Quick fixes verses long term change

We live in a society that is built on a foundation of “instant gratification,” a foundation that is gaining greater influence by the minute.

Here are a few examples to get your mind going…

  • Miracle drugs that do all the work, and allow us to eat whatever we want whenever we want

  • Food that is served in seconds

  • Doctors who can take away age and weight with the cut of a knife

  • Diets that profess huge weight loss with minimal effort

  • Plastic cards that can give us money we have not earned

On top of it all, the media parades those who “seemingly” have beaten all odds and have made the quick fix in magazines, television and the internet. In reality what we see are bold faced lies. The media is far too often an illusion to the things of reality.

It is true, there are the lottery-moments when a long-term habit can be started in a day and kept up for a lifetime.

But the time tested way to permanent change, is by taking small and simple steps towards our chosen goal.

My journey to health and weight loss has thus far taken 3+ years of my life. This transformation was slow, very slow, and it was painful, very painful.

It started by making small decisions like…

  • Running 0.5 miles once or twice a week

  • Eating one or two pieces of fruit every few days

  • Only eating fast food 4 times a week

Then over time (2 years of small goals) my goals became more ambitious, like…

  • Running 3 miles once or twice a week

  • Eating one piece of fruit every day

  • Only eating fast food once every week

Now fast forwarding to today, some of my goals are as follows…

  • Running a Half Marathon once every month

  • Eating multiple servings of fruits and vegetables every day

  • Giving up fast food completely

My journey has been long, but I’ve found long journeys are the kind that transform lives. Short journeys and quick fixes do not have sufficient staying power to support permanent change.

Quick fixes have an extremely high rate of failure, whereas long journeys have an extremely high rate of success.

If we follow the social trends of society we are gambling away the health and longevity of our body. Is it worth it? That is for you to decide.

For me, there is no turning back.  A healthy life is a happy life. A healthy life is a life of patience. A healthy life is paying the price for our hopes and dreams.

A great man once said… The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step!

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