Take control of your health and happiness
Published 12:00 am Monday, December 2, 2013
In less than one month, it will be 2014! Time flies when you are having fun, and I believe I am having tons of fun! With the New Year right around the corner, it is also time for reflection and self-evaluation.
Are you where you want to be? If not, are you happy with where you are? Or do you want to become happier and a “better you”? First, what is a better you?
I believe it is someone who takes care of himself or herself. Would you want to be taken care of by others, and if so, who else is going to take care of you? And, how can you take care of others when you put yourself last?
Believe in yourself! Yes, you can do it! And, yes, you are worth it!
• Health awareness. Don’t exercise because you need to lose 50 pounds. Exercise because you want to be healthy. Start with 10 minutes a day. Too many people join the YMCA or other gym, work out six days a week for about one or two hours a day and quit after less than a month. After all that, you can barely move your arms; you have a hard time going up and down the stairs; and, on top of all that, you gained weight! Sound familiar?
•Start slowly. The weight gain and/or inactivity did not happen overnight. Give your body a chance to get used to movement.
• Exercise does not have to hurt, especially in the beginning. I always tell my class: “Eventually you will be able to push farther, and you will “enjoy the pain.” At least I do. I know, it’s scary!
• Find an activity that you can handle and do not despise. If you truly hate the activity you are doing, guess what? You will quit eventually. For example, dancing is exercise. Try Zumba classes or start ballroom dancing. Yard work is exercise (not if you’re riding on the lawnmower, drink in your hand, umbrella over your head). Ball games are exercise. (Of course, you need to be playing, not just watching even though that may also raise your heart rate!) Walking your dog is exercise. If you can’t find anything you can do, you don’t want to find it.
• Live life. What do you get out of moaning and talking about how bad you feel, how heavy you are, how little energy you have? Doesn’t it sound wonderful that your energy will increase, your stress level decreases, and you will feel better overall? Or do you just want to continue to feel miserable, have no energy, moan and groan and not do anything about it? Anyone can give you examples of what to do, give you a membership to the YMCA or another health club (great Christmas gift ideas!), but if you do nothing about it, what is the purpose?
If you don’t care about your health, how about happiness? What exactly is happiness?
“Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling” (author unknown).
I feel so sorry for the people who get up every morning and are dealing with unhappiness. A huge part of leading a healthy lifestyle is to be able to look at life in a positive way. I have been blessed that my parents brought me up in an optimistic environment. They always taught me to look at life in a positive manner. My cup is always half full. Everyone has a choice. You have the choice to lie down when life challenges you, or you can grab these challenges with both hands and stand up to them. Try it; it will make you feel so much better. Even when it did not “go your way”, you went down with a fight. If you never give up, eventually you come to the realization that sometimes adversity is a blessing in disguise.
Practice this: Smile at every person you see. You will be amazed at the response you will get, and how it will turn your day around! You will feel energized; your self-esteem will get a push. Your day will get brighter because of it.
I am bringing this up because I come in contact with too many people who are unhappy. (Fortunately, I also meet people who are always happy. Thank you!)
There are some who are just unhappy about one thing, and then there are those who live in a state of unhappiness all the time. It can be work related, body image related or who knows what, but you are the only one who can do something about it. And yes, there are times (many for some) where it’s out of your hands. My favorite and most frequently used mini-prayer is: “God, please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Give me the courage to change the things I can, and God, please grant me the wisdom to know the difference”
Are you going to lie down, let work pull you down, not repair important relationships? Or, if not comfortable in your body, will you continue to stay inactive, eat more ice cream and feel sorry for yourself — or are you grabbing life “by the horns”? Do something about it! I know what you are thinking: “I have tried this so many times. Each time I fail.” OK, you have fallen. Get up and do it again! If you continue to try, something might actually happen. Not doing anything, not trying, will get you what you have — which I believe is unhappiness and NOT the road to a better you. You have to make your own happiness.
Faith has helped me through some really tough times, especially when things make no sense at all. Never give up! Start that exercise program again. Try to eat better again. Rebuild broken relationships. Attempt something you always wanted to do. Start today to a “better you” and the road toward happiness.
Ester H. Marsh is associate executive and health and fitness director of the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA