It's a one year anniversary! Twelve months of grueling exercises. A year ago, I thought I would never make it; but now, it seems like the time has flown. A year ago, I rolled my eyes at the people that said that exercise is fun; they can't live without it; everyone should be doing it; it's so healthy for you; blah, blah, blah! I used to think that there isn't too much a person can do about their weight if they are naturally big built or have weight problems in their genes. I used to think that I could eat whatever I wanted because other people could while staying skinny. I used to think that losing weight is all about looking good. My, my, a year has changed my thinking DRASTICALLY.
These are some things that I have learned through a year-long journey:
1. By making myself devote 30 minutes a day to exercise for five days a week, I have become so much more disciplined in other areas of my life. I know it sounds strange- but it's true!
2. Exercise can be lots of fun....just do something you enjoy (but make sure the activity has your heart rate sky high=)
3. I actually can feel a difference in my body when I go for a day or two without exercise. I become much more lethargic, prone to headaches, and irritable.
4. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health! Forget the old-fashioned idea of dieting- how does that tone muscle, boost metabolism, and increase heart and lung strength? All that dieting serves to do is make a hungry, unenergetic, skinny person. (Don't get me wrong; diet is very important and detrimental to health. A proper diet should walk hand in hand with exercise; but it usually doesn't do too well on its own.) I am living proof that exercise has kept me from diabetes. I had all the symptoms of diabetes before I started, but now have none of them.
5. God has created people with different body builds and shapes. I will never be as slender as some people; but that doesn't give me an excuse to not maintain the body that God has given me. I know that weight problems run in both sides of my family trees. (We're not those wimpy lil' birches; we are some strong and mighty oaks.lol.) So instead of just sitting back and figuring that there is no hope, I am trying to do something to keep myself from becoming another obese, cholesterol-packed, diabetes-filled statistic.
6. Some people have different speeds on their metabolism. Whereas some can eat a hamburger, fries, and milkshake and stay thin, I can eat lettuce, grilled fish, and yogart and gain weight. So I have just learned to find my body's healthy balance of calorie input and energy output. No use whining and griping about it.
7. Making a lifestyle change that includes healthy diet and vigorous exercise is not just to try to make yourself slender or look good. To exercise just so you can look great and wear a size 4 dress is not going to keep you going when you don't get immediate weight loss results or when you hit a plateau. I started with such shallow intentions, but soon found out that exercise is about more than looks. It's about how you feel inside and out. I have finally reached the conclusion that even if I wouldn't have lost 40 pounds and a crazy amount of inches, I would still be exercising because of the way it has changed my health.
8. If you ask, God will give you all the strength you need to persevere and endure until you reach that goal of better health! Nope, it's not easy. My goodness, there has been times when I almost gave up and sat down in a puddle of sweat and cried; but God's strength is all-sufficient to keep you going (whether it's in exercise or any other area of life.)
Yeah, you probably think this is really lame...hello...who writes an ode to exercising? But I am living proof that an overweight person can actually lose weight and feel great=)
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