Awaken Lifestyle with Olamide Balogun: This is the Time For You to Be Courageous

Happy new year… even though, quite frankly the year is racing by so fast. It seems like it will be over before we can say happy new year. This first month of the year is already almost over.
Many people have made money and many have also lost money. Babies have been born and people have died – all, this year. Companies have been set up while some companies have been dissolved. Some have just been sworn in as president and some have ceased to be president.

The Bible says there is a time and season for different things at different times under the sun. Have you taken time to find out what time or season it is for you? I believe very strongly that I know what time and season it is for you. It is a time to be courageous.

Courage is defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.

This is the year to make changes in many things especially your lifestyle. Lifestyle which simply is your health and well being, is a choice. The truth is that cultivating a healthy lifestyle takes courage. The fact that we use the word cultivate, shows that it must be deliberate.

Even if it comes easily to you, someone cultivated it at some point. The pain of a healthy lifestyle is not only in the hard decisions (like refusing that really yummy, gooey looking desert) but starts with you being so easily swayed by what your friends and family think.

I have never been fat; basically because of the grace of God, (which we all have by the way) and healthy lifestyle choices, even when I did not know as much as I now do. I, however, put on weight after my last baby – which I held on to for a few years.

When I made some adjustments to my life and started losing weight, my friends and family were up in arms, because I almost suddenly started looking different. I could not convince them that I felt good, not just because I looked good (and I do look good) but also because I had more energy, was more flexible, had fewer aches and pains, could concentrate more, was sleeping better and was generally happier because my lifestyle had changed.

You will face this, because people react negatively to what they don’t understand. These days, a poor lifestyle is the order of the day; anything contrary to it is “weird” and must be squashed.

Courage will help you change your lifestyle and by extension the outcome of your goals.

Courage starts in the mind. If you can change your mind, you can change your lifestyle. The mind can make you believe the worst about a good thing.

I am sure you have heard about the elephant, Lisa, who was chained to a post as a baby, and couldn’t pull away because she didn’t have the physical strength. As an adult she gains enormous physical strength, but remains chained to the same post with the same chain, but is still unable to break free. Lisa’s mind has kept her bound, telling her that the chain is still strong enough to keep her chained to the post when that is clearly not true.

Why do you even need to change your lifestyle? So as to operate at optimal health. You may be satisfied with where you are. However, contrary to popular opinion, your life is not yours alone to live as you like. You have a responsibility to your family, friends, employers/employees to operate in optimal health. This is not only in order to be of help to them, but it is most especially so you are not a drain on them.

Don’t let your mind deceive you into taking the easier route; the easier route has never led to anywhere really good. Don’t get me wrong, it may seem good to start off with but eventually it shows itself for what it usually is… a bad decision and sometimes it is too late to retrace your steps.

So for example, you want to get pregnant, clean up your act in terms of nutrition, sleep, cleanliness and reduced stress. You want to meet the man or woman of your dreams, clean up your act. You have a landmark birthday on the horizon, clean up your act. You are looking for a job, planning to change jobs, want to set up your own business, clean up your act. You have found the spouse and are planning to get married, clean up your act. You have a great job and you are looking to be promoted, clean up your act. You have been married for a while and you are looking to spice up the marriage, clean up your act. You are in school and you want energy and great attention span. By now you know the drill…clean up your act.

We had a 30-day weight adjustment challenge in November and all who truly participated adjusted their weight. The biggest loser lost five kilos. We have one currently running “Repent, Refocus, Go”, and after only two weeks we have people who have lost five kilos already.

The myth we are bursting today is that fruit is good when you are trying to reduce your weight. The truth is that it is not because fruit sugar, “fructose” is very fattening. Sugar is made up of two parts, fructose and glucose. Fructose when acted on by insulin the fat producing hormone, turns to fat while glucose turns to glycogen which we use for energy. It turns to fat only when it is not used up as energy.

I am a health coach who is not necessarily here just to give you information (you can always get that from Google) but am here to encourage you to be the best version of yourself.

We have two weight adjustment challenges starting on the 6th of February. One called “Fit as a Fiddle”- FAAF for children and young adults and “Perfect Quarter Finish” – PQF. To enquire about these challenges, please send me an email. Statistics show that many more people find it easier adjusting their weight in a group than on their own.

By the way let me hear from you if you have eliminated all beverages from your diet except water. If you have also eliminated sugar and or flour I would love to hear from you also. Have a great year!