New Year's resolutions though always have a certain sticky veneer to them that people really don�t like. They make you feel overly obligated, and like an utter failure if you don�t follow through. After all, resolving to make a huge change in your life just like that isn't the most natural thing to do.
However for some, like my dad who quit smoking over 20 years ago, cold turkey, when the clock struck 1989, it was actually an incentive for him to quit. The �resolution� part got his butt in gear and pigeonholed him into a corner so-to-speak � in a way forcing him to do the impossible. And he hasn't picked up a cigarette since.
But how are New Year's resolutions altered, if at all, if you have a disability? Like everyone else, many people with disabilities jump on the New Year's resolution bandwagon each year, and some have resolutions that are connected to their disability. One of the most common? You guessed it - to lose weight. The Buddha belly is the arch nemesis of people who use wheelchairs. When you can't move your lower half, it�s easier to add on the extra pounds.
If losing weight (and getting healthy) is one of your resolutions this year and you use a wheelchair, one of the best ways to get started is by falling in love with healthy food all over again. Begin by buying your favorite fruits and vegetables (and often), and making use of your favorite salad dressings. Do whatever you can to get yourself to eat healthy. In fact, my New Year's resolution last year was this very thing.
In January of last year, I began buying everything I loved: Whole heads of Cauliflower (which I roast whole), Swiss chard (chopped and eaten raw in a salad), cans of sliced beets, avocados, almonds, and of course, a big bag of frozen whitefish (Swai is an inexpensive whitefish you can buy right now). I started combining these foods in different ways, playing around with roasting and other ways of cooking them and before I knew it, eating a fast food cheeseburger started giving me gut rot. Ha. That's how happy my body became when I started eating healthy.
I won't lie though. This is the first time I've been able to follow through with a New Year's resolution. I usually don't even try. I think, �Why challenge yourself when you can live leisurely?� Life is too short to put yourself on a timetable for change. But last year was the year I found out how wrong I was. My eating healthy resolution has changed my life. My bladder has stopped hurting, I�m more clear of mind and, well, I couldn�t be happier. I've finally realized that a lot of good can come from resolutions.
What resolutions do you have in mind in 2013? Do you want to try an adapted sport that you've never had a chance to try? Do you want to use your standing frame more often and build up your bone density? Or is your resolution more fun, such as resolving to eat more skittles and laugh more often?
Whatever your idea of positive change may be for the upcoming year, don't forget - the beginning of a new year is one of our best opportunities to make that change you�ve been dreaming of. Don�t let it pass you by.
What New Year�s resolutions are you thinking about for 2013? Anything unique?