Craving Change

The past is the past and our future is bright, right? 2014 is here and with it comes a myriad of resolutions. Most years I don't make any resolutions because, quite frankly, I end up not completing them and then I just feel guilty. I'm pretty sure I need less guilt in 2014, not more. As I rode my bike yesterday I got to thinking about a resolution that I would like to make for myself this year and one that seems to make the top 5 of most lists... Exercise. Get Fit. Get Healthy. Etc. Whatever you call it, the idea is the same. The goal is to eat better and exercise more.

I am all for this resolution - this "goal" - as long as it remains positive and doesn't become negative. Ben Franklin said, "a place for everything, everything in its place." Vicki Peterson changed it up a bit, "everything has its place. Let in only those that are greatly desired, no more and no less..." Guilt should not have a place in our goals. Nor should shame or self-loathing. Too often the desire to exercise gets tied to the negative and skewed view of self instead of being tied to just plain old being healthy. These two goals could not be more opposite.

Skinny does not mean healthy anymore than curvy means unhealthy. God created each and every one of us to be different. Unique. It's awesome and beautiful. Please hear me on this - exercise to be healthy, not happy, not skinny or skinnier. It is not a sustainable/attainable goal. Being "skinny" doesn't equal happiness. I have been "skinny" all my life but I have also been super fit, working out 6 times a week and watching everything I ate AND I have been lazy, not exercising or eating well. I have found that there is a healthy balance and the most important thing is to find what works for you. A healthy you.

Find an exercise that you love or one you can do with friends. (Accountability is always good.) Make good choices with food too. Nothing in access - not counting calories, not treats, nothing. Eat to feed your body, not fill a void. Food won't make you any happier than a number on a scale will make you. A six pack doesn't last forever (trust me). Loving yourself can last forever. This year my resolution is to find the "healthy" balance that works for me. I want to treat my body like the temple that it is... holy and set apart. That means exercising and eating well for overall health. Not to look a certain way or feel a certain way, because all of that is fleeting. I want long-lasting life change.

I just ordered a book ($2.99 on my Nook) that I have been longing to read. Made to Crave. I think it will give me great insight and wisdom to many of my over indulgences - laziness included. So, that's my resolution for 2014 - A better, healthier me. A me that loves myself and feels great on the inside, without consideration to the state of the outside. Will you help keep me accountable? Who's with me? xo

*healthy heart image via chi-me

*nike running shoe - source unknown