Finding your WHY

A great way to start this health journey is to think about why you want to lose weight, eat better, become healthier or fill in the blank. Here are some things to think about.

My first tip for this journey you are on is to clearly define your WHY. If you don't have a reason other than you want to fit back into the jeans you hung onto from high school I can guarantee in 99% of cases that may get you there but it will not.....repeat NOT....keep you there. There has to be some heart behind your reasons. Why at the end of the day do you want to lose weight. Do you feel bad? Are you unable to keep up with or worse unable to play with your children? Are you depressed? Many times motivation comes from simply wanting to feel better and not be a prisoner in your own body. Whatever the reason I encourage you to put it out there with those closest to you and let them know why you are working towards these goals. That leads to better support which leads to more success that will last. This may seem like a silly suggestion but you would be surprised how many people just say I want to lose weight but just because I don't want to buy new clothes or because my neighbor is doing it and really don't have themselves fully invested in the process.

My second biggie that I feel needs to be addressed before you dig too deep into the process is to come to a place where you understand that the time you spend on yourself whether 30 minutes or an hour a day is an INVESTMENT. You cannot look at the time spent working out as an inconvenience or something you just need to suck it up and do but as a vital part of caring for yourself. Almost as an extension of the necessities like eating, bathing etc... Working out is something that needs to be included in your self care. Once you think of it as a vital part of your life and longevity it doesn't seem like so much of a chore which helps change and shift your whole mindset. Working out is not something you just do but incorporating fitness into daily living is a way of life. There is a big difference. Thinking this way also puts all those excuses about kids needing your time, dishes that need to be done or whatever else you want to throw on the table and makes them irrelevant.. If its a vital part of your self care and you aren't doing it then you won't be able to accomplish all the other things on your to do list nearly as effectively. This will have a positive impact not only for you but for those around you. As far as investments go that makes it a pretty high return investment.

My third tip as you are just getting started or are restarting or if you are struggling right now to get on the fitness bandwagon is to find something you LOVE!!!! Fitness does not have to be dreadful. There are so many options out there it will literally make you go crazy trying to figure it all out. In my next Wednesday post I plan to break down different options for fitness as well as resources for those options and lay it all out as much as I can for you. I guarantee if you hate exercise you just have not found the right thing yet. Once you do.... you won't look back.

Just do yourself a favor and spend some time thinking about these things as you go forward and let me know what you find out about yourself. Does it change your mindset like it did mine? Does having clear goals and looking at your time working out as an investment in you and your family give you permission and freedom to go full force ahead? I hope this also drives home a point that I have made before and will continue to make that getting fit and healthy is really more of an inside job first before it becomes and outside job. Its more about the head and the heart. It also helps to find scriptures to pair with your thoughts along the way to encourage and uplift us and remind us how deeply loved and valued we are.