Resolve to make doable changes

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Resolve to make doable changes

By Stamford

Special to The Courier-Journal

Another year has rushed by. Gee, how time flies, especially at this

point in my life.

Is it because I'm older, and each year represents a progressively

smaller component of my life? When I was 10, for example, one year

represented one-tenth, or 10 percent, of my entire lifespan. That's

a big chunk. Now, one year is only 1.6 percent.

Or is it that anticipated events, like Christmas, a birthday or the

last day of school before summer vacation, are more predictable and

less exciting, and therefore they seem to arrive more quickly?

Whatever the reason, because time is so very precious, I'd love to

be able to save some of it in a bottle.

Each year at this time, many of us make New Year's resolutions. We

conjure up things we know we ought to be doing and pledge to do them

faithfully throughout the coming year.

I'm not sure what the exact statistics are, but I suspect that only

a small portion of 1 percent of all resolutions last until

Valentine's Day.

As such, I've preached my philosophy about resolutions for nearly 30

years in this column. Forget about pledging to do superhuman things

over the next 12 months, because trying to make big changes simply

doesn't work.

Instead, make choices that are comfortable and doable and that are

more likely to be sustained. Sound familiar?

Because I've presented this argument so many times and from every

conceivable angle, I've decided to shift gears and offer some

comments to those who refuse to make resolutions. They prefer not to

attempt to make any changes, and I respect that.

But I feel the need to clarify the implications of choosing not to

change.

The only sure things in life

As you are aware, there are only a few sure things in life. Death

and taxes come to mind immediately. Another sure thing is change.

No matter how hard we try to keep things the same, they change.

Sometimes we're lucky, and things change for the better.

But, unfortunately, in our society, when it comes to the personal

health of adults from one year to the next, the changes that occur

almost always take us in the wrong direction.

So what am I saying? For those who choose not to make any changes in

the coming year, change will occur regardless.

Thus, ironically, the decision not to make a positive change results

in a default that actually spurs a negative change -- such as weight

gain.

Our society is plagued by " creeping obesity. " It's the year-by-year

accumulation of a pound or two of body fat that leads ultimately to

obesity.

But the process is so subtle, it goes unnoticed until it's advanced

and we wake up one morning to the realization that we are now fat!

Unfortunately, adding body fat year after year is not the only thing

that goes unnoticed. Accompanying fat accumulation are increases in

blood pressure, blood sugar and serum cholesterol.

These increases, although ultimately lethal, operate freely under

the radar screen because the chronic diseases that disable and kill

us in epidemic proportions have no symptoms until the process is

very advanced.

We don't get chest pain until the arteries that feed the heart are

nearly fully clogged with cholesterol. Type-2 diabetes goes

undiagnosed in millions of Americans. And lumps large enough to feel

with your fingertips indicate a cancer that has been growing

undetected for a long time.

The resolution solution

I encourage you to consider making and keeping a modest New Year's

resolution to change in a positive way to prevent a negative change

from happening by default over the next year.

At minimum, pledge to change your lifestyle just enough to stop the

relentless weight gain that occurs annually. This, in turn, will

stop the progressive up-tick of blood pressure and the rest of

weight gain's health-destroying sidekicks.

To prevent the net gain of a pound or two of body fat over the next

year, you'll need to increase your caloric expenditure modestly each

day by walking up a few extra flights of stairs or skipping that

enticing cookie sitting on the counter. This is an attainable goal.

The bottom line

I suggest we all take the business of making a New Year's resolution

seriously this year. Please choose to make at least one positive

change, if for no other reason than to preserve the status quo.

Forget about losing 40 pounds or cutting your serum cholesterol

concentration in half. These are worthy goals, to be sure, but they

are too far out of reach and are abandoned too quickly.

Instead, record your current weight in a handy location and know

that if you weigh the same next year, you have won a major victory.

Good luck and have a happy and healthier New Year!

" The Body Shop " runs Thursdays. Stamford is professor and

chairman of the department of exercise science at Hanover College

and co-host of " HealthWorks " on WFPL radio. If you have questions or

suggestions, go to his Web site at DrStamford.com. Or address

questions to " The Body Shop, " The Courier-Journal, P.O. Box 740031,

Louisville, KY 40201-7431.