Welcome back to part 2 of Amy's Journey to Health. WednesdayI posted her first 3 tips for what it has been like battling back for her health again.
She was admittedly frustrated earlier this week about having lost 4 then gaining 2 back. It is very common to fluctuate like this...unless your on the Biggest Loser. Remember, you live in the real world. You have to allow for timing conflicts, emergencies, last minute things come up; sometimes you forget to pack you lunch, set your shoes out. The important thing, is to get it right the next time.
Which leads into Amy's fourth tip.
4. Confront your demons. "You will not succeed if you do not face the very issues that got you where you are now. If you just get up off the couch and start running, that's great. But it isn't going to help keep getting you off the couch for the rest of your life. You have to understand why you cling to your bad habits in order to find a way to combat them. I realized this when I got pregnant and fell back into bad habits. There is always an excuse but if you know why you are making them then you can fight them better." Case in point timing is always an issue. People always say "I don't have time or money to invest in working out or eating all that healthy stuff." The reality is though, for me at first, money was and is bothersome. It "can" be expensive to eat healthy. By using coupons and shopping at discount stores though, I've actually saved quite a bit. Don't be afraid to try a discount store. Organic apples at a huge box store are the same organic apples you can find at the health food store. Just depends on how far you feel like driving and how much money you want to spend.
5. Non-Food Rewards./Setting Big and Small Goals "Rewards are keen, especially if like me, you used to reward yourself with food. I can actually remember during one of my pregnancies actually getting ice cream to celebrate not gaining more than a pound in my third trimester. Talk about food addict!"
Like my aunt, I was used to rewarding myself with food. I remember after I started my diet that the hubby and I went out to eat. I ordered off of the low carb lovers menu and remember feeling pretty proud of myself. I also needed a pick me up though, but instead of buying candy for all my hard work, I bought myself a small angel figurine. Inscribed on the front was a bible verse Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
It's remembering things like this bible verse that we can hope for better health but just because we don't see it yet, doesn't mean that good things aren't coming.
Amy goes on to say "So make a plan ahead of time. Give yourself small rewards to keep yourself going, like a massage for every 10 pounds you loose. Clothing is a great choice, but you know you will have to do that anyway, so it might be nice to do something out of that realm. Something special just for you that does not involve food in any way shape or form. And make an ultimate goal. Something big you have always wanted to do, maybe even something you are afraid to do! Decide if you loose 50 pounds you will go bungee jumping, hike your closest mountain, buy yourself a really awesome bicycle. Mine was not so adventurous! I decided that when I lost 70 pounds I would make myself a sweater. I had always been afraid because I was so big to knit anything that large! So when I lost the weight I made myself a sweater. I ended up not liking it and {tossing} it, but hey, it was the fact that I did it and I made my goal!"
I'm so proud of my aunt! She has even set and scheduled her first 5k for April! Now that's going to need an AWESOME non-food reward! It's also a great goal to work towards. Let the training begin!
Her most important lesson though, is not only my favorite but a huge one...one I think everyone needs to understand and remember!
6. This one is the most important. Make yourself a priority. "This is huge. I am a mom. A mom to a lot of big and little kiddos. I tend to want to put everyone’s needs ahead of mine. Sure, I will waste time doing something and say it is for me, but honestly, things like stolen moments on Facebook are shallow and not going to help me be a better person. Living a healthy life and embracing exercise are what is going to help make you strong, healthy, and happy. All those endorphins help make me a better wife and mom, too. When I first started loosing weight almost three years ago, I was walking with my husband and said, “If we don’t do something now, we aren’t going to live long enough to see our youngest children’s weddings.” Both my parents died before their time and I did not want to do that to my kids. I want to see my grandkids and, with God’s good grace, my great-grandkids!
Being healthy was not about having a sexy body, it was about being present in my kids life for a long time to come."
Do this journey for you. Do this for your future. Don't just do it to be skinny or look good in today's fashion. Do it because you want to. Dig deep, find the desire. Push yourself. It will be a battle and sometimes, more often than not, an uphill battle. You can do this. Keep moving forward!
Head over to Amy's Blog: A Journey to Health for more motivation and a perspective of losing weight in real time! She's at it again & this time with more determination and effort then ever before!
Blessings everyone, I am off to finish this movie. I will post again tomorrow with an awesome Paleo Breakfast recipe! Hint...there is chocolate and it is kind of like cake...and it was delicious!
Blessings,
A
She was admittedly frustrated earlier this week about having lost 4 then gaining 2 back. It is very common to fluctuate like this...unless your on the Biggest Loser. Remember, you live in the real world. You have to allow for timing conflicts, emergencies, last minute things come up; sometimes you forget to pack you lunch, set your shoes out. The important thing, is to get it right the next time.
Which leads into Amy's fourth tip.
4. Confront your demons. "You will not succeed if you do not face the very issues that got you where you are now. If you just get up off the couch and start running, that's great. But it isn't going to help keep getting you off the couch for the rest of your life. You have to understand why you cling to your bad habits in order to find a way to combat them. I realized this when I got pregnant and fell back into bad habits. There is always an excuse but if you know why you are making them then you can fight them better." Case in point timing is always an issue. People always say "I don't have time or money to invest in working out or eating all that healthy stuff." The reality is though, for me at first, money was and is bothersome. It "can" be expensive to eat healthy. By using coupons and shopping at discount stores though, I've actually saved quite a bit. Don't be afraid to try a discount store. Organic apples at a huge box store are the same organic apples you can find at the health food store. Just depends on how far you feel like driving and how much money you want to spend.5. Non-Food Rewards./Setting Big and Small Goals "Rewards are keen, especially if like me, you used to reward yourself with food. I can actually remember during one of my pregnancies actually getting ice cream to celebrate not gaining more than a pound in my third trimester. Talk about food addict!"Like my aunt, I was used to rewarding myself with food. I remember after I started my diet that the hubby and I went out to eat. I ordered off of the low carb lovers menu and remember feeling pretty proud of myself. I also needed a pick me up though, but instead of buying candy for all my hard work, I bought myself a small angel figurine. Inscribed on the front was a bible verse Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
It's remembering things like this bible verse that we can hope for better health but just because we don't see it yet, doesn't mean that good things aren't coming.
Amy goes on to say "So make a plan ahead of time. Give yourself small rewards to keep yourself going, like a massage for every 10 pounds you loose. Clothing is a great choice, but you know you will have to do that anyway, so it might be nice to do something out of that realm. Something special just for you that does not involve food in any way shape or form. And make an ultimate goal. Something big you have always wanted to do, maybe even something you are afraid to do! Decide if you loose 50 pounds you will go bungee jumping, hike your closest mountain, buy yourself a really awesome bicycle. Mine was not so adventurous! I decided that when I lost 70 pounds I would make myself a sweater. I had always been afraid because I was so big to knit anything that large! So when I lost the weight I made myself a sweater. I ended up not liking it and {tossing} it, but hey, it was the fact that I did it and I made my goal!"
I'm so proud of my aunt! She has even set and scheduled her first 5k for April! Now that's going to need an AWESOME non-food reward! It's also a great goal to work towards. Let the training begin!
Her most important lesson though, is not only my favorite but a huge one...one I think everyone needs to understand and remember!
6. This one is the most important. Make yourself a priority. "This is huge. I am a mom. A mom to a lot of big and little kiddos. I tend to want to put everyone’s needs ahead of mine. Sure, I will waste time doing something and say it is for me, but honestly, things like stolen moments on Facebook are shallow and not going to help me be a better person. Living a healthy life and embracing exercise are what is going to help make you strong, healthy, and happy. All those endorphins help make me a better wife and mom, too. When I first started loosing weight almost three years ago, I was walking with my husband and said, “If we don’t do something now, we aren’t going to live long enough to see our youngest children’s weddings.” Both my parents died before their time and I did not want to do that to my kids. I want to see my grandkids and, with God’s good grace, my great-grandkids!
Being healthy was not about having a sexy body, it was about being present in my kids life for a long time to come."
Do this journey for you. Do this for your future. Don't just do it to be skinny or look good in today's fashion. Do it because you want to. Dig deep, find the desire. Push yourself. It will be a battle and sometimes, more often than not, an uphill battle. You can do this. Keep moving forward!
Head over to Amy's Blog: A Journey to Health for more motivation and a perspective of losing weight in real time! She's at it again & this time with more determination and effort then ever before!
Blessings everyone, I am off to finish this movie. I will post again tomorrow with an awesome Paleo Breakfast recipe! Hint...there is chocolate and it is kind of like cake...and it was delicious!
Blessings,
A
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