UPDATE ON MY 

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

Well guys, I am still working on it.  My New Year's Resolutions are below and then I will tell how I am accomplishing it so far.

1.  Lose 20 pounds and keep it off.
2.  Communicate better with family and friends
3.  Draw closer relationship with God

LOSE 20 POUNDS

Now, before I tell you how I'm losing it, I want you to understand how difficult it is to lose weight for myself... because of certain health issues.  I have some physical ailments that causes me every day to have some kind of pain:  muscle, skin, nerve and colon pain in all different areas of my body.  So, it hurts to move.

So, what weight have I lost and how am I losing it?  Well so far I've lost about 7 pounds.  With me, because of the hypothyroidism, it is almost impossible to lose weight unless I go to the extreme because my metabolism is soooo slow.  I usually will tell people that it is soooo slow that I don't have one... : ).  So, this is what I've been doing.

1.  I started a 40 day fasting and prayer with my church:  At first I started just juicing vegetables.  It lasted for about a week and then I got seriously sick and was taken off of the fast by my doctor because of a stomach virus, flu, and bronchitis.  My body needed more to heal.  So, I had to change my fast to similar to a Daniel diet but not as strict.  I've been sticking to that and it is day 23 of the prayer and fasting.  So, my diet is healthier because I'm not eating as much fast foods, fried foods, and snacks.  I'm eating more vegetables, fruits, grain, and nuts.  Also, I love to eat in the middle of the night.  It can be 2-3 in the morning and the night owl starts to snack!  So, I've curbed my eating time to no later than 10:00 p.m.  That may still seem late to a lot of folk, but for me, if I make if too early, then I know that I will fail!

2.  Drink water:  I've been double checking the amount of water to be sure that I'm getting it.  I still don't get enough and am working on that.

3.  I've been walking about 3-5 miles, 2-3 times a week, for the past year.  So, I've been continuing that.

4.  I've been doing martial arts for 2-3 hours 2-3 days per week for the past 1.5 years.  So, I've been continuing that.  I've added doing some martial arts practicing at home for 1 hour about 2 days per week also.

5.  I've been doing Zumba for 1 hour, 2 times per week for the past 2 years.  So, I've been continuing that.

6.  As you see, I'm a night owl... and an early bird.  I can stay up late and my body will wake me up early.  Well, that isn't good if you are trying to lose weight.  It is a known fact that when your body gets the night time rest that it needs, it is able to burn the fat and function more efficiently.  So, I make sure that I'm in bed by 12 midnight... yes that is early for me who was an insomniac... and my body wakes me up between 5:30-7:30 a.m.  That is more rest than I use to get.  Now, I get between 6-7 hours depending on the season.

Even though I've been doing all this working out... I've been at a plateau for the past 6 months in not losing any weight.  I had to add the fasting and prayer to go to the extreme for it to start kicking in again.

As you see, every day I am doing something physical.  Does it hurt... YES!  But if I don't move, it becomes more difficult to move and more difficult to accomplish my goal.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MOVE!  It is said that you should actively move atleast 15 minutes every day.

Join me next time and I'll share with you how I'm doing in keeping in communication with family and friends.

Ciao!

WHAT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION HAVE YOU MADE?

What is a resolution?  A resolution is a firm decision or vow that we make to ourselves to do or not to do something.

Have you decided to eat better, lose weight, exercise, get in a relationship, get out of an unhealthy relationship, get married, study more, get closer to the Lord?  Whatever it may be, make sure that your resolution isn't a illusion.  Don't just cross your fingers and hope that it will happen!  Life is what you make it, so make it happen!  Be sure that you make it something believable, attainable, and realistic so that you have a chance in achieving your goal.  Here are some hints on achieving a successful resolution.

1.  Pray about your resolution to be sure that it is a vow to yourself that should be made.  It isn't good when we make useless and damaging vows... either damaging to self or to others.

2.  Make a baby steps priority list to help you to know where to begin and to stay on track.

2.  Check it off as you do it.  This will allow you to see where you've come from, how far you've gotten, and reminds you where you're going.

3.  Every morning upon waking up, re-commit yourself to fulfill this resolution.  Speak positive affirmations about what your plans are and how you are going to go about accomplishing it that day.  Speak it into existence.

4.  Believe it, believe in it so that your actions reflect that belief.  If you don't think you are going to succeed... YOU WON'T!  If you believe you will succeed, you will put all your efforts to do it and therefore the likelihood of you succeeding is exponentially greater... YOU WILL!

5.  Revise your priority list as needed and review it daily as a reminder of the promise that you've made to yourself.

So, what resolution are you going to make?  Make it and then don't give up.  I listened to a sermon today that said "Stay On Board".  It was about not giving up on God and on your faith when things get crazy hard.  Things will definitely, at some point this year, get crazy difficult that will cause you to want to give in and give up.  You may think that the entire world has caved in upon you and that everyone has abandoned you.  DON'T GIVE UP!  Don't let the cares of this world knock you off of your resolution.  So often we don't succeed, not because we planned to fail but because we failed to plan.  So, make yourself a plan and keep going.  Stay on board with your decision and believe that you can make it through.  You will be surprised, when you come to the end of the year, at how much you achieved.

I HAVE 3 NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS:

1.  LOSE AN ADDITIONAL 20 POUNDS AND KEEP IT OFF.

2.  DRAW CLOSER TO THE LORD.  I ALREADY HAVE MY PRIORITY LIST IN MIND.

3.  KEEP BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. 

I shared these with you because that will cause me to be more alert at being accountable to myself to follow through.  If I remember, I'll keep you updated on how I'm doing on them.

SHARE WITH US WHAT YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION IS BY COMMENTING ON THIS PAGE!  IF YOU NEED A PRAYER PARTNER OR ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER TO HELP YOU, LET ME KNOW.