Choose your hard

 


A motivational fitness-themed image with two paths labeled 'Choose Your Hard'. One path shows an overweight person sitting on a couch with junk food and feeling tired, while the other path shows the same person jogging outdoors, looking energetic and healthy. In the background, an older version of the person appears fit and active, walking with family, symbolizing a long, healthy life. The image has a warm, inspiring tone with bright colors and a hopeful atmosphere.


Choose Your Hard

Being unhealthy is hard. Waking up early to work out is also hard. Choose your hard.

Eating healthy when you’re used to drive-thrus and microwave meals? Hard. But battling sickness that robs you of energy and independence? That’s harder. The truth is, life will always have challenges—you just have to pick the ones that give you the best future.

We procrastinate the things that could improve our lives because they’re inconvenient. But guess what? So is struggling later because we didn’t take action sooner. Quitting smoking is hard. Not quitting and dealing with the consequences is harder. As James Clear says in Atomic Habits, "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." So what are you voting for?

The goal isn’t just to grow old—it’s to grow old and still have a life worth living. Imagine yourself at 75, or even 90. Are you strong enough to go for a walk with your grandkids? Can you enjoy a variety of foods without worrying about blood sugar levels? Do you still have the freedom to move, travel, and experience life? Visualize that version of yourself. Now reverse-engineer how to get there.

The reality is, diabetes, heart disease, and chronic illness don’t just “happen.” Often, they are the result of years of habits that we can change. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology confirms that "Type 2 diabetes can be put into remission through sustained lifestyle changes, including weight loss and increased physical activity." So yes, it’s possible to turn things around.

But it starts with systems, not just willpower. Saying “I don’t have time” is just a way of saying, “It’s not a priority.” Start setting up systems that make the right choices easier. Stock your fridge with better food options. Set a non-negotiabletime for movement every day, even if it’s just a 10-minute walk. Make health part of your identity, not just something you force yourself to do.

There’s a quote that says: "A healthy person has a thousand problems. A sick person has only one." Don’t wait until illness makes your choices for you. Move out of survival mode and into self-awareness mode. Choose the hard that leads to a long, fulfilling life.

Time will pass either way. You can stay the same, or you can realize what truly matters and start today. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

Dillon Murugan

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