Interview with Gwen:
I wanted to try something different with this blog post. My friend and coworker have been on a health journey this last year and a half that also has included a lot of spiritual and emotional health improvement. This made me realize that we as people can sometimes put ourselves on the back burner. We can get too busy to work out, eat healthily, spend time journaling, do yoga, go to church, do our devotionals, etc. We may even spend too much of our time thinking about others that we don’t know how important it is to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others.
The questions that I asked Gwen and her responses:
1. What made you want to start this health and therefore lifestyle change?
Before I started, I was stressed a lot of the time, and I was very tired. I felt like I had brain fog. Then my body started to hurt, so I decided to go to a massage therapist. This therapist was then the one who talked to me about a new and different health program. This particular program is more nutrition-based, not very time-consuming, or heavy on exercise.
I was depressed thinking that I would be this tired forever. I didn’t want to continually live this way. I decided to start this program, and it has been a major change, both for my physical health and my mental/emotional health.
2. What would you say has been your favorite part about this whole health and lifestyle change?
Losing 40 pounds has been great, but overall the mindset change has been the best part. I have definitely felt less tired and have had more energy. I have also been given a wonderful opportunity to help others on the same health journey. I love the opportunity to encourage others and help them be the best that they can be.
3. What do you believe is the importance of taking care of yourself?
Life can be hard now, or it can be hard later. As I watched my parents age, I realized that more and more. I didn’t want to make my life harder when I was older. I wanted to be able to age with less pain and less fatigue and illness. It is important to realize that the bad habits that we have now can affect us now, but they can also affect our lives in the future. Making healthy choices now may seem hard, but they may make the lifestyle we live in the future so much more pleasant.
4. What do you think is the connection between physical health and spiritual/emotional health?
It is all tied together. If someone uses a deprivation mindset, then that will be hard on the body. For example, sometimes when we as people are stressed or anxious, we tend to stress eat. Focusing on your mindset and believing that you can change, makes you also want to focus on stepping out of your comfort zone in all areas. That is why I have also focused on surrounding myself with positive people, working on personal development, and feeling planted in my faith, which helps me feel grounded. During this same time as I have lost this weight, I have also found a church that has really helped me in my spiritual journey.
5. What advice would you give to someone afraid to try something new?
1. Dreams die in comfort zones. When you get comfortable with where you are in life, then you should know that is when you need to push yourself and step farther out of your comfort zone.
2. If you have failed at something before, then you can always improve and try again. Just because you failed the first time, does not mean that you will fail the second time.
3. Small changes add up to big results. Even when those small changes seem hard. Write down the reasons why you want to change and make those small things happen. Once those smaller things are done, then you can always conquer those bigger items.
4. Know that fear is a liar. Fear is the thing that keeps us from changing and keeps us from trying something new. However, that fear often tells us that we aren’t good enough to change. Now that you know it is a liar, hopefully, that will not be the item that stops you from stepping out of your comfort zone.
I hope that you enjoyed this different style of a blog post from me. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life that are inspirational and have a lot of insights and ideas to share. I realize that I need to make more time to really listen and learn from all those that are around me. Gwen has been an inspiration to me and many others around. She has really helped a lot of others in their fitness, weight loss, and wellness journey. It is important to remember to eat healthily and care about the wonderful bodies that God has given us.
I am going to leave you with two goals or two challenges for this week. The first is that I want you to find someone that you admire, someone that God has placed in your life, and take time to listen to their story, and ask them some questions. You don’t have to necessarily interview them as I did, but just ask them some deeper questions. I knew Gwen before I conducted this interview, but I wanted to understand her story more, so I spent that time. Then my second challenge is to write down the item that is scaring you. Write down the thing that you have wanted to try, but haven’t yet. Write it down and write down the first way that you can start to achieve that goal or item that is out of your comfort zone. My particular goal is to write a devotional book. I have had this goal for years, but I require writing down how I can make this happen. I have started to write the ideas, but now I just need to put in the work. I have now written it down and told all of you, so I just need to make sure it happens.
Colossians 3:23 Blog 