I'm sure you're asking yourself...What's a 3-way tie? Let me tell ya...
It's a 3-way tie as to which areas of my life need to be changed. So, I'm starting tomorrow with...
1. Physical Change - Of course I want to lose weight/inches, but past that...I want to get in shape. I want to feel better about myself and just plain, feel better.
2. Spiritual Change - I read my Bible, pray, and do my devotions every day. I talk to God. I praise Him. BUT I don't do enough. After all, He's my SAVIOR. He died on the cross for me, for pete's sake. Would it kill me to give Him more than just the "typical" amount of time spent on each.
3. Emotional Change - This has been a hard year. I've had a lot of (major) stuff happening with my family back in the States. I've taken a super full load of grad school and A/G licensing classes. We've had the most ridiculous amount of power cuts! Seriously...like this week we've had 1 full week of power. I really don't think that's happened since I got back in August. And I'm teaching a new grade this year with a (loving, amazing, but...) challenging class with such an incredibly wide-range of ability levels and needs. Needless to say, I've been super worried or stressed a lot!
So... Here's what I'm going to do. ...and for all of you out there in blogger land wondering why I'm posting this... It's because I need to hold myself accountable. If I post it for the world to see (and by world, I mean the 3 or 4 people that actually read this...), I'll be more likely to stick with it.
1. Physical Change -- I'm going to start exercising more. I'm going to walk 30-45 minutes around the track at school AT LEAST 5 days a week. I'm going to eat better and do better with portion control. I'm not going to totally deny myself of all things sweet and salty :)...I'm just going to do so in moderation. I'm going to only allow myself to have coke 1 day a week (...this is my biggie). I'm going to have one "splurge" day, but still within moderation. I'm going to eat breakfast (...which I HATE) and try to eat 3 small snacks a day. I'm going to plan my meals on the weekend, so when I go to the store on Mondays I'll not buy JUNK. I've asked my roommate and another friend to help me. We're going to all 3 work together and keep each other accountable to all this stuff.
2. Spiritual Change -- I'm going to (gasp!) wake up an hour earlier in the morning. I'm going to get up, get my shower, fix my breakfast, and do more than just read my Bible and quickly read my devotion and pray. I'm going to spend time studying the Word more deeply. I'm going to read books that have a Biblical application to my life. I'm going to tackle this like I do a class. I'm going to become a better student of Jesus.
3. Emotional Change -- I'm a big worrier. I stress a lot too. ...which I know is wrong. God should be in control of my life (and my emotions). ...not me! So, I'm going to change my outlook on life. I'm going to try and look for the good in all situations, even when it's hard. I'm going to purposely look for "God things" throughout my day...you know, the little things that just remind you that God's right there with you. :) I'm going to journal my feelings more instead of keeping them all bottled up inside. And here's the biggie...I'm going to try my absolute hardest to stop comparing myself to others...to the missionaries that do more work with the nationals. ...to my friends that are skinnier than me. ...to teachers that are better than me. ...to Christians that know the Word better than me. I'm going to worry about numero uno... after God, of course. :)
It all starts tomorrow. I'm setting little goals for myself.
1. June 4th, 2011 - ...my cousin's wedding. I want to have lost enough weight to wow my family. ...P.S. I am not planning to steal her thunder AT ALL though. Please don't think that.
2. August 3, 2011 - ...the day I land back in Dakar. I want to have lost enough weight/inches that I can buy some cute, smaller (inexpensive of course since I totally don't make the big bucks) clothes to come back to Dakar with :)
3. September, 2011 - ...our Staff Retreat and the dreaded time to be in a swimsuit in front of almost all of my co-workers...eek!
4. March 27, 2012 - ...one year from tomorrow ... I want to have gotten down to my goal size.
So in all seriousness, pray for me. Pray that I kick my butt in gear. Pray that I stick to my plan. And pray that I see results! :)
You are so courageous to post this online, esp. your weight loss battle!
ReplyDeleteJust one comment re starting 3 new behaviors at once: Why not space them out a bit? Start the exercise/diet plan tomorrow, and the spiritual thing on, say, May 1. And start #3 gradually as well. It's just that I've always heard that this is why New Year's resolutions fail -- people try to change everything at once and it's overwhelming. They always say don't try to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time -- not that I've had personal experience of this, but it makes sense!
Just a thot,
Jennifer Bowers
I thought about that. I'm doing it more gradually than I make it seem in my post. ...but I realized after only doing it 2 days, that it was too much at once. But I've revamped it and we'll go from there. There's just something about seeing it in print (and knowing that others will too) that makes me more accountable for it, you know.
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