Why Wait for New Year to Make a Change?

I enjoy the excitement and celebration of New Year but not really a big fan of the resolutions. Largely due to seeing so many people not follow through after a few weeks, or even days. The fireworks of new healthy promises are typically replaced by old habits. The new healthy lifestyle fizzles back into the norm of unhealthy choices. Sad but true.

Why wait for New Year’s to make a positive decision to change your life and become healthier people?  Today is always the best day to make a change. Never put off until tomorrow what can be accomplished today.

New Year has been a holiday used as a crutch to continue living unhealthy lives. Why? Because we put off until the New Year what we should be doing now and abuse the days leading up to the event. We create an excuse to consume large amounts of unhealthy food and avoid starting an exercise program until the so-called magical perfect time. 

The reality is no perfect time exists and life doesn't wait for our decisions. It goes on whether we join in the positive decision making process or not. Procrastination is the thief of health and fitness. Not taking care of ourselves eventually leads to poor lab results, obesity, heart issues, diabetes, hypertension, increased stress and the list goes on.

Wouldn’t it be better going into the New Year with a healthy lifestyle already in place? 

I'm not trying to be a Darla Downer for the upcoming New Year. I simply want you to consider the reason for waiting to become a healthy person. Celebrating is awesome and decisions made on any day are worth raising a glass in cheers. I applaud all efforts to adopt a healthy lifestyle and the awesome thing is it doesn't have to wait until January 1^st.

But what about all the holiday food and fun? I agree there is a bounty of savory and sweet treats during the holidays. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a little of this and that. This is called living life and balance. However, including your healthy foods and exercise should also be part of your holiday season.

Let’s not use the holiday as an excuse to not take care of ourselves. We have promoted a hall pass to a month of junk food for long enough. When the so-called fun is said and done, we are left with expanded guts and butts. Why cause frustration knowing it will be that much longer and harder to undo what has been done? Think on that.  

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Happy Stay Healthy New Year

How Fitness Helps Slow Down the Aging Process

Fitness is shown to slow down the aging process. You may be wondering how this works.

Think about how you feel when health and fitness are absent from your life. Unhealthy habits and sedentary lifestyles promote stress, illness, obesity, being overweight, and cause you to feel old. When you stop taking care of your body is when the aging process accelerates.

Fitness works on the cellular, emotional, and physical level. The better you take care of your health and fitness, the better your body will be. For example, eating nutrient-dense food provides your body with antioxidants shown to:

• reduce inflammation
• eliminate free radicals
• improve your health
• fight disease
• reduce cancer risk
• promote healthy skin and hair
• increase energy and vitality

With results like this, fitness can be considered the fountain of youth. However, if you don't make time to eat right and exercise, you will eventually be making time for illness.

Your body ages daily, but there are things you can do to slow this process. Studies link eating healthy and exercise to longevity. Sounds like a health insurance plan worth the investment, right?

Many of us get so caught up in believing fitness is a difficult process. We also become frustrated without instant results and often quit before even starting. The negatives seem to outweigh the positives in your mind and ultimately lead to unhealthy choices.

As long as you're  taking positive steps toward your health goals, changes are happening. Have faith in the unseen and hold onto daily progress. Health happens from the inside out. This is why quitting is not an option because nothing ages you faster than living unhealthy.

Age is just a number but we also create how we feel at every age and circumstance. Your health choices either promote vitality or illness and you're ultimately responsible for the outcome. That's a lot of power and control over your health and how you will be aging over the years.

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Keeping Fitness Real is an Important Part of the Lifestyle

Have you struggled with starting a fitness program, illness or even setbacks? It's during these times our bodies will dictate our abilities and limitations. 

Personally, when illness hits me hard, I have to take a break and put my favorite HIIT routines on hold. This is all part of realistic expectations. I may want something right now, but it's just not going to happen. 

Similarly, there is no such thing as here today and gone tomorrow. Patience is very important on our journey to health and fitness. It may feel frustrating and I will even validate this emotion. The key is not letting negative thinking consume us to the point of giving up. We must remain realistic. 

Realistic workouts start with what you can do right where you are. Allow yourself to be a beginner. If returning to fitness from injury or illness, take it slow. The work is always about progress and not perfection. It's so important to pay attention to what the body is saying. Being in tune allows you to do exercise at your best and in great form.   

Realistic expectations involve creating plans that are reasonable and obtainable. Going into our fitness program with the wrong mindset and expectation will cause feelings of discouragement. When we think beyond our current fitness level it can cause us to give up before seeing any positive progress.  

All effort toward weight loss and muscle gain is progress. It doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you stay consistent. Results happen when healthy eating and consistent exercise is a lifestyle. There is no magic pill or gimmick that will make you fit. Healthy bodies are made by real work and being patient through the process. We all want things to happen quicker than they do. Being realistic is what will provide life long results done the right way. 

Rushing into a seemingly healthier body using unhealthy means is not realistic. It only scratches a temporary itch without lifelong results. Unhealthy fitness choices are typical yo-yo attempts. They lead to diet frustration and gaining back even more weight. It also sets us up for discouragement and unhappiness. 

I have this saying “nothing good happens fast” when it comes to our health and fitness. It really can be applied to many things in life. Taking care of ourselves is about a healthy lifestyle. The choices we make each day are what keep us progressing in a healthy direction. We all possess the ability to get healthy and become our best self at any age. Keeping our realistic expectations front and center will help make it all happen.   

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Live Verywell and Stay Healthy