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Good Health Requires Determination

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on October 8, 2018

When I think of achieving good health habits I think of this photo of my little grand-daughter Lily. She charges through our house looking for her next adventure. She grabs a glass of wine, tips it over, and then takes a sip of the remainder. She falls down a flight of stairs. She cries and then gets up and goes up the stairs again. She places large rocks in her mouth. When it is taken away she explores to find the next item to place in her mouth. And she races around the house with a crazy one legged crawl even though she knows how to crawl the right way.

One may ask where are her caretakers when she is involved in these activities? The answer is, right next to her, but she is so fast that in a second she has darted full speed ahead. She is a determined little character who is exploring the world and is determined to get to her goal:FIRST!

Developing good health habits takes the same determination. We need to develop an exercise program that will allow us to go forward at our most rapid speed. We need to pre-plan our eating so that we put the healthiest meals together each day. And we need to refrain from health negatives such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs, and driving recklessly. We also have to stay abreast of keeping our hands clean to avoid infection, brushing our teeth to reduce cavities, and making regular doctor appointments to monitor and keep our bodies in working order.

So when you are planning how to develop a healthy lifestyle, think of Lily. She never stops exploring her world even if she gets stuck in the spokes. She will try and try until she gets out. Or she will sometimes take the easy way out by simply screaming. But as adults, we can work the hardiest we can to avoid the spokes and get to our healthy lifestyles.

Jacqueline King, MS, RDN, CDE, FADA