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PHOTO: D. SHUGAR
Fitness & Wellness
By Catherine Morisset
Make Health
Changes Last
Small things can transform your life
Most of us take far more time to plan a one-week
vacation than we take to plan our lives,to get what
we want most: great health, feeling great, more fun
— so we enjoy life more and do what counts for us.
When you plan a holiday,you identify quickly what you
specifically want — and don’t want.You take time to plan,
you make reservations, you take time off, have your home
looked after, etc. Do you plan your health? Can you plan
feeling great? Can you enjoy life more?
The thing is, most of us truly believe that we are powerless
to change what we perceive as a natural result of
aging: gaining weight for instance, being out of shape or
having cardiovascular disease. Of course, your genes may
predispose you to some disease — you can’t choose your
parents (yet). But a great deal of what happens to you,
health-wise, resides in your daily healthy (or unhealthy)
habits.
It appears that genetics might only account for less
than half of your health — so you have control over the
other half. For instance, your dad and all your male relatives
might have had heart attacks before the age of 40 but it
doesn’t mean you are doomed. Your daily habits can take
you closer to a heart attack — or protect you from it.
The key here is your attitude, which motivates you to
change — or not. If you believe that you truly have the
power to make changes to your health, then you will.There
are some tips to help you get stronger, healthier and
younger.
1. If you were healthier, what would you feel and look like?
2. If you were feeling healthy, youthful, and powerful, what
would you really like to do?
3. Determine what you can control over your lifestyle and
what you are willing to do.
4.What are you ready to do, now, to make this happen?
September 2008 • 18 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine