I hope everyone is doing well and getting healthy, whatever that means for you.

Susanne

I wanted to share something that resonated with me that I am trying to apply to my efforts in 2008. I read a success story in a health magazine about a woman who lost over 100 pounds in a year. She had a great attitude about her weight loss journey – she set a simple goal to lose two pounds a week and she says “in a year I was at my goal!” For me, setting out to lose 100 pounds (or 50, or 25, or even 10) is a daunting thought. But, realistically, could I lose 1-2 pounds per week? Sure. The challenge for me comes with being OK with a 1-2 pound/week weight loss. I have these expectations that I can not be successful unless I lose “Biggest Loser” numbers every week – and that’s where I ultimately lose momentum and quit.

I think this woman’s attitude can be applied to all things health-related. No one can expect to run a marathon or develop Popeye muscles in the first day of exercise. Just the same that it is unrealistic to think that I will never ever eat another piece of chocolate (or give up beer!) Instead, the challenge I have posed to myself this year is thinking about success as small changes over a longer period of time – and realizing that being successful is more than just what the scale says.