This week as we continue our 21 day challenge to a healthier lifestyle, our focus will be on our finances. I can only image someone reading this and saying, what does this have to do with my weight? Let me venture to say here that our unhealthy habits don't stop with what we eat, they spill over into how we see our own value and the ways we try to sooth those broken places.
What I mean is if many of us look at our finances we might be surprised to find out that a great portion of our over spending is related to us trying to sooth those hidden places in our lives. We've charged more than we should have for ourselves and others because of some hidden places that needed to be soothed. Some of those places were related to bitterness, disappointments, or even past treatments and life circumstances.
So as we continue on this 21 day challenge, this week we need to examine our finances. Are you making emotional purchases? Are you spending too much money eating out, no matter what the reasons, is this your situation? Then this week decide what things you need to cut out of your spending to bring your spending back into a healthy range. In order for this to be effective, you will need to continue to do that inward look as to why you were spending in the first place.
Additionally during this week continue to eat better than you have been as well as continue to get in your exercise. I have been hearing from many individuals that say I hear you, but I am just stuck. My schedule is busy. My kids require a lot of me. I work late and I don't get home in time to eat right or exercise. And so many other reasons why individuals don't change their lifestyle.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I have to same this as simply as I can. Until you and I realize our value and how valuable it is for us to take care of ourselves and our families, we will not change our choices. Insanity as I've heard many define it, is doing the same thing expecting different results. If we want to have a healthy lifestyle we are going to have to change what we are doing, and making those first steps are often the hardest to do. Yet we need to do them, if we want to see a change in our lives.
Now the good news is you don't have to change everything at the same time. I think this is why many get discouraged because of the unrealistic expectation we put on ourselves. As I've written in other post, pick one thing to work on and then work on that for the first 15-21 days. Once you get use to that one thing, then change the next, and so on, and so on. You'll look around and see that you have changed every aspect of your life that you wanted to change.
The same thing is true with changing your finances. Maybe start first with cutting out how many times you eat out. Maybe you eat out 3 or 4 times a week. Take it to 1 or 2. Once you get use to that, then try to cut it to once a month. In the meantime, plan with your family the meals you will prepare (if you have older family members give your children the weekend dates to prepare dinner, to give yourself a little break). Same thing with exercise. Maybe you don't work out at all, then add a day or two where you do something. Walk for 30 minutes, or do a workout tape, or go to the gym. Start slow and after you have gotten that routine down, then increase. Cutting out eating out so often works on two of your goals, it cuts down on your spending, but it also helps you in your health goal because it gets you in the kitchen preparing your own meals.
So until next week remember you can accomplish your goals. It doesn't matter how quickly someone else got there, you are an individual and you have your own unique situation and circumstances. If you see positive results then you know you are moving in the right direction. If for 3 weeks you don't see any improvements, then you know your body has gotten use to what you are doing and you may need to make some adjustments. But the goal is to get started. Continue to do your best, as you seek to W.I.N. in health.
What I mean is if many of us look at our finances we might be surprised to find out that a great portion of our over spending is related to us trying to sooth those hidden places in our lives. We've charged more than we should have for ourselves and others because of some hidden places that needed to be soothed. Some of those places were related to bitterness, disappointments, or even past treatments and life circumstances.
So as we continue on this 21 day challenge, this week we need to examine our finances. Are you making emotional purchases? Are you spending too much money eating out, no matter what the reasons, is this your situation? Then this week decide what things you need to cut out of your spending to bring your spending back into a healthy range. In order for this to be effective, you will need to continue to do that inward look as to why you were spending in the first place.
Additionally during this week continue to eat better than you have been as well as continue to get in your exercise. I have been hearing from many individuals that say I hear you, but I am just stuck. My schedule is busy. My kids require a lot of me. I work late and I don't get home in time to eat right or exercise. And so many other reasons why individuals don't change their lifestyle.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I have to same this as simply as I can. Until you and I realize our value and how valuable it is for us to take care of ourselves and our families, we will not change our choices. Insanity as I've heard many define it, is doing the same thing expecting different results. If we want to have a healthy lifestyle we are going to have to change what we are doing, and making those first steps are often the hardest to do. Yet we need to do them, if we want to see a change in our lives.
Now the good news is you don't have to change everything at the same time. I think this is why many get discouraged because of the unrealistic expectation we put on ourselves. As I've written in other post, pick one thing to work on and then work on that for the first 15-21 days. Once you get use to that one thing, then change the next, and so on, and so on. You'll look around and see that you have changed every aspect of your life that you wanted to change.
The same thing is true with changing your finances. Maybe start first with cutting out how many times you eat out. Maybe you eat out 3 or 4 times a week. Take it to 1 or 2. Once you get use to that, then try to cut it to once a month. In the meantime, plan with your family the meals you will prepare (if you have older family members give your children the weekend dates to prepare dinner, to give yourself a little break). Same thing with exercise. Maybe you don't work out at all, then add a day or two where you do something. Walk for 30 minutes, or do a workout tape, or go to the gym. Start slow and after you have gotten that routine down, then increase. Cutting out eating out so often works on two of your goals, it cuts down on your spending, but it also helps you in your health goal because it gets you in the kitchen preparing your own meals.
So until next week remember you can accomplish your goals. It doesn't matter how quickly someone else got there, you are an individual and you have your own unique situation and circumstances. If you see positive results then you know you are moving in the right direction. If for 3 weeks you don't see any improvements, then you know your body has gotten use to what you are doing and you may need to make some adjustments. But the goal is to get started. Continue to do your best, as you seek to W.I.N. in health.
