A Plan for Victory

Today I heard a great quote and I wanted to share it with you. "You can either get busy living, or get busy dying." What do I mean by get busy? Here are a few things to help you get busy and once you have accomplished these things you are well on your way to a healthy life.

Find an Accountability Partner
This is someone who is walking the same path you are walking right now. Before you consider this person make sure you are picking the right partner for you. Your partner needs to be fully committed to losing weight just like you. You want someone with a good attitude and someone who will encourage you when you are ready to give up. You must be the same type of partner to them. Remember to keep positive and don't say "if" I lose the weight but rather "when" I lose the weight.

You will need to give up the following things during your journey to becoming a healthier person.

White Sugar
I know... suck it up! Everyone loves sugar and you still have to give it up. Here are the reasons why; do you know the reaction cars have when sugar is put into the gas tank? The engine will die. Well guess what your body reacts the same way over time you are killing yourself with sugar, think diabetes for an example. Sugar needs to be marked "legal drug" because it is addicting, alcohol is sugar and this is what alcoholics are addicted to. When you give up sugar your body will go through a detox period and you will feel horrible and have withdrawal symptoms much like an alcoholic. God created natural forms of sugar in raw fruits, raw vegetables, honey and molasses. This wasn't good enough for man so they had to "enhance" the sugar by using fourteen steps to process sugarcane and sugar beets to make sucrose. "Sugar has been known to contribute to depression, fatigue, irritability, hypoglycemia, diabetes, hyperactivity, and violent outrages." Sugar Blues by William Duffy

Artificial Sweeteners
Why eliminate this? Because well they are artificial! "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7) We are reaping the effects of poor nutrition, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, and ignorance. The food industry makes billions of dollars every year from our ignorance. Foods that are labeled fat free, sugar free, and artificial flavor are some examples of the marketers making us feel safe. You would be safer to eat the packaging rather than the artificial sweeteners.

White Flour
Food manufacturers are stealing the nutrients from brown whole grain, they remove all of the wheat germ and bran, and they bleach it white with chemicals kind of like Clorox bleach. Then the kicker is they sell you the wheat germ and bran back to us as "health food." If a package says bleached or enriched put it down and run the other direction.

White Potato, White Rice, and CORN
If you haven't watched the movie Food, Inc., I really encourage you to head to your nearest movie store and rent it. You will be amazed at the fact that corn is in everything. I mean everything, Motrin, Pampers, all soft drinks, all food in boxes, about the only place you are safe from corn is in the produce department unless you are buying corn of course. Corn, potatoes and rice are carbohydrates that turn into sugar quickly in the body and this will make you tired and overweight. To be healthy you need to stick to raw fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and low-fat complex carbohydrates.

Fake Foods
What are fake foods? Anything with white sugar, bleached flour, soft drinks, boxed items and some canned items minus vegetables. I know you are wasting your money if you emptying out your cabinets from all of your "Fake" food. Guess what if you keep eating those foods you will spend even more money on your health. Don't announce to your children you are getting rid of all the "Fake" food or even your husband for that matter. I think husbands throw an even bigger fit than the kids. Introduce foods slowly to the family and over time they will come around. This isn't a diet it's a new way of life. Once you have been rid of the "Fake" food in a few weeks you will feel better than you have in a long time.

Stop Eating after 7:00
It's better to eat your calories during the morning and by lunch time. This way you are not trying to make your body digest a lot of food at night when you tend to be sitting around or better yet sleeping. The body cannot possibly digest a lot of food at night and you will probably get a better night sleep if you don't eat after 7:00. If you are really hungry try a hard boiled egg and a sliced apple.

If you follow these tips you will be well on your way to making changes. You will notice a difference and probably some weight loss within the first week to two weeks by using these tips. Follow me and I will lead you to the finish. Dream big and pray hard for strength to keep you on the right path. Losing weight is a mental challenge and if you can overcome all the mental obstacles you will lose the weight. -

Finding the Motivation to Keep Going

To be successful at losing weight you must incorporate exercise into your life. You can burn approximately 2500 calories a week through exercise. That is the weekly equivalent to 60 minutes of intense circuit training.

You must be consistent and determined to make exercise a habit. Many people don't follow through with exercise because they make excuses. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated and keep pushing yourself to exercise daily.

Get rid of excuses. How many of you make excuses for not exercising? Here are a few examples I have heard: "I'm too tired.", "My knees hurt.", "I don't have time.", and "I can't afford it." are a few. Does this sound like you?

Find something you love to do that will motivate you to continue exercising. I love going to Muay Thai Kickboxing, it is a difficult workout that works not only my mind but my heart and my entire body. Boxing is another great workout it is fun, and it works your total body and your heart. Run a marathon for a great cause. I participated in the Race for the Cure this year and I loved every minute of it. Not only was it a great workout for me but I was helping a great cause. I would love to have a Skinny Mom team this year. Strength train, find a partner and hit the weights. I just started strength training and I absolutely LOVE it! Strength training burns fat and builds muscle by boosting your metabolism and increasing the amount of caorie burning muscle. I'm not saying become a massive beast, I'm saying build, tone up, and burn fat.
Finding a partner to workout with will motivate you to make it to the gym or exercise in your home. This way you have someone to push you and you're less likely to back out when you know someone is waiting on you.
Exercise boosts your energy, builds your immune system, lifts depression, helps protect you from heart attacks, and it will extend your life. Most people who make exercise a part of their daily life can often eliminate prescription drugs for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and and minimize the symptoms of POCS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).

Burning calories makes you lose fat. Combine healthy eating with consistent exercise and you are setting yourself up for success. Exercise helps maintain muscles to keep your metabolism moving. When you diet and remain inactive you will use up your muscles and your metabolism will slow down. You don't need to workout 1,2,3 hours a day. You can workout for 30 minutes but you must put 100% into a 30 minute workout for it to be effective.

Make time for exercise. Again stop the excuse, "I don't have time." There are 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. You can squeeze in 3 hours a week to workout. One way to do this is by taking your family calendar and write down all the activities for the week, once you have done this then you know what days and times you can workout. Write your days you plan to workout on the calendar in pen and consider this as important as an appointment with the doctor. It's time to start taking care of you! Sneak in quick exercises at your children's practices. I used to run around the soccer fields while my son practiced. You might even encourage other moms when they see your motivation to get fit. Do family activities on the weekend like a game of kickball or softball. Better yet while you're watching your favorite TV show get on the treadmill or stationary bike and you'll be amazed at how quick a half hour goes by.

Mix things up a bit. If you get bored easily mix it up. Changing your routine is good for your body. Your body will eventually get used to your workouts and you will stop seeing results. You have to change it up and keep your body guessing.

How do you get started? Simple, start out doing 10 minutes on the treadmill the next time add another 10 minutes until you are up to 40-60 minutes. Set a goal to work yourself up to more time. Take little steps each day but be faithful in working out.