January 1 is two days away.  Chances are, you’re planning on making some kind of health resolution.  This might be short-term to get back on track, or a longer one to create a new habit.   I’m not going to provide you any inspirational memes, give you a rah-rah cheer, or tell you of the latest fitness and nutrition program.  You can find all those and more on Pinterest.  What I am going to tell you is simple:

Stay in your own space.

What do I mean by that?  Figure out how you want the next few weeks or months to look.  What works for you?  What is sustainable?  What is realistic?  Then commit to staying in that.

It’s so easy to let comparison pull us out of our space.  I’m constantly fighting to stay where I need to be.  A few examples:

• My dear God-sent friend, TheFitnessedSister, teaches group fitness classes and is also a personal trainer.  We push each other to be better in our jobs and often trade ideas.  Between classes and training clients she works about 18 hours a week.  Me?  Two.  When I start talking with her, the little demon called Comparison sits on my shoulder and says, “Amy.  Look at her.  Look at all she’s doing and the people she’s helping.  She’s changing lives.  You could too, if only you would take on more classes and become a personal trainer.”  Comparison is right, but he doesn’t care about the big picture.  In my picture, it’s not best for me or my family to take on more right now.  Stay out of my space, Comparison.
  

• I ran into a former student at the grocery store.  She looked amazing.  Incredible!  She has six-pack abs (I’m taking her word for it — she didn’t lift her shirt up in the deli aisle) and is following some nutritional plan that I don’t remember.  She’s working out at home and her family has transitioned to a healthier lifestyle.  Once again, Comparison speaks up.  “Maybe you should do that.  Maybe you should get the name of her plan and better your meals and do whatever exercises she is doing.”  Maybe not.  Maybe that doesn’t work within my own goals of balance.  Maybe what works for her nutritionally would make me a total witch to live with.  Stay out of my space, Comparison.

• Here in Houston, many runners are preparing for the Houston Half or Full Marathon January 15.  I am not.  Instead, I have chosen to challenge myself a different way and train for time in a 5K.  Whenever anyone asks if I’m running the half (because there’s no way I would ever do a full), I sheepishly say no and quickly back it up with “but I’m training for a 5K and want to see how fast I can run it!” I hold myself back from telling them exactly how hard I’m working for that 5K and all the speedwork drills I’ve been doing.  I refrain from following that with stating I’ve completed four 13.1ers.  Comparison tells me the shorter distance isn’t valid.  That’s ridiculous, of course.  My space right now is a 5K.  If it’s good enough for Lauren Fleshman, it’s good enough for me.  Stay out of my space, Comparison.
  

January will roll around quickly and you will inevitably find yourself in conversations about what people are doing to lose weight, get stronger or become healthier.  Stay confident in what you’ve chosen is best for you.  It might be more intense than some and less than others.  It doesn’t matter.  Don’t let comparison in.  Stay in your own space.

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