Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade or so, weight related illness is a big problem globally. It’s not just those obese Americans anymore, Australia, Canada and France have also seen steady increases in obesity rates.

The alarming increase in our collective waistline’s has created an EXPLOSION in the health and fitness industry – especially in the exercise and weight loss arena.

Typing ‘weight loss’ into Amazon.ca produces over 83,000 books, with more titles being added every day. With so much content and opinion being produced on such an important issue, it can be hard to know who to listen to and what’s the right thing to do to eat healthy (and what’s the wrong thing to do).

Since we came back from the New Year’s break, I’ve been asking all of my practice members this question: “What are your resolutions?” And I’ve been surprised that the most common answer so far has been “Oh, I don’t believe in those.”

I suppose it really shouldn’t be surprising that less and less people are taking part in the tradition – only about 8% of Americans are successful in achieving their resolutions anyway… and I’m assuming the statistics are similar in Canada.

However, What I’m really asking, when I say: “What are your resolutions?”, is: “What are your goals for this year?”

After your health, time is arguably your most valuable asset.

The problem is, especially during this time of year, so many different things & people are making demands on our time, from work deadlines, to shopping, and family. Often times we let these ‘other’ demands supersede our own needs and wants (Christmas is about giving, right?).

And what’s interesting is that in order for us to have the time, energy and resources to be able to give attention to each of these demands, we need to take care of ourselves first. How often have you thought to yourself, “Man! I really wanted to get to the gym today, but I HAD to  _______________?”

Moving from a conventional or SAD (Standard Australian/American) diet is tough.

Believe me, I know.

When I made the change, I went all in and threw out anything with dairy, sugar, grains and alcohol all at the same time. And next came the WORST. CARB FLU. EVER.

However, I knew it would be a good thing, and a few weeks (and 20 pounds of weight lost) later, I felt great and haven’t looked back since.