Why Try Again?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Why try to get healthy when you get sidetracked every time? The motivation stays for a short time, then one day it slips out the back door quietly, leaving you feeling like a failure. If the tight jeans don’t keep reminding you, the constant Before and After ads should do the trick. Seems everyone is able to turn it around. Walking Success Stories at every turn. Except you. (Am I striking a nerve here?)

The reasons you try again have nothing to do with yesterday, and everything to do with tomorrow. In other words, if you have a chance to try again, why wouldn’t you? Unless you’ve got the inside scoop on your last earthly day, you might want to consider how those remaining years are spent.

Life expectancy for females is a little over 80 years, while males hover around 75. So it seems to me that if you’re going to be hanging around for this length of time, you might want to have those years be as comfortable as possible. And if this means a little more discipline in your diet and exercise program (or the start of one today), it seems like it might be worth the effort.

Small changes can make a big difference. Yes, it means changing up a few nasty habits. Maybe the high cal sugar drink is reduced to once a week from the daily habit you’ve developed. Or it becomes a non-fat latte rather than a caramel frappuccino.

If going cold turkey means a set up for failure, give yourself a break. Start with a manageable goal, one thing that will make a difference in your health next year. Put a post it note on your mirror, write it on your calendar, tell a friend. (How do you remember to pick up the laundry. Try the same reminder.)

And when you make it through the first week, and you find you didn’t fail, hug yourself and know you’ve got more power inside you than you know.

And if by chance it didn’t work this week, know you’re not a failure. You just need to gear up for the challenge tomorrow. Find a resource, whether it’s a friend, coach, or maybe a book. Let them help you succeed. Then pay it forward to your friends and family who’ll be sticking around the remaining years.