New Year, Old Wes?

Nearly a month has gone by in 2014 and so far so good.

In December I started the 5:2 Diet and so far I've lost about 15 lbs and down about 2 jean sizes! 

Now I've been here before with other diets, including Body By Vi, which just didn't seem to work well for me in the long term.  I was told by one person that folks with the A blood type don't do well on Body By Vi, not sure if that's true but it didn't work for me long term.

That being said, I'm committed to this thing and praying for God's guidance.  After all He was the one that created the human body anyway, so if anyone knows how it works it's Him!

This coming year I've got several goals in mind in regard to my body.

1. Lose 25 lbs and if I meet that goal fairly soon, then go for another 25!
2. Lose enough weight that I never, ever have to do the walk of shame on any coaster, and I especially want to lose enough weight to be able to ride El Toro, which I was denied in 2010 because I couldn't get the restraint down far enough.  This goal may not happen this year, but I'm working towards it.
3. Run a 10k!  Yes that's right, yours truly has set a goal to run his first 10k.  I ran my first 5k last year, and despite some challenges during the run, I finished... and I wasn't even the last one to finish!  For my first 10k my goal is to finish strong, and to finish.
4. If all goes well, I hope to do my first M.S. cycling event in about 10 years.  Back when I was thin, several years I did the Breakaway To The Beach event that is 150 miles over 2 days on a bicycle. And yes I finished it at least twice!  I even rode a century once (100 miles in ONE day) and that was probably the toughest thing I've ever done on a bike.   I may do a one day event, around 60 miles or so to start back and then in 2015 go for the 150 miler again.
5. Get healthier, be filled with joy, be content whatever my scale says and just take better care of myself.

Our society seems to be running at breakneck speed and has no time to slow down and take care of ourselves.  2014 I want to push myself physically, but not from lack of sleep, lack of exercise and lack of good nutrition.

I'm stronger than I've let myself believe the past 10 years or so, and it's time for the real Wes to come to the surface and God to get the glory.  Cause it's really His grace that has held me, and kept me pushing forward, even when I wanted to give up.

Philippians 4: 12-13

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Most of the time we just quote verse 13 and it sounds great, but we skip what Paul was saying in verse 12.  He was talking about being content, not just overcoming things in life.

It's always a struggle for me to stay content, I see the good things others have and want them myself.  But most of the time I'm not really willing to do what they did to get those things.  Am I willing to work 60 hours a week to have that BMW?  Not really.  But I am willing to put in the work to make myself stronger and healthier both physically and spiritually. 

2014 is a clean slate and we've got 11 more turns of the calendar to make something of it.  Join me on this journey! Together we will be new creations and maybe we won't even recognize ourselves by the end of the year.

Until next time... please sit on your sandals! 

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