Me, walking by the Pacific Ocean when I lived in Vancouver, BC.
I walked one to two hours a day. Loved living there.
I remember when I was in my thirties, forties, and fifties. I was always trying to lose weight. I used to buy women's magazines and each decade they would have a new idea on dieting. The first was having a low-fat diet. If you cut your fat intake down to so many teaspoons a day - you will lose weight. I did it for a year. Try enjoying toast with 1/2 tsp. of butter. I did it, but I never lost a pound.
They would tell us to walk for half an hour to an hour a day and we would lose weight. I did it for years. I did get toned up, but I never lost a pound. They told us to do aerobic exercises for half hour a day. Our metabolism would go up and we would lose weight. I did that by going to a gym, doing step-aerobics and going on the treadmill. I never lost a pound. I did look better though. I looked like I lost 10 pounds, but I didn't!
The one time I did lose weight was when I joined Weight Watchers. They put you on a 1,200 calorie a day diet. I lost weight the first week and every week thereafter. It isn't easy. I was hungry all the time. But that's how it goes if you want to lose weight. Now that I'm old and sick and can't walk far, I gained all that weight back. But at 66, I don't care too much.
I've also read if you have a bad habit, such as drinking Pepsi every day, if you stop it for one to three months your craving for it will go away. I did stop drinking Pepsi one time, I still craved it 2 years later. I don't know where all these health experts come from but they are wrong about a lot of things.
In my Christian life, I've noticed that when Joyce Meyer says if you quote the Bible out loud if you are feeling depressed, peace and joy will come to you. And she says the more you do it, the easier it is to do. The more you fight depressing thoughts with good thoughts from the Bible, the happier you will become. I started doing this regularly about a year and a half ago. I found it to be true.
Because I was sexually and physically abused by my father from a very young age, I have always struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some years were better than others, but a crisis could bring on a terrible depression that could last a long time. I think if I had done what Joyce said, all those years ago, I wouldn't have had the trouble I've had. My life would have been happier. I didn't know the power of the Scriptures or the power of God for so many years.
But I'm so happy to have learned God's power personally. I used to wake up each morning wishing I was dead. Now, I wake up happy, knowing God will help me through the day and make me feel good about life. It has been an amazing 18 months of chasing sad thoughts away, amazing because it actually works!
