Finish What You Start! By Dr. Jannie Carter, Extension Assistant Director

How many times have you started a health and nutrition routine to put yourself on the right road to a healthy lifestyle, but somehow lost the momentum and got off track? Well join the ranks of millions of Americans who want to do the right thing but just can't seem to finish what they start. Educators and health experts alike continue to search for the formula that will encourage a lifetime commitment to better health. But, there is no magical formula; the answer lies within each of us individually to know better and to do better.

The reasoning behind the push for healthy lifestyle choices is rather obvious. Research attributes some 20 percent of deaths in the United States to improper diet and lack of exercise. The childhood obesity rate continues to rise, and more than a third of American adults are overweight. Adults and youth in obese and overweight categories are at particular danger of developing high-risk diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some forms of cancer. But this is not news. We hear the statistics and the warnings over and over and we resolve to do something. The natural response is to go on a diet, obtain a spa membership, or start an exercise routine. And then after a few weeks, what happens? We fall off the wagon.

Of course someone has to take the blame. So, we blame it on our commitment to get things done for work and family leaving no time to concentrate on ourselves and our health. We even blame it on the food industry and the availability of quick and easy choices that fit our time schedules and budgets, but may not be the healthiest choices. But the truth is there are no bad foods, just poor choices. "Double sizing" without exercising is a health threat. The keys to healthy food choices are simple: choose in moderation, respect portion sizes, watch the labels for dietary content, follow dietary guidelines, and do not consume more calories than you burn off. The bottom line is that it's our responsibility to be in tune with our individual prescription for physical health and to make the right choices to meet our nutritional needs.

But just knowing the right thing to do does not always get the results we want or need. The biggest failure comes in not understanding that healthy living is more than just making a right choice now and then. It involves a lifelong process of making healthy choices that will not go away with a magical pill. Naturally, bad choices will be made but they should not become a way of life.

Consider this advice if you are convinced that it's time for you to change your lifestyle for a better you. Take it one step at a time and deal with hurdles as you go. Don't let them become stumbling blocks, but work around them at a steady pace. It won't happen overnight, but consistency in your behavior can lead to routines that result in positive changes. Become physically active, make better choices, and encourage yourself. If your character is not that of a quitter, don't start now. Finish what you start for a healthier you.

Mosing, Linda. (2009, April 7). Give it up: Top 10 worst foods. Lifescript. Retrieved January 11, 2010.

Wright, C. (2008, January 27). How to finish what you start. Better Living Today. Retrieved January 11, 2010.

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