News Taffy

Several things seem to hold many people back from better health. One is a lack of knowledge. One of the reasons I began blogging three years ago was to show others that you don’t have to be an expert in order to live a healthier life. You don’t have to be a doctor or have a degree in nutrition or sports physiology; you just have to care enough to learn what you can do to take care of yourself and your family. There is so much information on health available that there is no excuse for not educating yourself further. Magazines are full of good information, TV can be a learning source and so can the internet. It can be as simple as watching the evening news or actually reading that article on fiber and how it can prevent certain cancers.

Another factor holding people back from better health is laziness. Let’s be honest here. How many times have you picked up fast food because you told yourself you were too tired to cook? How many times do you skip the gym because you are tired or the workout is too hard? You might not be so tired if you took better care of yourself. Cooking and exercise do take time but not as much time as poor health and an early death! And is that the excuse you want to give your children when they are diagnosed with something that was preventable, “I was too tired/lazy to do better”?

Some think it’s too difficult to do the things that lead to better health. “It’s too hard to exercise, it hurts too much” are some of the excuses my husband hears. Yes, when you weigh three hundred pounds, it does hurt. You probably hurt just sitting there. Well that excuse doesn’t hold water with me. I have pain almost every day from my lower back, neck, hips or feet but that doesn’t stop me. I can chose to sit and complain or I can get up and live life and not let anything stop me. I can manage the pain, work with a physical therapist and do the things I can to make the pain better. Is learning to cook so that you can eat healthy meals really that hard? Or is laziness stopping you?

Many people have such a fear of failing that they never try anything. They are afraid the food they cook will taste bad so they never try. They are afraid they can’t lose the weight so they never exercise or watch what they eat. They are afraid they can’t afford the gym membership or better food so they never look for alternatives.

If only we quit finding excuses and started finding ways to accomplish goals, we’d feel better about ourselves. If only we’d get off the couch, we could really live our lives instead of watching others live a pretend life on TV. If only we worked hard, we’d succeed more often than we fail. If only.

Until next week,
Lisa