This New Year's Eve, I started thinking about food and excercise and how I was going to continue to maintain my weight this year after I had just had a week of not exactly "following the plan" - not even close. I came to the conclusion that the only way I would be successful was if two things happened. First, I had to realize that I was doing this because it made me feel good, not anyone else, me. And second, I had to believe - I had to believe in myself that this is something I could do.
We do things in life for different reasons, sometimes we do them because we have to, sometimes we do them because others want us to, and sometimes we do them because it makes us feel good. Those are the best things - the ones that make us feel good. Many times we do things for ourself that make us feel good, sometimes we do things for others that makes them feel good which in-turn makes us feel good, but the important thing is, it makes us feel good. We shouldn't excercise or eat properly because we have to, we should do it because we feel better. I think that is the key to being successful in any "get in shape" program. If we think of it as something we have to do to reach a goal we may succeed, however the probability of us being successful after we reach the goal goes down considerably. But if we excercise and watch what we eat because we know it makes us feel better, it's not a chore anymore, it's a choice - and that can make all the difference!
Weight loss is also a "believing" game. You have to believe that you can do it. It's funny, as we grow older, we sometimes forget to just "believe". I think Christmas reminds us of that, is a time for believing. It seems sad to me sometimes, the older we get, the less we believe. Remember, when you were a child and you could hardly wait until Santa put the gifts under the tree, it was magical! And then we grow older, we no longer believe in Santa, sometimes in ourselves, and sometimes in others.
We need to believe in ourselves that we can change the way we eat, we can lose weight, that others will support us in our quest, pick us up when we fall down, give us words of encouragement. They say it takes a village to raise a child, I believe it takes a community of friends to loose weight. That's what Rachel Ryans Fitness is, a community where you will find support, encouragement and friends who will cheer you on, every step of the way.
