Can’t change your physical health? Change the focus from your body’s physical traits to your character- then step on the scale.

I've heard many people complain about health problems or difficulty losing weight. Many people say that they just can't get the weight off no matter how hard they try. They're down and depressed about their health condition and feel powerless to help themselves. Maybe this is you! Let's shift your focus away from the weight loss or health condition and instead focus on the health of your character. After all... in life- how you behave, how you treat others, how you make them feel and how you positively impact people with your life is MUCH more important than your weight. Many times at the root of the feeling of powerlessness and helplessness in the battle for health and weight loss is the problem of low self-esteem. And self-esteem isn't achieved by improving your external appearance but instead by improving your character. Yes, I'm saying if you improve your character you will have a better chance of actually making that physical change you desire because you will have improved your view of yourself. 
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Follow along on Instagram this week to learn about improving your self-control, patience, joy, kindness, perseverance and grace.  Right now, sit down and write out five characteristics you need to improve on. To serve as an example, the first five things that come to mind when I think about what I need to improve are :

1. Patience- people just don't move quickly or efficiently enough for my liking and I need to work on my response to this. [Especially when it's my five year old child taking FOR FREAKING EVER getting ready in the morning.]
2. Peace- I have a hard time bringing my mind to a place of quietness and rest when I'm stressed. 
3. Self-control (particularly when it comes to my speech)
4. Gentleness- being "mild-mannered" is sometimes difficult for me. I'm a reformer and if I think you need reformed, WATCH OUT!  Tactfulness is difficult for me. Having a gentle answer at the ready is a large task. 
5. Joy- choosing Joy. Just when I think I've got this down or it's not that hard for me I find myself in the middle of a grouchy, ungrateful mood and remember that I need to choose joy over and over again in life. 

What are your 5 characteristics you need to improve? Write them down. Post reminders to yourself. Improving your character and choosing the high road when tempted to revert to your old behaviors will create such a strong sense of self-worth and in result , motivate you towards achieving your health goals. 

Think about your unhealthy eating behaviors. Are those sometimes a result of the stress in life or lack of peace? Are they sometimes because you're grumpy and not choosing joy? You get the point. Practice improving your character in the areas of your life that don't directly pertain to your physical health and watch how that improves your efforts towards weight loss, disease control or prevention.