1- Make a decision. Make the
decision that you will transform your life by the renewing of your
mind. The first step to good health and fitness is to change your
life. There is nothing about a fad diet or a fitness center
membership that does that for you. You have to decide to do it all on
your own. Anything else is just putting a band-aid on a problem.
2- Have a plan. When I made my
decision 4 years ago, I decided to walk 25 miles a week. I had no
intention in becoming a runner. It just happened. Running did not
cause me to lose weight. Walking and healthy eating did. You should
exercise by doing something fun! Biking, swimming, hiking, walking,
lifting weights, running....it doesn't matter. If you don't enjoy it,
you will quit.
3- Set a goal. I set a weight
goal that I never reached. I wanted to weigh 190 pounds. I have
maintained my weight at around 215 for 3 years. My weight, however,
is not as important as living a healthy and fit life. My goal of 190
was the catalyst for a weight loss of 110 pounds in 16 months. You
need a goal and you need to own it. Make your goal known through
social media. It keeps you going. Not reaching the weight goal
doesn't make you a failure as long as you have become healthy and
fit.
4- Become obsessive. I have
driven people crazy with my obsession of running. I have to be
obsessed in order to maintain my healthy and fit life. Some people
are obsessed about the Georgia Dawgs, I am obsessed about my health.
What does it matter if the Dawgs win 10 straight national
championships if you can't live to see it? Obsession is good if it's
about the right thing, your life.
5- Educate yourself. I can tell
you that when I started 4 years ago, I had no clue about healthy
living. I have educated myself about what to eat. I am still learning
every day. I have learned that we don't eat real food. We eat
processed, fake food. Have you ever looked at the back of a Coke can?
If the ingredients of your “food” looks more like a chemistry
experiment, it's not good for you. Learn about real food and change
your eating habits. You will learn to enjoy real food instead of
processed junk.
6- Help others. You don't have
to be as annoying as me but we have a responsibility to share what we
have learned. I wish I had learned earlier in my life. I sure wish my
Dad had been educated about good health and fitness. He died at age
53. Let's get with the program and help others learn about the joys
of healthy and fit living. I have 2 grandsons. I want to live a long,
healthy life and see them grow up.
7- It's a spiritual matter. Uh
oh, I had to go there. I grew up in a “Holiness” church that
stressed living a clean life....no drinking, no smoking, no “worldly
entertainment,” no jewelry, no makeup, no shorts, no pants on
women, no short hair on women or long hair on men, no, no no! But,
nothing was ever said about being healthy concerning our food. We
couldn't do anything but eat. As a result, we became an obese bunch.
If God gave you a house to live in for a month, would you leave the
place trashed? Then why would you trash this house He has given us?
We have a responsibility to honor this temple He has blessed us with.
It is not legalism but something we ought to do.
Let's do it!
