Feelin' good.

Remember the age-old question: Which comes first--the chicken or the egg? Here's another brainteaser: As far as healthy living is concerned, which comes first--information or inspiration? If you answered, either, I believe you're right.

For nearly 20 years, I've coordinated programs promoting healthy living. After all that time, I'm beginning to wonder if some of us might be suffering from information overload.

Also, it seems that the more we learn about what we ought to be doing, the harder it is to put it into practice. To add insult to injury, when we don't practice the things we know we ought to be doing, we find ourselves passengers on a depressing guilt trip. At times, the guilt can get so bad that we self-medicate with a quart of rocky road ice cream. Instead of feeling better, our guilt grows at the same rate as our waistlines.

I have a suggestion to make that I think you're going to like. First, let's repackage the whole subject. For the purpose of our experiment, we're not going to be motivated by health. Even though what I'm about to suggest will definitely contribute to our health, we're going to do it simply because we want to feel good.

Remember the information overload I mentioned earlier? I'll wager you already know a dozen things you ought to do and another dozen things you ought not to do when it comes to healthful living. From your own personal list of oughts and ought-nots, choose just one item. Yup. Just one. Then, for the next three months, follow it. Start doing something you know you should be doing or stop doing something you know you shouldn't. Remember, your goal is to feel good. Whatever you chose from your list will be one way to make that happen.

I'm suggesting three months because most people don't like making opened-ended commitments. At the end of that time, evaluate what you've done and then decide whether or not you want to continue. It's my guess that you will be feeling so much better that you'll decide to permanently add this healthy component to your life.

It's elementary psychology that when we feel as though everyone is telling us what we ought to do or ought not to do regarding our health, we tend to go kicking and screaming into lifestyle changes we don't want to make. Then when no one is looking, we quietly go back to doing things the way we always have.

For some, there can't be any lasting changes in their lives until they "hit rock bottom." I'm trying to keep us all off that stony floor.

If you're thinking, This is all well and good but I've tried this sort of thing before and nothing came of it because I didn't have the power to pull it off, I've got good news for you. When we decide we want to do the right thing, but don't seem to have the ability or strength to make it happen, our Great Physician offers a divine prescription in His Holy Word, the Bible. The apostle Paul--a gentleman who knew exactly how hard it is to integrate good habits into the lifestyle and how easy it is to fail--proudly proclaimed in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (NKJV). Don't be overwhelmed by the "all things" you know you need to do to reenergize your life. In this case, we're talking about just one thing that needs changing so we can get feeling good, or at least a whole lot better.

We're standing at the front door of a brand-new year. Although any time is a good time to try new things, a fresh, unblemished set of 12 months is as good an excuse as any to do something that will have a positive impact on our lives.

Consider this important suggestion. Once you've decided what improvement you want to make, tell the world about it. Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbor, your coworkers. This will motivate you to stick with the project. Who knows, your dedication might be an encouragement to someone else who's traveling along his/her own guilt trip, or who's tumbling toward that rocky bottom.

If someone asks you why you're doing what you're doing, don't launch into a list of benefits such as getting your heart rate up to a certain speed or how important it is to not eat saturated fats, etc., etc. Instead, simply say, "I'm doing this because I want to feel good."

If healthy living is going to catch on in this world, it must be driven by satisfied people who live it, enjoy it, and share with others just how good it feels to feel good.

Richard O'Ffill writes from Longwood, Florida.