Giving Up Is Not An Option

Giving Up Is Not An Option

By Amy Parham

Those of you who watch The Biggest Loser may get the impression that the contestants’ experience is so much easier than it actually is.  Think about it.  You see only two hours once a week of what took days to film.  You can’t feel what is going through the television, so the producers try their best to show the highlights of the contestants’ struggles and triumphs.

If you think that the ranch is a magical fairyland of weight loss, you are very wrong.  There are no hidden secrets that cause these people to lose dramatic amounts of weight.  The results that you see on that show are because of large amounts of exercise and relearning how to eat only healthy foods.  It’s a process of detoxing the body from processed foods and sugars.  It is physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding.  And for most of us, it’s the hardest thing we’ve ever done.

I say all of this, believe it or not, to encourage you.  If you’re having a difficult time in this journey, it’s a sign that you’re on the right track.  If you’re pushing yourself outside your comfort zone…good!  If you have days where you struggle emotionally…great!  This means you are in the middle of the battle instead of watching it from the sidelines.

Nothing worthwhile in life is without struggle.  Just ask mothers if the road to childbirth is easy.  One cannot imagine (unless you’ve been there) how painful it is to have a baby, but that same pain produces a miraculous life.  Ask the players in the Super Bowl if the road to that game was an easy one.  I’m sure they’ll laugh in your face.  Ask presidential candidates if the road to the White House is easy.  A year of nonstop travel, speeches, and fund-raising?  What do you think?

If you’re finding the road to health difficult, then that just proves great things are on the horizon.  Never give up because something is hard.  Keep going until you reach your goal, because that is your reward.  Many people give up right when their breakthrough is about to come.  If you think you’ve hit a plateau in your weight, keep eating right.  If you can’t see any results in your fitness work, don’t quit.  If you don’t think you can get through the next few days, tell yourself otherwise.  Don’t give up on your dream.  You’ve come too far!

Mini-Challenge of the Day

If you feel yourself on the verge of giving up your weight-loss challenge, make a phone call to someone who is fully supportive of your adventure.  Tell this person you need some encouragement.  Don’t be afraid of being vulnerable or embarrassed.  We all need a cheerleader when we face tough challenges.

Tip of the Day

Hummus is a great dip with vegetables.  Hummus is made out of chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice.  It’s affordable and delicious with carrot sticks, celery sticks, or red pepper slices.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Taken from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on “The Biggest Loser.”

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
-Jeremiah 29:11

Most of us like things that are predictable.  I love keeping a tight schedule and having order in my life.  I am comfortable knowing what I’m doing and where I’m going.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like a new adventure, but only if I plan for it.

No one likes the kind of change that hits you out of left field – changes such as the loss of a job, an injury, or a friendship calling apart.  In life, however, changes are inevitable, and how we react to them will determine whether we succeed or fail in our journey.  In the past several years I have been through some severe changes.  I have experienced a business failure, dealt with the autism diagnosis of our son, moved to a home that needed to be completely renovated, changed careers twice, and lost a hundred pounds.

I did not plan these changes.  I had a completely different plan for my life.  I always thought I would live in New York City and write for a magazine or become Mother of the Year, taking my kids to the park every day and caring for my family like June Cleaver.  Neither of these things happened because God had another plan for my future.  Did I want all those changes?  Absolutely not!  Have I learned through them?  Most definitely.

Maybe you are faced with a change that you did not want.  Maybe you lost a partner or have been laid off from your job.  Maybe you can’t communicate with a friend and the relationship is in jeopardy.  Maybe you’ve had an accident and can’t do some of the things you used to do.  What are you going to do now?

I hope you will pick yourself up, learn from the experience, and adapt to your different life.  Your outlook is the key, creating a mindset that’s not afraid of change, but acknowledges it and adapts to it.  If you look only at the negative of your current situation, you may never see the possibilities that the change may bring.  When we lost our business, I was devastated.  I look back now and understand that if it hadn’t happened, we would have continued on a path that was not God’s plan for us.

If we trust God and allow Him to lead us through our circumstances (no matter what they are or how difficult), we will ultimately fulfill our destined purpose.  No matter what your journey may be, it’s important to keep going.

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Set aside a few minutes today to surrender your plans and your life to God.  Tell Him that you will trust Him, and ask Him to help you daily renew your mind and your thinking to encompass any changes that you are going through or that will come in the future.

Tip of the Day

I’ve said before that your legs are the largest muscle group in your body.  When you do squats and lunges, you build those muscles, and muscles burn fat and calories.  Squats and lunges don’t require any gym equipment and are easy to do at home or even at the office.

Amy Parham

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Taken from “The 90-Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser.”

It's Time to Change the Tape

It’s Time to Change the Tape

 ^“ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,
but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past
and looking forward to what lies ahead,
I press on to reach the end of the race
and receive the heavenly prize
for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
-Philippians 3:13-14

Recently Phil and I were invited to the home of our mentors, who also happen to be close friends.  These two are the kind of people I want to be like when I grow up, and I am thankful for their wisdom and example.

As we ate, the topic of cycling came up.  Our hosts, who are in their fifties, are cyclists and regularly compete in triathlons.  I admire the sport, but I have never seen myself as a cyclist.  When I was eight years old, I literally ran over my sister with a bicycle and broke her leg.  That memory popped up during the dinner conversation, and I realized I had always believed that if I got on a bike, I was going to hurt someone or myself.  That memory became a replaying tape in my head.  It was time to change that old tape that told me I couldn’t be successful at biking and put in a new tape that told me I could.

Sometimes the tapes we play in our subconscious mind become the reality in our lives.  If we believe we can never see ourselves as an athlete, then we will never be one.  If we believe we can never get healthy, then we will never be healthy.  If we believe we can’t lose weight, we won’t.  If we believe we can’t be successful, we won’t.

Think about your own life.  Take some time in prayer and let God show you some areas where you have allowed old tapes to dictate how you see yourself.  It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since the tape’s been rolling.  It is never to do great things, especially concerning your health.  But remember what you gotta do first, change that tape!

By Amy Parham

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Think back to an instance in your life where someone you may have trusted or admired said something about you that hurt.  Maybe you had a father who always called you “good for nothing.”  Maybe someone at work said you would always be fat.  Whatever it is, write that statement down and below it, write down five positive statements about yourself (e.g., I am worth my health, I am beautiful, I am created in God’s image and He doesn’t make mistakes).  Every time you are tempted to replay that negative statement, play these words of affirmation instead.

Tip of the Day

Don’t eat too much red meat.  Wherever you are, whether at home or at a restaurant, always choose the leanest meat possible.  Limit it to one or two servings a week.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

This was taken from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser.”

Mental Strategies Part 4

Make Up Your Mind

“Casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.”
- 1 Peter 5:7

From Amy Parham…

My parents divorced when I was ten years old.  I will never forget the wave of pain that washed over me when they delivered the bad news to my siblings and me.  I specifically remember my mother saying that since I was the oldest, I had to be strong for my sister and that she needed my help since my dad wasn’t going to be with us anymore.  In hindsight, I know that my mother was simply trying to make me feel important, but at the same time I felt overwhelmed and overpowered by this huge burden of responsibility.  It was as if I had to grow up at light speed.  I couldn’t afford to let my emotions get the best of me.  I had to ignore my pain and be strong.  I believe this time in my life was when I made my first conscious decision to use food as my comforter.

After the divorce, my mother worked fifteen hours a day at the Dairy Queen restaurant that she owned.  Many days, my sisters and I played all day in the back room or in the parking lot.  I know she felt guilty for having to work as much as she did, so she would make it up to us by feeding us ice cream, burgers and french fries.

As I got older, I got chubbier.  And when someone would make fun of my weight, I would run to my old friend ice cream.  Stress led to eating, eating led to more pounds, more pounds let to more stress, and…well, you get the idea.  Being on national television and exposing myself in front of millions of people was stressful.  Many times I felt like an acrobat falling off a tightrope without a safety net.  Food had always been my safety net before, but it couldn’t be that way anymore.  I had to make my mind more powerful than my emotions.  It was a mental battle that took some time to win, but I did it.  And so can you.

So how did I get there?  First, I had to consciously recognize if I was going to the refrigeratior, the grocery store, the bakery, or the snack basket because I was really hungry or because something was bothering me.  Second, I learned when I was emotional to exchange eating for healthy things such as prayer, exercise, and having heart-to-hearts with Phil.  Usually, I would convince myself that I wasn’t really hungry and that I needed to go for a quick run or walk.  Instead of grabbing the bagel, I put on my iPod and headed out the front door.

In this process, I was training myself to find a different way to handle my emotions.  You need to do the same thing.  Be aware of why you are eating.  If you find yourself turning to food for comfort, recognize that you are doing this and substitute another activity.  Only you can break the cycle.

“A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can
invent a pleasure.  I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions.
I want to use them, to enjoy them, to dominate them.”
- Oscar Wilde

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Just as an athlete needs to train his/her body and his/her mind to get into the best shape for a competition, we need to train our minds in the battle of the bulge.  Think about your triggers for eating when you’re not hungry.  Now think of three activities you can do instead, such as going for a walk around the block, calling your best friend for support, getting on your knees and praying, and so on.  Make it a point this week to recognize your triggers and use these substitutes instead.

Tip of the Day

When planning your meals for lunch and dinner, make sure your plate is half full of veggies.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

This was from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser.”

Mental Strategies Part 3

Mini Goals

“A Journey of a thousand miles
must begin with a single step.”
- Lau-tzu

Some time at the beginning of your weight-loss journey, you decided how much weight you wanted to lose.  Maybe it was twenty, forty, or sixty pounds.  I’m sure you’ve made considerable progress and have shed a couple (or more) pounds.  Now is a good time to revisit your goal.  First, you must figure out how many pounds you have yet to lose.  Second, it’s time to talk about how you’re going to get there.

When you establish a long-term goal, there is one thing that will keep you on track to success - - mini goals.  Mini-goals help you focus on your big goal and also help to make your big goal seem manageable.  You don’t want to set yourself up for failure or try to accomplish something that’s not realistic.

Commitment to your process of gaining health is key.  After all, we’ve all been there.  The way to lose and keep it off is by developing mini-goals along your journey.  For example, drinking at least eight glasses of water each day is a realistic mini-goal that will improve your health.  Eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables is another mini-goal that can be measured and easily achieved.  The same applies to exercise and rest.  Whether your goal is to run a 5K race or compete in an Ironman Triathlon, list out mini-goals that will help you accomplish your ultimate goal.

When you look at the big picture of what you are trying to accomplish, it may seem like a daunting task.  Creating mini-goals is the perfect antidote to that overwhelming pressure.  On the website, www.coolrunning.com, there is a program called “Couch to 5K,” which is designed for beginning runners to create a plan to get them off their couches and onto the road…running.  Following this plan, step by step, takes a novice runner toward their dream of competing in races.

What about you?  Consider your goals for your health, family, work and any other area.  It’s time to design some mini-goals that will take you where you want to go!

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Look at your dream of getting fit and healthy.  Write down five mini-goals designed to help you reach your goal.  Look at where you’ve come in your weight-loss journey.  Have you met any mini-goals you have set for yourself previously?  Are there some of your previous goals you may need to tweak or improve?  Take some time and evaluate where you want to be and the steps you’re going to take to get there.

Tip of the Day

Sugar can hinder your weight loss and is found in so many things, so check the ingredient labels on the foods you are eating.  If you see words like high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, dextrose, or malto dextrose, that is sugar, so don’t eat it.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!