Overcoming Obstacles!
Hello friends,
This is Justin Willoughby back with an update for you all. I have a burden to talk to you guys about obstacles. I have received a good amount of e-mail, letters, and private messages pertaining to obstacles. A lot of you have wondered how I overcome obstacles in life. You ask how I continue to strive on a weight loss journey. Well, it’s not easy, but it can be done.
Some obstacles people tend to inherit are:
– Colds/Flu/Soreness – Yes, these things can set us back. Especially the colds, and flu. These things need to be healed up before we can really get back into weight loss mode. If we don’t give our bodies time to recover, we could actually hurt ourselves. So rest, and if you feel the need to exercise, just do some walking in your house. But you will need some strength to recover from the cold or flu. This could make you feel lazy and worthless as it has me. This is not true; these things happen to people. We live in a world where sickness is all over. We just gotta try our best to prevent these things. Try getting your antioxidants in everyday! Your vitamins, your green tea, your plant supplements. Keep your immune system up! This will help!
Soreness is a different story; soreness makes you miserable. Especially if it’s in the leg. You need to give your body time to heal. If it’s a muscle strain, remember (Unless under doctors order) you should ice and heat the area. Mostly use ice though, as this will take down swelling. Muscle bruises can really keep you off your feet for a while. You don’t want your body to injure itself further, so you need to let the muscle heal. Muscle bruises on the upper body would probably just hinder your weight lifting, but cardio should still be fine, unless you feel it’s a struggle for that certain muscle.
– Feeling guilty – Sometimes we look at ourselves and we say “Well, I already screwed my day up and ate too much!” So what if you already ate too much food? Should that stop you from burning it off, or from exercising? NO! When you overeat on a day, and you feel full, remember that exercising after that full feeling is gone can actually help you erase that guilt feeling. Exercises can include (walking, running, biking, etc.) I have noticed this to be true. I usually feel much better after a splurge if I just exercise for 20 – 40 minutes. Do not let guilt drag you down. You are a person who was created by God! He has a plan for your life, and He says you matter. So believe that!
-Party Time! – Overcoming holidays and parties can also be hard. People have so much food ALL OVER! You don’t want to be rude, so you go and eat, and you eat, and you eat, and you eat some more. So now you really did it in for yourself. What do you do? How can you overcome ALL that food? Easy, you bring a dish or two to share. This will give you an option that can be healthier. Your friends could also benefit if it’s healthy. You could also just have a small portion of some of the things. You don’t have to go HOG WILD! Sometimes, especially people who have an addiction to food, get overwhelmed when seeing so much. You can overcome this, take a deep breath and step away. Go pray! Go talk yourself out of overeating. Remember what it can do to you! You are what you eat, though moderation is okay, you don’t want to over do it. Just develop that will power! Remember who we are living for.
I pray this helps every person who reads this post. I know obstacles exist. Losing weight is not easy! But it is possible with a few minor adjustments and preventions!
-Justin Willoughby
(ONE STEP)