Giving up on health and fitness

So with Blue Monday upon us (supposedly the most depressing day of the year), there is no better time to benchmark your current health and fitness goals for 2017.

You may be thinking we are only 16 days into the New Year, why would I assess my health and fitness goals now? Well there is good reason to. Blue Monday, so it seems, can trigger this feeling of hopelessness leading to all of those health and fitness goals you’ve set for 2017 falling by the way side, in the blink of an eye.

New Year’s resolutions are so hard to keep

I have failed on countless occasions to keep a health and fitness goal going long-term. Eating well, drinking less alcohol and exercising more, all end up in the bin so to speak within a matter of weeks.

Over the years I have fine-tuned my goals and the main reason for why I tend to keep them now is ‘the desire to achieve something’. Nothing beats a powerful feeling like a desire. Not even Blue Monday.

Think – Jessica Ennis winning gold at the London Olympics.

Think – Chelsea winning the English Premiership.

Think – The British Lions will beat the All Blacks.

You get my drift? Jessica, Chelsea and the British Lions all have a desire to win. Nothing will stop them.

A powerful feeling is unbeatable. Ask yourself now are you determined to achieve a particular goal? Are you passionate? Do you dream about this goal? Has it been on your mind for a number of years? If so, you are likely to keep going. If you achieve your goal at 25, 41, 52 or 77 years old then so be it.

We all have health and fitness dreams

I often find those dreams and goals that keep coming back are trying to tell me something. I believe people with those thoughts are the ones who have ‘that fire in their belly’. Such feelings cannot be ignored. You’re lucky if you have them.

Desire is at the heart of what we choose to eat, the intensity of exercise we chose and our general attitude towards improving our lifestyle.

I remember if it was not for the desire, I would never have given up smoking, learning and becoming a black belt or planning, preparing and running the London Marathon. That fire in the belly continues now. I have other challenges I want to achieve and currently my six-pack training is going well (my current cold and sore throat will not stop me). If it does not work this time however, I’ll keep going until it does work out.

Prepare to fall over but pick yourself up quickly

You owe it to yourself. Life can be a serious rotten apple. The saying ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ sums it up beautifully for me.

We simply have to keep going. Whatever obstacle life throws at you, we have to keep going.

Death, job pressures, anxiety are serious challenges we face. I am a firm believer having experienced all three of these challenges, I’ve come out the other end fighting with many more dreams still to live through.

Dreams are good. The more we dream, the more likely we will succeed.