While I have opinions galore, I do not claim to be an expert on fitness, nutrition, and weight loss. I am not the fittest person I know. I am not the fastest person I know. I am not the strongest person I know. I am not the most perfect eater (dieter?) I know. Lately people have been saying I inspire them or I help them stay motivated. People ask me what I've done to lose weight and keep it off. They ask about eating habits, exercising, meal planning, etc. I don't profess to know all the answers, but I can tell you what I know for sure is the most important factor in the equation: YOUR MIND!
Get your mind right! You can have the best plan in the world, best trainer, best support system, all the time in the world, the best equipment, best shoes, best outfit (can a girl get some Athleta or Northface??). . .and none of it matters until you are mentally ready to change. Here's the truth: everyone wants results but very few are willing to commit to the behaviors that net results. This truth applies to every area of our lives. There are Christians who want the blessings of God without following the will of God (which is not always easy!). There are those who want six-figure lives without doing the work it takes to make those six-figures. There are those who want the benefits of an abundant life without ever changing.
You will forever battle with weight and body image (or finances or relationships, etc) until you determine in your mind that you are willing to do something different to net a different, desired result. We are so quick to make excuses or justifications for how and why we do things, and yet we want a different result. We want change to be comfortable, friendly. We want change on our terms, in our time, in our own way. Well, do we really want change? Do we really want a different result if we aren't willing to do something different to get it?
A person says, "I like group fitness classes. I can't workout by myself." There are a host of free and low-cost classes around town at all times of the day, and yet she never goes to any. Or if she goes she has to enlist other friends to go with her. And even then, she only goes a couple of times. So how badly does she really want change? What is she willing to do differently to net the desired result? Until she is willing to get out of her comfort zone she will not see change. Until she purposes in her mind that what she "likes" is not getting her anywhere, she won't get anywhere. She will look up and five years later she will be living the same cycle of behavior.
A person says, "I don't like this food or that food. It's okay to have some (insert your fav food) every now and then." But he doesn't have it every now and then; he has it just about every other day. Then he half-heartily tries healthier options, always with the predetermined mindset that he won't like it. What kind of result can he expect? It's not really about the food, is it? As time passes all those "every now and then" moments add up to clogged arteries, intestinal issues, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of other preventable ailments.
Some of us don't consider ourselves worthy enough to even try to live differently. Some of us are complacent about our lives and don't strive to thrive; we merely exist. There are people out there who look in the mirror with disgust and then eat. Then they feel disgusted with themselves for eating and cut themselves down even more. They decide that the abundant life was not meant for them and that negativity spills over into other parts of their lives. How can you ever have change if you can't "see" it for yourself? We walk around living dimished lives because we have not allowed ourselves to be greater.
You may never decide to run, and that's fine. However you decide to embark on this journey, the place you must start is with your thinking and your mental fortitude. The work you put forth in clearing out the negative and self-destructive thinking and emotions will pay off tremendously. When that alarm goes off in the morning it's not your body that's unable to move (well. . .in most cases). Your body will follow what your mind tells it. When you're eating, your stomach knows it's full but there is something in your mind that keeps the food coming. When you're exercising and it starts getting tough, it is your mind that will carry your body through the workout.
If you want lasting change you have to get your mind right. Otherwise, you'll be like the children of Israel circling the same mountain for 40 years. What a waste! What could they have built in those 40 years if they had let go of the junk in their minds? What could they have experienced if they had just allowed their minds to be renewed and followed the instructions given to them? How much of your life have you wasted walking around the same problem? Are you ready to do something different?
That's some powerful stuff girl....thanks
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