Think Positive.

So, my roommate is a psychology major. She also loves to talk about psychology, and today she talked about the psychology of self-control. Whilst spouting off jargon and other stuff I don't really know about (she knows A LOT about psychology), she said a particular something I didn't know before that pertains to the general welfare and healthiness of the body.

Did you know that exerting self-control is physically taxing? Controlling urges and breaking habits not only puts a strain on your mind, oh no. It physically drains your body as if you were doing physical labor. 

So what does this mean? For me, it means that resisting the urge to put another handful of cheese in my chili is much harder than I thought.

I mean, think about. Have you ever thought about why it's so hard to break bad habits? Have you ever thought about why it's so hard to only have one scoop of ice-cream, or indulge in a bowl of fruit instead of a piece of raspberry cheesecake? How about why it's like you feel more tired just thinking about going to the gym?

Everyone in the whole world and their mothers are creatures of habit. Our bodies like to do what they've been doing, and they definitely don't like to change. It's our minds that change that. It's our minds that make our body do what we want.

However, in order to get your body to do what you want, you need more energy.

Sleep, a balanced diet, a healthy routine... once you are in the habit, it's all you want to do. But once you break the habit, it just makes you tired thinking about it. And now you know why.

In order to want to be healthy, you have to actually be healthy. Novel concept, right? Perhaps it will give you that much more motivation knowing that once you start, it's a scientific fact that you won't want to stop.

I Will Do It

In a recent church meeting, one of the speakers relayed this quote that really hit home for me:

"Excuses are a lack of stronger desire."

It can be so easy to find an excuse to justify what we do - or do not - do.
 I think this is especially true when it comes to making healthy changes in our lives.
At least it is for me.
I am really good at making excuses.

So maybe a way to move from the "I want to do it" step to the "I will do it" step
has to do with our level of desire.
If our desire isn't strong enough,
we will find every reason not to get where we say we want to be.

How do we increase our desire?
Honestly...I don't really know.
Obviously it's something I am still working on.
 

But I think it has something to do with our priorities. 

If our priority is to be healthy and exercise,
then we will find a way to do it no matter how tired or busy we feel.

 I also think it has to do with our hearts.
In order to make healthy changes, our heart has to be in it.
Our motives for making the changes need to be aligned with our heart.
I believe our desire will be strongest when it comes from

our sense of identity and self worth,

as opposed to trying to please or impress others.

 

Just something to think about...

Actively Engaged in Your Own Life.

I think that getting into shape is kind of daunting for some people. The thought of going to the gym for an hour every day can almost be painful.

Going to the gym isn't for everyone, but that's not the only way to be healthy. Even working out isn't the only way to be healthy. Yeah, if you want muscle tone and stuff like that, you probably need to go to the gym. But in order to feel good, you really just need to move. Get up. Walk around. Be engaged in something other than sitting.

ac·tive/ˈaktiv/

Adjective:	(of a person) Engaging or ready to engage in physically energetic pursuits.
Noun:	An active form of a verb.
Synonyms:	lively - live - brisk - energetic - operative

Physically energetic pursuits aren't only running or weight lifting. It's all about choices--how you choose to live your life. Instead of spending your whole weekend on the couch, choose to do something different. Engage your mind, engage your body.

A few days ago, my boyfriend and I went on a group date with my sisters and their husbands. We went to dinner, walked around downtown a little bit, and then went to a park so my nephew could play. While we were there, all of us started playing on the playground, and it was honestly pretty fun. Monkey bars, cargo nets, weird spinny things... all that good stuff. I wasn't sweating after, I didn't feel like I was exercising, but I felt good. I felt active. I was choosing to play instead of just watching my nephew, and that made all the difference. 

It wasn't only that my body was active, my mind was active as well. I was focused on not falling off of the monkey bars. I was focused on not slipping from the rock wall. Being actively engaged with your mind is just as important as with your body. Sometimes, pick one. Sometimes, pick both. Just choose to do something. Make a decision, and then follow through on your decision. By not choosing to make a decision, you are choosing to not be engaged in your own life. That's when you start to feel like you're not worth it. 

Walk around the block, take the stairs, do some cleaning, have a dance party, play basketball with the neighbor kids, have a game night, bake some muffins, go to the Farmer's Market, run through the sprinklers, fly a kite, throw some rocks at the annoying birds in your yard. Then, after you've had some fun, rest. Recuperate. And get ready to be active again tomorrow. 

I promise, once you start making a conscious effort to be actively engaged in your life, there's no going back. 

The new me

{photo via pinterest}

It has now been 2 months since I have exercised on a regular basis.  Doesn't seem like that big of a deal.  Back in January I found out a few ladies in my neighborhood would work out every morning (Mon-Fri) for 1-1 1/2 hours at our near by church.  And the kids would play in the nursery room.  

For quite some time before this I was feeling pretty stuck.  I was not content with my mommy body, my teenage acne came back after having a baby, and I just seemed to be missing a portion of good self esteem that was starting to wear on me.  It seemed as if all the women around me who had just had a baby looked far better then I did, and everyone else around me that hadn't had a baby didn't quite understand what it feels like to have your body completely change on you with out your consent.  Yes, the baby is worth it ( I would do anything for my little man), but it still doesn't change the fact that even after I lost all the "baby" weight my pants never fit the same.  And over time, with the wrong attitude, my self esteem dropped. Fast.

After a while I realized that sitting around and moping about it was doing me no good.  I gained the courage to ask the ladies if I could join their group.  I had no idea what an impact it would make on me. Especially after I have gone with out it for 2 months.

3 healthy habits I have learned:

1. Exercise.  People, its only function is not just losing weight.  After about 4 weeks of consistently working out, I not only looked better, but I felt GREAT.  I didn't lose a single pound. (gasp)  I was in shape, a toner more lean body,  and little things like carrying my little man up and down stairs no longer made me pant for breath.

2. Social.  I didn't realize talking to a 2 year old all day can limit your self esteem.  I am moving in a month, completely across the country.  I thought I successfully didn't make any close enough friends to have it be a hard goodbye when we leave our neighborhood.  In a matter of a few months seeing these ladies everyday I can say I have made life long friends and would trust them with anything.  They are truly amazing and lift my spirits everyday.  It is important to have friends that are positive in life.  It's like seeing someone smile, you can't help but smile back. 

3.  Attitude.  "if your feeling blue, try painting yourself a different color." I still couldn't fit my jeans.  But with the uplifting friends and exercise I happened to gain a bit of courage.  So instead of moping about it, I went and bought jeans that did fit, and from that day on I have far less days spent looking in the mirror wishing and hoping for a better.  Change is good.  Especially motherhood. Since my change in attitude towards my body and trying to love the new me instead of always wishing for something different,  I truly feel my appreciation for motherhood has grown immensely.  I am completely in awe each day with the love I get to feel as a mother, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Even if it means getting bigger and bigger hips as the years go on.  At least,  I know what matters most.  And that perspective was all I needed for a happy heart.