New Year’s resolutions actually anger me.  Now I’m not totally innocent.  I’ve used the calendar to motivate me a bit to change my diet back to clean, or get back to a cardio regime, but the idea of those who feel like health is a priority for January gets me a little bothered.  Number one, it always makes the gym crowded, and you have to wait on two or three people that have spent Summer, Fall and early Winter in hibernation before you can use any equipment.  Parking lot is crowded, and being a chiropractor and seeing the absolutely atrocious form that some beginners use actually causes MY spine to hurt.  Second, it reminds me how low on people’s priority list their own personal health actually is.  As I pass through a crowded grocery store, seeing severely overweight people shopping down the cookie aisle or the guy who cant even get to his car without stopping to light up that next cigarette, I think the vein in my forehead pops out to a near alien-like level.  No doubt, I am (you are, too) currently, or will be in the future, forced to pay for some of this person’s health care, and basically will be charged with a fine for someone else making poor life choices.   Does that mean I can’t swing through a drive-thru and grab some Taco Bell here and there?  Of course it doesn’t.  It means that I don’t make it a habit.  I am a big believer in taking responsibility for your own actions, and I just don’t see much of that happening when it comes to our health anymore.

Maybe all of this doesn’t bother you as much as it does me.  But I know one thing: I will not be that person.  You will not be paying for my health care because of poor choices I have made.  I will choose to treat my body as the only one I have.  I know that health is often only valued once it’s lost.  I know that every choice I make regarding diet, exercise, emotion, spirituality, and interpersonal relationships will, barring a fatal accident, affect not only my longevity, but my quality of that life.  And who cares about quantity of life if it is of zero quality?  Not me.

So my challenge to you is to ignore the calendar.  If you realize that life doesn’t refresh on January 1st, you will make your health “resolutions” last past January 31st.  Get up, off your butt and realize that you have a limited time left.  Change your habits.  Take responsibility for your own actions.  Do something fun, do something physical, and while I hope you all had some excellent barbecue ribs for the holiday (my mom makes the best), it’s time to look at some grilled chicken and green veggies on your plate!

– Dr. Craig