New Year’s is around the corner. Hello 2017. The time for resolutions is here.
Most people resolve to do the same things every year: get in shape, eat better, sleep more, give more, do more. But by March, most have gone back to doing things their own same way. Gyms are empty, and Yelp is back on track. Salads are gone and tacos reign supreme again. Hey, who can blame you? Tacos are amazing.
But what happens when you NEED to make resolutions for your health’s sake? With the movie Star Wars Rogue One hitting theaters – maybe we can take a few words of advice from the Master Trainer Yoda on how we can keep resolutions.
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
So how can we make that happen? By starting small. Don’t be afraid to dream big – of course it’s great to have a marathon or a triathlon in your windshield – but first you need to focus on something smaller like a 5k or being able to walk a mile. And that is how you succeed. Training for a marathon is hard work that requires time, patience and lots of dedication. If you make it your goal in January – chances are anyone would give up by March – especially if you don’t even regularly go to the gym. But if you start small and work your way up, your chances of success increase exponentially.
Yoda says: “Patience you must have my young padawan”.
Eating better is important for everyone – but even more so for someone who has health issues. It’s not always easy to get there either. Donuts and tacos are my pitfalls – carbs taste amazing – especially covered in sugar. Being pre-diabetic, making eating better isn’t a cute resolution for bikini season – it’s a LIFE choice. I wish it was as simple as working out and setting small goals – but sometimes you just have to cut the crap and go for the gusto – and my “crap” was tacos, donuts and Dr. Pepper. Sometimes cold turkey is the way to go. But thank God I can still eat cold turkey or hot turkey. Turkey is amazing – but so is cake. I had to decide that I was more scared of dying than I was of never having cake again. Fear is a powerful motivator and turns out – I guess I didn’t love cake as much as I thought I did.
“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” – Yoda.
The most important thing about New Year’s is that you can realize that it’s a chance to make a fresh start – when it comes to health you can’t really wipe the slate clean – but you can take where you are at and the direction you are heading and turn the car around. If you are driving to Disney in Orlando, Florida and that is your destination – of course you need to plot your course. Along the way there will be shorter goals – rest stops. Lunch, bathroom breaks, gas. No one is able to drive straight through unless you are almost there. But if you are driving toward Canada – then you will never make it.
So, what are you putting in your windshield this year? Where are you going in 2017?