As March moves in, the steadfast determination of many people to continue carrying out their New Year's resolutions is no doubt starting to fade. If you are still holding strong to the things you have changed in your life, bravo! If not, well, there's always next year, right?

However, anyone who has abandoned a plan to better their health will eventually be right back in the same boat that they started. Maybe the weight will come back, the bad habits will return or the physical activity will decrease until it is virtually non-existent. Never fear, it doesn't have to be Jan. 1 to get a new lease on life.

Making permanent change is much harder than making a short lived pact to do something because of a resolution. Change needs to be gradual and accepted to really stick around for the long haul. If you started your new year by walking everyday and you absolutely detested it, odds are that you're not reading this after your morning stroll! Yet, if you found out that you absolutely love walking and couldn't live without it, you might just go walking everyday for the rest of your life.

The hardest part is finding something new to replace the old. Whether it is food or physical activity, if it's not enjoyable, it's not going to become a fixture in your life. When you do find something you actually take pleasure in that benefits your health, you'll often look back and think, "How did I live without this?"

For some, it may be a new hobby like swimming, hiking, skiing, biking or just taking a walk in the evenings. For others, it may be the realization that whole foods, or even raw foods, are far more enjoyable than processed foods because they provide a lot more energy and none of the nasty digestive side effects. It may even be as simple as getting eight hours of sleep a night and recognizing that you feel more refreshed and ready to start a new day.

The real sticking point comes when you begin to see the positive effects of the changes you have made. Things like a slimmer figure, the destruction of a bad habit, more energy, an increase in stamina, greater motivation, less illness or a myriad of other things will leave you feeling better about yourself at the end of each day. Finding those results in tasks you actually enjoy is the tough part.

As a chiropractor, I see people every day who are motivated to better their health. While some people come to the office due to a problem, others come to stop problems before they begin. And really, health should be defined as never getting sick in the first place. Making positive changes right now, and adopting them for the rest of your life, is the sure way to ward off potential illness. You don't have to get sick, you're not destined for disease and you don't have to live in pain.

It doesn't take a particular calendar year to begin this process, but it does take a decision to want to be a healthier you. So, get out there, find those things you enjoy, and just keep on doing them. The positive changes will come when you see the results and decide to never take a step backward. The real treat is when you find something you enjoy so much that you no longer even think about how healthy it happens to be!

To schedule an appointment or find more information, give us a call at (208) 667-7434 or visit us on the Web at CDAHealth.com.