Here is a definition of “ADVERSITY”: a difficult situation or condition : misfortune or tragedy
During our lives, we will all be faced with adversity. This can come in the form of:
- Illness/medical conditions
- Problems (medical or other) with family members
- Challenging jobs
- Interpersonal conflicts at work
- Financial struggles
Many more bullet points can be added to this list.
There are several ways that we can respond to adversity:
- Become sad, sullen and feel morose
- Find other outlets to experience enjoyment
- Get to the root causes of the adversity and try to reverse those
Specifically focusing on weight control: There is no doubt that overweight/obese people are faced with lots of adversity when it comes to shedding the weight. If losing weight was not an “adverse” situation, more than 70% of our country would not be overweight/obese.
Responding to the adversity faced by overweight/obese people requires a positive, “can do” energy, followed by a strategized game plan that clearly outlines the path to success in shedding the weight. Pretending that the problem does not exist or having no action plan in place will result in the weight problem not disappearing.
Adversity, in most cases, can be overcome. Weight control is no exception.
This post was inspired by the events of Monday Night Football, when the N.Y. Jets lost their highly hyped off-season acquisition, quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn achilles tendon after only 4 plays. At least in the short term, they overcame adversity to win the game against a great football team, the Buffalo Bills.
And here is an Elton John classic to inspire people to overcome adversity….”I’m Still Standing”.
