So you've decided you need to make some changes to your diet, and add some exercise. Do you go ahead and just totally revamp everything? Knock out all the junk, quit the pop, clean out your cabinets and refrigerator and start fresh? Do you throw yourself in a total fitness program? Or do you do these things incrementally, one thing at a time?
Just like everything else, it depends who you talk to. Some experts recommend just doing a big reset, and starting over, so hopefully several things stick. The idea is that you may backslide in some areas, but you'll have some other positive changes still working for you.
Other experts suggest it may be more beneficial in the long run if you start with something simple first. The idea here is that it's easier to implement something small, and then something else, so you slowly gain momentum. Small changes add up over time, and also become habits.
So which way is best? I think it can depend on a couple things, like your personality and even your life history. Both can have a lot of influence on your potential success.
Let's start with personality. If you're a Type A kind of person that likes lots of control and micromanages things, then maybe the complete overhaul is for you. You can just dig in, and through force of will make it happen. If you're a little more relaxed, though, you might let some things slip through the cracks. In that case, you might be better off sticking with one change and focusing on that for awhile.
But history can have something to do with it, too. If you're new to dieting and working out, it's possible that you can use a big reset in your life, and a jumpstart to get the ball rolling. But if you've tried lots of diets and exercise programs, maybe you need to focus on one or two small changes. For example, going for a 20 minute walk, and trying to cut out the pop. After you learn you can sustain it, then you can add something else.
Personally, I lean toward the Type A, lots-of-control way of doing things, but that's just me. Usually, I just need to get a project started, and the rest kind of falls into place. But sometimes, it's just too big to do in the short term. Then I have to take bite-size chunks out of it. Drives me crazy, but I'll do it. So you can see that sometimes you might use a mixture of BOTH approaches.
In the end, how you get there probably doesn't matter, as long as it's moral. There are lots of ways to eat better, and lots of ways to workout. Many different plans will get you there, if you just stick it out. So what really matters is: "Did you get the results you wanted?" If so, then great! If not, then reevaluate, recommit, and renew your efforts.
Here are some people who had a good result this week. Cheryl Funkhouser was this week's Biggest Loser, with a loss of 3.8 lbs and 2.3% of her body weight. Brooke Bishop placed second, losing 4.7 lbs and 2.2%. Haley Johnson finished third, losing 4.2 lbs and 1.7%.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
WHEN "I WANT-TO" BECOMES "I HAVE-TO"
Why can some people stay in shape while others struggle with their weight? And why can some do it for awhile, but only awhile?
I've spent years watching people come and go. I've also spent years watching the same people keep coming back for more.
Some people just "have to do it." They love the process. They love working out and getting sweaty. They come to love the challenge.
These people are pretty well connected with their bodies. They're constantly monitoring the situation. If they see things going South, they quickly make adjustments and fix the problem.
No surprise, it's the ones that can't seem to commit to a daily routine that struggle the most. They try this new program, that new diet, and the latest hot new DVD series.
But tight schedules make it tough. Pain makes it worse, and of course, life intrudes. They're in for awhile, and then they're out. But every now and then, someone breaks out and finds their way.
They make the changes, and then make them stick. They keep a routine until it becomes... routine. They're more encouraged by their successes, than discouraged by their failures.
They've finally joined the ranks of the "have-to's." It's become important to them. Maybe even critical. They now "have to" do it.
Life still has lots of mysteries to me, but I'm pretty sure of three things: God is not dead, Jesus still saves, and when your "I want-to" becomes "I have-to", that's when you'll find your breakthrough.
The participants in Biggest Loser "20" are experiencing their own breakthrough, with a month under their belt. First place went to Lori Hollingsworth, who lost 5.4 lbs and 3.0% of her body weight. Brian Bradley and Heather Watson tied for second, both losing 1.6% and 4.0 lbs and 2.8 lbs respectively. Cheryl Funkhouser placed fourth, losing 2.2 lbs and 1.3%.
I've spent years watching people come and go. I've also spent years watching the same people keep coming back for more.
Some people just "have to do it." They love the process. They love working out and getting sweaty. They come to love the challenge.
These people are pretty well connected with their bodies. They're constantly monitoring the situation. If they see things going South, they quickly make adjustments and fix the problem.
No surprise, it's the ones that can't seem to commit to a daily routine that struggle the most. They try this new program, that new diet, and the latest hot new DVD series.
But tight schedules make it tough. Pain makes it worse, and of course, life intrudes. They're in for awhile, and then they're out. But every now and then, someone breaks out and finds their way.
They make the changes, and then make them stick. They keep a routine until it becomes... routine. They're more encouraged by their successes, than discouraged by their failures.
They've finally joined the ranks of the "have-to's." It's become important to them. Maybe even critical. They now "have to" do it.
Life still has lots of mysteries to me, but I'm pretty sure of three things: God is not dead, Jesus still saves, and when your "I want-to" becomes "I have-to", that's when you'll find your breakthrough.
The participants in Biggest Loser "20" are experiencing their own breakthrough, with a month under their belt. First place went to Lori Hollingsworth, who lost 5.4 lbs and 3.0% of her body weight. Brian Bradley and Heather Watson tied for second, both losing 1.6% and 4.0 lbs and 2.8 lbs respectively. Cheryl Funkhouser placed fourth, losing 2.2 lbs and 1.3%.
Thursday, May 08, 2014
INSPIRATION CAN BE FOUND ALL AROUND US
It's easy to get tunnel vision sometimes, especially when we get busy. But if we'll take a moment to pay attention, inspiration can often be found all around us. Here are a few things I've found noteworthy in the last couple of weeks. They're in no particular order; they just happened to catch my eye, and impressed me.
Last Saturday, a friend of mine named Roy won his first MMA fight in the 1st round by a technical knockout. This means the referee stopped the fight because the other guy wasn't intelligently defending himself anymore.
That's probably because Roy had taken him down and was hammering on him pretty good. I think what impressed me the most, was that a couple days earlier, Roy told me how he saw the fight going. It went exactly that way. Now that's working your plan!
I've now seen three different kids do a cartwheel-back handspring-back tuck combo, which is an amazing thing to behold. Perhaps the most impressive one, was the FaceBook video I saw of Karrington up in Chrisman on the gym floor, without mats! I know it's taken a ton of work for these kids to get that tumbling run down. Awesome!
A couple days ago, I was watching a friend roll our lawn. He owns this special machine that looks like those machines they use when they pave the highway. He sits up on it, and it's five times heavier than the biggest roller I could pull behind my mower!
After years of mole holes that were more like gopher holes, Marc had it looking like a golf course. He said he takes pride in keeping the lines straight, and doing a good job for people. Nice!
Ten years ago, Tim fell victim to a disease that attacks the myelin sheath around the nerves in his spine, making it hard for him to use his lower limbs. Recently, he had a long hospital stay in the hospital, sedated and on a respirator with double pneumonia and sepsis, a serious bacterial infection in the blood!
They gave him a 20% chance to live, and said if he hadn't been as strong as he was, he wouldn't have made it. Now he's back in the gym, trying to get back to where he was. A few days ago he said, "I have to do it, I've got to do it. It's more important to me than most people." I think he may be right.
Something else that always impresses, is our short list of Biggest Losers this week. Brian Bradley was first, losing 5.4 lbs and 2.1% of his body weight. Jan Poynter placed second, losing 3.6 lbs and 2.0%. Bailey Bradley finished third, losing 2.2 lbs and 1.6%. Kit Kirby and Christy Henry tied for fourth place, losing 3.6 and 3.2 lbs respectively, and 1.5%.
Last Saturday, a friend of mine named Roy won his first MMA fight in the 1st round by a technical knockout. This means the referee stopped the fight because the other guy wasn't intelligently defending himself anymore.
That's probably because Roy had taken him down and was hammering on him pretty good. I think what impressed me the most, was that a couple days earlier, Roy told me how he saw the fight going. It went exactly that way. Now that's working your plan!
I've now seen three different kids do a cartwheel-back handspring-back tuck combo, which is an amazing thing to behold. Perhaps the most impressive one, was the FaceBook video I saw of Karrington up in Chrisman on the gym floor, without mats! I know it's taken a ton of work for these kids to get that tumbling run down. Awesome!
A couple days ago, I was watching a friend roll our lawn. He owns this special machine that looks like those machines they use when they pave the highway. He sits up on it, and it's five times heavier than the biggest roller I could pull behind my mower!
After years of mole holes that were more like gopher holes, Marc had it looking like a golf course. He said he takes pride in keeping the lines straight, and doing a good job for people. Nice!
Ten years ago, Tim fell victim to a disease that attacks the myelin sheath around the nerves in his spine, making it hard for him to use his lower limbs. Recently, he had a long hospital stay in the hospital, sedated and on a respirator with double pneumonia and sepsis, a serious bacterial infection in the blood!
They gave him a 20% chance to live, and said if he hadn't been as strong as he was, he wouldn't have made it. Now he's back in the gym, trying to get back to where he was. A few days ago he said, "I have to do it, I've got to do it. It's more important to me than most people." I think he may be right.
Something else that always impresses, is our short list of Biggest Losers this week. Brian Bradley was first, losing 5.4 lbs and 2.1% of his body weight. Jan Poynter placed second, losing 3.6 lbs and 2.0%. Bailey Bradley finished third, losing 2.2 lbs and 1.6%. Kit Kirby and Christy Henry tied for fourth place, losing 3.6 and 3.2 lbs respectively, and 1.5%.
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