By Greg
Landry (Sincere thanks to Greg for letting me reprint this
article here!)
On the road to
weight loss, fitness, and health, you can easily become
discouraged. In fact, discouragement is what leads many people
to give up when they may have been near a point of significant
progress and encouragement in their program.
I've put together my "top 10" points of
encouragement to help keep your spirits high on your road to
weight loss, fitness, and health..
1. It does get better - and often
very quickly! Many people that are significantly overweight or
that have been sedentary for a long time, find any activity,
even walking a few hundred feet, to be very difficult and
uncomfortable. Be encouraged, many physiological changes
happen very quickly once you start moving. Walking, for
example, starts getting easier and more comfortable within a
couple of weeks. Keep moving - every day will be a little
better! Be encouraged!
2. I love this lady's story. It
just makes you want to cheer for her while sitting at your
computer. Margie from Madison, Wisconsin weighed 296 pounds
when she started walking in her neighborhood. She says she
started by walking about half a block twice a day and that it
was incredibly difficult at first. After the second day she
had decided to quit but a neighbor encouraged her to continue.
Every day she walked the same route but added a little
distance each week. She says there were many days when she
wanted to quit, but she wanted very badly to lose weight and
be healthy. After several months, the people in her
neighborhood started noticing her consistency and her progress
and started giving her compliments and words of encouragement.
She said that after a few months of walking, it went from
painful to enjoyable. About ten months into her walking
program, she began her morning walk as usual, but she noticed
people out in their yards. As she passed each yard they were
clapping and cheering for her, "Go Margie",
"We're proud of you Margie", "Congratulations
Margie!" She said tears of happiness flowed through her
entire walk that morning as over a hundred people cheered her
on all along her route! Be encouraged!
3. The visible signs of progress
in a weight loss program are often slow to come. Healthy
weight loss takes time and that can be discouraging. Be
encouraged to know that for each day that you exercise and eat
healthy foods in moderate quantities, you have made progress.
It might not be measurable that day, but you have made
progress and it will be measurable over a period of weeks and
months. Be encouraged!
4. Katherine was 43 years-old and
had been sedentary for 20 years. The scale had not changed in
those 20 years - she still weighed 136 pounds, but she knew
she had lost muscle and gained fat. Her waist was bigger and
she couldn't fit into the same size clothes that she did 20
years earlier. What bothered her most was that she was always
tired and never had energy. She decided to start walking and
weight training but quit after a week. She said, "it's
too uncomfortable, I can't keep doing this." I encouraged
her to continue and told her that it would get better. She
"quit" three times during the next two weeks. We
talked frequently. Six weeks later she started to notice some
muscle tone and she noticed that her endurance and energy
level had increased dramatically. She said, "I'm very
encouraged!" Eight months later, she had gained two pounds
on the scale but lost three inches in her waist - and she
walked a marathon! Yeeeeeeesss! Be encouraged!
5. The whole idea behind physical
training is that you push your body to do a little more than
it's comfortable with and it responds by making physical and
physiological changes. These changes make you capable of doing
a little more with less discomfort. Be encouraged!
6. Gerald in New Orleans,
Louisiana lost 85 pounds after he started walking and weight
training. Once he had lost the weight, he decided to do
something that would allow him to fully appreciate his weight
loss. For an entire day, he carried around a sack that
contained 85 pounds of metal weights. Getting around during
that day was a struggle and very tiring. At the end of the day
he was exhausted! He said: "Life without the weight is
JUST great!" Be
encouraged!
7. Keep records of your progress.
Every day write down the positive changes you've noticed and
also keep a record of the exercise you do every day. Write
down what you did, how long you did it, and any thoughts about
your exercise that day. Keep a running total of your minutes.
You can look back at what you've done with a great sense of
accomplishment and you'll be motivated to do more. Be
encouraged!
8. Daily exercise will change
your life! I believe God designed humans to be active on a
daily basis. Why? because when you are, lots of good things
happen.. - you are healthier - you feel better and have more
energy - you are less likely to develop cancer, heart disease,
stroke, etc. - you sleep better - you have a better outlook on
life - your relationships with people are enhanced - your skin
looks healthier - you are sick less often - your immune system
is stronger - you lose fat - you gain toned, lean muscle - you
look healthier. Be encouraged!
9. Betty Jo in Tuscaloosa,
Alabama wrote to me.. "Greg, After 24 years of being
married to a grouchy, pessimistic man who didn't enjoy life, I
saw all that change over a period of about a year. Harold was
the classic 70 pound overweight couch potato when he was
scared into exercising and healthier eating habits by the
death of his 46 year-old friend." Harold's doctor
recommended that he start walking every morning and after a
couple of weeks Harold told Betty Jo that he wanted to start
eating better. Harold really took-off with this "health
thing" and lost 72 pounds and become a new man - inside
and out. In Betty Jo's words, "I have a new husband. He
walks for an hour every morning and he is a joy to be around.
His enthusiasm for life makes our marriage fun." Be
encouraged!
10. Progress and improvement
generate encouragement. YOU can progress and improve and be
encouraged to do more. Tomorrow morning, put on your walking
shoes and take a walk, even if it's just a few minutes. The
next day, do it again - progress and improve. Be encouraged!
Author and
exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, offers his free, "Fast,
Healthy Weight Loss" newsletter at his site:
http://www.Landry.com
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