Your Kids Are Watching You
You can’t expect your kids to magically pick up a healthy lifestyle if you are not riding the same train. Your children look up to you and pay attention to what you do, say, and think. Get inspired to set the example in your household. Eat better. Be more active. And see the possibilities that open up once you begin to lead your family into better health.
DAY 21–BEING ACCOUNTABLE
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
One of the first things we did when we were chosen for The Biggest Loser was to get on the scale and show millions of Americans how much we weighed. You can imagine how embarrassing that was because we were so fat! But it was a big part of making a change in my life. I knew I couldn’t hide that I needed to lose weight. I needed to be accountable for my health. “Being accountable” means taking responsibility for your health. It also might involve letting someone know of your struggle and asking them to help you change.
Maybe you don’t need to lose weight, but you feel as though you would die if you had to stop drinking soda, enjoying a dessert after each meal, or eating ice cream every day. When food has this kind of power over you, it can destroy your health. You must be accountable to your parents (and parents, you can be accountable to other people in your life) and let them know that you need their help to change your bad habits.
As you go through these challenges, I encourage you to be honest. Be an open book. If you have a problem, admit it. Maybe you can’t stop eating in the middle of the night. Or maybe you can’t stop playing video games. Whatever your area of struggle, share it with someone so they can help you find a solution. The Bible tells us to confess our faults to one another so that we may be healed (James 5:16).
Don’t be afraid to tell the truth; it brings freedom.
Something to Talk About
1. What are some things that may have power over you?
2. Who can you talk to regularly who will hold you accountable for your actions?
3. What does the Bible say to do so that you “may be healed”?
Tip of the Day
Try giving up something that you love for one week. If you have a hard time doing this, it probably has more power over you than it should.
DAY 22–CHOICES
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
The Bible says that the nation of Israel was given the choice between life and death, a blessing and a curse (Deuteronomy 11:26). What does that mean for us? Like the people of Israel, we can make good choices or bad ones. We can make healthy choices or unhealthy ones. If you think about it, every time we make a choice that is good for our body, we are making a statement that we are choosing life.
I don’t always make the right choice. I have been known to mess up sometimes. And I can’t blame anyone else when I don’t do the right thing because I made the decision. I can’t blame my mom, dad, sister, brother, or friends when I don’t eat right, exercise, or drink water. When it’s all said and done, the only one who has the power to change and make good choices is me. The ability to choose is so powerful. We are ultimately the one in control of what we choose to do with our lives.
When we choose to eat healthy and be more active, we are making the choice to have a healthier life. Our parents can’t make the choice for us because we have been given that responsibility.
So tell yourself who’s the boss (you are!). Make the right choices and choose life. And parents, make sure you make good decisions before you tell your children to make them. Practice what you preach.
Something to Talk About
1. Who has the power to make choices in your life?
2. What are some good choices you make every day?
3. Can you blame your parents, teachers, or friends when you make bad choices that have bad results?
Tip of the Day
When you buy a snack, make sure you read the label on the package. The label will guide you as to whether it is a healthy choice.
DAY 23–ATTITUDE
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
Has your mom or dad ever told you that you needed an attitude adjustment? Maybe they said it when you were grumpy or disobedient. Do you know that you have the power to decide whether you’re going to have a good or bad attitude? You can choose whether you look at things positively or negatively.
If you see a glass filled halfway with water, do you view the glass as half-full or half-empty? Your outlook holds a clue to your attitude. I love the saying that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. We may not be able to always change the world we see around us, but we can change the way we see the world.
My son Rhett, who is autistic, is one of my heroes. All of his classmates and teachers can tell you that there is rarely a day where he is not the happiest and most excited person in the room. He wakes up early every day, even on Saturday, with a big smile on his face. I watch him and sometimes wonder what it must be like to be so carefree. To watch the joy he has for the simple things in life is no less than a gift.
Our attitude truly makes all the difference. In this journey to get fit and healthy, make sure you keep a good attitude. If you do, you are guaranteed to be more successful. You can do it. I know you can. And parents, guide your kids in having a positive attitude. You are their best teacher.
Something to Talk About
1. Why should we keep a good attitude?
2. What are some “attitude adjustments” you might need to make?
3. How can your attitude make a difference in your journey to get healthy?
Tip of the Day
Counting your blessings is a great way to change your attitude from negative to positive. You might even want to make a list of all the blessings in your life.
DAY 24–IF IT DOESN’T WORK, FIX IT!
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
One of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Have you ever played basketball and found yourself shooting the ball the same way over and over? Even though you didn’t make a basket the first five times, you expected it somehow to go in on your sixth attempt.
Good health doesn’t come by continuing to do the same old things that don’t work. You have to make changes that cause you to be healthy. You can’t eat pizza, candy, and chips every day and not expect to eventually pay for it with your health. Mark my words, you will have to pay for your bad choices. If you want things to be better, you have to decide to make them better.
Good health begins with the “want” to change. Then you need to take the steps to improve your life. If you’re not being as active as you need to be, get moving. If you’re eating too much junk food, eat natural foods instead. I spent many years making wrong choices, but once I decided to make the change, I knew I had to learn from my mistakes and do better. I had to come to the point where I wanted to change, and I had to do it for myself.
It takes desire, courage, and strength to start walking somewhere you have never been before. The journey toward health begins with you realizing you have to take the first step. Mom or Dad, I challenge you to take that first step so you can lead your child in taking her first step.
Something to Talk About
1. What is the first step in making a change?
2. How might mistakes become valuable teaching tools?
3. What is the definition of insanity cited in today’s reading?
Tip of the Day
Think about the seasons of the year and how they change. Think about how people grow and change. Write down a few changes that you have experienced in your life and changes that you would like to see happen.
DAY 25–BEFORE THE DAWN
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
Can you remember a time when you just didn’t want to do something? I know I can. I had the hardest time getting out of bed
this morning at 5:00 for my daily run. I just didn’t want to do it. It was way too early. Then when I went outside, I thought it was too cold. Then as I started to run, all I could think about was how hard it was to breathe. Then my leg started to hurt. Everything was bothering me, and my body and mind were trying to get me to stop. But I knew I had to do it, and just like the Energizer Bunny, I kept going and going and going. And I ended up having one of the longest and best runs I’ve had in a while.
As I was getting close to the end of my run, the song “Yahweh” by U2 came on my iPod. The song talks about how pain precedes the birth of a child. In other words, there is always struggle before a great victory. When I heard that song, I felt the runner’s high. It gave me the strength to push myself to finish my run. Endorphins and good feelings washed over me, and I felt a sense of accomplishment.
Why do we have to struggle to succeed? I don’t know. But I do know that it is always the darkest before dawn. The breakthrough will come if you don’t quit. Keep going toward your goals. Don’t ever give up and quit.
Something to Talk About
1. Was there ever a time you forced yourself to do something and afterwards felt great about it?
2. What are some challenges that can make you stronger?
3. Why should we never quit when challenges come?
Tip of the Day
Try running really fast for 10 minutes. It will probably be hard while you’re doing it, but just wait and see how great you feel when you’re finished.
DAY 26–BREAKING FREE
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
Yesterday I was walking through my house, and suddenly I remembered what it felt like to be a prisoner in my own body. Because I’ve been on my journey to better health for a long time, it’s easy to forget the desperation I used to feel. I used to be so tired when my children asked me to do something. Finding the motivation to go anywhere (even to the mall) was a challenge. One of the biggest motivators and joys for me is to remember what a great feeling it is to be free from poor health, excess weight, and unhealthy habits.
You are in the process of making a prison break. You have already come so far, and I am so very proud of you. I encourage you to keep up the good work and to keep going. Remember, every day that you choose to exercise and eat healthy, you are chipping away at the chains of poor health, bit by bit.
You are a beautiful, valuable creation of God. You are made in His image. He has a plan for your life that is far above what you have for it. I challenge you today to dream bigger, reach higher, and break free of those chains.
Something to Talk About
1. What are some things you can do to break out of the prison of unhealthy habits?
2. What are some prisons that people create for themselves with bad habits?
3. How can you break free from any bad habits you might have?
Tip of the Day
Have you ever seen Chinese handcuffs? They are little stretchy tubes you put on your fingers, and when you pull against them they get tighter. It’s only when you relax that they come right off. Try relaxing a little today and let the cares of the day fall off of you.
DAY 27–CLEAN YOUR ROOM
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
Have you ever had a chore to do, such as cleaning your room, that you kept putting off? Maybe you started to do it, but the room was so dirty that you shoved everything under the bed and told yourself you would clean it tomorrow. And maybe it’s still dirty because the job seems so big that you are too overwhelmed to start.
Sometimes doing our homework, cleaning out a room in our house, or even getting healthier seems so hard that we keep pushing them to the bottom of our to-do list. We find other things to do instead. Wouldn’t it be better just to go ahead and do those things so they don’t bother us every day? Of course it would.
So where do you start? First, make a mental decision that you are going to do something about it. You may not feel like it, but your mind is stronger than your feelings. Your mind tells you what to do. Second, break down the project into manageable steps. I heard someone once say, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Taking small steps is what gets a big job done.
So no more shoving things in your life under the bed. Face whatever you need to face and just get it done.
Something to Talk About
1. What is something that seems so overwhelming that you keep putting it off?
2. What are some strategies you can use to make the job more manageable?
3. Why is getting healthy like cleaning your room?
Tip of the Day
When you’re cleaning your room, throw or give away everything that you haven’t used in the past six months. If you have gone that long without using it, you probably don’t need it cluttering up your room.
DAY 28–IT’S TIME TO PRUNE
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
Don’t you just love the spring? The whole world comes alive after a long, cold winter. Did you know that in order for those trees and flowers to bloom so beautifully, the dead stalks and branches have to be trimmed back? This is called pruning.
In the same sense, we have to prune some things from our lives in order to reach our full potential. Jesus tells us in John 15:2 that He prunes every branch that bears fruit so it can bear even more fruit. This is also similar to the law of sowing and reaping. If you do good things, you will get good things; if you do bad things, you will get bad things.
Being on this “Challenge” is the perfect time to get rid of some bad things that may keep you from finishing strong. You may need to prune friends who don’t support you or who keep you from your health goals. You may need to prune activities, such as watching too much TV, that take up a lot of time. You may need to prune bad habits from your life. If you are anything like me, maybe you rely on food to comfort you in times of depression and stress. You will need to let go of these habits and replace them with better ones, such as eating healthy snacks, relaxing in a long bath, or going to the gym.
Pruning is not easy and it can be painful. Always keep the goal in mind. Pruning is necessary to make room for the new you. So let go of anything today that might be holding you back.
Something to Talk About
1. Why might you need to prune some things from your life?
2. Can you identify anything you need to prune?
3. What does the Bible say about pruning?
Tip of the Day
Start a savings account and put money in it every week. See how fast the law of sowing and reaping works in growing your money.
DAY 29–PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
What things do you place the most value on? What means more to you than anything in the world? I’m sure you would list your family, friends, and your relationship with God. But what else is valuable? A special toy? A favorite game?
I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. There are things we should value above all else and things we should place little value on. It’s never a bad idea to look at our priorities and see if there are places where we might be a little unbalanced.
Having good relationships with our family is important. Doing well in school is important. Having fun with our friends is important. But we also need to put our attention on being healthy. None of the things we value mean anything if we aren’t healthy enough to enjoy them.
I love the parable in the Bible about a man who heard about an extraordinary pearl. It meant so much to him that he sold all he had to buy this treasure. It was the most valuable thing he had ever seen in his life. It meant enough to him that he sacrificed everything for it. My health is that pearl for me. It is worth sacrificing time and money for it.
What about you? Will you value your health so much that you’re willing to sacrifice some things that are standing in your way? Will you take the time t
o exercise for at least a little while every day? Will you be careful about what you eat so that you can keep your body strong? You have only one body and one life to live, so take care of it.
Something to Talk About
1. What are some things that are valuable to you?
2. What would you be willing to sacrifice in order to acquire good health?
3. Why should you manage your time well when it comes to making your health a priority?
Tip of the Day
Make a list of the most important people and things in your life. Where does health show up on the list?
DAY 30–ELIMINATING THE EXCUSES
A Word from Amy
Something to Think About
A college professor of mine once said that the definition of an excuse was “a skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.” I always thought that was a mean thing to say (probably because I always had an excuse for why I couldn’t get my homework in on time). The truth is, we lie to ourselves a lot because we think we have good reasons not to change.
Phil Parham Page 12
