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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,January 16,2020 theifp.ca Each new year is a fresh start. It's why so many peo- ple set resolutions to eat better, sleep more, exercise harder and meditate to control their stress. All of them are excellent intentions. In fact, all of them are foundational to good health. But making that change and turning those inten- tions into reality is diffi- cult. Changing anything is difficult. You first have to overcome inertia. Think back to high school phys- ics: Inertia is the force that keeps a body going in the same direction or keeps a body at rest - unless a force stronger than inertia is ap- plied. When applied to people, inertia can become a prob- lem. After all, if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. I look at what I've always done and, I have to admit, change is needed. Last week, inspiration walked into my family medicine office. It was Fri- day. My clinic was packed. My patient came in for a six-month check of his blood pressure. Graham* looked ner- vous, excited. As I checked him over, it was clear that the changes he had made in his life had made a pro- found difference. He had turned around his diet, minimized his alcohol in- take, managed his stress. And the biggest hurdle was exercise. He started walking. Then he saw men and women older than him running by. He watched them and wondered: "How do they do that?" Then one day, some- thing changed and he asked himself: "Can I do that?" So he pushed himself. He started by moving his feet faster. Running after the other men and women. Metre by metre. Beyond his previous limits. Graham now runs five kilometres a day. I looked at the numbers on the blood pressure mon- itor. "I think it's time we drop one of your blood pressure pills. You clearly don't need them." The significance of this hit us both at the same time. We both became tear- ful. Sure, it took years to get to this place. Sure, it was painful at first. Sure, he had moments of doubt. But the numbers speak for themselves. He did it. He changed his own reality, the course of his health, the course of his future. As the new year dawns, he is one of the many exam- ples I will turn to as I change my life and as I counsel others to change theirs. *Patient's name used with permission. Nadia Alam is a Georgetown physician and past-president of the Onta- rio Medical Association. Her column also appears on www.medi- um.com/@docschmadia. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. RESOLUTIONS ARE DIFFICULT TO KEEP OPINION INERTIA THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE, WRITES NADIA ALAM NADIA ALAM Column Clockwise from top left: This 1912 postcard shows the Georgetown Town Hall, which also housed the public library. It was destroyed by fire in 1968, and the property - at Guelph and Cross streets - is now home to a used car dealership. This historic photo series is courtesy of Heritage Halton Hills. Learn more about the group at haltonhills.ca/heritage. EHS, Alison Walker photos HERE AND NOW