so i'm planning a new diet and fitness routine. my goals are to have more energy for my day to day life for larger goals I want to achieve. and I have found a scripture that looks good to use to keep me on track. Phil 4;13. so I believe God and he will strengthen me. I start Monday.
but having been on a diet and exercise regime before, I have given up and failed due to lack of motivation or procrastination. the 'I just don't feel like it just now, or today' has had me flunk in the past.
what are some good scriptures you use for keeping up with goals you set for yourself ?
how do you stay pumped?
do you just stick to one scripture that is the most relevant?
thanks
Not Scripture, but I've been there, done that and do own the t-shirt.. lol.
First, it's about making a plan you can actually do first and foremost.
Gym memberships and trips to the gym are bunk. The trips take extra time out of your day and gyms cost money that can be better spent elsewhere, at least for most people. Unless your disabled in some way and need a pool, anything to do with gyms are usually not anymore beneficial than things you can do at home.
Second, when dealing with willpower issues a book I've read which helped me considerably is called "
Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength" by Roy F. Baumeister. I seriously recommend this book to one and all, and you can buy it used for around 4 dollars (no need getting brand new if you can save a little) and it's also available in e-book formats like Kindle. This will help you see where you may personally be going wrong in the exercise of your will to attain goals, and shows you that willpower, much like your body, needs exercise in order to build up endurance and strength.
We don't decide one day to run a marathon without training for it, yet we don't consider the training of our wills to enable ourselves to take on the tasks necessary to quality lives, especially quality Christian lives.
That said, when it comes to getting in better physical shape, don't bite off too much all at once. And don't put unnecessary strain on yourself.
Go for a walk, see how far you can go from your front door and get back to it without being breathless or tired, and without any leg cramps or any muscle soreness.
Now start there, and do that walk every single day for one week. By the end of the week you'll likely be sore, and tired.. if you are, you started in the right place. Now continue doing that walk daily until your muscles are no longer sore, and then add one extra step to your walk, just one, every day for one week, then stay there for a few days, sore yet? If not, continue adding just one extra step every day and stop adding when you start becoming sore.
One extra step a day sounds so minimal but they add up quickly, and before you know it your well on your way to somewhere positive. Plus, walks get you out of the house and gives you a nice break either in the morning or evening. Someday, you may want to turn that into a jog, but key to any attainable goal is to start small, as small as you may need.
Core muscle exercise is the same. Start small, do it every day for 5 days - if you hurt so bad it's killing you you started too big. Try 10 or 15 scrunches every day for 5 days. How does that feel? If your good to go, add in one extra until your sore, then continue on without adding until the soreness is gone and go back to adding one additional scrunch daily, so on and so forth. Use exercise bands (can be had very inexpensively) for arms etc. Same concept all around.
You should never loose more than two pounds a week. Your looking for lifestyle changes not fast and loose weight loss... so no crash dieting. Your body needs fuel, so give it the fuel it needs.
You will gain weight when you add exercise to your routine because muscle weighs more than fat, you can lose inches and see little scale change at first. So don't hyper focus on weight...
Eating healthier isn't all about deprivation. It's about changing some bad habits, and changing them slowly in a manner that new habits can and will form.
Drink flavored water in place of a soda, black coffee in place of your caramel macchiato, and relegate those calorie heavy things to occasional treats. Drinking diet soda? Stop it. Drink fresh cold water instead - leave the diet soda to the occasional treat.
Having ice cream nightly before bed, relegate that into something rare and try to avoid eating immediately prior to sleep. If you must eat something, make it a salad except for the rare occasion. (Eating before sleep is bad for you)
Make little changes slowly instead of large changes all at once much like adding one step a day to your walk. You can do the small thing far easier than you can the large, causing new more positive brain pathways to be created and lasting overall lifestyle change.
Hope this helps.
