Remember? As Christians, we live and see and walk and make choices based on our FAITH and not by what we see. (From II Corinthians 5:7) The new healthy, active, energized you, might be invisible right now, but just keep looking at her by faith, and keep applying the right principles to your life and pretty soon the manifestation of your faith will be staring right back at you from that FULL LENGTH mirror!  

If you want to be more active, then begin to see yourself off of the couch more than on it, and put a plan in place that requires you to move more every day, i.e., keep your tennis shoes in the car, or purchase a membership at a fitness center, or get a work out buddy, or park further from EVERY entrance that you enter, or walk to the corner market rather than drive, or get a pedometer, or try a new sport, or get some new work-out clothes, or, if you have a desk job, stand at your desk often (we burn more calories standing than sitting), or actually use the treadmill or stationary bike that you paid all of that money for and all it's doing is collecting dust!  

If you want to eat more complex carbohydrates like whole grains and legumes ("good carbs"), and eat less simple carbohydrates like cakes and cookies ("bad carbs"), then begin to see yourself eating oatmeal and fruit for breakfast rather than sugary cereal, or replace white rice with brown rice, replace white bread with whole wheat bread, eat one chocolate chip cookie from Subways instead of two, drink one soda per day instead of two, choose a salad without the croutons at the fast food restaurant, rather than choosing the cheeseburger and fries, choose a regular sized meal at the fast food restaurant, rather than super-sizing it, or, after you and your party have enjoyed one basket of bread at the restaurant, ask the waiter not to bring any more, or try actually cooking one day this week rather than eating processed food or restaurant food all seven days of the week.  

If six months from now, you want to weigh XX lbs. less than you do now, then start to see yourself at that weight and stop going on a diet, but instead make lifestyle changes; stop the all or nothing approach and learn portion control, and self-control instead; stop believing that if there is no pain there is no gain, and find an activity that you like so much that you use it to keep moving and burning off calories; stop comparing yourself to others and take things slowly, one day at a time, one principle at a time, until you are making healthy choices consistently; stop quitting on yourself but simply start over at the next meal; stop saying something doesn't work until you work it the way it's meant to be worked. Yes! As a matter of fact, I DO see you in the future, and you DO look much better than you look right now! What do you see?

How is your vision?

© Dale W. Hill

Certified Wellness Coach