Not Done Fighting

Hello readers,

Whether you are out there or not, the accountability to speak honestly to you is ever on my mind.  That is part of why I find success, and part of why you don't hear from me for a while.  The last couple of months have been challenging.  I have struggled with focus and preparation.

My birthday was last week.  My goal as an adult has been to weigh 200 on my birthday.  I have lost the weight 3 times, but not been able to stay there.  It is difficult for me to stay on the same path.  I have yet to find that consistency.

Please understand that I have full faith in what I have written.  I believe in the science.  I have simply not practiced it consistently.

For my birthday, I got a new job.  So last week after my birthday celebrations, I began anew.  Shopping, preparing, looking for exercise and activity.  I am down a couple of pounds and feeling pretty good so far.  Stay with me, we can do it. 244.6

Prayers Requested

I am struggling.  Life has been good but crazy.  I have lost track of my habits.  Not shopping for or preparing food.  Getting whatever is easy now.  Need to stand up and choose correctly.

It can be done! I will do it.

Will will not Win

Studies suggest that if you are constantly bombarded with choices as you are trying to manage a behavior change, will power is not enough to fortify your resolve and not end up in relapse.

Live with intent, have a plan, get support in your personal environment.  When these tools and others are in place, it is less likely that you will make an unhealthy choice.  Think about it.  When weight loss or management was easy, it was probably because you were in the "zone".  You didn't have to think or struggle with choice.

It is not always easy.  I am currently outside of that zone fighting for good choices.  Today, I will pray for help.  God may not care if I am a certain size, but I believe wholeheartedly that His design for us is to be healthy.  Use the blessing our temple to be honor Him.  I ask for my body to be restored to health so that I can wage battle and fulfill the great commission.

Continue the Plan

Yesterday was not a great day for healthy habits.  I will not let that hinder me from ultimately reaching my goals.  Today will be better.  I will keep pursuing my plan.

Tough Weekend, Opportunity for New Choices

I had a great weekend with my kids, but it did include eating out too much.  And the food choices weren't normally on my diet.  I am up a handful of pounds, but that is not the end of the story.  I am very grateful to have woken up on Monday with the thought of what food can I take to work.  The bad choices don't have to linger.  Each day you and I get to decide to make healthy choices or not to make healthy choices.  I do feel lucky that my mind is where I need it be.  This week will be a good week. 240.4

Keep Striving for Balance in Life (all areas)

Habit management won't work if your life is not in balance.  Stress tends to drag us back to comfort, and comfort sometimes takes the form of ice cream, pizza, cigarettes, alcohol, or casual sex.  Of course that list is not evil incarnate, but they tend to increase of risk for disease, as well as not solve the underlying issue.

I was given a book today.  One of my colleagues gave me "Daily Spirit Blessings".  Yesterday, I was flustered and hurried.  I am going out of town and going to miss two days at work.  I was stressing about getting stuff done and answered.  Luckily, my boss was laughing at me.  He didn't care as much as I did.  That by itself helped.

So here I was, trying to find balance in my life (family time vs work), only to be stressed about it.  And today, I am ready a quick devotional about blessing of the Spirit.  Perfect timing.

New Day

I chose to relax the rules this weekend.  I am up a couple of pounds, but some of that will erode quickly with healthy choices.  I feel good about where I am at and how to continue.

It is scary to lose momentum and possibly forget how to choose health.  It seems silly, but I have been there before.  Be sure to follow a day off with healthy choices so that a lapse, does not become a behavior management relapse.

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Rowing Challenge

I believe that I have mentioned before that my employer offers a handful of wellness incentives throughout the year.  One of the programs includes a battery of fitness tests that we are offered.  The results that we get decide whether or not we get paid a monthly stipend.

In theory, if we are fit, then the employer pays less throughout the year on insurance premiums.  Additionally, the employer benefits from decreased absenteeism, and therefore higher productivity.

This year, instead of the battery of six different tests of strength, power and endurance, we can simply do a rowing test.  There is an equation that spits out your time goals based on 40%, 60% and 80% of your VO2 max.  Depending on your time in rowing 2000 m. on a Concept II row machine, you would receive $50, $100, or $150 respective to the percents above.

I am working hard on getting the $100.  The $150 time will be a future goal.  Right now, I have about 2 weeks to get the time I need to get PAID!  236.8

Exercise is not Enough

Research continues to demonstrate that exercise and physical activity is not the answer to weight loss. The process of losing weight is more about what you don't eat than what you do activity-wise.  If you hate exercise, this news might sound awesome.  But make sure that you hear the whole story.

Yes, it is true that to lose weight all someone needs to do is to monitor their diet.  The calories in and way more important than the plan for calories out.  That being said, physical activity, and its higher profile cousin exercise, are beneficial in supporting weight loss.  Additionally, movement activities and caloric burn are crucial in future weight management.

Furthermore, exercise has many health benefits. Reducing the risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, stress, anxiety, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, exercise is still worth your time and effort.  So don't give up, give it your best. 237.6

Living with Intent

I don't know about you, but my days get busy.  It can be very easy for me to lose my focus.

I want to: pray more, to be a better father, to be a better friend, to be more outgoing, to eat healthier, to exercise or move around more.  I want to be a good role model for the things that I talk about.  I want to be accountable and transparent.  I need to work on not being slothful, glutonous, or lustful.

But by the end of the day, most of that simply didn't happen unless I planned for it.  I need to pack my lunch or bring workout clothes.  I must have a quite time for prayer or God is only a fleeting part of my day. 

All areas of our lives must be in balance or something will go wrong.  Try to live without an active relationship with God, while understanding who he is.  It is regretful and inefficient.  Without social and emotional balance, your/my physical health will be at risk. 

Now that being said, trying to overhaul your life in one swoop is a dicey proposition.  Improve one behavior and make that new thing a part of your life.  Once that behavior is ingrained, add another.  Health and wellness won't happen by accident.  You have to plan for those victories. We can do it.

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A Little Success Goes a Long Way

When I teach personal training seminars, I talk a lot about finding small victories.  Think about the good that is done mentally when someone reaches a goal.  The building of self-confidence and self-efficacy that can continue forward.  That momentum is important for adherence.

It is when motivation and momentum are both lost that and individual can lose track of their goals. Maybe they write off one day or one choice, or tell themselves that tomorrow will be different?  I know that once I learned that I could do it, I used that knowledge as a crutch and an excuse.  I would say to myself, "I will change or fix that issue tomorrow."  But tomorrow didn't come, only another excuse.

It is only when we search for that small victory each day (which might be maintenance), that we tend to have better focus and adherence to our new behaviors.

How will you win the day? I have packed my meals and have a lunch date with a row machine! 238.8

Challenge Yourself

To keep yourself accountable and adhere to your new behavior, challenge yourself to reach a new goal.  Log and track your efforts. It will help to keep you mindful of your behavior changes.  Make it something fun that you don't hate to do.  Accomplish an easier level or task, and feel good about yourself! Then increase the challenge and find another victory!  Let's get this.

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The Power of Positive Peer Pressure

We all can remember or if you are too old to remember, imagine a young child being peer pressured into doing something they didn't want to do.  However in the adult world, peer pressure still exists.

I have never been a drinker.  But at 42, I still have friends that want to be the ones to get me drunk for the first time.

But not all peer pressure needs to focus on a negative behavior.  Yesterday, my work mates and I set out some rules for weight loss to challenge ourselves to focus on our behaviors to increase the likelihood of success.  We will weigh in weekly to monitor our progress. 

A couple of usefull tips when trying to manage a behavior.
- make a public declaration
- be accountable
- have SMART goals
- reassess if needed.

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Behavior Management 101

After a great June and July where I lost over 20 pounds, I have struggled in August putting about 5 pounds back on.  It has been really difficult to maintain my decision making.  I find myself effortlessly talking myself out of a healthier option.

The interesting thing was that I didn't feel stressed, nothing was out of kilter.  I just wanted to "treat" myself for some reason.  Not for a meal or a day, but for about 2 weeks, I have struggled with this particular battle.  As I was driving from Braum's with my fast food booty, I was analyzing why I was so driven to choose that food, when a week before I was soundly in control.

My answer is not important, and I am not sure that I even found it.  But it is critical that if I or you or anyone struggles with control of choices, we need to understand the why.  Food can clearly offer mood enhancement and even release dopamine for some "feel goods".  But why do I need that mood boost.  If I understand why, I am more likely to be prepared next time.

Today I packed my lunch and dinner.  I ate a healthy snack.  Today feels good and that feel good lasts longer than a fast food meal. 240.6

Feeling Really Good!

It has been a really good 3 weeks.  I have lost close to 10 pounds.  I am eating pretty clean and have increased my activity greatly.  I am sleeping well and have decreased my stress as well.

I found the switch.  It has been relatively easy to go back to my healthier lifestyle.  It is such a different place to be in.  Three weeks ago, I was battling at each meal.  Choices were haunting me; I couldn't get any sustainable healthy habits together.

The impetus for change was a workplace weight loss program.  It was literally a quick switch in mindset.  It shouldn't have mattered, but it did.  And, now here I am after 3 weeks of all around healthier living.  It feels really good!

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Renewed Vigor

I haven't been blogging lately, but it is not because I am not on track.  I have actually have a great 2+ weeks of healthy habits.  It has just been a busy season, which makes the short term process an even sweeter success.

I wish that I could describe my feelings of excitement, resolve, and sense of doing.  I really feel good and focused.  I have found the switch.  I have mentioned this before.  While losing weight or increasing strength or improving fitness are all a physical thing, they are all born from a psychological place.

Behavior management is where things begin.  That is where the switch is.  Man it feels good.  I have a radio show called Health Matters.  It is part of a bigger show on 620 AM in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market.  You can hear it on Fridays at 6 pm.  The first Friday of every month the show's full hour is focused on wellness.  Listen in if you get a chance.

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Another Beginning

It has been a tough year.  I have struggled through break-ups and worrying about family members.  I have fallen off and lost site of the wagon.  Bad habits out paced healthy solutions.  My weight is up and my health is challenged by a combination of the stress, eating, lack of movement and poor sleeping.  There is nothing on that list that is surprising or new.  Once again, life has happened and my weight gain has been a casualty.

All of that said, I have conquered those choices, those habits in the past and I will do it again.  I started today with a renewed focus.

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Lots of Work to Do

It has been awhile since I have blogged.  I have had a lot of missteps and backwards steps.  Nearly everything that I have previously typed before, I have done incorrectly.  I have been a poor role model.  I am frustrated, but not beaten.  I am determined.  My temporary failures speak to the difficulty of a progressive straight line life-long improvement.  I have had many dips in my trek, but I face my faults and trials with the fortitude of past success.

I am heavier that I have been in awhile, and it happened very quickly.  It is time to start the process of change.  I want to for appearance.  I need to for my health and for my children and for my message to others.  We can do this.

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