I Want Results!

Yup this is me on the scale in my bathroom :)

So God taught me a really good lesson today about how to look at and interpret results. Let me share what I learned with you!

So a little over a month ago, I decided to get my act together and work on some health and fitness goals. Getting into shape has been a goal that I've worked on inconsistently for the last couple of years. To be honest I don't think I wanted it bad enough back then because I didn't challenge myself to commit to the process. God really has been working with me and revealing so many "gems" in my time of singleness and my health is one of them. As I look at my parents growing older, I've witnessed them go through many tough health situations. I've seen them come through surgeries, taken and accompanied them to doctors appointments, helped them sort out their daily medications, and nursed them back to health from just not feeling well in general.

God covers my parents. I know this because as a daughter I pray for the health and strength of my parents. It's hard seeing my parents in a state where it's hard to move because of their aches and pains. There have been nights where I cried myself to sleep because being strong in front of my parents took a serious emotional and spiritual toll on me. Looking at my parents motivated me to really appreciate my age and ability to do things that they can no longer do or do with WAY LESS difficulty.

So, in my procrastinating mind I would pray this prayer:

"Lord, I pray that me and my husband can work out together.

I pray that He will motivate me when I don't feel like 

motivating myself in this area. Amen."

God asked me this question, "Why are you waiting on your husband to begin working out?" 

God was right. Why was I waiting? What was I waiting for?? I had to reframe my thinking. I had to think of why I wanted to get in shape. My simple answer was...I wanted to LIVE. When I go to the doctor in April, I want my doctor to see changes in my sugar levels, heart activity, cholesterol level, BMI, and weight. Internally I want to look just as good on the inside as I do on the outside. A secondary reason is, I want to look fabulous in my wedding dress. I look at this as preparation for my wedding day, wedding night (wink! lol), and my marriage. I want set a healthy foundation for preparing my body for carrying children.

So like I said at the beginning of this post, I've been working out and eating healthy for a little over a month now. Today after my workout one of the trainers wanted to weigh me to see where I am in my progress. I was a little nervous but really excited to see this lower number that I pictured in my mind. When I started working out a month ago I weighed 173 pounds (yup NOT ashamed lol). When I weighed in today I was surprised to see that I had lost a whopping...y'all ready for this?!....TWO POUNDS! That's right ya girl lost two whole pounds! For a second I felt a little discouraged because I felt like I was doing all of this work with no results! My trainer encouraged me by reminding me of what my goals were when I first started. When I initially talked to my trainer about what I wanted to achieve by working out, I said that my primary goal was to shape and tone. Weight loss was something that I wanted to do but it wasn't my main focus really. My trainer and I agreed on me losing 25 pounds over the next few months but it was understood that the main goal was shaping and toning. 

After talking with my trainer I thought about the number 171 again. I interpreted the results a lot differently this time! I remembered how much looser my clothes were fitting, how much more energy I have everyday, how much better I was eating, how much more rest I was getting....I was seeing AND feeling some great results! When it comes to working out people look at a number to define results but that's not always the case, sometimes results are not defined by numbers on a scale rather the definition of your lifestyle! For a second I felt like saying, "Man two pounds?? I'm about to leave here and get a bag of breadsticks from Olive Garden with a cup of alfredo sauce!" (this USED TO BE my fave go to snack lol) But then God encouraged me in that moment, and told me that the results I wanted to see will take time and I have to stay on track both literally and figuratively speaking. I have to keep moving forward no matter what.

God says in His word:

"Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you."

~Proverbs 4:25 (NLT)

Just like the physical results I'm striving for, God's encouragement also reminded me that it will take time and work to reach my spiritual goals as well. Spiritually I'm doing a lot of work but it doesn't always feel like I'm seeing the results that I want, but I have to remind myself that RESULTS TAKE TIME. So I will keep at this thing. I will not get discouraged because I know now how to interpret my results. I encourage you to review your "results" during your process whatever they may be. They may not always look they way you thought but a result no matter how big or small is still a result and if you stay focused those results will only get bigger and better!! And remember even when you feel like you aren't making any progress, God sees your efforts and there is more "results" going on behind the scenes than you may think.

I hope this post reaches and helps someone. I share my personal experiences because I believe that transparency creates unity. Stay encouraged on your journey! Live your best life NOW...don't wait!

Cheers!

Dr. Juanita T.