“Choose Your Hard”

I’ve heard the quote “choose your hard” throughout the years, and each time it stuck with me. Simply put, life is just a long sequence of choices, strung together into a timeline of savored moments, decisions, and experiences that ultimately leads you down your own unique path. The beauty is that everyones road is quite unique and personal, and yet we find common threads along the way that tie us together and define our outcomes.

Let’s Break it Down

“Choosing your hard” is a motto I have personally found a lot of benefit from leaning on when stimulating change in my life, hence why I offer it up to clients on a daily basis. When we come to a decision that needs to be made, whether it be something small, “what should I have for breakfast?” or large, “should I make this career shift?” this quote helps guide us to an answer.

Short-term vs. Long-term

At a presentation earlier this week, I used this quote to encourage the audience to make better decisions on a daily basis to move the needle toward better health. The reality is that there’s always a hard part… you just get to decide whether you want to get the hard part out of the way with now, when you are in control, or put it out of sight, out of mind and experience it later down the road, when the outcome chooses you instead.

“Hard” in the short-term may look like:

• Making a different choice today, than you did yesterday.
• Getting out of bed a little earlier to sneak a workout in.
• Going to bed earlier, instead of watching that 3rd episode on Netflix.
• Going for a walk after dinner rather than sitting on the couch.
• Eating a balanced breakfast from home, rather than going to the drive thru.
• Taking a few extra moments to read an ingredient label, before choosing an item in the store.
• Prioritizing protein, color, fiber, and healthy fats in your diet on a daily basis, rather than blindly choosing foods based only on your taste buds.
• Choosing seltzer instead of soda at lunch to reduce sugar intake.

“Hard” in the long-term may look like:

• Not being able to walk up the stairs without getting extremely winded.
• Being diagnosed with a preventable chronic disease(s):
  • Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, Heart Disease, Fatty Liver, Arthritis, Alzheimers, Dementia, Autoimmune diseases, etc.
• Spending your days in a doctor’s office waiting room, rather than wherever you’d rather be.
• Reliance on a pharmacy of daily medications to feel just okay.
• Not being able to play on the floor with your grandkids.
• Not being able to do the fun activities you always dreamed of for retirement, due to mobility issues or low energy.
• Choose your hard.

Expect The Uncomfortable

Don’t get it twisted; I never said making the right decision was easy (otherwise everyone would do it), but I can confirm that it is absolutely worth it. Choosing your health now on a daily basis, may feel hard at first, but the great news is that it gets easier and easier over time. Making a different choice that contrasts your usual autopilot mode will no doubt feel challenging, and uncomfortable. BUT that discomfort eases as you continue to move in the right direction.

Discomfort is exactly where the growth happens; when we push ourselves beyond what we thought we could be. These small “hard” choices now, are a breeze compared to letting your habits stack up against you and determine your life outcomes for weeks, years, and decades down the road.

Making It Less Hard

I’m in the business of habit change, and I understand the body quite literally inside-out, from both a mobility and nutrient fueling perspective. The hardest part is getting started, then once you gain a little momentum and feel a pinch better, the rest gets easier. I’m dedicated to making the short-term “hard” feel easier and more supported for my clients and for you.

Get Started Now

• Join the 6-Week Not Your Average Detox, an online group nutrition program that I’m running again starting the week of May 25th, and you’ll be done before the 4th of July. Join the fun!! The focus is to improve gut health and our liver’s detoxification to eliminate stored toxins, and feel energized and lighter in time for summer. Registration is now open, click the link here.
• Work with me 1:1 to do a deep dive into your current habits, and we’ll create an individualized and realistic plan to help you feel better, on your own terms. Click here for booking options, including a free 15-minute call to chat.

Be Well,

Sara

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