INTENTIONS ARE GOOD, BUT THEY MUST BE LIVED OUT

I was reading my daily devotion this morning and on the subject of intentions. I was immediately drawn into the meat of the subject and felt it was talking to me personally.  Can you relate?  Isn't it so true how we have all these good intentions, dream about how we are going to carry them out and then some how along the way, they get pushed aside and forgotten some how.  Well, not really forgotten, because they are still there dancing across the pages of our thoughts now and then, at least in my case. I am sure we can all agree to being guilty of not following through on good intentions to make something happen. As I read further, I understood the importance of  writing down the intentions beginning a plan to follow through with action.

Moving from intention to action takes a plan.  This applies to all things in adopting a healthy lifestyle and staying true to taking care of the important things in life.  What has helped me is prayer and setting up challenge systems where I complete three goals of intention for that day.  Today I plan to get in a morning workout, help my ailing father to the doctor, and meet up with family later this evening.  Another goal was writing this blog and I was stumped at what to share with you at first, but enlightened after reading my devotional.  It is amazing how things happen like that.

Having good intentions are well, good, but remain thoughts until living them out takes place.  The goal of weight loss, toning, and improving overall quality of life takes action and intending to create that is wonderful, but the follow-through is what will create the health, the fit body, and overall awesome feeling of accomplishment. Those things that we think about all the time must come to the forefront of our actions.  Has a family member or friend been on your mind to call?  Pick up the phone.  Has that surprise date with your spouse been put off for months? Time to bring on the romance.  Are the intentions to workout four times a week not happening? Get your calendar, schedule your workouts and do not cancel.  Intending to eat at home more to save money and improve the quality of your food intake?  Write a healthy food list and head to the store.

Every step we make is a step closer to fulfilling our goals and taking our intentions further than our minds.  Let's not get stuck in just thinking about it and feeling good about our thoughts only to have them fizzle out and remain stuck as things we just talk about in friendly conversation.  It all sounds good but living it out by example and action will be the proof in the pudding.

Stay Healthy Happenings:  I just created a Stay Healthy Google+ account and excited to share that with you for even more MOTIVATION, support and fitness fun.  Head on over and ADD me today and Stay Healthy!

Darla Leal, Fit at 50

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button below to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares.

Stay Healthy!

                                                

  DON'T MISS MY FREE UPDATES

LOSE 12 POUNDS IN 6 WEEKS

Losing 12 pounds is not only a realistic goal, but can be done before summer begins.  I am not talking about anything “fad” or unhealthy, but straight up implementation of consistent healthy eating, exercise, water, limited alcohol intake, and plenty of rest.  Application of a healthy lifestyle in all aspects will allow for approximately 1 ½ pounds on the lower end and up to 3 pounds on the higher end of weight loss per week.  Working successfully with clients who are implementing the healthy eating guidelines that are supplied with their workout routines are losing in the middle range of 2 pounds per week. 

Think about what this means in terms of time and the realization that this is only six weeks of sticking to a consistent fitness program that promotes no diet but eating lots of fabulous healthy food, exercising that body at least four to five times per week for a minimum of thirty minutes, eliminating the sodas and keeping alcohol to not more than two nights per week and two drinks maximum, preferably red wine, and lots of water.  Sometimes it just takes the motivation of bikini or board short season to motivate a person to make it happen.  A consistent program will guarantee fat loss, lean mass gain and the beginning of a lifestyle of health. 

This sounds not only doable but exciting and realistic.  This can almost fit into the have it now plan that everyone seems to be looking for, except doing it the healthy way provides knowledge of what and how to eat, how to exercise, and how to live this lifestyle happily for life.  It becomes a habit and natural way to live each day and maintains all the positive results gained within the six weeks of consistent application.  It is time that we stop over-complicating weight loss and start implementing the simplicity of eating healthy and exercise.  We make things harder than they are, want all the results, but do not want to give up a current unhealthy lifestyle.  Now therein lays the issue.  If we want to see the changes, we need to make the changes and giving something 100% effort for at least six weeks should provide the personal feedback needed to continue to make the right decisions.

I will give an example of what I may eat in a day to maintain me as a 5’6”, 125lb female at 50 years young:

1 cup coffee with natural vanilla creamer

Meal 1: Organic morning round with 1tbsp peanut butter

Meal 2: Green shake: 1 cutie, ½-cup chopped pineapple and lots of power greens, water and blend until combined. 1 slice organic seeded toast topped with soft cooked organic egg, or slice of organic sharp cheddar cheese

Meal 3: ¼ cup fresh blueberries, ½ cup Fage yogurt, ¼ cup organic ground flax meal, handful raw mixed nuts (stir it up and eat)

Meal 4: Grilled Salmon or Chicken with large side roasted vegetable like Brussel sprouts and cauliflower (drizzle olive oil on veggies, and large tbsp. basil pesto, mix well, roast)

Meal 5: Kind bar, or 1oz square of dark chocolate with 1tbsp peanut butter

I exercise five times per week and for 30 to no more than 60 minutes total.  I am a believer of being focused and getting my workout done in that amount of time.  I also listen to my body and if I require more rest, I may only exercise in a structured fashion four times in that week.  I am an active person, so on other days I am enjoying the outdoors at the dog park with my husband, going on long walks, hikes or swimming. 

Losing one to three pounds per week studies have shown provides healthy, long term sustainable weight loss, unlike the “fad” counterpart diets that may shed weight quickly but it appears plus more once the program is over.  Summer is around the corner and now is the right time to implement a six-week fitness challenge makeover and begin with the short-term goal of shedding 12 pounds.  Start right where you are, begin a fitness journal and track your food intake and exercise, do your best, and have fun with the journey. I would love to hear from you sharing your start and finish stories so that we can encourage and support each other along the way.  

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button below to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares. 

             DON'T MISS MY FREE UPDATES

FITNESS NEWS FLASH … WORK REQUIRED AND NEVER OPTIONAL

Life does not promise easy, fair, fun, happiness, or even health.  In fact, life is hard and guess what, work is required and never an option.  It is up to each one of us to create the lifestyle that we live and this is not going to be found in a jar, pill, powder, or shake.  If popping a “fit pill” was the answer to all things magical and provided the body of our dreams inside and out, then I definitely would not need to write this blog.  The facts are in and they have been for decades that the way to obtain a fit physique is through consistent healthy food intake, regular exercise, plenty of rest, water, and balance of life. 

The “want it now” society tries every side-step method to achieve what can only be done through sweat producing work.  There is not a pill or shake that is going to teach a person how to shop and select healthy foods for life and they will surely not sprout legs and exercise so that we consume the activity benefits.  What usually does occur with quick fix programs is possibly some weight loss due to very low calorie diets and bodies that are running on empty experiencing negative side effects like dizziness, blood sugar and pressure issues, and nutrient deficiencies just to name a few.  Frustration and discouragement typically follow as the program just does not feel good and studies have shown that any weight lost is put back on plus more. 

Work goes with life, supplying our needs and wants.  We want things so we work for them, and the same is true of our health.  Health comes at the price of time, energy, and simply eating healthy food.  The work is challenging and that is a great thing because it does change us, makes us stronger and better able to enjoy our body and life overall.   We can no longer think that tricking health through gimmicks and potions is acceptable.  That would be comparable to owning the golden goose and not having to put in our eight to five for a living.  We are no strangers to what work feels like and it can be rewarding and provide an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.  The results of hard work are being able to achieve and have what we want and desire in life, and is never optional.  If having a healthy fit body is the desire, put in the work and see what happens.   

Darla Leal, Fit at 50

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list, or if you want to receive my free updates, use the button below to select your feed preference. I look forward to responding to your comments and appreciate your shares.

             DON'T MISS MY FREE UPDATES