One of the biggest clichés of the New Year is the number of people who join the gym. I read an article recently that said 80% of those who join the gym in the beginning of January will stop going by the second week of February. 80% of people will quit after just 6 weeks! While this is wonderful news for the gyms, it’s terribly unhealthy for the people who can’t seem to make this habit stick. Everyone understands the importance of getting healthy, but it seems impossible to actually make it happen. Instead of the gym becoming a source of accountability, it becomes a source of frustration and shame. I don’t know about you, but shame has never been a growth tool in my life. There has to be a better way to get healthy and make changes in that area of life. My health journey is one that I have been pretty open about. For those of you that don’t know, my weight has been a significant struggle throughout my adult life. My wife and I have dieted for years; we have lost weight only to eventually gain it back. Over the last two years, however, we decided to take a different approach. Instead of chasing an ideal number on the scale, we decided to just get healthy. We quickly discovered that taking care of our bodies resulted in significant change. It wasn’t about going to the gym every day or going on an extreme diet. We found that we were able to make incredible strides toward health when we simplified the process. We implemented four habits that changed everything; life has been different ever since. I share this story to make a point. We don’t create healthy lifestyles in a single moment or with one decision. A healthy life is created and cultivated over time. Being healthy is a journey, not a destination; it requires a daily commitment to stewarding our bodies and making good choices. The health goals you set for your life this year should help you to achieve more than an ideal number on a scale or make it to the gym every day. If you only focus on the outward results, you will find it incredibly difficult to succeed. Your health journey and your health goals begin in your mind; what is going on in your head will determine what goes on with your physical health. [bctt tweet="If you only focus on the outward results, you will find it incredibly difficult to succeed." username="dukematlock"] One of the easiest ways to begin the process of setting health goals is to understand what you are hoping to accomplish. Understanding your why will keep you motivated down the line. When I began my health journey, I realized that I needed to get healthy because I wanted to be around to meet my grandchildren. I also realized that I still had dreams to chase, work to do, and an impact to make. I have so much life ahead of me, but I have to be healthy to do all of the things that I want to do. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my future just because I didn’t want to get disciplined about my health. That is my why, what’s yours? [bctt tweet="Understanding your why will keep you motivated down the line." username="dukematlock"] Once you know why you want to get healthy, you can set goals that will help you get there. Don’t give in to the pressure to make extreme changes overnight; start small. Take a walk every day, commit to keeping track of your eating, or learn something new about nutrition. Small goals will make a huge impact.
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