How Determined Are You?

If you didn't read my last blogs, here is what you missed from allnaturalwellnesscoach@yahoo.com:

The 1st step to improving your health is to take responsibility for your own quality of life. Once you stop blaming other people, your circumstances, your previous experiences, etc. you will officially take responsibility for your own quality of life and then its up to YOU and YOU alone to change.

Step 2 is to talk to your doctor to determine the damage. Do you have a thyroid problem? Heart problems? Asthma? Anemia? What are you allergic to? Is your birth control making you gain weight? etc. These are things you need to know about your body.

Step 3 is to STOP comparing yourself to other people and accept your OWN body. Self improvement is about building yourself up, not breaking yourself down. A positive attitude is all you need to get yourself going in the right direction.

Step 4 is to take 4 BEFORE pictures. (Facing forward, view of your back, left side profile and a right side profile) Print out these pictures and write the date they were taken on the back of each one. These are the only pictures you need to compare yourself to from now on. Everyone has to start somewhere. Every 6 months, take another set of pictures, THEN compare yourself to yourself.

Step 5 is to weigh yourself & take your measurements. DO NOT weigh yourself everyday or 10 times a day. Pick 1 day ONCE A MONTH to weigh yourself 1 time. It should be the first thing you do when you wake up, before you eat or drink anything. In order to determine your weight loss in inches, it's important to measure yourself so that you know your starting point. To do this, I recommend: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-get-your-body-measurements.html

Step 6 figure out what is holding you back from attaining your desired quality of life. Is it Emotional or Physical? Emotional road blocks are much more difficult and challenging then physical ones. Physically, unless you are physically disabled, you can ALWAYS lift 5 more pounds, walk for 5 more minutes, or add an extra set of reps. Every pound has a story. No one can control your mind and body but YOU. You control your thoughts, you feed your body, and you summon up your own energy to choose your day to day physical activities. "Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort." - TEDDY ROOSEVELT.

Step 7 is challenging yourself to obtain SELF CONFIDENCE without fear of defeat. Living in fear is no way to live. By challenging yourself in different areas of your life, you will gain more confidence and no longer needed reassurance outside of yourself. Ladies, you don't need a man or a job to tell you your worth, You don't need your parents to coddle you, for your friends to stroke your ego, or food to comfort you. Stop believing that you aren't good enough, smart enough, or strong enough. Every time you feel defeated, get back up and stand on your own 2 feet as many times as it takes until you accomplish your goal. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

WHAT'S NEXT:

Step 8 is figure out how determined you are to change your lifestyle to improve your quality of life. It sounds simple enough, but it is the most difficult part of the process in order to improve your quality of life. Think about it, so far we have touched on several key points. 1. You have to take responsibility for the condition you're in; 2. You are knowledgeable & informed by your doctor(s) of your current health status; 3. You accept yourself as you are & only compare yourself to yourself to track your progress; 4. You have taken a Before picture; 5. You know your weight & measurements; 6.You are aware of your emotional road blocks and taking the necessary steps to control your own mind to overcome them; 7 You have attained confidence in yourself and are ready to challenge yourself toward a weight-loss goal without the fear of defeat. By now, #8 should come naturally, right? If only it were that easy! Some people want to change, but are not determined enough to follow through with the actual effort needed to make the changes necessary in their lives to accomplish their goals to improve their quality of life. Don't waste your money on pills, shakes, diets, gym memberships, or personal trainers if you are A. not going to use them as intended, B. use them but don't eat right OR C. eat right but don't use them properly. If you aren't using these tools correctly, you will not benefit from an untapped resource. You have to summon up the determination inside of you to make the necessary changes in your current lifestyle in order to improve your quality of life and accomplish your weight-loss goals. If you really want to become healthy, you must be determined to follow through until your goal is achieved. So again, my question to you is: How determined are you? Because you have choices. You can accept your predisposition or you can do something about it. You can accept that you're over-weight and inflicting other health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes. etc. and do absolutely nothing about it, OR you can make the determination to eat right, exercise, and live a healthy life. Your Life IS the result of the choices you have made, so make healthy choices today and moving forward.

Remember, the GOAL here is to become HEALTHY, not skinny. Society's view on what we should look like may not be healthy for everyone... it's NOT a Universal Law because everyone is different. The real question isn't how I can look like everyone else, it's "what is healthy for me?" You have to ignore the negative influences around you and that is a very difficult challenge in itself. Slowly but surely, you will start looking at yourself and the world around you differently. It is during this challenging time of self-reflection and realization that you will begin taking responsibility for your own quality life in order to live better. "Love the Life you Live, Live the Life you Love."- Bob Marley

I don't want to over-load you with information so I will end here. Comments are always welcomed. Follow me on Twitter @anwellnesscoach. I encourage readers to ask questions and I will answer them on this blog. Email your questions to: allnaturalwellnesscoach@yahoo.com