The Hard Work Of Change

I’m not here to lecture you. Or tell you what you already know. Or remind you that, perhaps, you partook in a bit too much food and drink during the December holidays. 

But if you are at all like me, you may have created a list of all the things you hope to achieve in 2022 and I’d be willing to bet some tidbit about improving your health — and exercising — made it in there again. 

I am a writer by trade, which means, I know how to spin a good tale.

So, when thoughts of getting fit kick in, they kick in with flair — I’m not just going to get back on a bike, I’m going to start training for the Tour de France. I’ve never been a fan of jogging, but as the decades start piling up, I imagine how rewarding it would feel to cross that finish line in New York City’s famed race. 

It’s fun (and exceptionally easy) to dream of change, but as we all know, it’s taking that first real step, along with the discipline to stick with it, that brings the greatest reward in the end. Otherwise, you’re just making up great stories.

This January, I turn to my best friend for inspiration. Fitness never played a part in her adult life and yet, on the cusp of 50, she decided to rewrite her story, joined a gym, began working with a trainer and transformed herself.  It’s not easy — life begs to get in the way, and we all know that lethargic feeling of wanting to put off exercising for just one day. Yet, despite the challenges, she powers through and has committed to making exercise a part of her daily routine.  

That’s not to say a peanut butter cookie doesn’t sneak its way into the diet or a Sunday workout session gets replaced by a leisurely morning with the fam. It’s that grounded approach to exercise, allowing for the ebbs and flows of work and play, that has led her to a healthy, active and ultimately better place. 

I’m incredibly proud and inspired by her. She reminds me to save my imagination for another moment of my day. There’s no Tour de France race to complete or marathon line to cross — only the hard work of incorporating small and steady steps towards your health with the goal of a better, stronger and healthier you, each day.

Happy Reading!

Alona Abbady Martinez

alona@bocaratonobserver.com