We know we make daily choices that affect our health.  Do I eat that cookie or do I focus on my salad?  Do I get a quick snack at the coffee shop or do I wait until I get home to eat some veggies?  Do I get up early to exercise or do I sleep the additional 30 minutes?

That being said, many people want a guarantee that they’ll make wise choices?  Unfortunately, there is no guarantee for good decision making. However, there are steps we can take to increase the likelihood we will make better choices.

Determine the end goal.  Why are you taking steps to get healthy?  Is it because you have a current health condition you want to improve?  Are you looking to increase your energy level?  Sleep better at night?  Lower your blood pressure?  Lose weight?  Look better and feel better?  Whatever your reason, make sure you know why you are pursuing good health and keep it before you.

Set realistic goals.  Nothing is more discouraging that getting to the end of the month only to discover you have lost only 5 of the 20 pounds you were shooting for.  However, the opposite is also true; you will be more motivated to continue your health pursuits when you reach mini goals.  Nothing says “keep going” more than success.

A healthy weight loss goal is 2-3 pounds a week.  More than that and you may be putting more stress on your body than you are doing it good. But, perhaps your health goals are to decrease your blood pressure and get off medication.  You would be setting yourself up for defeat if you expected to reach that goal in just a few weeks.  Talk with your doctor about a healthy, steady decrease in your numbers.  For someone who has not exercised, maybe a doable goal is to walk three times a week.  It’s definitely not to run a 10K marathon at the end of the month.

Enlist others.  I’ve said this before, the road to good health is a journey that is traveled best with a friend or two.  Are there friends or co-workers who would be willing to walk with you several days a week?  Do you have someone you can ask to be your accountability partner?  Will she be willing to ask you the tough questions?  Will you be willing to answer?  Find others who are of like mind and join forces with them.  You will inspire each other along the way.

Plan.  Take time to plan your week.  When will you exercise?  Can you realistically fit an hour at the gym into your lunch break?  Do you need to pack your gym bag the night before and leave it by the front door so you won’t forget it?  What will you eat for meals and snacks during the week?  Do you need to prepare several meals over the weekend and freeze them?  Do you need to stock your desk with healthy munchies so you won’t run to the snack machine?  You will be a lot less likely to be caught off guard if you have planned your week.

Experiment.  If you have not exercised in a long time, be willing to try different things.  Most gyms offer free week passes without your having to join.  Try one to see if you like the gym scene.  Do you prefer using an exercise tape in the privacy of your own home?  If so, go to a used bookstore and pick up a few different ones.  See which you like best.

How about walking? When is the last time you walked?  Do you enjoy walking more in the morning or evening?

Experiment with foods too.  If you can no longer use salt, try different spices.  Go to a farmer’s market (or even Lowe’s) and talk to growers about the different herbs and how they are used.  Compare the difference of using fresh herbs to dried ones.  Use a food dehydrator to dry several types of fruits and veggies to see which you like best.  Have a potluck with your health partners and ask everyone to bring a different dish.  You may be surprised just how many different foods you enjoy.

Take action.  This is the most important step.  You can set goals and plan all you want, but if you don’t take action nothing will change.  You’ve heard the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  The same is true of your health.  If you don’t take action you are actually choosing to remain exactly where you are now.

These are just tips to get you going.  You will need to determine your own path and what works best for you.  However, there is no question that inactivity is choosing to stay stagnant.

Will you make the choice for good health today?  Will you Choose a Better Life?

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 11:20 am and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.