Hopefully I can make today's blog come together with a message and not just a bunch of ramblings. I'm not known for eloquent writing skills and I try to avoid any use of APA format writing. I despise it. :)
So we attended our new church again this morning and each Sunday the message hits home for me in regards to my journey with my weight loss. I think any message that hits home can be applied to many aspects of our life so I will try to explain it as I understood it.
Do you ever notice how EASY it is to "wander" into bad choices? How easy it is to wander into the fridge or the pantry to that bag of oreos or that bag of chips? Ever wonder why you can't just "wander" out of those bad choices? Of course it is easy to make bad choices. We are mental beings, we think with our hearts and our emotions so it's easy when we get upset and down that we reach for those "comfort" foods and try to comfort ourselves. However, it's not so easy to wonder back out of those choices. It's hard work to make yourself go to the gym, make healthier choices and really live everyday trying to improve your mind and body. I never realized just how hard it is. I thought it would come easy. It takes dedication and devotion to take the path less traveled, to get up and off the couch and to sweat. It takes discipline to see change through.......
Think about it.........if you plant an oak tree, does it grow overnight? Nope........you can watch it everyday, you can water it everyday but it's still not going to grow overnight or in a matter of days or weeks. It takes time, patience and lots of waiting. When the oak tree is full grown, that oak tree is strong and solid and doesn't bend or sway. Now think about a weed. They pop up daily, we can pull them or spray them and they go away quick. You see them one minute and then they are gone. Now let's apply this to weight loss. Think of your body in this way........as an oak tree........if you water your body and feed it good, nutritious, healthy food, add in some exercise.....your body will grow strong and the weight will come off. Will it do this overnight or in a matter of days or weeks? No.......no matter how many times you step on that scale, no matter how many times you look in the mirror you won't see the change. Only time, patience, dedication and devotion will let that change happen. That is how the oak tree stands the test of time and that's how our body will keep weight off. Slow and steady, over time and in a healthy way. Now think of your body and every "lose weight quick" gimmick that is on the market. Sure you can take a pill or a drink that guarantees you will lose weight in 10 days and you just might........but think back to weeds.......you pull the weed and the next day there is another one in it's place. So just like that weed, you get rid of fat quick and in 10 days.......guess what.......it will come right back! Why do we want to treat our bodies like weeds instead of nourishing them like big strong oak trees? Because we want EASY! We are all guilty of it, we want that instant gratification without having to do the work to get to our end goal. It won't work! You will find that you will continue to fail at every turn.........
Change is not quick! When are we going to get that through our thick heads???? Did we go to bed yesterday a size 6 (just an example) and wake up a size 18? I don't think so..........so why do we think that we can go to bed a size 18 and wake up a size 6? Or even let a couple weeks or a month go by and expect amazing results? It took many months and sometimes even years to put on the weight we did, at least I know that is the case for me. We can't sit around waiting for our circumstances to change, we have to make the conscientious decision to get up and make that change! We are the only ones that can save ourselves!
Back to last weeks message.....we have to work hard to accrue our ENOUGH! Meaning you have to do what it takes to ensure that your oak tree (your body) is getting what it needs to be strong! If we don't start being accountable for the choices we make we must all realize and recognize what may come from wandering into those bad choices.....a body that we can't stand to look at in the mirror and a self-image that we hate.
So how do you change it? Start with the smallest step...........make the decision for YOURSELF that you want to be better. That you want to be healthier, not just that you want to be "skinny". I find "skinny" overrated! I have not set a certain size or a scale number for myself because I don't know where my body wants to be. I don't think I have ever been truly healthy, with the exception of straight out of boot camp but that was mostly running and pushups.....not building lean muscle like I am now. From there it was all downhill. So I will not put a label or limits on myself and see how far I can go. I don't know where my body wants to be at, but I'll keep going and see where the wind takes me. But like the oak tree, I will stand strong....unswaying. You can't get out of the hole you are in if your still digging it!!! So stop digging, lay down the shovel.......plant the seed of your oak tree........start watering and nourishing that seed (your body) and be patient! That oak tree will change and grow (and the weight will come off along with inches)! It's important to remember that this challenge is not about "getting skinny" or just "losing weight". It's about making a permanent lifestyle change to make you the best and healthiest YOU that you can be. We owe it to ourselves to be the best we can be. We owe it to our friends and family to be around for the memories in life that we shouldn't miss out on because we are too "fat" to enjoy them! So get up, get active and let your oak tree grow!!!
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