How Much Do You Really Want to Change?


This past week my Dad was in town visiting as I had 2 graduates, one from high school and one from college. My Dad is 74 years old and has always gotten around pretty well, he’s not a complainer so even if he did struggle, we’d never know.
In my house, I have a lot of stairs. During his recent visit, I noticed how he struggled going up and down the stairs. I noticed how much slower he was moving since the last time he visited. I started thinking about his history of being active and realized, I never saw him exercise, not once. Sure, if we went somewhere he certainly didn’t have a problem walking around, but a regular program, never.

He was active when he did yard work and the typical household chores, but once he got older and started hiring it all out, he became less and less active, like most Americans.

The problem for so many folks with exercise is that more often than not the thinking is that exercise is simply a tool for weight loss, right? Wrong! Being active on a regular basis, finding ways to move more and sit less is about so much more than weight loss. Sure, regular exercise will certainly help with weight management but above and beyond that, it contributes to a very high quality of life. Exercise is to the body what water and sun is for plants, vital for survival.

Now more than ever we need to exercise on a regular basis, for our body, mind, spirit, the whole thing. Exercise for me right now is a choice, for my Dad it’s becoming less and less of a choice, I don’t want that to happen to me.

How much do you want to change? I guess that would depend on what you want the outcome to be from the changes you make. Stop thinking about the weight loss and start thinking about the life changing results regular activity can provide for you. So, how badly do you want to change? Depends on what you really want. Desire triggers change, desired change triggers action.

Time to lay out your healthy living strategy for the week. Remember, one change per day that will contribute positively to your good health.


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