James Talks: Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution

Healthy living is far better than any medicine – and it’s completely without the bad side effects.

We intuitively know this, because according to a poll conducted by YouGov in December, eating healthier and getting more exercise were neck-and-neck as the most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2018. But as we all know, the problem isn’t in making the resolutions or setting goals – it’s in sticking with them. Unfortunately, according to the statistics, more than 40 percent of us fail our New Year's resolution goals after only 1 month.

The key to lasting success is staying motivated and persevering. I didn’t get to be a 30-year cancer survivor by chance. Perseverance and persistence have been the keys to my lasting success. Once you set personal goals, you simply can’t give up until you reach them. Sometimes I get tunnel vision, and that goal I’ve set is all I can see until I reach it.

There was a point in my healing journey when I had just gotten out of the hospital and I was so weak and tired that I could barely get out of bed; that I was starting to feel a little discouraged by the way I felt in my body. Instead of succumbing to my emotion, I didn’t let it get me down; I used it to turn things around.

I started setting goals – that day – and I believed that if I could run 18 miles, that would be a sign to me that I was gonna beat that cancer and live a long, healthy life. And still sore from surgery, I ran that 18 miles. I felt dead tired after, and my leg swelled terribly, but I did it. And if I can run my race despite challenges that felt as big as mountains, I believe you can, too.

True Health Means More Than What You See in the Mirror

There are benefits to a healthy lifestyle beyond just how you look – those lifestyle changes could save your life like they saved mine. One thing I like to say is don’t be a doctor’s Christmas present. A new study shows if you stick to your resolutions to eat healthily and exercise, you can cut your cancer risk by 16 percent. Also, if you lower your alcohol intake, maintain a healthy weight and don’t smoke, then your total cancer risk is cut by one third. That’s a big deal!

Let me put this another way, because it’s important. It’s your lifestyle, not your genes, that determines your cancer risk. Your genes may load the gun, but it’s your cellular environment that pulls the trigger. I take my Daily Greens Formula faithfully every day, because I believe it’s the key to a healthy environment at the cellular level.

You may have been dealt a bad hand when it comes to genes, but if you live a healthy lifestyle, there’s nothing to pull the trigger to activate those gene mutations. This principle holds true for most major diseases that have a genetic component, including the genetic heart disease that led to my father and my grandfather’s early passing. (My last screening showed 0% plaque in my arteries.)

It’s Not Too Late – Plan for Success

I know we’re already a little way into the new year, and maybe you didn’t make a resolution or set personal goals for a healthier lifestyle, or you’re having trouble following through on what you promised yourself. I understand how hard it is to get motivated to exercise when it’s cold outside. I understand how challenging it is to have your food and drink choices restricted while everyone around you seems to be eating, drinking and celebrating.

This is when the rubber meets the road and persistence pays off. This is the time when goal setting becomes taking action to reach them.

Plan ahead for your best success and have a nutrient dense smoothie or protein-rich snack before you head to that gathering or party, because when you feel satisfied, you are much less likely to make unhealthy food choices. It’s time to get creative and think outside the box to build your arsenal of weapons to combat social situations that would otherwise throw you off your goals.

You Don’t Have to Go it Alone

Maybe you’re someone who does better with a plan, in a group, or maybe even with an accountability partner. I invite you to pick up a copy of Ann Louise Gittleman’s New Fat Flush Plan and join her amazingly supportive community of 6,000+ people on Facebook following the Fat Flush lifestyle. I’m in it, and it’s the most supportive, helpful and fun group I’ve ever been part of.

I’ve done it both ways – I’ve been the only one I knew eating healthy, and I’ve surrounded myself with a community who followed the same lifestyle I was living. Let me tell you, being part of a group is more fun, more accountability, and less work than trying to do it all on your own.

Ann Louise Gittleman is also just a few days into her 2-week Fat Flush QuickStart Challenge, and she has pulled out all the stops on this one to make sure you have your best success with weight loss. For example, our Weight Loss Formula combined with her QuickStart Coffee Energy Blaster has a synergistic effect together and jump-starts your fat-burning metabolism for a dramatically faster weight loss.

You can jump in on the QuickStart right now if you don’t mind being a few days behind, or you can stay tuned for the next one. Either way, don’t let goal setting be the beginning and end of your journey. Success is in action – and you can do it.