People pack the gym for their New Years’ Resolutions. They want to lose weight. They want to tone their body. They want to become healthier. But you and I know a secret they don’t: most of them will fail.
We don’t fail with our resolutions because we don’t try. The truth is that we often give it our all when we attempt resolutions. But we fail to consider something very important, especially when we consider health: in order to become more fit, we need more energy. And achieving big New Years’ Resolutions requires tons of energy, which is why most of us fail.
Instead of aiming for the stars and attempting fifty arduous resolutions, let’s only change one thing about our life that will create a huge impact and give us momentum to achieve all our other fitness goals in the long run.
Twelve years ago I stood at almost six feet and weighed ten pounds above the century mark. People suggested a fitness program to help me gain weight, but I lacked the energy to begin a fitness program. The idea of eating a lot of food also drained me as I disliked eating – it took too much energy and effort. However, almost forty percent of my daily calorie intake came from sugar, whether it was through sodas, treats or some form of desserts. In other words, I didn’t like eating food if it didn’t come with a lot of sugar and the energy bursts from sugar were great, though they quickly subsided.
Thankfully, an older man suggested that I stop eating sugar for food intake and try to eat only whole foods to see if it helped me gain weight. I agreed to try his method for one month only. Although whole foods did not increase my weight immediately, it did something else that shocked me and provides an excellent example of how one simple goal can result in major changes.
Without sugar in my diet, I had a ton of energy. I started working out two days a week. A month later, I increased my workout program to four days a week. By the end of the year, I was working out six days a week. The workout program and whole food also helped me gain weight after a few months, which had been a major encumbrance to my health. I also didn’t visit the doctor once that year for flu, allergies or a cold. Little did I know at the time that I wouldn’t visit the doctor again even for these ailments for the next twelve years (currently).
After a month, I forgot the taste of the popular sugar sodas that I had consumed. Once the sugar addiction was broken, I found it easy to forgo any sugar that was offered to me (such as desserts, treats or sodas). I found that water offered a simple, yet fulfilling taste, and began to notice that simple foods were sweeter than I imagined. For instance, many people describe blueberries as “tart,” but when you don’t consume sugar, blueberries are quite sweet. So is grapefruit. So are tomatoes. In fact, I found that each vegetable had a taste that I had never experienced.
I can’t write it enough: sugar is an enemy. Sugar sucks your energy by giving you a quick high. Sugar blinds your taste buds from sensing the variety life offers. And the worst part, sugar tempts you to keep coming back to it for solutions to the problems that it creates. When you dump sugar, you’ll find that all those other resolutions become easier to do. But do yourself a favor and try only this one resolution for the next three months and watch how everything else in your life becomes easier.
Last of all, say this to yourself everyday (or post it some place where you’ll see it every day): one simple action compounded over time equals a success greater than you can imagine.
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