a healthy, happy 2006 for one and all!

Sarah White wrote this on January 6th, 2006 and filed it under Healthy Living, Women's Health, Mental Health, Men's Health |