A Healthy New Year’s Resolution
By Albert B. Kelly
If you are like me and a lot
of other Americans, you’ve no doubt started 2014 with some sort of resolution;
whether it involves exercise, being more organized, quitting smoking, spending
more time with family, or any one of a thousand other things; this is the time
of year where we tend to take stock of our lives.
For me, exercise and the gym
is the big one. In fact, someone recently commented on how crowded the area
gyms are with the start of the New Year. It will be interesting to see how
crowded these facilities are in April or May. No matter though, now is the time
of the year in which many have made that resolution to shed a few pounds; to
push away from the table and stop being a couch potato.
But here’s the thing; as well-meaning
as our resolutions might be, studies have shown that without some outside help or
motivation, our great intentions tend to fall by the way side. We start out
with enthusiasm, commitment, and purpose and in a relatively short time we lose
focus, become less committed, and perhaps give up altogether.
Therefore, I am asking you to
team-up with me to do a little better in 2014; both for your own sake and for
those who love you and care about you. Last year, I worked with a number of
volunteers and several sponsors in starting the “Worst to First” fitness campaign
to help raise awareness on the need to improve the overall health of our
county.
It seems that Cumberland County
and Salem County are always vying for the dubious distinction of being the most
unfit counties in New Jersey. Coupled
with that title, both counties also rank at or near the bottom as it relates to
negative health indicators as well. Throw in literacy and education, and we’ve
hit the trifecta.
While improving the numbers
as it relates to literacy and overall health is a long-term challenge that
takes time, we do have a starting place and it may very well be that New Year’s
resolution we made only days ago to start 2014. Maybe it’s time to show the
rest of New Jersey that we’re tired of being perceived in a negative light and
we are not going to let it stick any longer.
So let’s consider getting in
better shape; not only as solitary souls pounding out the miles on treadmills
and stationary bikes-otherwise sealed off from the world with ear-buds and music mixes’-but let’s get serious about
working together in our circle of friends, church groups, civic clubs, schools,
the workplace, poker buddies, and family members.
Why you ask? Because it helps
to have someone there to encourage you, support you, and help motivate you when
the going gets tough. You might even find that being accountable in a group is
the strongest of antidotes to the temptation to quit or slack off. In fact, we can
create our own “Worst to First Healthy Living Clubs” as a way to give us the
form and structure we need to follow through on our resolutions.
Even if we don’t achieve the
goal of getting to the top of the state rankings right away, I believe we have
to start making a healthier lifestyle a priority. Over these past 3 years,
you’ve heard from me on numerous occasions on the need for better health and
fitness. It’s not just a thing to do and it’s not just about where we rank in
New Jersey. It gets to the heart of what type of community we want to be. It’s
all connected; quality of life, a more productive workforce, a healthy outlet
for our young people, modeling a healthy lifestyle, discipline, pride, and
self-respect.
My goal is to have 500
individuals from the greater Bridgeton area form their own healthy living
clubs. I am looking for those people willing to take the lead and organize
their own group, which can be of any size, but ones that make sense for the
circle you move in. For example, there might be a study group that meets at a
local church on Tuesday mornings; members from that study group are a good fit
to form their own healthy living club.
Once we have some groups
committed to the idea of forming their own healthy living club, I plan to have
monthly events that will bring these groups together and help encourage each
other to get on and stay on the path to good health. A friendly competition for
a few prizes might also be a fun incentive to keep us moving.
If you are part of an
established group or willing to form a new group; to organize and lead that
group, please contact me via e-mail at mayor@cityfbridgeton.com
and let me know so we make 2014 the year we head from worst to first.