I had three separate conversations today with people that are trying to get healthy.
Three separate people with three different goals.
Three unique bodies with different metabolisms, food sensitivities, preferences, and millions of other variables.
But each of them was struggling with this whole “Getting Healthy” journey in the same ways. They are each doing a great job and doing the best that they can, but had begun falling prey to some very common mistakes that people encounter when trying to get healthy.
Mistake #1– They were putting their worth (and their success) into a number on the scale.
Friends, hear me on this…The scale is not an indicator of your worth. It’s not even an accurate reflection of the health improvements you’re making. Really want to know if you’re making progress? Take note of how you feel, your energy levels, your cravings and how your pants fit. Want to take it a step further? Take measurements and photographs monthly. If you absolutely MUST weigh yourself, limit it to once a week.
Mistake #2– They were expecting immediate changes to happen in what foods they crave or that lifelong patterns would suddenly be different. You did not get to the place you are right now overnight and you will not get out of it overnight. This is a process and takes time. TRUST THE PROCESS.
Mistake #3– They were trying to do a complete overhaul of their lives all at one time. This is extremely difficult, y’all. It’s the reason why almost every New Years Resolution to lose weight has fizzled out by March and why most people regain back any weight that they lost and then some. If you try to all of a sudden cut out everything at once, statistically, you have little change of being successful at lifelong, sustainable change. As we’ve talked about on our facebook page ( www.facebook.com/wellnesswitness ), we need to pick ONE healthy habit and to focus on it for a couple weeks. (Ex: cutting out soft drinks/tea and switching to water). Once you’ve gotten good at that, then add in another healthy habit (ex: getting in some form of exercise four times a week). By tackling one thing at a time, your chances of succeeding have such multiplied exponentially.
Mistake #4– We focus so much on our physical condition that we neglect our spiritual, mental or emotional condition. I am not trying to help you improve only your body weight or your pant size. Friends, I want to speak to your hearts. No six pack, hourglass figure, or perfect physique will matter one bit if our hearts are far from Christ. If you have to choose between spending 10 minutes to get in a quick workout, or to spend those 10 minutes in prayer and the Bible, I want you to choose time with God. If we don’t have this priority in place first, nothing else that comes after will matter.
My goal is that our physical fitness and our wellness, comes from an overflow of our love and our relationship with Christ. We choose to honor our bodies and to walk in wellness because we know that we were created by Him, loved by Him, and equipped by Him.
No matter where you are in your journey, know this…You can’t do this in your own strength. I’m sorry, you can’t. But through HIM and His strength, not only CAN you do it- you WILL. We are in this journey together and I’m ready to link arms with you and walk you through. Please message me, email me, or join in on the conversations on our facebook page if you have specific questions or need prayer. I’m cheering for you and look forward to seeing all the good that will come from your faithfulness to steward your health well!
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