It’s resolution time of year again. Every time New Year’s rolls around, I start off with a list and a plan. But it doesn’t take long for the plan to fall apart and the list to fall right out of my head!
As noble as my intentions often are, I have two big problems that keep me from succeeding with my healthy goals: I generally don’t like exercise (with a few exceptions) and I really like junk food. Or maybe just one big problem: I’m good at making excuses.
2009 ended for me with the revelation of a health issue I’m going to have to face: fibroids. They’re not life threatening by any stretch of the imagination, but they do have a serious impact on my health and my life. I’m going to be dealing with them in the coming months, starting with an ultrasound on Monday to confirm that fibroids are really what’s behind my irregular periods and serious cramps.
But I’ve been suffering the side effects of fibroids for a year or more… and making excuses not to get checked. Maybe I’m just that irregular. Maybe stress is the problem. Maybe it’s hormonal changes, and there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. Finally I just sucked it up and went to the doctor’s office and got checked.
A lot of weight loss/lifestyle change programs say that you have to be ready in order to succeed. You have to truly be committed to your plans, and truly be motivated to stick with it — through the excuses, through the good days and bad days. The pain is what finally motivated me to get that doctor’s appointment. It was stronger than the nervousness about a pelvic exam, and louder than all the talking-myself-out-of-going.
So before I set any health and fitness goals this year, I need to sit down and have a good, long look at what I’m ready for. It’s kind of pointless to make resolutions I know I’m not going to keep — it wastes my time and energy and I only end up disappointed. What do I really want to do, and what am I willing to do regardless of excuses?
I think I’m smart enough to figure out a way to reach the goals I really want — once I figure out what they are. What are your goals for 2010 and beyond?