
justin willoughby


Serious Health (Don’t Make Excuses)
by Justin Willoughby
I’ve been told many times the same words. “I want to lose weight and be healthier.” I admire the words, but the words are just that, words. It’s one thing to say that you want to do something, it’s another to actually do something about it. Is it hard to lose weight? The answer may be a yes or a no. Is it hard to become a healthier person? Again, the answer may be a yes or a no. For some people, giving up junk food is as easy as breathing, it just comes natural for them. Other people will have a difficult time giving up junk food, because they have been enslaved to their appetite for some time. When I hear someone tell me that they want to lose weight, I can usually tell if they are serious about it or not. To be honest, becoming a healthier person is really not that difficult. It’s the process along the way that can really challenge people. It’s giving up eating junk everyday and picking healthier options. It’s actually getting out of our seats and moving. It’s exercising self-control, it’s trying to manage to stress, it’s trying to get better sleep. With all those little challenges, I can see why it’s hard for the majority of people to shed unwanted pounds and become healthier.
You see, taking your health seriously is something we all should be doing. Besides, our body is a gift and we should treat it as such. We live like it’s just an ordinary thing, and while it may seem ordinary, it’s far greater of a blessing than what we give it credit for. That being said, we live in a culture today that has food all over the place. Food that is easily accessible and convenient. The problem with that? We don’t realize the damage that it is doing to us. One of the first things you could do to become a healthier you, is to stop eating the easily processed foods. Think about it, a world that is full of fast food joints, and most of those fast food joints don’t even have “real” food to give you. What they have are artificial foods that come from the real thing, because if they served you the real thing, they would lose money. How would that happen? Because if they were to give you real food, it wouldn’t last as long as their artificial garbage that they feed millions. Are you on track to becoming serious about your health? Stop eating the stuff. But like I said, some people may have an easier time doing this than others. How can you give it up easily? To be real with you, if you developed a habit over the years of eating the foods, and you somehow got attached to these foods, you will have a hard time not eating them. You let those foods consume you instead of you consuming those foods. You just developed a minor addiction.
If you are one of those people who say, “I want to lose weight.”, then you have to be real with yourself. Don’t just say the words and expect the fat to drip off of you. Expect to do the work that it took to put on that weight. Yes, you read right, it took work to put on the pounds. You sacrificed the healthy habits and went out of your way to make sure that you got the food that tasted good. You didn’t pay attention to the damage that it does to your wallet, you didn’t pay attention to the health insurance you will probably be paying for in the future, you didn’t really think about your family. You even went as far as blocking out the studies that have been done about fast foods and junk. You did a lot of work to gain that weight. It just seemed easy because it was convenient. I am challenging you, reader, to make a choice today to become a healthier you. When you say those words, mean it. Devote your life to becoming a healthier you. Some of us may not be like those people who can easily give up junk food or fast food, but everyone has their battles that they face. It may be easier for those people to say no to food, but what about soda? What about slacking on the activity? Healthy eating is not the only thing that makes you healthier. It also takes a little bit of activity. My challenge to you is this: make small changes. Give your body what it needs to become healthier. That’s whole God-given foods and activity. Don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect and I don’t always eat whole foods. Sometimes our wallet is empty and we can’t afford the whole foods. You will have to find whatever you can that does not have the man made preservatives put in them. But that is a whole other blog. Until then, let’s take ONE STEP to better health. Make the “I want to lose weight and become healthier.” quote a confident one.
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Talking about DNA at Church
Here is a video of me speaking at Open Arms Community Church, where I serve as the Assistant Pastor.
This message is a part of our DNA series – where we discussed the “DNA” of our church.
Catching Fire
Here is a video from Open Arms Community Church!
I’m sharing a speech as a part of our series of talks called “Catching Fire” – lots of Hunger Games References!
Enjoy!
Justin’s Live Taping event (Sat. May 29, 2010)
Hey Friends,
Larry here for Justinwilloughby.com. Last Saturday evening, Justin did a tremendous job in sharing his story of life-changing weight loss. We had a crowd of over 40 people that showed up in support. A big THANK YOU to everyone who came out, and all those who helped with this event. We’re really excited about the results of the taping, and we will keep you all informed when the DVD’s are ready.
Some words from Justin on the taping event:
I found Saturday to be a success. It really meant a lot to me to see people come out to support me, especially on a holiday weekend. I am excited about getting DVD’s made for the people who didn’t get to come out on Saturday. Emotions were flying through me that night. I pray God gave me the words to use throughout the night. I’m sure some lives were impacted! My prayer is that it inspired people to make healthier decisions, and to become a better version of themselves while they are at it. To me… everyone has a story.. mine is just one of them. I pray they use their story to communicate that change is possible. I hope they understood that whatever they’re struggling with, it’s possible to overcome it. I appreciated the time and energy that was put into the night. Thank you everyone for coming out! God bless you!
-Justin Willoughby
Remember, it only takes ONE STEP!