Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “Wow, I wish I could be that disciplined”? Were they just born with that discipline? If not how did they get it and how can I apply that to my life?
Growing up I was blessed with a Gramma who was incredibly active in my life. She taught me so much, but one of my favorite things to do with her was to help her quilt. She made the warmest and most comfortable quilts I’ve ever had. Even after 30 years, and a lot of use, I still have the one she made for me on my bed!
We would begin in her sewing room where she had piles of fabric cut into pieces, and she would sew them together one at a time. I remember looking at one of the small squares thinking that it sure didn’t look like it would be warm. The fabric was thin, and I could see my hand through it if I held it up to the window. How was that that piece going to keep someone warm? After she sewed strips of pieces together she started putting those strips together, and my job was to hold onto them as she fed it through the sewing machine to keep it from bunching up.
After all the pieces were together she would get out this enormous quilt stand, and we would set it up in her living room. Then she laid a big piece of fabric, which wasn’t much thicker than the original pieces we were working with, on the quilt stand. After that, she put this cotton-like stuff on top of the piece called batting. Finally she placed the squares, now sewn together into one large piece, on top of the cotton. We secured everything so it was nice and tight. Now the magic begins….
Slowly she began to create patterns and designs in the quilt using a needle and thread. It was always intriguing seeing what she was going to make…. A row of hearts, a bunny, flowers, and so much more came from a thin thread. What was most amazing to me was how that thread combined with 2 thin pieces of material and a bit of cotton could make a quilt that lasts for years and years doing it’s job very well.
It reminded me of the clients I’ve had the privilege of working with who’ve taken the time to learn simple nutrition strategies. The one who’ve committed to taking less than 4% of their day to move, and those who’ve embraced lifestyle changes that have allowed them to achieve massive results.
If you stop and think about it, nutrition or fitness alone may get you to your goals but will probably not allow you to see continued success. Most of us try and overhaul our entire life in one shot. Monday morning comes and we are going to start working out, eat perfect, get plenty of sleep, etc and then by Tuesday night we are so overwhelmed that we throw in the towel.
One thing I’ve learned from watching my Gramma take months to finish one quilt is that putting something together that is going to last takes time and attention to detail. You need to “stitch” together those nutrition strategies with your efforts in the gym to make those lifestyle changes necessary to continue to see results! Ultimately, the more threads of healthy living you are able to put into your quilt, the longer it will hold up. When one of those threads pop loose, don’t let it unravel the rest of the quilt. Do what Gramma did, and put it back in the quilt stand and re-stitch the broken section.
Your health is a possession that you are responsible for, so take the time you need to create exactly what you want!
