Unaltered photo of me and Diane!
In the midst of a barrage of information on weight loss and physical health, it is hard to determine what is true and what is just a scheme to separate you from your wallet. Let’s just cut to the chase.
A healthy body gives you the ability and stamina to keep moving ahead. It increases your mental sharpness and makes it possible for you to live fully alive. Here are five facts that I hope will inspire you.
Fact #1: You CAN change!
I was once sixty pounds overweight and I saw major changes in every facet of my life starting with the first ten pounds I lost. Now fifty pounds lighter, I once again have the strength and stamina to cavort with my grandchildren. I am now able to throw them in the air and catch them 50 percent of the time.
Fact #2: If you want to live fully alive, you must change.
I had ballooned to the point that I looked like a walking manatee. I did not want to be mistaken for a beached whale so I was inspired to improve my strength and endurance. Most of all I wanted to live again.
Each of us has those moments in life where we are inspired to get in shape and regain a healthy lifestyle. But even without such a moment, knowing that the choice is really a matter of life or death should be the greatest motivation of all.
Pick a chin, any chin!
Fact #3: You must choose a goal worthy of your life
Most of us set goals that are too small. If your motivation for getting in shape is limited to fitting into a certain size dress, your goal is too small and you’re setting yourself up for failure. Especially if you’re a man.
As soon as the zipper zips, out come the potato chips!
Before you know it, you’re sliding downhill, struggling to recapture the same hard-won ground again. Over time your weight will yo-yo up and down, resulting in even poorer health, greater lack of confidence, and deeper discouragement. I still struggle to get it right, but I refuse to give up.
The healthier you get the better you will look, but the ultimate goal has to be worthy of a lifetime of commitment, one that will motivate you to live every day fully alive, healthy, vital, and capable of being all that God created you to be.
When we were filming the theater release for Fully Alive, I announced that I had lost forty-seven pounds and felt better than I had in twenty-five years. Someone in the balcony yelled, “Show us your six pack!” You know, six pack, that stack of abdominal muscles below your rib cage that is supposed to look like . . . well, a six pack! I’m sixty-five years old and in fairly good shape, but. . .
I don’t have a six pack. I’m 66 years old! What I have what looks vaguely like venetian blinds!
But the body I have now serves me well and allows me to serve God well. That requires stamina, a clear mind, and willpower to take advantage of the opportunities that come my way.
Fact #4: You have to Start now!
In my book Fully Alive I counsel that the very first step in this process is to take the first step NOW….. MOVE! Not tomorrow, not later.
The best time to have started may have been years ago but second best time to start is NOW!
Walk, run, swim, stretch, move more today than you did yesterday. Keep improving. You can read the books later, get the equipment later and track your progress later. Start your progress today. You will be surprised at the self esteem and feelings of well being that come with being active again. I get hundreds of messages testifying to a new outlook on life. I would love to hear from you.
Your successes?
Your struggles?
Comments
Good morning. I am too on the road to getting healthier. When I fail, I turn it around and get back up. I have to remind myself, weight does not come off as quick as it went on. So I don’t get discouraged. Don’t weigh yourself daily. Once a week or watch your clothes and how they start changing on your body. God is good and HE knows our weaknesses.. Keep going forward. Also, I remind myself. My body isGods temple, I want to one day play with my future grand kids. All reminders
Debbie, I love your statement “When I fail, I turn it around and get back up.” Bless you!
AMEN! But please also look at the symptoms (if you have any). I have hypothyroidism, and though I’ve been on medication for years and the docs say my levels are fine, I am still suffering from the symptoms! After getting NO help from my clinic docs (I have no insurance), I decided to take a look on the internet for a solution. Apparently I lack minerals and iodine, and after doing a few test runs of mineral supplements, I found the right one and for the past four days have felt better! I even had the energy to go out this morning and do some gardening- something I have NEVER had the energy for before!
I know you shouldn’t mess with things like this without a docs approval, but they kept telling me I was ‘fine’ and refused to delve deeper. After five years of feeling more and more run down to the point of almost being in bed almost the entire day, I had had it.
Thank you Ken, for showing me that even though ‘m getting older, being tired is NOT a symptom of age! I hope this new iodine/mineral intake will give me the energy to finally lose the weight and keep it off! I have been eating better, but it wasn’t just the food that I needed! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story. It always helps to know the stories of others
I don’t have a six-pack either. I have a keg! 😉
Fact #1: you should start with grace…. Realize your worthiness does not come from a number on a scale. And then you can make nourishing choices.
You are so right! If your worth is tied to a number on the scale it is far below the worth God put on you. Very insightful and true! Thank you Karo
I need a goal that is worthy of getting up each morning and exercising. Right now I don’t have one and that is why I am 50 pounds overweight. Sigh.. I’m not sure how I would even come up with a goal.
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