How To Get Past Our Good Intentions

Happy New Year! Yes, the beginning of the year always comes in with excitement and anticipation because it marks a new beginning...a fresh start. This is the time of the year when many people (self included) create lists of all the areas in our lives that we resolve to change. You know the drill. Somewhere around December 28th, we sit down with our pen and paper and make these carefully thought out plans that are guaranteed to make our lives better. The most common resolution that is sure to top almost everyone’s list is the commitment to Lose Weight. We vow to lose x amount of pounds by June....we plan to exercise a minimum of an hour every single day...we declare to never ever eat anything white (sugar, flour, bread) ever again. Next step, we make our way to our local Target to buy all of the latest and greatest exercise videos and equipment, stock up on the newest, proven effective diet supplements and throw out (or eat up) all of the “bad” foods from our fridges and pantries. Then, we wait for January 1st to get here so that we can get started. Day 1…perfect! Day 2....whoo hooo! Day 3...oops I drank a Pepsi (sugar) Day 4...my big toe hurts so there is no way I can work out.....Day 5...someone baked a cake and it would be rude to not eat any so on Monday, I will start all over again (said on a Tuesday).....and by the end of January, its a wash.

Sound familiar? We really do start out with good intentions, don’t we? So, what happens? Well there a few things that may hinder our success in reaching our goals.

One problem is that we plan to achieve these grand outcomes but we set these unrealistic deadlines for ourselves and we don’t develop a specific plan. It is overwhelming to try and change everything at once. Many years ago my pastor, Dr Ricky Temple at Overcoming By Faith Church, taught a sermon “Success comes in Pieces, not Chunks” If you want to have success, focus on the pieces and not the chunks. So for example, one of my resolutions/goals is to lose weight. Unfortunately, I can afford to lose a lot and I would love to lose all of it before my fortieth birthday which is this September. The total amount that is necessary/desired to lose is overwhelming (50 pounds...sigh)...... and to try to lose it over the next 9 months might be a little unrealistic (unless I make a casting call for the Biggest Loser...LOL)...so I try not to focus on the big “chunk” of weight that I need to lose. Instead I try to focus on what I can do on a daily basis that will positively contribute to my bigger goal. If I eat more fruits and veggies, instead of the box of Little Debbie’s Swiss Roll cakes today, I will take in fewer calories. Less calories= pound lost...hmmmm, sounds simple enough! And maybe if I walk to the end of the block and back when I go out to check the mailbox this afternoon, I will increase my activity and burn even more calories which will also contribute to losing yet another ounce or two....see the pattern? I may or may not reach my intended goal by the end of the year....only God knows that.....but, I do know that practicing these actions daily will put me one step closer to reaching my goal. I don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead I allow them to motivate me further by taking it one day at a time.

Another thing...resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has absolutely no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. So tell me, why do you want to lose weight? Is it just for vanity or are you looking for a healthier lifestyle? My motivation for losing weight is so that I don’t want to develop diabetes or high blood pressure. Both of these diseases run in my family, but I am determined to break that generational curse. According to the American Diabetes Association, just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight by making changes in diet (increase fruit/veggie and whole grain intake), produced a 58% reduction in diabetes. That’s it?!? Pretty easy, huh? Yes, I can do that! Whenever I am feeling lazy and don’t want to go to the gym, these findings come to mind and I have even developed a little saying…“30 minutes a day keeps diabetes away!” Corny? Yes...but it motivates me and helps me to keep my goal a priority.

Finally, Philippians 4:14 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”(NIV) This is one of my favorite daily declarations. I simply believe that God will give me whatever strength that I need to reach my goals and I put my trust totally in Him. Period. In all things, rely on God’s strength to help you and to encourage you to stay on task. John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. So before creating your list of resolutions/goals...take a moment and talk to God about what it is that He would have you to change and pray that He gives you the wisdom to fulfill those goals. God will never let you fail!

So now, let’s pull out our list of this years resolutions, review them and see if there are any ways to modify your plans to make them more specific and achievable. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate them every week or every month either. Feel free to make adjustments through out they year.....after all, they aren’t written in stone!

I pray and ask God that we will all reach our goals for 2010 and that each day...every action step along the way makes us better women. Throughout the year, I plan to update you on any progress made (or not) on my weight loss journey to meet my goal.



I will post my next blog, Monday, January 18th. I hope to see you then.

In Christian Love,
Sasha







Tuesday's Blog: Maria Guzman...Life Unscripted