I have been trying to live healthier, start running and workout routines. I am doing this "healthy life style" because I want to become healthy not because I want to look beautiful, because I know I am, but my goal is health not beauty.
The challenge that I have with this new lifestyle is that it is difficult to stay consistent. I don't know about you but I don't make New Year Resolutions anymore. I do Month Resolutions. Almost every month I set a goal and try to achieve it but most of the time it never happens. It's rare to see success. For example, I had a goal that for one month I would stop eating meat and eat more vegetables. The first week goes well and then the second week I found meat on my plate (how did that get there?) I tend to get into this habit of stopping things for a while then picking it up the next couple of weeks then stopping then starting up again. Every time I tell myself, "This time is gonna be different, this time you're going to succeed and feel GREAT!" 3 days later, "I'm tired, I'll do it tomorrow..." and it never happens. I just get so busy with other things that this becomes a continuous cycle I hate! I am sure you understand and have gone though similar situations.
I did a little bit of googling about New Year Resolutions and not surprisingly "Losing Weight" was #1 on the list. What was interesting though was 45% of people usually make New Year's Resolutions and 8% of people are successful in achieving their resolution. Here is something else I found - 75% of people maintained their resolution through the first week. In the past two weeks 71%, past month 64%, and past six months 46%. But then I read an inspirational quote on Pinterest that really grabbed me.
"A one hour workout is 4% of your day. No Excuses!"
OUCH! This really hurt! Why? Try substitute God instead of workout.
"One hour with God is 4% of your day. No Excuses!"
OH-HO-HO BURN!
I always try to make a goal to spend more time with God but then it ends up as a New Month Resolution. There have been moments in my life where I have done well - spending time everyday and creating a routine and lasts for a while but then a busy season comes and everything gets shattered! My routine gets thrown off and I just live life on my own.
One hour with God is 4% of your day. I was really thinking about it this week. 4% is not a whole lot but it feels like it is forever when we spend that hour in the midst of our busy lives. We get caught up being busy that we either don't think of spending time with God or don't want to do it. In my opinion, and don't take offence but, sometimes some of us treat our time with God as a chore more than a relationship - ouch...
At the end of the day we feel so exhausted and just wanna do nothin! We spend our time to relax by reading a book while instead we can read the Word. We spend our time surfing the web when we should be surfing with God. We spend time updating, liking and commenting on other peoples status when we could be waiting for an update from God, liking what He has to say and commenting on His works! (Oh-ho-ho soo corney) I am not trying to make you feel guilty and make you feel as though you "have" to do this but I'm just telling the truth - this is reality. This is what happens in our busy day to day lives - we run the race and when we push too much our body can't handle it then CRASH, we fall!
"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should." ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT)
Okay Sandra, we get the point. We must run the race and we must discipline ourselves. We must run to win and in order to get there we have to train and discipline and keep our eyes on the prize. Yes! but you do not have to race by yourself.
Think about this - Behind every athlete there is drive, there is strength, there is encouragement, there is discipline... Also behind every athlete there is a coach, there is a trainer, there is family and there is support. Most of the time we don't realize who is behind every athlete. "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?" Everyone runs but that one person, the athlete, gets the prize - just something I see if you catch what I'm saying?
I sometimes think God gives us busy seasons because He wants us to realize that we don't have to go through it alone. I have been really thinking about it because this month has been an insane month for me. Things have been busy, exhausting and stressful at times making my healthy lifestyle and time with God not consistent as the way I feel it should. My goals are out the window and have been living this past month on my own. Feeling guilt of not spending time with God and not making the effort. Creating excuses because I am tired and because I treat it as a chore more than a relationship. I'm spending that 4% of my time to other wasteful things like stinking Facebook! When I look at my busy life, I have that 4% of my time available everyday. The thing is, I'm running this race alone. God wants me to let other people help me and for me to become more dependent when instead I SCREAM of independence. Its a challenge but in order to train and discipline yourself, you also need accountability, mentoring, and support.
As this blog has been a challenge for me to write, it will still be a challenge for me to continue with the lifestyles that I want to have. If you are feeling the same way and are in a similar situation it will still be a challenge for you as well. But I ask myself these questions to search and seek help to change myself (which will hopefully help or make you think).
Is one hour out of your busy lifestyle really going to hurt?
Are you running with purpose in every step?
Do you desire to be one of those 8% who succeeds? Or do you want to be the 25% of people who give up after one week?
Are you going to continue to do this alone or will you let God and others help?
Is your time with God going to be a chore or a working relationship?
Are you ready for change? Easy to say but harder to do. Are you ready to work hard?
It is easier to talk the talk than it is to walk the walk.
Know that when you fall, you always get back up again. Never give up so easily. Get back up and try and try again, its the best thing you can ever do in life.
To learn you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction
~ Proverbs 12:1
"A one hour workout is 4% of your day. No Excuses!"
OUCH! This really hurt! Why? Try substitute God instead of workout.
"One hour with God is 4% of your day. No Excuses!"
OH-HO-HO BURN!
I always try to make a goal to spend more time with God but then it ends up as a New Month Resolution. There have been moments in my life where I have done well - spending time everyday and creating a routine and lasts for a while but then a busy season comes and everything gets shattered! My routine gets thrown off and I just live life on my own.
One hour with God is 4% of your day. I was really thinking about it this week. 4% is not a whole lot but it feels like it is forever when we spend that hour in the midst of our busy lives. We get caught up being busy that we either don't think of spending time with God or don't want to do it. In my opinion, and don't take offence but, sometimes some of us treat our time with God as a chore more than a relationship - ouch...
At the end of the day we feel so exhausted and just wanna do nothin! We spend our time to relax by reading a book while instead we can read the Word. We spend our time surfing the web when we should be surfing with God. We spend time updating, liking and commenting on other peoples status when we could be waiting for an update from God, liking what He has to say and commenting on His works! (Oh-ho-ho soo corney) I am not trying to make you feel guilty and make you feel as though you "have" to do this but I'm just telling the truth - this is reality. This is what happens in our busy day to day lives - we run the race and when we push too much our body can't handle it then CRASH, we fall!
"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should." ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT)
Okay Sandra, we get the point. We must run the race and we must discipline ourselves. We must run to win and in order to get there we have to train and discipline and keep our eyes on the prize. Yes! but you do not have to race by yourself.
Think about this - Behind every athlete there is drive, there is strength, there is encouragement, there is discipline... Also behind every athlete there is a coach, there is a trainer, there is family and there is support. Most of the time we don't realize who is behind every athlete. "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?" Everyone runs but that one person, the athlete, gets the prize - just something I see if you catch what I'm saying?
I sometimes think God gives us busy seasons because He wants us to realize that we don't have to go through it alone. I have been really thinking about it because this month has been an insane month for me. Things have been busy, exhausting and stressful at times making my healthy lifestyle and time with God not consistent as the way I feel it should. My goals are out the window and have been living this past month on my own. Feeling guilt of not spending time with God and not making the effort. Creating excuses because I am tired and because I treat it as a chore more than a relationship. I'm spending that 4% of my time to other wasteful things like stinking Facebook! When I look at my busy life, I have that 4% of my time available everyday. The thing is, I'm running this race alone. God wants me to let other people help me and for me to become more dependent when instead I SCREAM of independence. Its a challenge but in order to train and discipline yourself, you also need accountability, mentoring, and support.
As this blog has been a challenge for me to write, it will still be a challenge for me to continue with the lifestyles that I want to have. If you are feeling the same way and are in a similar situation it will still be a challenge for you as well. But I ask myself these questions to search and seek help to change myself (which will hopefully help or make you think).
Is one hour out of your busy lifestyle really going to hurt?
Are you running with purpose in every step?
Do you desire to be one of those 8% who succeeds? Or do you want to be the 25% of people who give up after one week?
Are you going to continue to do this alone or will you let God and others help?
Is your time with God going to be a chore or a working relationship?
Are you ready for change? Easy to say but harder to do. Are you ready to work hard?
It is easier to talk the talk than it is to walk the walk.
Know that when you fall, you always get back up again. Never give up so easily. Get back up and try and try again, its the best thing you can ever do in life.
To learn you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction
~ Proverbs 12:1
