Beech Tree News Network

In the fall of 2011, my health became a focus for me. My doctor had encouraged me to lose weight, eat more nutritiously, and move more – make a life change. Like most people, I pretty well knew what to do; I just had difficulty doing it. Old habits and attitudes are hard to overcome.

An article on the University of California, Riverside, website explained physical wellness:

Physical wellness is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. The ability to recognize that our behaviors have a significant impact on our wellness and adopting healthful habits (routine checkups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.) while avoiding destructive habits (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.) will lead to optimal Physical Wellness (http://wellness.ucr.edu/seven_dimensions.html).

Many people struggle with achieving or maintaining healthy habits, such as:

- Changing unhealthy attitudes or habits

- Engaging in regular physical activity

- Practicing proper nutrition

- Setting an adequate sleep routine

I asked friends and family whether they struggle in any of the four areas mentioned above. Their responses are below:

- I struggle in all of the above.

- During the week is the worst for eating right, sleeping enough, and exercising. - - Fast food is convenient. I have too much to do: work and after-work work wear me out, and I don’t feel like working out.

- I struggle with changing habits and sleep.

-Eating nutritiously and exercise.

- I’m a college student taking 18 hours; so, I struggle with all of these, but mainly with sleep and exercise. I try to pack my lunch or grab Subway instead of fast food on campus. I’m lucky to get 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. As far as exercising goes, I try to walk around campus as much as I can instead of riding the bus. The hill at WKU will help keep you in shape, but I don’t have time to go to the gym.

- Nutrition and sleep.

- Changing bad habits.

- Exercise. Eating healthy. I try occasionally to do better, but I just don’t last long. For me, life is too short to be worried all the time about diets. I do think exercise is important; but, I’m not too concerned, or I would be doing something about it.

- All of the above! Probably exercising is the worst.

- I don’t know. I’ve never done any of those things.

- I really think this depends on your mindset. Presently, I would have to say all of the above that you mentioned.

- Exercising, getting enough sleep, and not effectively relieving stress (from school, emotional, etc.).

- Hands down, exercising regularly.

- All of the above!

- Eating nutritiously is my biggest weakness. It’s so expensive to eat healthy.

- Maintaining that healthy attitude once I have achieved weight loss. I also struggle to remember the importance of taking medication, continuing to exercise, etc. The best motivation is to remember how it feels to weigh less, to be able to get up quickly, to have clothes feel loose, and not to be out of breath. On a good day, the benefits help me to maintain.

- Smoking and sleep.

- Eating!

- I struggle with exercising consistently and eating healthy. I like pasta and chocolate way too much!

- Exercising on a regular basis.

- I struggle the most with portion control. If I like it (and I’m not picky), I want a LOT of it!

-All of the above!

As a diabetic, I work to maintain healthy habits. When my fight against obesity began, I was advised to lose 38 pounds. In our world of Extreme Weight Loss and The Biggest Loser, that doesn’t sound too hard, does it? Over the past 35 months, I have lost 30.5 pounds (80% of the goal); I have 7.5 more pounds to lose. My physician – thankfully – has said slow weight loss is good. For me, losing weight is really a battle. Many days, I simply haven’t done what’s necessary. And, my weight has gone up and down, not steadily down.

It’s no secret: adopting healthful habits leads to a better quality of life. Someone has said, “I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.”  Will I reach my goal? I’m close. But, ask me in six months…or maybe a year.