"I'm TIRED of THIS!"

What "This?"  You are tired of the struggle?  You are tired of choosing health over the yummy food?  You are tired of the seemingly endless struggle between eating what you want to eat and staying on some "diet?"

Yeah, I'd be tired of "That" too if that is what I was doing. 

But I'm not.

I'm creating health in my life.  And it is exciting, and it is educational, and it is a challenge, and it is stimulating, and it is WORKING!

Here's the deal.  We can focus on health or we can focus on food.  There isn't an in between IF you are desiring to have a level of contentment with the process.

To practice contentment with our physical limitations, to choose to put of something we think we want NOW for something we want EVENTUALLY is the key.  The thing is, I'm here to tell you that you aren't chasing a carrot on a stick that you will never reach.

When you put off NOW something because you want something else EVENTUALLY, EVENTUALLY the EVENTUALLY becomes NOW.

When I started the journey towards optimal health, I could see a version of myself, the ME who I wanted to be.  She was off in the distance, she was in my minds' eye, almost like a figure in the mist standing on an island which I was rowing to.  Constantly rowing.  Constantly moving in the direction of that person. 

I decided that I would STOP focusing on yummy food, I would START focusing on health, so that I would obtain health EVENTUALLY.

My eventually IS NOW.  And I'm here to tell you that we aren't on some hamster wheel here, spinning and spinning and getting nowhere.  If you are working towards optimal health, if it is a priority in your life, it DOESN'T MATTER if you have 10 pounds to go or 100+ pounds to go, you WILL achieve success provided you STAY ON PLAN TODAY.

Just today.

Can I be the voice in your head for a minute?  Do you SEE my before/after pictures?  Picture my before picture with a CANE because I have my cane right here in my Mom Cave where I'm typing my blog right now.  And my after?  That is now.  That was the eventually I was seeking.  And one day, it became my today.

So please don't be discouraged.  Did you "only" lose 2 pounds this week?  Well I'll tell you something, I averaged 1.9 lbs/week for my whole journey.  So that means you are on track! 

But please, hear me on this, you've GOT to be in touch with your "Why".  You've GOT to know where you are heading, and why.  Because if you've got no "person standing in the mist", if you aren't crystal clear on why you want optimal health, the yummy food will always win.  We can only hold our breath for so long.  What is your oxygen?  Mine is health.  Is yours yummy food?

That doesn't change by accident, you need to intentionally decide that your focus is going to CHANGE, then go about changing it.  I did that by internalizing and practicing Dr. A's Habits of Health.  I didn't do that the first time, and I paid the price for it.

Do I still struggle?  When I lose sight of health, yes.  I do.  When I watch Mad Men and they are all drinking wine and spirits in every single episode and I allow my brain to run with those thoughts from the power of suggestion, sure I want a glass of wine (which is OK on maintenance, but I'm on the 5&1 so it's not OK for me right now).  I have to intentionally turn my thoughts back towards health, like reigning in a wild stallion and WILLING it to go the direction I choose it to go.  It is as hard as I make it.

But I'm not ashamed to say, nor do I feel like I am "bragging" or "boasting" to say that I get it now.  And you can get it too.  Do the work.  Read the book.  Stay on plan today.  Eventually, your "eventually" will be now.  Today.

Rinse and Repeat!