By Melanie Stewart

Have you ever invested in the latest book, product, a new class or an inspiring seminar that left you feeling enthusiastic and committed to a healthy goal? Every year, millions of people resolve to do something differently, vowing to eat right, exercise regularly, save more or spend less. If you’ve ever made a resolution and failed to keep it, don’t worry! You’re in good company. Of the people who make resolutions, 75% will last only a week!

“The second day of the diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you’re off of it.” – Jackie Gleason

The Top 3 Reasons people quit their wellness resolutions:

1. Time – We let our hectic schedules trump our health goals. The bottom line is we have time for what we do. That means prioritizing your wellness both nutritionally and physically.
2. Disappointment – When our desired goals don’t match our actual results. Future health benefits are like a mirage and thus fail to maintain their inspiration over the long term. Easy action steps that result in specific, measurable and realistic goals can mean the difference between maintaining your commitment or lack of permanent progress.
3. Motivation – We put wellness into the category of what we should do versus what we want to do. No matter what we are taught, there is a tendency to return to our “normal”. The normal that got us exactly where we don’t want to be anymore! That’s why it is important to understand WHY in addition to WHAT. Positive health is our greatest source of wealth, yet too many of us don’t have it. Billions of dollars certainly indicate it isn’t from a lack of interest! Understanding why is key to trumping the excuses that have hindered us from achieving and maintaining permanent, positive, health.

Nutrition Education is a means to a goal. While a healthy weight is important, being truly healthy goes well beyond the number on the scale. Positive health includes the absence of disease, better physical and mental performance and an abundance of vitality.

Rather than focusing exclusively on the “number on the scale”, redirect your focus to internal numbers including: cholesterol ratios, triglyceride and glucose levels and markers of internal inflammation. When you understand how your internal numbers influence your external results, it becomes much easier to make the choices that achieve measurable improvements to your overall health, including your weight.

2030 Less than 12 years away. How old will you be? How old will your children or grandchildren be?Here are some of what researchers tell us we have to look forward to between now and then:

If America’s obesity trend continues at its current pace, all 50 states will have obesity rates above 44%. Diabetes is predicted to increase by 54%. The number of people diagnosed with heart failure is projected to rise by 46%. The incidence of colon and rectal cancer in people aged 20 will increase 90%.  An estimated 2,220,692 new cases of cancer will occur in the US in the year 2030 – a 55% increase from 2008 when there were 1,437,199 new cancer cases in the US. We can do better.

Melanie Stewart is a Holistic Health Coach specializing in human digestion and the importance of eating REAL foods the RIGHT WAY. She is also an experienced educator, author, counselor/coach and public speaker. To learn more about her upcoming seminars and workshops visit www.yumtumnutrition.com.