As you continue to follow me on this journey, you may see that the line between struggling with weight and struggling in life tend to parallel. To me, they are one in the same. I know for a fact that as I move forward and fight through my personal barriers with losing weight, I am also winning the battle for spiritual and financial success. If you find that you are challenged in other areas of your life, focus on one and watch the others follow suit as you become successful. There’s a lot more to it than I have explained and I’d love to tell you. That’s why I have the options to contact me on this blog. I’m waiting to hear from you!

In addition, we sometimes set a date in mind that we keep missing out on.  Promising ourselves that as soon as that date comes, we’ll make things happen.  Sadly thought, the thing about choosing a day or a time is that there is always another one ready to take its place.  So much so that we keep pushing back to what we think will be the right time.

Also, many of us have the habit of waiting for one thing to happen before we can do another.   “As soon as I change shifts on my job,” or “as soon as it turns warm,” or as “as soon as I get past the holidays,” “I’ll get started exercising.”  Once again, we have found a way not only to lie to ourselves, but to actually believe it.

Finally, somone lays down exactly how to battle through our own selves and get others to begin on the path to health and wellness.  Enjoy the video, and be sure to visit our sponsor:

Trust when I tell you that I have been through this before.  I know me and I have learned how to put myself in the best position possible to win.  I may not do all things all the time, but I know how to win.

When I stopped making my weekly weigh-in an issue, I was able to lose that stress and start enjoying my exercise.  I learned the importance of counting inches instead of pounds.  For some it doesn’t sound like much of a transition, but for the person who has to take that dreaded walk to stand on the scale, its lifetimes away from how we used to think.

Inch loss vs. weight loss was presented to my by Dr. Anthony Kleinsmith.  He created the following product that I am now using.  Check out the link to see what I am using:

I took the opportunity to visit my hometown of Charleston, SC where I spent two weeks.  I had the opportunity to exercise and unwind.  Its a beautiful thing to not have to be in such a rush all the time.

On my drive back to Nashville I meditated over the 6-month mark I had reached with this weight loss journey and how I could take things to another level.  I have some incredible ideas that I am about to bring to the forefront.  Things are definitely looking up!

Dreams mean work,

Lou Riley

p.s.  Check out the link below.  This is a product I have been using and I am really seeing some great results.  They got a nice deal going on as well:

During my workout, the idea to do a fitness bootcamp for people who want to exercise, but have issues with obesity. Many times, just like it was with me, these folks start off doing something, then fall right off for a lack of support. I believe that this is a part of something I am supposed to be doing. It’s all about giving back.

Even though I have not reached my goals, I have come a long way. I still consult with a group of extremely fit people so that I can continue to challenge myself and stay on top of things. My goal is to start this project on October 1, 2009. Now that I have put it out there, let’s see what happens when I take a leap of faith on this vision of mine.

Dreams mean work,

Lou Riley

I decided to give a friend a call to chat while driving to the gym. I started off by saying that I didn’t feel like exercising. The followed up with the foul mood they were in. Before long, the conversation turn into a complaint festival. It’s not hard to find people that will feed into your negativity. We all have it. Still, I was headed to they gym, so I figured at the least I would get in a sub par work out. I figured some exercise is better than none.

I was dreading the thought of exercising. I had visions of turning my car around and heading back home. I wanted to just go to bed and worry about not working out later. As I pulled up to the gym, I noticed a familiar vehicle. It belonged to a mentor of mine who is a fitness guru. God must have know that I needed the extra push this morning. The first thing he said was “What’s up slim! Man you have lost a lot of weight!” Being the human I am, that immediately changed my mood. To myself I was like “yeah, I’m really going to work out today!”

After putting in about 1.5 miles, I came back inside and started my routine for the day. I was shown a few finer point of some of the exercises I was doing that made them much more challenging. Call me crazy, but a part of me likes the pain and discomfort that comes along with being challenged in the weight room. I guess the more appropriate thought would be that I like conquering the pain and discomfort. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.

After three rounds of a strenuous workout, the bad mood I started my day with turned into an appreciation for the challenge. I am so glad I did not turn that car around and listen to the voice in me that was telling me to give up. I battle against this demon on a weekly basis. I don’t know if it will ever leave. What I do know is that the stronger I become, the better equipped I am to deal with things. I always hear that coal must first undergo pressure in order to turn into a diamond. I know that the success I am looking for exists. In fact, it lives inside of me. I will remain constant in my efforts and I will not give up on becoming the person I am supposed to be.

Dreams Mean Work!

Sadly though, many relationships fail because of a lack of commonality. One or both may lose interest after a period of time. Often, weight gain plays a role in this. Women may be looking for a more fit and active man. Someone who represents strength and commitment. Men may seek out a younger, sexier woman to host on his arms and he feels the need for a shot of youth in his life.

Exercise IS the fountain of youth, strength and commitment. Everything you are looking for is probably already inside of you. Make plans to exercise with your significant other. Discover an entirely new world where health and wellness live at the forefront. Change for all of us is inevitable. However we always have the ability to make ourselves feel young forever!