We had some friends over last night to build gingerbread houses. We cheated and used a kit, but it was still a lot of fun. For those of you that haven't made one before the first steps are the most important, you must start with a strong foundation.
As I was working away with the cookies and the icing I was struck by the parallel between building gingerbread houses and living a healthy life. (Anyone else catch the irony in that?)
On January 5, 2009 I started my "get healthy" journey. And just like with the gingerbread houses, the first steps were the most important.
Step 1: I made the decision that I was worth it! I deserved to be a happy, healthy individual.
Step 2: This wasn't a quick fix diet. The changes I made had to all be sustainable, they had to be lifestyle changes.
A healthy mindset is the foundation to a healthy life.
And so I started "building" my healthy life. The foundation was set.
Once I started building the structure to my healthy life I needed some sort of cover from the elements. I needed a roof. Something over my head that would protect me.
Lets face it people, "rain" (or in my case pizza) happens. So how do I stay dry when I mess up? Positive attitude.
In the past when I would try to lose weight inevitably I would overeat, and I felt like "That's it, I messed up. I can't do this" and I would quit.
Now when I over indulge those "mistakes" just roll right off me. Like rain off a roof. Each bite, each action is a new opportunity to be healthy.
Once you've got the entire structure up, everything else is just decoration. What type of exercise regimen you follow, exactly what you eat each day... .those are things that are unique to each of us. There is no set formula for success, you have to find what works for you. Have fun with it, experiment.
It's up to you to figure out how you want to decorate your life, just like you would personalize your gingerbread house.
Happy Holidays!
Do you have a strong foundation? How do you "decorate" you life?