Healthy Living: Determination

Determination is what will get you through the rough patches when you stumble.

Mother’s Day was this past weekend so I decided to take it easy and enjoy the morning.  Filled my cup with coffee, called the dogs and got comfy in my rocking chair on the back porch while watching the sunrise. Porch sitting is definitely one of my favorite things to do.




Birds were chirping as I watched the horses grazing at the back of the property. Eventually I guess the dogs became bored and went into the house for their morning naps which left me and the cranky cat on the porch.  As I’m rocking, I notice a few squirrels walking around the poles that hold the bird feeders. Cranky cat is sleeping and paying absolutely no attention to the squirrels or the birds for that matter. She should have been fired long ago.

Back to the squirrels. My mother recently sent us a Slinky to put on each pole to stop the squirrels from getting to the feed in the bird feeders.  If you do not know what a Slinky is, it is a toy that is basically a spring that was popular back in the “day.”  There was even a commercial, see below, on TV that would show the Slinky walking down steps. Pretty cool toy actually. )

We placed the Slinky on the pole with part of the spring under the bird feeder to keep it on the pole. The goal being the squirrels would reach the Slinky which would unwind and give the squirrel a nice ride back to the ground.  Interesting concept and it did work – for a bit. Not sure but I believe the squirrels that live in my trees are college graduates.

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Will the squirrel win?

It did not take long for the squirrel’s determination to reach that feeder to overcome the goal of the Slinky to stop him. My husband told me that the squirrel pushed the Slinky up the pole far enough to get to the feeder by using its head. Pretty smart squirrel right?

Watching the squirrel and its determination, got me thinking that most of us have goals we want to reach. They may be health goals or they may be other goals you set for yourself for career or family. It is hard to stay on track some days to reach those goals.  What is even worse? Quitting. Quitting is by far the worst habit we have.

We all get frustrated.  I know I have been particularly frustrated lately with my weight.  Frustrated to the point where I have felt ready to give up and just call it a day and be happy with the weight I have lost and not worry about losing the rest. Sitting on the porch Sunday morning watching those squirrels gave me the push I need to keep on keeping on.

As a fitness instructor, I know how important it is to keep our weight in a healthy range. However as a woman who has struggled with weight most of her life, I also know how challenging it can be.

Like the squirrel that was determined to win the battle against the Slinky that was stopping him from reaching his goal, we need the same determination to reach our goals. Take a moment to think about your goals and why they are important to you. Then get back on track. It is time to pull up our big girl panties and move forward.  Are you ready to join me?

To your health,

Denise