Posted by Scott V Watkins, MD Functional Medicine Nutraceutical Provider
At the start of every new year, thoughts often turn to making resolutions. But this annual ritual has become as much of a joke as an intention for most people.
For many years, I have not bothered to even say I’m committing to a resolution. It always seemed a waste of time! This year, though, I have decided to give it another try.
You may have heard that gym memberships skyrocket in early January, and may even have been among the people making that commitment to join. But gyms are packed for a few weeks, and then … they’re not. The problem, I feel, is that we set unrealistic goals for ourselves. If you, or I, are not inclined to join a gym and follow through on going regularly, promising to go because it is Jan. 1, or even putting a gym membership on your credit card, probably won’t change your habits.
However, that’s where Functional Medicine can come into play.
Modifiable lifestyle factors are a huge component of Functional Medicine. We know we need to commit to changes, but as practitioners and patients, we also know that’s difficult. On top of that, we tend to want our results yesterday!
When I, or my patients, have fallen out of the exercise habit, trying to“sneak up” on the activity — in other words, starting slow — is a viable approach to turning things around. I will actually do 5 minutes (!) on the treadmill or rowing machine. EVERYONE has 5 minutes they can spare during the day. I then slowly increase that time until I reach a full workout. Starting slow and gradually increasing workout time is easier on the muscles, but more importantly, it helps trick our psyche into doing the activity. I, for instance, sometimes start with just 5 squats or three bicep curls, then increase the number of repetitions from there. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
This ties in nicely with some recent reading I have been doing about constantly striving to get better. Moving toward a goal and evolution are important, but we can beat the heck out of ourselves with self-improvement. I sometimes cannot even face the idea of reading another book or article about “7 Rules…”!! (No offense meant to that author). This can actually result in self-defeat rather than self-help. When I see a picture of British actor Henry Cavill ready for his next movie role, I am usually not inspired to work out. More often, I reach for chocolate and the remote control.
We all need to find the motivation that works for us and to just keep trying.
My resolution this year is simple: Try to be just 1% better than yesterday. This is not my great revelation — many authors have written about this approach. I want to apply this 1% improvement to all aspects of my life: Working out, working smarter, studying, being in a relationship, working in my garden, being a better friend. Will I do 1% in all of these every day? NO! But as long as we are moving forward, even a 1% improvement in one of these each day is tremendous progress.
So, I will not be buying that new gym membership, although I have written articles in our Learning Center about how important I feel it is to have a personal trainer, and I will not buy a new piece of exercise equipment or even throw out all of the chocolate in my house.
But I will keep trying for 1%, each day, in something.
To learn more about easing into exercise, for instance, here are just a couple of our articles:
Wishing you a Healthy, Happy, and Prosperous New Year!