It's You and Me Against the World

 Battle of the Fries

Does it ever feel like the entire world is against you and that no matter what you tried, nothing worked?  Well that described my day today.  It started out on a good note and finished on a bad  note.  Through it all I think I managed to stick to my plan.  It was somewhat of a stressful day in that almost nothing went according to schedule.  I arrived at work early, parked far away, and took the stairs from the parking garage to the lower level where my office is located.  I got breakfast and made sure to make healthy choices.  I arranged my day and started working on various tasks which was when trouble started.

My phone would not stop ringing.  People stopped in to ask questions, emails kept coming and through it all I still had my regular job to to.  On top of all of this, I spent about one and a half hours waiting in line on two separate occasions to resolve an issue simply because someone would not listen.  The irony is that the issue could have been resolved in 10 minutes had they listened and to make matters worse, they were wrong and I right from the start.  It was  no wonder that when quitting time came I had to remain at work for an additional two hours charting.  I was not a happy camper.  I was hungry.  Lunch has been 6 hours earlier and my stomach was rising up in protest letting me know that it was not happy about that fact.  I wanted to eat everything that was in my way but thankfully the only thing available was chocolate of which I am not a big fan (more on that one later) and peanuts which I did not want either.

I realized that I was dangerously close to buying french fries (one of my temptation foods) and knew that had I yielded to the temptation  all the hard work for the day would have been in vain.  I had made healthy choices at breakfast and lunch and all that success would have been sacrificed if I had taken the trip to the cafeteria.  I wanted to get the fries and found reasons why I should have them.  It was the battle of the century until I realized that I was literally arguing with myself about hurting myself.  How crazy was that?  Eventually reason won out and I gained the victory.  I chose to have yogurt instead of french fries.  One hundred calories versus 380 calories.  Score one for me.

This experience has taught me that one of my  triggers to eat is stress.   They say to be warned is to be forearmed.  Now that I know that stress is one of my triggers I must make changes and develop strategies to handle my stress that does not involve food.  Things such as listening to music, candles, prayer, meditating, going for a walk, drinking water and choosing other forms of outlet are just some of the other ways to handle stress.  This is just one of my many triggers but it is one chink in a weakened armor that has been fixed.  I am ready to wage war a little safer knowing that a hole in my defense is mended.  Continue setting your goals and developing your plans.  Post a comment let me know what's going on with you.  What struggles are you facing?  Continue the journey as we choose to live healthier 4 life.

Are you S.M.A.R.T.E.R than your problems?

I know I haven't written in several days, but I wanted to give everyone time to make plans for their journey. In order to make effective plans you must take the time to think, pray and consider what you want to accomplish. Fitzhugh Dodson said “Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”Today we will focus on setting your own  goals. In one of the first posts "Danger Ahead" we spoke about making SMARTER goals. The idea of SMARTER goals was developed by Paul J. Meyer for use in business but has been adopted for use in many areas.  Lets begin setting our goals!

S-Specific

Being specific means you have to be brave enough to tell the truth to yourself.  Many live in denial about the state of their health and it is not until confronted with illness that they accept the truth of their condition.  Being specific calls for us to admit that we have a problem and actually name the problem.  Unless you are specific and admit to the problem you cannot defeat the problem.  Example:  I want to lose 80 pounds means accepting and admitting that I am 80 pounds overweight and as such is at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and death to name a few.  It means coming clean not just to myself but to others who love me and want the best for me.  If you name it, it becomes real not nebulous.    

M-Measurable

Measurable goals are great because you can track them and, for those who love math, they can be quantified. It is easy to track progress when you have a measure to compare it against. For each pound I lose, I can subtract it from the number that I want to attain and see how far I have come but also how far I have to go.  As one friend pointed out to me the other day, slow progress is still progress. 

A- Attainable 

Attainable goals are goals that can be achieved. It may seem that my goal of losing 80 pounds is impossible but as a Christian I believe all things are possible with God. I also know that we must divide our goals in to bite size pieces. They say you eat the elephant one bite at a time and in achieving you goals you must also choose to take it in bite size pieces. It will be necessary to set long-term goals and short-term goals. My long-term goal is to lose 80 pounds but my short-term goal is to lost 10 pounds. The ten pound weight loss is very achievable and in a short enough time to keep me motivated. Choosing to have a short-term goal is recommended as this is useful in developing "sticktoitness".  When only long term goals are made people turn back or stop the journey because it seems they are not making progress.  Do you remember taking road trips? Designating points along the way to served as markers to let you know that the you were close to your destination.  Short-term goals are points on the journey that lets you know the end is drawing near.  

R-Relevant

Just as we strive to be relevant in our professional lives, our goals should be relevant to who we are and who we would like to become. Losing weight is relevant to me because I want to be healthier and I want more energy. I know from past experience that when I work out and lose weight I feel so much better. I remember discussing the benefits of exercise with a friend of mine and remarking that even the days seem to have more hours in them when I exercise because I accomplish more in shorter amounts of time. 

T-Time-Bound 

All goals require time limits. Without specifying realistic time limits we would set goals that are unattainable and as a result would become discouraged.  Solomon said that "to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1.  To choose realistic time limits we must carefully study to see how long tasks are supposed to take.  If you assign too little time to complete a task you will set your self up for failure.  The converse is true.  If you give too much time to accomplish a task you could waste time that could be spent working on other goals.  It is safe to lose 1-2 pounds per week.  Losing 80 pounds should take 40-52 weeks.  I need to assign myself a short-term goal of 15 pounds in 2 months and renew that goal after each 2 month period.

E-Evaluate

We should take time to evaluate our goals to ensure that we are achieving the desired results. Take time to review the goal, time limits, and plan to see if it meets the needs of what you are trying to accomplish. If your plan does not fully meet your needs, you will need to adjust your plans.  If the time allotted is sufficient, you should be making progress

R-Re-evaluate

Re-evaluate as often as is necessary to stay on course.

• Example: I want to lose 15 pounds in the next 2 months so that I can walk with less knee pain. After 1 month evaluate your plan. You should be half way to your goal. If you are not making the progress that you desire, re-evaluate your plan and adjust your work out or your diet to ensure its effectiveness. 

In future talks we will discus how to stick with the plan, how to achieve long-term success, and many other topics. Congratulations in taking the next step in becoming a healthier you so that you can be healthy 4 life!

Planning Makes Perfect

I  heard a story once about a guy who sketched the plans for his house on a paper towel.  He ordered the necessary materials and began to build.  After digging the basement, work began on the foundation.  As the foundation progressed, he realized that his plans were way off.  If he were to continue, the house would not be able to support the weight of the walls and roof.  He consulted professional plans, a contractor, adjusted his plans, and was able to build a very beautiful and safe home.

As we make our plans today, lets remember that plans are subject to change and require flexibility.  It is not uncommon to make plans for the future and find out that the time needed to accomplish the task was more than anticipated.  It is also not uncommon to learn that you could accomplish a task in less time than was previously planned.  Planning is not just about the destination it is also about the journey.  How you handle the bumps along the road (setbacks) will determine how successful your plan will be. 

The first step in any planning process is to determine what you are trying to accomplish and how best to arrive there.  Let's take for example weight loss. If you are trying to lose weight you would need to determine the necessary steps to lose the weight.

1. Determine how much weight you want to lose
2. Determine what steps you are going to take to lose the weight
• change eating habits
• drink more water
• less fat
• more fiber etc.
• exercise
• what type?
• how often
• when will you exercise?
• where will you exercise?
• Will you have a partner? If so who?
• get enough rest
• set a bed time
3. Determine length of time to accomplish the goal
4. Set short term and long term goals (we will be dealing with goal setting in our next post)
5. Determine how you will reward yourself
6. Develop a contingency plan:  what will you do if you have a bad day?
7. When will you begin?
• Begin today. Even if you only change one thing, it will bring you one step closer to accomplishing your goals

To succeed you must take the time to develop a plan.  Luke 14:28-33 says that in order to build a tower (building) you need to first count the cost (make a plan).  Your assignment today is to work on a plan for what habit you are trying to overcome.  If you have questions post a comment and I will respond.  We will be talking about goal setting in our next session.  Until our next session happy planning!

The Natural Me

 

Before the Big Chop                                                                                                 After the Big Chop                                                     

So it's official.  I have joined the ranks of natural women.  That is to say I have decided to cut my hair and embrace the curls that I have beaten into submission all these years.  I did the Big Chop (BC) on October 17, 2012 because I became frustrated with trying to transition from a relaxer.  I had not had a relaxer in about four months and had about an inch and a half of growth and I felt it was enough for me to rock my TWA (Teenie Weenie Afro).    It was not a decision that I entered into lightly, after all, I have always had long hair and the length of my hair at that time was past my shoulders and very thick.  My children and my husband liked me with long hair and to be honest I had grown use to having my hair long and being able to style it relaxed.

 As it got closer to the day for the BC I was having what seemed like mini panic attacks and it was then I knew I had to cut it because I was attributing too much to my hair. I did not realize how attached I was to my hair until that day.  It had a power that I did not know that it had. My beauty comes from inside not the dead fibers on my head.  The decision to cut should not have been so difficult because after all, hair grows back but I learned from Nikki at CurlyNikki.com that our hair affects us psychologically.  Culturally women with long hair are prized and almost revered and so women invest hundreds of dollars in products, stylists,  weaves and wigs in order to achieve the long straight look.  Women who embrace their natural hair are perceived as being not as desirable, perceived as threatening and have a harder time fitting in.   Women with natural texture are less likely to be portrayed in a positive manner in the media.

I am enjoying my natural journey so far but have to admit I have receive mixed reviews.  My friends  have had nothing but positive comments and words of encouragement.  My husband and children told me that it makes me look younger which is a fringe benefit of the BC that I had not planned on. Who doesn't want to look younger?  I have also had comments from some who felt I needed to justify the cutting of my hair to them.  I found this interesting considering the hair was on my head and not on theirs.   I have had varying responses from raised eyebrows, shocked looks to just out right pretending that it did not happen.  Since the decision to cut my hair was my choice and part of my journey I am depending on the approval of others to go forward.  I am looking forward to learning about my hair's texture and what products works best for me. The natural journey has just begun.

I am on a quest to become a healthier version of myself spiritually, physically, emotionally.  I am inviting all who would like to come along to do so.  We will be covering many different topics with the aim of developing not only a healthier me but also a healthier you so that we can be healthy 4 life!