Top 36, baby! Oh to be 28-years-old again. I would have SO tried out this year, with auditions in Louisville, and all. I wouldn’t have made it to the top 100,000, but I would have tried! And, no, that’s not the topic of this post (note to self…work more American Idol into God Speaks Today somehow).
Being the middle of February also means that right about now, a whole lot of you who made New Year’s Resolutions to be fit and healthy are hitting some major roadblocks. You’re finding out exercise is hard work! Your enthusiasm is waning. Sleep is sounding better than sweat. And before you know it, you’re back to eating Little Debbie Snacks for breakfast and hoping the maneuver of pulling down your gearshift in your car will somehow count as your “upper body work out.”
You: Oh, Fitness Friday Girl. It’s too hard. Another year of failure. I’m destined to be overweight and unhealthy, I guess. I just can’t do it.
Me:
Sigh…..Oh well. Don’t feel bad. ((((((Hugs))))))))
Maybe next year you’ll stick with it. Right?WRONG!I mean, I’ll hug you if you’re crying or something, but I will NOT allow you to fail. Not on my watch. You made a commitment to be healthy, and I’m here to help you stick to it.
What’s that you say? You never really MADE a commitment to be healthy? You just decided to try it out (again), and when it got too hard, you decided it wasn’t worth the effort?
Well let’s just start right there, then. Please step away from the Five Star Crunch and mute Judge Judy for the next four minutes. We need to have a little motivational chat.
At the expense of sounding like your mother, I can’t think of one single valuable thing in my life that didn’t require some form of self-discipline, some level of pain and some degree of perseverance. School, jobs, marriage, parenting, holiness…every thing worth something involves sacrifice. Sacrifice of time, of money, of comfort, of sleep…of self!
A healthy lifestyle is no different.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. ~Thomas Paine
The battlefield:
The battle for health should not be fought at the buffet line. Sweet sticky buns will win every single time! No, the battle begins and ends in our minds. It begins with a decision to change. And ends with a commitment to carry it out—to see it through, no matter what obstacles come our way. Once we decide we are going to achieve our goals, the actual behavior becomes easier. And soon, it becomes second nature.
If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right. ~Henry Ford
The Time Factor:
Physical fitness is a series of little decisions made over the course of a lifetime. The skim milk in the latte, the grilled chicken instead of the fried, the fruit instead of the cookie. You will not be buff and toned over night. And you will not be able to “stop” making healthy decisions once you reach your goals. If you’re going to do this thing, you need to be in it for the long haul. This is not a diet, but your new life.
We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough. ~Helen Keller
The Obstacles:
Once you realize this is a lifestyle change and not a temporary diet, you must come to the realization that there will be roadblocks along the way. Prepare yourself for them and you won’t be blindsided when they show up.
If you are waiting for a convenient time to start eating right, forget it. If you are hoping to start your exercise routine after your daily planner miraculously hands you a 25th hour in your day, it ain’t gonna happen. Life is full of birthdays, holidays, business luncheons, date nights, sickness and family emergencies.
Work out mental strategies NOW for navigating the tempting and turbulent times. Know ahead of time what you’ll eat and what you’ll refuse, when you’ll work out and when you’ll rest. Don’t wait until you’re standing in line at Dairy Queen to decide if you’re getting ice cream. Don’t wait until the alarm goes off at 5:45 am to decide if you will work out today. Treat your commitment to health like you would your job.
Better yet, treat it like your life depends on it. Because, in reality, it does.
Nothing at all will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. ~Samuel Johnson
The Reward:
Getting healthy is hard work. I’m not going to lie to you. You will need to get your behind out of bed and to the gym. You will need to say no to the doughnuts and yes to the veggies. You will need to set some goals and make some plans. It definitely requires discipline and effort on your part. True.
But the rewards of a healthy life are more than worth the effort. You won’t believe how good you’ll feel, not only physically, but mentally–knowing you are becoming the best person you can possibly be.
We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. ~Jim Rohn
The Commitment:
Now back to the commitment we talked about. Are you ready to make one? Really, really make one this time? If you aren’t sure, here are two more things I want you to consider.
1. You have God on your side. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and it is God’s will for you to treat that temple with respect, reverence and the utmost care.
2. You have a support system right here. You probably have even more people—real people, ( not just pretend internet friends) who would love to help you succeed in your goals. But if you don’t, we have a group of people who are already committed to reaching our goals in 2009. If you’d like to be a part of our private group called Fitness Friday Fanatics, leave your e-mail in the comments and I’ll send you a special invite!
If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all? ~Joe Namath
OK…Now are you ready to make a commitment? I think you should.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
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Awesome post – as usual. You are an amazing writer, and I love all the quotes are verses! Thank you so much for leading people my way to getting healthy and fit.
The one paragraph that I loved was this:
"Physical fitness is a series of little decisions made over the course of a lifetime. The skim milk in the latte, the grilled chicken instead of the fried, the fruit instead of the cookie. You will not be buff and toned over night. And you will not be able to “stop” making healthy decisions once you reach your goals. If you’re going to do this thing, you need to be in it for the long haul. This is not a diet, but your new life."
It is SO not an overnight thing, it's a lifestyle thing. It doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of everything and never having anything "bad" again. Trust me, I love cookies and ice cream, but you have to have them in moderation, not everyday!
I realized in the last Beth Moore study that I did that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that I need to respect it, and that's exactly what I'm trying to do.
Wonderful and beautiful post. I love the motivation that you give!
Awesome post – as usual. You are an amazing writer, and I love all the quotes are verses! Thank you so much for leading people my way to getting healthy and fit.
The one paragraph that I loved was this:
"Physical fitness is a series of little decisions made over the course of a lifetime. The skim milk in the latte, the grilled chicken instead of the fried, the fruit instead of the cookie. You will not be buff and toned over night. And you will not be able to “stop” making healthy decisions once you reach your goals. If you’re going to do this thing, you need to be in it for the long haul. This is not a diet, but your new life."
It is SO not an overnight thing, it's a lifestyle thing. It doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of everything and never having anything "bad" again. Trust me, I love cookies and ice cream, but you have to have them in moderation, not everyday!
I realized in the last Beth Moore study that I did that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that I need to respect it, and that's exactly what I'm trying to do.
Wonderful and beautiful post. I love the motivation that you give!
Sandy, what a wonderful Fitness Friday post! It is a long term commitment and process. In our society, it seems that everyone wants a quick fix and so they give up when the results aren't there overnight. I keep saying it's a lifestyle not a diet. I echo your sentiments about the time, discipline and commitment it takes to be healthy and fit. And yes, as believers, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Even food can become an idol in our lives if we're not careful.I love to link to you on Fitness Friday and I thank you, friend.
Sandy, what a wonderful Fitness Friday post! It is a long term commitment and process. In our society, it seems that everyone wants a quick fix and so they give up when the results aren't there overnight. I keep saying it's a lifestyle not a diet. I echo your sentiments about the time, discipline and commitment it takes to be healthy and fit. And yes, as believers, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Even food can become an idol in our lives if we're not careful.I love to link to you on Fitness Friday and I thank you, friend.
After reading you post late last night I laid in bed thinking about all that you said. It was so motivational that I went back and to my Week 1 post of Gettin Fine in '09 this morning and told them all about you so that they can be inspired by you as well.
You have a great gift that God has blessed you with!
After reading you post late last night I laid in bed thinking about all that you said. It was so motivational that I went back and to my Week 1 post of Gettin Fine in '09 this morning and told them all about you so that they can be inspired by you as well.
You have a great gift that God has blessed you with!
Sandy,
I came here from Sarah's Getting Fine in '09. Yes I'm committed I started in October and lasted through the holidays. Your post is so right on, it is a life change and we do need to respect God's temple.
Lynn
ljgolf823@comcast.net
Sandy,
I came here from Sarah's Getting Fine in '09. Yes I'm committed I started in October and lasted through the holidays. Your post is so right on, it is a life change and we do need to respect God's temple.
Lynn
ljgolf823@comcast.net
Thanks, Sandy!
The self-discipline thing is huge, isn't it? And when you think about your body being the Lord's home – it really makes you want to get fit – physically and spiritually 🙂
As always – thanks for the motivation!
Blessings,
Kate 🙂
Thanks, Sandy!
The self-discipline thing is huge, isn't it? And when you think about your body being the Lord's home – it really makes you want to get fit – physically and spiritually 🙂
As always – thanks for the motivation!
Blessings,
Kate 🙂
Thanks Sandy,
I really needed to hear this!
Karen
Thanks Sandy,
I really needed to hear this!
Karen
Hi Sandy! You are right ON about it being a lifestyle change. I just posted some updated pictures of my weight loss (at 56 pounds down as of this week). To God be the glory!
I am really finding it difficult to find time to exercise though. We did have some lovely "spring-like" weather lately and I was able to start walking again (however, the cool is back today).
It is about choices … each little choice makes a difference.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Love,
Beth
Hi Sandy! You are right ON about it being a lifestyle change. I just posted some updated pictures of my weight loss (at 56 pounds down as of this week). To God be the glory!
I am really finding it difficult to find time to exercise though. We did have some lovely "spring-like" weather lately and I was able to start walking again (however, the cool is back today).
It is about choices … each little choice makes a difference.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Love,
Beth
Hey girl, great post! Big news aroumd here, I'll email you later!
PG
Hey girl, great post! Big news aroumd here, I'll email you later!
PG