Walk With Purpose

Hey Everyone!  

Lately my personal health has been less than great. With seasonal allergies, food allergies, and the reactions that come with all these allergies(not fun!), I thought it would be a great time to talk about health and keeping ourselves in tip-top shape this year. 

I come from a family of high metabolisms. What does that mean? It means that I have been skinny for pretty much all my life up to this point. Now, I know what you're thinking "Why are you writing about personal health? You have no history with majorly dealing with this." But a very common misconception is that skinny people don't have health issues. No matter what your sizes we all still have the same equipment and we all have to maintain it. Just because I look like I can eat everything and be okay and not worry about my heart or my breathing, is wrong. The idea that we (skinny individuals) are the only ones allowed in the gym or ! That we don't need to be anywhere near the gym and instead need to be near a buffet table is Ridiculous! Ever heard that cliché saying "Never judge a book by its cover?" Well that applies all over this. So let's get into it....

One main thing that stumbles many people up when trying to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle is  Consistency. This is definitely something that I struggle with and have made one of my missions to be better with in the new year. 

I don't know if you made New Years Resolutions or goals. But a lot of time people tend to get caught up in the hype of a new year. They get a chance to start over and seemingly change their life. But where people come up short is being consistent. It's easy to begin a workout regimen or well, anything out of excitement. But what happens when the hype dies down and you come back to real life? What happens when work starts back up and you are in your regular routine again? Your discipline and consistency to your goal will tether you down. 

This month my pastor has began a message talking about discipline. And among the many things that I have learned from him, one major thing that I have learned is that consistency requires discipline point blank period. So how can we begin and continue to be consistent?

• Make a Realistic Plan Then Stick To It. This requires being honest with yourself, what will you honestly stick to? 
• Don't Make Excuses. This is a biggie. We can always find something better to do, (or just nothing to do at all) instead of sticking to our plan. But this will create a habit of not doing it which leads to an unmet goal.... I know if I find myself making an excuse, I remember what my goal is and that is like a slap back to reality. This also can help you with discipline. When you can bulldoze through your excuses and go to the gym, or take the stairs, or buy that healthy option at the store you're feeding the discipline inside of you!
• Walk With Purpose- People sometimes tell me that when I am walking I look focused like I have somewhere to be and sometimes to the point of not hearing my name called... to that I answer "Well I do" (CLASS... *college humor* anyway!) But I included this because  consistency requires, "Walking With Purpose" you have to have your expected end in mind when being consistent. Keep the answer to your Why? in your head when you're about to make your excuse and not stick to your plan.
• Give Yourself a Break. Realize that nothing great happens over night. You wont be perfect. But who is? If you are trying then that's all that matters. People may not understand but it's not their goal it's yours. At the end of the day, you have to deal with yourself. Overall, be happy for your improvement. You know where you have been and where you are. 

A lot of the things that I have said are related to living a healthy lifestyle but this can be applied anywhere! Don't get caught up in the hype of the new year and start but not continue improving your life to be a better person. But make a decision to be disciplined and consistent with whatever you decide to do this year, that way you can look back and say you made a change not just the week that you started and fell off but a change that will last for the rest of your life.! If you give yourself a reason why you want to change, (better health, family, personal reasons, etc.) then let that be your guiding light.Trust me, If we just tweak the little things, it'll make a whole lot of difference later. :-)

I would love to hear what are some things that you have done to remain consistent if you have mastered it, or what are the things that you are working towards and how are you taking steps to get there?

^_^ XOX