Today, I'm going to review the "I'm making plans for change" stage and what it means. I hope you laid the foundation of your new healthy lifestyle on Bedrock previously!
I've mentioned before about the importance of a strong "Why" when you are making any lifestyle change.
Remember, "If you have a strong enough 'Why', you can figure out almost any 'How'."
This is a critical step in bringing your dreams into reality.
If the 'Why' is the Bedrock on which your foundation is laid, then your plans are the Frame.
Ultimately, your goal is to create a healthy lifestyle that you can live with.
The problem with many people is that they approach losing weight or any health endeavor as like a Hobo; they go on severe diets (like the Cabbage Soup diet, the Lemonade diet, and other such unbalanced plans), knowing that they couldn't possibly stay there!
Their attitude is, "Well, I'll do it temporarily so I can look good for my class reunion or for this cruise."
They may lose the weight, but gain back even more. They wander from diet to diet, never staying in one place for very long.
The 'Stages of Change' process however, invites you to build a house that you can live in - a custom house that fits the way you live and that is appropriate for the territory that God has given you to occupy.
When you start with that attitude, then you are willing to do the necessary work to make it happen.
You are willing to build your new lifestyle one habit at a time.
Before you can make a plan to implement a healthy lifestyle, you need to clearly define the problems that stand in the way.
What daily habits are keeping you from living a healthy lifestyle?
What are the "thorns in the flesh" (as the Apostle Paul describes them) that you deal with every day?
You see, I've discovered that it's not what you do every once in a while that gets you in trouble; it is those habits you practice every day that tend to escape your notice!
Again, you want to focus on the habit/habits that you practice REGULARLY.
Working on changing these is going to make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time.
For example, habits that I've had to deal with in the past include:
- Eating when I am not hungry
- Continuing to eat after my body is satisfied
- Not drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day
- Not eating at least 2 cups of green vegetables every day
- Not exercising at all
- Living on fast food
Once you list your current habits, then decide which ones disturb your peace the most.
Pick a maximum of 2 habits to work on at first - the most important ones to you. You don't want to overwhelm yourself because with overwhelm comes the desire to forget the whole thing!
Then, put on your creativity hat and decide what you can do to change those habits for the better.
When I really thought about it, I used to eat a lot because I was bored or because I used food to procrastinate on projects. So part of my plan was to list things for myself to do. Then, when my mind said "Go eat," instead of immediately obeying, I asked myself "Am I hungry?"
Seek the Lord for wisdom as to what plans you can create to change your habits.
Psalm 37:5 advises:
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass."
Take time to write down your plan. Even if you just pick one habit to work on, that will still get you one step closer to where you want to be.
You'll gain confidence and hope that you will eventually build a healthy lifestyle that is uniquely YOU.