It's All in My Head

I have always known that my thoughts and words dictate how I live, but I seem to be becoming even more aware of it as I get older.

I am also more aware of the fact that sometimes I can saturate myself with so much information -contradictory information - on a subject (weight loss especially) that I get to the point I don't know what to do. Do I lower my carbs or my sugar or my fat or do I live on only vegetables? Common sense tells me that lowering my calories and increasing my activity level will result in weight loss. But my brain won't be quiet long enough for me to experience weight loss because it's thinking about the other article I read that said it's best to...

This does not only apply to weight loss. It applies to dating tips, relationship advice, money, and so on.

What's the solution? How do I quiet my brain? How do I change my life to accomplish all my goals?

It's time I did things differently than ever before - slowly.

#1 - When I start to talk or think negative thoughts I need to tell myself to "Stop" and then do something else to get my mind off the negative things I was thinking and/or speaking. What could I do? Exercise, crosswords, read, call a friend or family memeber, play a game, etc. Anything enjoyable to get myself out of that state of mind. I also find reading certain Bible verses help me - they remind me of the truth, not the lies I tell myself.

#2 - Change my schedule. What I mean is I need to change the order in which I do things. I love to go to bed late and get up late, but with my job that's not possible. After I read an article last night about a gentleman who gets up early in the morning and all he gets done and how good he feels, it actually made me want to do it too. So starting Monday morning I will change my schedule to getting up at 5am so I can read my Bible, clean up the house, exercise, and watch the sun rise. Then the evenings are free to play with the boys and write or do anything else I want. I imagine it's going to feel really good.

#3 - Exercise. I need to stop looking at it as exercise. I need to view the activities as fun and challenging and do things I enjoy - not what will give me the fastest results. I love to dance so I will incorporate more dancing into my life - starting tonight with my first Zumba class! I love sports. Maybe I can find someone to play tennis with and I've always wanted to be able to run a mile without stopping. I will work my way up to that and then go beyond a mile. I have to view exercise as something enjoyable, not dreadful.

#4 - Food. This will be the difficult one. Again, using common sense, eating fruits, vegetables and lean proteins in their proper portion size is a good bet. I also love sweets so I will have to substitute the real stuff for sugar-free. Keeping a food journal seems to be key. This is something that has never been contradicted in an article and I know from experience, it keeps me on track.

My hope is that making theses changes will give me results and I'll stop inflicting stress on myself (like I normally do) and move me forward to the life I'm desiring and deserve.