April 26, 2024

Three Mistakes to Avoid to Have a Consistent Exercise and Healthy Eating Program…#3

May 28, 2014 by

Avoid

Over the past two weeks, I have shared two mistakes to avoid in having a consistent exercise and healthy eating program. The third mistake, in my opinion, is the most important and can be a game changer.

Not Identifying the Right Motivation

So often, I hear women say, “I just can’t seem to stay motivated.” Have you ever said that? If so, you may be trying to stay motivated by something that does not even motivate you. Stop for a moment and think about that statement.

Let me give you an example. Maybe you lost weight and exercised regularly 15 years ago because you were trying to get fit for a class reunion, beach trip, or wear a certain size pants. However, today, those things are not that important to you if you really think about it. If you struggle to stay motivated, take a few minutes to write down all of the benefits you could receive from exercising and eating healthy.

For instance,
• Having more energy for your children and husband
• Managing your stress
• Having confidence in yourself
• Honoring God with your body and food
• Living a longer life to enjoy your family

Remember this: What motivated you at one time in your life may not be motivation for you today. Dig deep in your soul and think about why you really want to change and allow that to become your new focus and motivation.

Imagine what it would be like if you had the following:

  • A weight loss plan for your unique lifestyle
  • An exercise program that fits your busy schedule
  • Guidelines to organize your time for healthy eating, exercise and personal faith
  • A plan to maintain a healthy weight and balance with all of life’s professional and personal responsibilities

By setting realistic goals, following a plan that works for you (and not someone else), and identifying the right motivation you will have a consistent exercise and healthy eating plan.

In Good Health,
Crystal

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Ten Ways to Stick to an Exercise Program #8 – Keep an Exercise Chart

September 4, 2013 by

I know a woman who lost over 20 pounds and increased her exercise from walking .5 miles a day to consistently walking 3 miles a day.  No matter rain or shine, she was up each morning walking.  How did she stay motivated to stick to an exercise program?  One way is that she kept an exercise chart.  Each week, she logged her weight and kept a daily record of her exercise.  What a motivator for the days she did not feel like exercising to look back over her logs and review her progress.

Who else did she motivate?

Me!  As her 11 year old daughter, she inspired me. I remember, rain or shine, my mom was out walking the streets early each morning after she spent daily quiet time with the Lord.  Because most mornings it was still dark in our large neighborhood, her tracks were made by simply walking up and down the street for three miles. After each workout, she logged her exercise including the progress of her weight in a written journal.  My mother did not have to tell me how to develop discipline and perseverance when things got tough.  She modeled them for me.

One of the things I have noticed with my clients, as I work with them to create their personal fitness and food design, is that sometimes their motivation for exercise can dwindle about half way through their program. One of my suggestions is to keep a journal.  It can be done in a notebook but, with today’s technology, it can be done on a smart phone or personal computer as well. I recommend tracking several things after exercise.

  1. Your type of exercise, distance, time and intensity.
  2. Your feelings such as peaceful, confident, fit or energized.
  3. Your weekly weight.

On the days you don’t feel like exercising, it can be motivating to look back and see how far you have come in your fitness.  You can see that you are now walking or running farther, working at a faster pace or at a harder intensity.  You may be reminded of the benefits you receive that can be quickly forgotten whether it is weight loss, a peaceful mind and heart, energy or a new found confidence.   Seeing it in writing can be motivating.

Number eight on our ten ways to stick to an exercise program,

Keep an Exercise Chart

 It might teach you something about yourself and be an example to the lives of those around you.

To download your FREE copy of a Weekly Exercise Chart, click HERE:
WEEKLY EXERCISE CHART

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In Good Health,

Crystal

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I AM Free to Run … (Part 1 of 3)

July 2, 2013 by

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been involved in a fast against media in my life: Television, Computer Games, Kindle Games, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and unneccessary texting.  It’s the first time I’ve taken on such a huge challenge all at once!  This fast is to last for 30 days.  I’ve learned a lot about myself, to say the least!  Over the next few days, I’d like to share some of what I have learned with you.

In the first week of this fast, I was ready to give up!  I was having a very difficult time staying focused, and staying away from the temptations of all of these areas of “excess” in my life.  I call them excess because the fast I am doing includes removing anything in my life that has taken time away from God, and my relationship with Him.  I had to really think about this when I was making my list of things that I was going to fast.

First of all, I had to really look at my life with a microscope.  I had to be honest about the things in my life where some days I would spend hours upon hours doing.  Facebook, as an example, is a huge area of excess in my life!  Why?  Mainly because of what I do for Girlfriends Coffee Hour, but also because I was spending HOURS a day just wasting time on “stuff” with Facebook because I was bored, or even lonely, at times!

So in my quest in looking for things that were taking time away from my relationship with God, and with my family, I had to get serious, and real with myself.  When I did that, I was really sad to see how much time media “STUFF” was taking up in my life, away from the things that needed me.  When I began the fast, I prayed “Lord, I am really going to need Your help with this because I know how drawn to Facebook I am!”

The first week…I FAILED MISERABLY!!!  The fast began on Monday, and by Saturday night I was ready to call it quits, I had failed to temptation so many times.  I prayed, “Lord, I am just not cut out for this!  I believe I have taken on way too much at one time!  I keep falling into the same temptations over and over again!  I’m just not any good at this.  I think I need to quit, Lord!”

The next day, I went to church.  My Pastor’s message was about keeping our eyes focused on the race, and on Jesus.  I just KNEW God had heard my prayer the night before, because this message was so “right on”, and just what I needed to hear!  I’d like to share some of it with you…

The whole point of this fast is to rid my life of the things that are taking time away from reading the Word, listening to God, praying, and building that relationship with Him.  It’s also about ridding the excess in my life to allow for more time with my family and other relationships.

My Pastor’s sermon was about running the good race, reaching the ultimate prize, running so others would see Jesus through this journey.  It was like this man had been reading each one of my daily blogs; which I doubt he truly is!!   But God gave him this message for today, and God knew that I needed to hear that message!

The message was titled “Free to Run”.

To start with, Pastor’s son had just finished a 100-mile run!  Yes, ONE HUNDRED miles!!! Can you only imagine!!  Never in a million years could I ever see myself running 10 miles, let alone 100 miles!  Right!?!

At one point in this 100 mile run, a friend of our Pastor’s son hit the 53 mile marker and he was just exhausted, thinking he could not go on. He was hurting so bad!  His wife kept encouraging him, and then she pulled a letter out from their daughter that encouraged him so very much!  “Come on, Dad. I know you can do it. I love you, Dad.  I believe in you!” and so on.  It was awesome!!  It was then that he stood up and continued to the finish line…running a total of 100 miles!  It just goes to show what we can accomplish when we have a team of encouragers motivating us to continue on! I loved that part of the sermon!

The overall story of his sermon today was that whenever we are doing something, anything—that includes reaching others for Christ, or showing Christ in our circumstances—we must not give up!  We must continue on toward the ultimate prize.

What is the Ultimate Prize in my fast?  To show what can be accomplished when we put our trust in Christ, and allow His strength and power to fill us up when we are weak; to be able to run and not grow weary; to walk and not faint; to shine the light of Christ through our struggles.  We should run with determination, and not toil along the way. 

Have you never heard?  Have you never understood?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.  He never grows weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

He will give new strength to those who trust in Him.  We will soar like eagles; run and not grow weary, walk and not faint!  I really needed to be reminded of that Scripture.  The race I have been running with my media fast has been difficult.  I’ve caved into my fleshly desires many times.  My focus has not been on God…it has been on my own wants and desires.  I was choosing what is EASY, and not allowing God’s grace to take me over the edge to the other side of this journey, which is running the race WITH Him and not just in my own power.

I needed to hear again that my flesh is no longer the one I serve.  I have only one Master, and His name is Jesus!  I am not here to serve myself.  I am here to serve the One who loves me, encourages me, motivates me to keep going on!  Pleasing myself produces nothing for Jesus; and offers nothing towards eternal life—the Ultimate Prize!

When we run any race, or face any serious trials in our life, we need to always keep our focus on Christ.  It’s in Him that we are able to do all things, and in Him that we will be able to serve others.  It’s by that focus that we will bring others to Christ.  They will see that God is truly the only reason we are able to complete the race, or face the situation like we do!  That truly should be our ultimate goal anyway: to show Christ in all that we do!

I had not been doing that in this media fast.  I had only been showing others what Christi was able to do in her own power; which turned out to be nothing!  The Lord is my power, my strength, my grace, my hope, and my prize in the end.

The Lord Is

At the end of this fast, I want to hear God say “Well done, thine good and faithful servant!”  I want to hear others say that they saw Jesus through me.  That they were encouraged through my own struggles.  That they saw the true message: with God nothing is impossible!  That quitting is NOT an option!!

When it’s all said and done, there is really only ONE thing that matters:  Did I live my life for Him?

In His Love,

Christi
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Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan: How to Stay Motivated

March 29, 2013 by

 GL header

Dear Megan,

How do I stay motivated? To reach goals? I try to lose weight and exercise but I keep losing my ambition. I also am struggling in doing my bible studies.

Thank you.

~D

Oh, my dear…what a perfect question to start off this blog with! This is something almost every single person who comes to me for coaching needs help with, and it is certainly so important in every aspect of our lives! Here are a few ways you can endure success in staying motivated in areas you know God has called you to have focus on. 

1. Accountability

Share your new goal or endeavor with the people closest to you so that they can ask you how it is going and hold you accountable to getting it done. Use discernment about who to share with.  When you share what you are endeavoring to do with someone you trust, you are more likely to stick it out just from knowing that they know and will ask you about it! If you can enlist someone to go on this adventure WITH you, that is even better!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16

2. Surround yourself with cheerleaders!

This is so important! When you make the commitment to do something new whether it is a new weight loss challenge or start a daily quiet time with the Lord, it becomes so much harder to do if you are surrounded by people who don’t believe you can do it or do what they can to discourage you. Even if your closest circle is full of Negative Nancy’s, that’s okay! Make sure you are keeping in frequent contact with the positive people God has so intentionally placed in your life!

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

3. Know you are not in this alone

You are not created to do ANYTHING in your own power. You know that, right? God is with you and wants to walk this out with you every step of the way! Please do not try to do anything alone. <3

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,

for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

4. Create margin in your day

Are you too busy? That is a big big way we all get unmotivated. If you are going to take on something that will take an hour of your time a day, make sure you make room for that to physically be able to happen. God does not intend for our lives to be so stretched that we don’t even have time for Him! Take some time to really look closely at how you are spending your time and see where you might be able to delegate tasks or delete time-wasters!

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

5. Just do it

Sometimes, it just comes down to those three words…. JUST DO IT! If you know that God has called you to it then He will equip you with all you need to get it done… you need only get out of the way! It really is that simple sometimes, and sometimes the only answer is to JUST DO IT!!!

As long as you are going to do it, you might as well do it right. Right? As long as you are going to show up for work, you might as well do your best on the job. As long as you are going  to raise a family, you might as well make it a happy, well-adjusted one. As long as you are going to have a life, you might as well live a life of excellence and live it with intention!

And if you throw yourself wholeheartedly into everything you do, with a total commitment to excellence, there are no limits to what you can accomplish. It is time to get up and give God 100% no matter what gets thrown your way! Satan would love nothing more than for you to stay right where you are and never move forward toward the life that God has intended for you…. Will you let him win or are you going to do your due diligence and just make it happen?

With God on your side….you’ve got this! 🙂

Blessings,

Megan Smidt, CCLC

*****

If you are interested in contacting Megan about personal coaching, please go to:  www.megansmidt.com

 

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Winning Him Without Words: The Perpetual State of Waiting

December 6, 2012 by

I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God.

Psalm 38:15

Waiting is hard to do when we’ve become accustomed to instant access to just about anything we want or need. So when we are waiting in line, waiting to speak to a human when calling customer service, waiting for good news, or bad…waiting on God, we become frustrated. Because when we send a prayer request to God it’s not like sending an email or text where we can expect an answer within minutes, or even within the day. God answers prayers in His own perfect timing.  Rarely that answer will come instantly, but most of the time we will be in that perpetual state of waiting for a while.

But Why Does God Make Us Wait?

THE TEST. In my own personal experience God likes to run me through a few tests before blessing me with an answered prayer. If I am praying for something like a bigger house, He wants to make sure I can take good care of my current home first. If I am praying for a job with more responsibility, God will make sure I handle the stress of my current job before he promotes me onto something that will likely be more stressful. If I can wait for my prayers to be answered with a good attitude and prove to God that I can handle what I am asking for, I can be sure that He will answer my prayer.

THE RIGHT TIME. You may think the timing is perfect to move, to get a different job, to have another child, but is it right in God’s time? God will sometimes make you wait for answers to certain prayers because it’s just not the right time yet. He, and only He, knows the right time for you to receive your blessings. When we do things on our own time, we’ll often be hit with setbacks and tremendous frustration.  When we wait patiently for God, all things will fall into place and run smoothly.

MOTIVATION. God also wants to make sure your heart is right. What I mean by this is God would love to give you all your heart’s desire, but He also wants to be certain that you don’t misuse your blessings. If your intent of praying for more money is only so you can feel superior above others, that would be a misuse of a blessing. Praying for money to support your family or to help your community is the right motivation for a prayer of prosperity.

These are just a few reasons God puts us in that perpetual state of waiting, but I think they give you a good understanding of why God doesn’t send the answers to your prayers instantaneously.  He is waiting on you. YES! God waits for you too! He waits for you to show Him you can be patient; He waits for you to show Him you will rely on Him for help when there are obstacles in your path, He waits for your heart to be right. So you see, it’s not just us that are doing all the waiting. He waits too.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, we find it so hard to wait, but we do understand that everything has to be done in your perfect timing. Help us to be patient, Lord. Help us to use our waiting period to grow closer to You. Always let us know that it is Your will that will be done, not ours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Reflect back on a time in your life when you prayed for something, but it wasn’t answered right away. When was that prayer answered? In hindsight can you now see why God made you wait for that answered prayer?

Godspeed,

Sarah

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Our next Women’s Online Bible Study “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan, begins January 6, 2013. To sign up for this Online Bible Study, click HERE and follow the instructions. You will also be given a link to where you can purchase this bible study. We’re looking forward to learning about this “Crazy Love” with you!!

We would LOVE to have your feedback on this study! Will you take a few minutes to complete the following survey? Your responses will help us create the best online bible study experience for you! CLICK THIS LINK to fill out the short 10 question form. Your responses are completely anonymous, I promise!! Thank you so much!

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