Time to Persevere

I read an article in the February 2019 Prevention magazine about sticking with your New Year’s resolution. I hit a rough patch about two weeks ago and I’m trying to get back on the straight and narrow with my eating and exercise. It is too easy for me to let up for a day or two and before you know it I am on a slippery slope of overeating and missing exercising. Sound familiar? This pattern too often leads us to give up our good intentions.

The article I read said the key was to form new habits. The experts say it takes three months or longer to establish a habit. 

One suggestion was to realize there will be challenges – roller coaster emotions and cravings come to mind. I need to admit my weaknesses and plan a strategy. For instance, instead of eating a bowl of ice cream, I will do 10 minutes on the treadmill, go for a walk, or reward myself with 15 minutes of reading time or another non-food choice. Every time I crave or long for a specific food or taste, I will replace it with a good behavior. Create a new habit and persevere!

Another idea was to consider the results of eating a particular food. Take my ice cream addiction. Ice cream is full of fat and sugar. If I eat ice cream I will feel cold and lazy and I’ll go sit under a blanket and be a couch potato. I will feel sleepy and the ice cream will raise my cholesterol and blood sugar. Then I’ll feel guilty and depressed about what I just ate.

Instead, I choose to avoid ice cream because of all the negative impacts. Or I can play up the benefits of eating something for its good qualities – such as broccoli. It is good raw or cooked. I feel healthy when I eat it because it is clean food and it is full of vitamins that are great for my body.

I’m going to try these two ideas in my own walk with perseverance. It is very similar to our faith. We face challenges in our faith walk, too, and the testing of our faith creates perseverance.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance,” (James 1:2-3 NIV).

Persevere, my friends, persevere.

Gloria D. Stewart