“I’m going to start exercising.  I will walk every day.  I will eat healthier.”  Your intentions may be good, but often there are barriers that get in the way.

There is a beautiful bike path at the river near where I live that I love to walk and run along.  It is also popular with the local geese who have a propensity for pooping on the path.  For one of my friends, the poop on the path is his barrier to walking.  You have a choice how you deal with the barriers that always seem to be on the path to good intensions.

1. Look for a way around the barrier ahead. This may mean checking in with your doctor to be sure the exercise plan you are about to embark upon is right for you.  You may need to attend a class, join a gym or hire a trainer to help you find the correct program or get a workout partner to hold you accountable.
2. Run right through the “poop”. Despite the barriers, you can keep going.  You can deal with your “barriers” or more often they are “excuses” when they come up.  I’ve found that if you keep going and ignore those barriers, they usually aren’t an issue anymore.
3. Focus on the beauty of the reflections on the river, the blue sky, gentle breeze, the wonder of the baby geese and the beautiful flowers—the wonder of moving your body. Ignore the “poop” and without even realizing it, by the time you finish, what seemed like a barrier is no longer important.

There are always going to obstacles, difficulties and “poop” on the path to a healthier lifestyle.  You have a choice how you deal with them—avoid them, deal with them as they come up, just keep going through them or be so focused on the beauty of the journey that you don’t even see the “poop” on the path.