“Commitment fuels action. Get clear about what you want to do and why you want to do it. Take action. Your time is now!” – Julie Connor, author
We are past the midpoint of 2014. How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions or other goals?
One of my resolutions for the past few years was to lose weight, at least ten pounds. However, I didn’t do much about it. But after being invited to my nephew Trevor’s destination wedding in Cancun this summer, I finally decided to take action. The hotel was all-inclusive for food and drinks, and I knew I’d probably gain weight. I thought, “I’ve got four weeks before the wedding. I wonder if I could lose a few pounds before I go.” I journaled about the questions “Why do I want to lose weight?” and “Why don’t I want to lose weight?”
The last might seem like an odd question, but if we say we want to do something and aren’t doing it, we do have reasons. Some of mine were:
- My schedule is busy enough and I don’t want to add weight-loss meetings.
- It’s too hard—I don’t like having to track everything I eat.
- I don’t like being hungry.
- I won’t lose much weight in four weeks anyway.
My reasons for losing weight included:
- I’m already having health issues that could be alleviated by losing weight.
- My pants have gotten too tight and I refuse to go up a size.
- I want to look better for this and another wedding.
- I want to have more energy so my husband Ken and I can travel and enjoy ourselves.
- Walking and getting back to running will be easier if I am not carrying excess weight.
- Instead of just writing about taking care of ourselves, I need to do it. I need to live the way I want to live.
Seeing my reasons in black and white made me realize I had more reasons to lose weight than not to, and my reasons for not losing weight were really excuses. I had good reasons to lose weight and seeing them on paper gave me the commitment to actually change.
I have lost about ten pounds since then and still have about five pounds to lose. My eating habits have become healthier, including eating more fruits and vegetables.
I did gain over a pound while in Cancun but it was OK since I’d lost some weight first. I had a great time and enjoyed getting tropical drinks at the swim-up bar!
Last weekend, my family and I spent two days in Chicago with my niece and another nephew. Despite the heat, I had plenty of energy to walk for miles and miles, and we all had a lot of fun.
Now I am looking forward to a vacation down south and being fit enough to enjoy a lot of sightseeing.
What changes do you want to make for better health? What will it take for you to make the commitment?
Women Making Strides 
My resolutions included mostly organizing and writing. The writing ones I’ve mostly kept; the organizing ones,not so much. And I really should lose about ten pounds, too, although that was not on my New-Year’s list. I’ve actually started losing some weight, and your post is another boost. It’s a good idea to do a mid-year reality check on our resolutions!
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Joanne, your resolutions and mine are pretty similar! Good for you for keeping your writing resolutions and for losing some weight.
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It does take discipline, but it’s all worth it for a much healthier life. I want to be around to enjoy my family. My daughter is still quite young and she deserves to have her Mom around.
The results of my physical last year was a turn-around point for me ~ a true eye-opener. This year, ALL my results returned A+ due to better eating habits and exercise. I also stopped the cokes and drink more water.
Thanks for such a great article. I loved the photo, too.
Cherrye S. Vasquez, Ph.D.
http://www.BooksThatSow.com
Books That Sow: Strength, Character, & Diversity, DBA
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Wow, Cherrye! Way to go in turning your life around for better health.
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I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. I like my changes washing over me like a wave. One of those changes happened two weeks ago. I gave up using the salt shaker. I used way too much and a little voice inside told me it was time to let it go. And I did. 🙂
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Sue, my husband did that too. He used to salt his food before even tasting it. Good for you for making that change.
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I didn’t make any New Years resolution , but I would love to loose about 8 pounds. I love to cook and eat good food, eating less is the only way I can do it. Your post is very helpful. Thank you.
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Thank you, Gerlinde! I appreciate your visit.
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Good for you Sue. Healthy is a life style! Ann
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Ann, yes, and you’re a good role model! I’m glad I finally made the commitment. I had lost weight once before but seemed to think once I’d lost it I was done. Nope. It IS a life style.
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Enjoy your vacation in the south! I also love to walk while on vacation. You can sight see and just take your time taking in everything.
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Thanks, Noreen. For my readers, check out Noreen’s blog at http://slothmover.blogspot.com/, an blog that inspires better health habits: “We are a married couple, over 50, trying to come out of “Slothsville” and learn how to exercise, eat better and just live a more healthy life.” Yeah!
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Sue,
I’m so glad you shared this post on our #JournalChat Live Facebook Group. I love how you use the contrast of why and why not when making a decision; it can truly give you a fresh perspective on the issues at stake and the “excuses” that may be present to prevent us from making positive change. Thanks for showing so clearly how Journaling made a difference in your perspective and helped you see what was necessary to move forward. Oh, and congrats on your weight loss!
I have chosen your post, Making the Commitment, for Dawn’s #JournalChat Favorite on 7/10/14; I will re-share it on our group, link it on my website, in Refresh Journal and on the other social networks.
Thanks for being a vibrant part of the journaling community and for sharing your success story!
Be refreshed,
Dawn Herring
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Dawn, I’m honored that my post is the JournalChat Favorite for today! Thank you much.
To my readers: Dawn has many helpful resources to help you with your journaling. Check it out at http://www.dawnherring.net/.
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Congrats! Every single pound is a major victory, keep up the good work, Susan.
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Well done on the weight loss! (I think gaining a bit of weight on vacation is more than ok!)
I didn’t really set resolutions as such, but my life has gone on such an amazing journey and taken me to places I could not have imagined this year.
Now, mostly I am focusing on writing my blog and journaling, and my commitment to that has really been helped by joining the 100 Days Project. I think signing up to do something (like this project, or a sports event etc) can really help us to stay inspired and commited to our goals.
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