Today is the first work day of the New Year and also the starting day for many resolution driven fitness programs and weight loss programs. But you can’t just start your engine with a resolution, you have to have something that will keep driving you forward toward your destination.
Your driving force can’t be just a number on a scale because your bathroom scale doesn’t tell the whole story. What if you don’t lose weight one day or one week? Are you going backwards? What if you want to run a 5K in May and your times on your training runs aren’t getting faster each day or each week? Do you give up? What if you are doing a workout DVD and you can’t do a single pull up or single push up? Do you just abandon the whole idea of getting back into shape?
What we all need is a driving force that will keep us going no matter what the setback is or how steep the grade is on the path to our goal. By having that driving force or driving forces to propel us, then we will keep going not just to our destination but keep on going once we get there.
I say that if quality of life drives you then you will have multiple “scales” to give you feedback. What if you were to feel rested and restored every day when you woke up? What if you looked in the mirror and were pleased by the changes you we’re seeing, no matter how small. What if your clothes fit better and you looked healthier? What if you had an optimism and zest for life that you hadn’t felt in a long time? What if you had the energy to not only get through the day but to do things at the end of the day with family, friends and loved ones?
Those are just a few of the things that people with great quality of life experience and you can, too, if you resolve not to achieve just a short term goal, but rather stick to a long term plan of regular exercise, good nutrition and positive lifestyle choices. That plan will be your driving force and keep you on track and moving forward to your goal of the optimum quality of life that you deserve.
