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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 2, 20 20 | 4 Suite 300, South Oakville Centre • 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 905.827.1100 travel@mctavish.comwww.mctavishtravel.com CORPORATE • GROUP • LEISURE O nt Re g N o 14 37 98 5 Best Travel Agency 471972-41972-41972- 201920192019 Journey through the heart of Europe along legendary rivers with award-winning AmaWaterways. Follow the paths of conquerors and kings on exhilarating hikes and bike rides led by knowledgeable local guides. Taste exquisite, locally-sourced cuisine, be treated to unparalleled service and wake up each morning to a fascinating new city or charming village just outside your balcony. Plus our agency exclusive: receive $300 onboard credit Per stateroom on select sailings. Save up to C$1800 per Stateroom on SeleCt 2020 SailingS. contact us for details! Discover the Grand Delights of River Cruising with AmaWaterways e.y servicedit to spend on ancr t $50 opened clinic in Oakville and ge wly at our ne) therse it with oou can also shary( e of it d* or bring a picturt this caresenPr elp!e Can HW ?ainTired of P our needs. or all ye to cater fed cart up a holistic model of personalize se'vey ws whThat' ellbeing. our health and wving yoe passionate about impre art. Wemenvtimal moop eedom of y the frour health and enjoe yvoou impromises to help ye Sports Clinic prcA 50$ eCashcAode: our gift cY SHCE CAA e etplac Olde Oakville MarkL6J 7Z5,oad, suite 202, ON, all Rworn271 C om esportsclinic.c.ac wwwCE),-A1-833-266-5223 (1-833-BOOK alue. or cash vchanged fxt be sold or et. Canno, One use per clients onlyw clienetil January 31st, 2020. Nalid un*V Each new year is a fresh start. It's why sofresh start. It's why sof many people set resolu- tions to eat better, sleep more, exercise harder and meditate to control their stress. All of them are excel- lent intentions. In fact, all of them are foundational to good health. But making that change and turning those intentions into reality is difficult. 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 - un- less a force stronger than inertia is applied. When applied to peo- ple, inertia can become a problem. After all, if you keep doing what you've al- ways done, you'll get what you've always gotten. I look at what I've al- ways done and, I have to admit, change is needed. Last week, inspiration walked into my family medicine office. It was Friday. 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 profound differ- ence. He had turned around his diet, mini- mized his alcohol intake, 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, something changed and he asked himself: "Can I do that?" So he pushed himself. He started by moving his feet faster. Running afterfeet faster. Running afterf 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 monitor. "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 tearful. 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 ex- amples 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 Ontario Medical Associa- tion. Her column also appears on www.medi- um.com/@docschmadia. She can be reached at nadia.alam@oma.org. RESOLUTIONS ARE DIFFICULT TO KEEP OPINION YOUROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM INERTIA THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE, WRITES NADIA ALAM NADIA ALAM Column Clanmore Montessori middle school students (12-14) run their own small business selling homemade wares each year. They often run a fundraiser as well for local teenagers who are often an overlooked group at Christmas. To this end, they collected gift cards offering to match the amount collected, up to $500 (from their business profits). The results are in and the gift cards have been delivered. They collected $1,085 in gift cards for local teens, contributed $500 from earnings, resulting in a grand total of $1585. Anne Mercer photo GIFT CARDS FOR TEENS WE HAVE NEW RECIPES EVERY DAY INSIDEHALTON.COM/FOOD&DRINK