The internet is flooded with health and fitness tips. You can’t escape it. It’s everywhere. The fitness industry is a 30 billion dollar industry. Search for a new diet or exercise plan, and thousands will come funneling into your computer.

But none of it will help you.

In fact, nothing will help you unless you change your mindset. It’s the root of all behavior change and what drives every one of your decisions, and this particular mindset will help you take control of your health:

You are responsible for your health and body.

That’s it. You alone are responsible for your health and body. Say it again. If you are of sound mind and at an age of consent, you are responsible for your health and body. Not your parents, not society, not your friends, and not your partner.

It’s you.

Just as you are responsible and credited for making every good decision you’ve made for yourself, you are also responsible for every good decision that you haven’t made and every poor decision you’ve made for yourself.

When you neglect your health and fitness, you are choosing to neglect your health and fitness.

There isn’t any way around it. It’s also why we say that people cannot be helped until they want to be helped.

This is harsh, but it’s also extremely liberating. Life and circumstances are often unfair, but you can refuse to allow those circumstances take control of you. You are the captain of your ship.

Take Control

Barring certain diseases and conditions, if you are unfit and unhealthy, it is your responsibility. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you are out of shape, lazy, and not the way you want yourself to be, it doesn’t have to be that way. How different could things look in a year if you started to do the things that you know that you should be doing? Or if you stopped doing the things that you know you shouldn’t be doing?

Some people may be a lost cause. Some may just be a collection of bad habits and laziness.

But not you. You aren’t laziness, inaction, or a lost cause. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be willingly reading content aimed at exposing your flaws.

How many possibilities can open up to you if you simply change the way you see the world? When we realize that we are a product of decisions that are fully under our control, we gain the power to take control of our next decision.

It’s easier said than done. Taking accountability for your choices and actions is hard. It’s uncomfortable. Taking responsibility for your choices is to strip your soul naked and expose your flaws for everyone and yourself to see. To see yourself for who you truly are is terribly scary, but that’s why very few people do it.

Difficult decisions are chosen by strong people, but you can simply also choose to take the strong route. You are not doomed to life of irresponsible decisions.

Where to start

Before you start taking any action, you need to affirm that you want to change. Tell yourself that enough is enough and that you won’t let things remain the way they are. No one is going to make these choices for you.

If you feel like the people around you are pulling you down, find other people to hang around. If they aren’t supportive, they are likely to be a naysayer. You don’t need to stay the way you are even if people try and hold you down to a low standard. Remember that down is always easier than up.

Find people who genuinely want the best for you. They will hold you accountable to your word. It’s a tough world out there, especially if you are aiming higher and upwards. People rarely go down the road to success alone.

But first, admit that you are responsible for your health and body.