As I have been writing my blog I find myself asking, why is healthy living such a hard sell for so many people? As my mom reminded me in so many words this week, it's largely because for so long people have been trying to do exactly that, sell it. Charlatans and those looking to make a quick buck with their "must buy now" weight loss gimmicks have made a lot of people feel that when someone starts taking about health, the sales pitch ain't far behind. But I understand where the hesitation comes from; if you've invested your time, your money, and your hopes in gimmick after gimmick, diet after diet, and found nothing but failure and disappointment, why subject yourself to further agony? I could understand that not only would you not want to hear a spiel about health...you'll likely run in the opposite direction! Going one further, I blame the diet for profit industry for a lot of the obesity problems we experience today. They have turned the word "diet" into a four letter word in more way than one, if you know what I mean.
I started this blog, in part, to combat those who advise you in the direction that best lines their pocket. When I told you in my first post that I was not here to sell you anything, I meant it. I have no ulterior motive in passing on my experiences or recipes. I just want you to live a healthy life and not go through some of the things I had to before I had my healthy living epiphany. The only profit I have realized is in the ten pounds I have lost since I made myself accountable to you :) I don't tell you this to solicit praise from you. I am telling you this because I want you to know that my intentions are good and I am not selling you a gimmick... I am not selling anything at all. The truth is, reaching your health and fitness goals doesn't have to cost you any additional money at all.
My goal is to just motivate you and provide you with some tools and information to get you there. I learned that correct information was the key to weight loss success and that we don't need infomercials or gimmicks to get healthy. We just need each other. We need to share information with each other and support each other.
As it turns out, I am not the only one that feels this way. I receive a lot of information every morning via email from different sources about fitness and nutrition. One person I have been following for a little while is Dr. Mark Hyman, the author of the book, "The Blood Sugar Solution". This morning, as if on cue, I received an email about a collaborative effort between Dr. Hyman and Pastor Rick Warren, to find out if social media is the cure for unhealthy living.
If you are unfamiliar with Pastor Warren, he is the founder of Saddleback Church with over 30,000 members that meet in groups of 5,000 weekly. He is also the author of "The Purpose Driven Life". A lot of what Saddleback does, it does in small study groups. Warren had reached out to Hyman to find out how he can effect the waistline and overall health of his increasingly rotund congregation.
Warren and Hyman decided to try the small group approach to weight loss and healthy living. Over 15,000 church members signed up to take part! It cost them nothing but their time and commitment to participate. They shared healthy living information with each other, recipes, DVD's, written material, etc. They also made each other accountable to one another, sharing their successes and setbacks. They employed some "positive peer pressure" to each other. They taught each other self care and took care of each other.
The result of this experiment was astounding. The 15,000 participants lost over 250,000 lbs!!! What they learned was that those who participated in groups lost twice as much as those who did it alone! Some of the diabetics in the group reported no longer needing insulin and some were even able to stop taking their blood pressure medication! The members reported better sleep, more energy, better mood, better blood pressure, better skin, and better sex drive (yippee)!
This is exactly the kind of thing I set out to encourage through my blog, and I think it's time to take it to the next level. In the next few days I am going to finally post photos of myself before my quest began...and now. I am going to set some new goals for myself and bring you along on my quest to attain them.
Then I'm going to ask you to join me! I want you to consider doing the same as me. In the spirit of accountability as mentioned above, let's form a cyber group of people that are accountable to each other as we help each other meet our fitness goals....much as Pastor Warren and Dr. Hyman did. I'll provide more information about how exactly we will do this in a future post. Just start thinking about if this appeals to you.
If you are interested in the Warren/ Hyman article, you can find it at www.drhyman.com. Under UltraWellness Blog, article titled, "Can Social Networks Cure Disease?"
Thanks for letting me share my experiences with you and I hope you will start this exciting new quest with me!
Always consult with your doctor before changing your nutrition and fitness regimen.
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