Intro Losing weight and getting healthy can feel like a really big job. It is easy to feel swamped by all the things you need to change and do. Then, a few days of a family emergency or an emotional funk can throw us off leaving us with the feeling that we need to start all over. Okay, so there is a better way to do this and we are going to talk about that today. ***Membership Promotion*** www.loraarmendariz.com/weightloss *** Personal I recently got my eldest daughter hooked on audio books. I swear she is listening to them all the time. In fact, she loves it so much that she chooses to listen to audio books and color and play way more than watching TV. I love it. As a mom and a teacher it makes my heart happy. I’m also an audio-book-aholic. No kidding. In fact, one of my favorite things to do on the weekend is listen to a good book while I take care of the chores of laundry, meal prep, and cleaning. A couple months ago a book called “Mini Habits for Weight Loss” by Stephen Guise https://a.co/d/eQFGLBn found its way into my recommended list. As soon as I started listening I immediately regretted that I didn’t have the ability to highlight so many wonderful and startling concepts he introduced. I’m going to place a link to this book in the show notes so that you can look it up yourself. It is wonderful. Since implementing some of these ideas I’m changed some things I coach about health changes and weight loss and my own quality of life has seriously improved. Concept At the end of the day, I firmly believe that the name of the game is habit change. When you change what you do on a regular basis, staying healthy takes a lot less brain power and so many good things you are doing for yourself goes on autopilot. Your entire brain, including the toddler-like lower brain, will be all for doing things like exercise and drinking your water because it is something you always do and it doesn’t like deviating from that path. A mini habit is the bare minimum you could do to say you accomplished that habit for the day. Exercise is a great one to use as an example. My own personal goal is to do 30 minutes of cardio or 15 minutes of strength training every day. But, in the past there were so many days where I just didn't feel like it. However, since installing mini habits I still either go for a five minute walk or lay out my yoga mat for a couple push ups or stretching. It is a huge win. First of all, I’m not skipping it completely like I used to when things were just off for me. Second, I keep the habit going and feel successful. And, lastly, often as soon as I get started I realize that I am totally ready for an entire workout. It is a game changer. Spiritual Application I just want to take a moment and have a heart-to-heart with you before we continue on this subject. What you are doing to take care of your health is huge. The devil has been working on tearing down the health of others for millennia. He’s used drug and alcohol addiction, STDs, Cancer, Diabetes, leprosy, epilepsy…and the list just goes on and on. If he can tear down our health than he can halt and slow down so much of the good work God has planned for you to do. Therefore, don’t belittle this journey. Figuring this out is important. It is physically important and spiritually important. In Ephesians 6:12, NKJV its reads, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” and I want you to remember this. The next time you feel like giving in or giving up just a little, remember that there are influences coming at you that you might not be considering. Keeping these mini habits is a way of taking a stand against that so that you may stand firm. Practical Application Today, I want you to take a moment and put some thoughtful planning into mini habits for you. List out all the healthy habits you are trying to put in place. Then, list two things for each habit: what a five-star completion looks like for you and what is the bare minimum you know you could do if you had the flu or if your kid was in the hospital. Then, lovingly tell yourself that you will always accept that because creating these habits is something you are fighting for therefore you will honor every time that you choose to keep that habit even if it is the bare minimum. Journal Prompt And, here is one more question I want you to consider: Does the thought of creating mini habits feel like not enough, and why? I know for me my perfectionistic tendencies kept me from feeling like doing the bare minimum was enough until I realized that it took so much pressure off of that area of my life AND I was more likely to actually do all my habits. Because, when you allow perfectionism to rule things for you, then it becomes an all-or-nothing attitude and if you can’t do it to 100% then you don’t do it at all. That is a huge loss because if you can only choose between 0 or 100% then you are totally missing out on the days when you would have done 5, 10, 15 or even 50% if it had been acceptable. Sign Off I hope you find this concept as revolutionary as I have. Remember that if you want some direction or support, join the Weight Loss from the Soul membership. It is only $5 a month and you can cancel at any time. All my love to you, sweet sister! Until next week! Good bye for now.
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by Lora ArmendarizYou Can Do It!Do you want to fall out of love with a destructive habit? The first 42 episodes of this podcast are a resource for anyone who wants encouragement and information as they take a six week break from a habit in order to fall out of love with it. Archives
April 2024
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