Seeing how I love being so active I decided to start running. This was not something that came natural for me. It was something that I spontaneously decided to do since I was involved in other endurance activities. As soon as I started my new adventure there were 5k races advertised everywhere I looked. Having such a competitive spirit I knew I had to enter these races. After all, I wasn’t even a runner but my time was getting pretty good. Now that I was plugged into the running community I begin to hear so much about the Music City Half Marathon. That was it! I’m going to run the half marathon!

How many times in our lives do we do that? We jump into things before we clearly think them through and have a proper understanding of what they really are. We see others succeeding in areas that we only dream about and we strive to achieve the same things without fully being trained for them. We’re eager to “jump on the bandwagon” or “follow the current trends” just because everyone else seems to be.

When we begin to feel hopeless in our current situations we tend to look towards things that are getting a lot of attention because they’re new and it’s what everyone’s doing. Whether it is the new “super shake” or the “wonder wrap” we need to be sure we’ve educated ourselves on the products and the possible side effects of them. As the summer approaches we’re anxious to look our best and we’ll do just about anything to achieve it fast.  However, there are some things that require time and an understanding of how to get there in a healthy way. There’s no magic pill or quick fix to allow us to achieve our goals immediately.

I challenge you to hop off the bandwagon and begin to work towards your goals in a way that’s realistic and safe. Super-restrictive diets lack the nutrients you need and can have damaging effects on your body. Healthy nutrition and an active lifestyle is the key to success. Exercising and staying active might seem like the old fashion way but it is still the best form of weight loss. Forming good eating habits and applying them daily will help you achieve lifelong results as opposed to a temporary change.

So the next time you race to the newest product be sure you’ve done your research. Just because it’s what everyone else is doing doesn’t mean it’s meant for you. Someone told me to make the half marathon a two-line race. Cross the start and the finish. In between, enjoy the sights and ignore the time.  The real prize is to know that you’ve earned your accomplishment and you’ve set a good example along the way.

Quick Tip: Carry index cards that list the reasons you want to lose weight. When temptation strikes, pull them out and reflect. You’re more likely to stay accountable when you connect to the emotions that you had while writing down your goals.

by Kim Duke

Columnist Kim Duke can be reached at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it