
The Paleo Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Keto Diet, ….. Diet, Diet, Diet.
You can’t pick up a fitness magazine or go online without seeing something about the latest diets… and there are so many out there!
And one may be the perfect fit for you – but let’s be honest, how often is something actually a perfect fit in this life?
People usually choose to “go on a diet” in order to lose weight or to make a lifestyle change after recognizing unhealthy choices.
And having a new focus on what you put into your body is great! But change is hard. And sacrifice is harder!
One thing that most “diets” have in common is the practice of restriction. Each requires you to remove some aspect of the food pyramid. No dairy. No cheese. No bread. No meat.
While there is nothing wrong with adopting any of these diets after discussing with your doctor – the hard truth is that a lot of people fail at dieting because it is hard to maintain the restrictions and discipline. — HELLO!! It is hard enough as a homeschool mom just make sure I even eat in the day. I just couldn’t keep up with the restrictions.
I don’t know about you, but as a mom, before I really learn to have the right mindset, I would start a diet with heavy restrictions and stick with it for a while but eventually, life gets in the way (like dropping everything to Uber kids to dance, soccer, music)
So when the weekend comes around, I have “fall off the diet” for the weekend, lose will power and start to incorporate old habits, and eventually, since I am not seeing the results that I had hoped for – the diet becomes a distant memory. You, too?
Here is the reality. Here is what I finally got. I have to eat. You have to eat. The kids have to eat (all the time!!) All day long, I feel that I am in the kitchen. I will die in the kitchen!
There is nothing temporary about that. Having a healthy diet and maintaining positive nutrition choices is a lifelong commitment that you can make by choosing to consciously think of your health and body every day. If I can do this. You can also!
Instead of following the harsh restrictions of the latest fad diet and hoping to see lasting results without burning out, you can choose solid convictions when it comes to daily food choices.
The choice is yours. Its mine choice. We decide what we put into our bodies each day!
We do not need to cut out an entire food group in order to make healthy choices. Limit the processed foods that we consume. Limit our portion size. Pay attention to when we are full. Pay attention to empty calories and added sugars. Choose the fruit and veggie snack instead of the cookies and chips (most of the time). I mean God invented the cocoa bean that makes chocolate. He knew that we need chocolate!
I don’t need to “go on a diet” to have a healthy diet. You don’t need to “go on a diet” to have a healthy diet. But we need to maintain a practice of making conscious choices when it comes to our diet.
If you want to learn more about this type of mindset, join me this Lent as we seek God’s merciful love in our self-care. We will learn more about our mindset towards wellness as we learn to really show God’s merciful love towards others as we find that same love for ourselves.
The Challenge uses book by Fr. Gaitley 33 Days to Merciful Love; Do It Yourself Retreat. That is the soul aspect as well go in a deeper personal relationship with Christ.
We will challenge you to part take in physical activity either a workout plan that we provide or anything that you find comfortable. We also come together on a private Facebook page where we can encourage you and brainstorm with you ways to strengthen your body.
We will use teaching modules to educate our minds on many aspects of wellness and mindset.
Again, using a private Facebook group to discuss, to encourage and to come together as a community of mothers trying to seek holiness among the beeps, cries, and the busyness of life.
Join me and community of like mind mothers as we seek our sainthood in our vocations as well this Merciful love for ourselves and our family.
Finding God’s merciful love in our self-care! —– Join the Merciful Love Challenge!
With the Love of Christ,
Maria Cecilia
p.s. – Spend this lent saving lives by praying and fasting for abortion workers – 40 Days of Merciful Love for Abortion Workers