Exercise Commitment : 
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I recently read the book of Daniel in the Bible again. I love how Daniel and his friends were so unmoved in their resolve or commitment to serve only the Living God and live according to His standards. All of this was done in the midst of trying and tempting circumstances. When it comes to changing important habits in our lives, we have to commit to God and to ourselves or it will never stick. Are you ready to make such an Exercise Commitment?

I know it sounds scary. In my life I am reluctant to make commitments because of the ones I've broken before. I so want to do the right thing, but I feel horrible if I fail at it. God is still teaching me every day to go with my heart and ignore my flesh until it catches up with my heart. What I'm trying to say is to go ahead and commit with your heart. Don't try and be perfect at it, but keep your heart committed before God. Exercise is one of those things that keeps us healthy, joyful and out of eating disorders, so a commitment in this area is crucial.

Have a look at this powerful statement from Abraham Lincoln: "A commitment is what transforms a promise into reality."

Now usually when we make a commitment to others, society and the law enforce it. But when you make a commitment that's just between you and God it can be harder to keep it, or should I say easier to break?

However, these commitments that we make to God or to ourselves are very important to our emotional and physical well being. We usually make an exercise commitment, or a commitment to eat healthy, spend more time with God, buy less stuff, or spend more time with our family because we want to improve the quality of our own lives as well as the lives of our loved ones. So if we don't honor these commitment we may not pay the immediate consequences but the long term product can leave us devastate and disappointed in ourselves.

When you struggle with food addiction or eating disorders, you very well might have stopped taking care of yourself. You might be breaking promises to yourself daily or even hourly. You might not think that you deserve to keep the boundaries you set for yourself. This is not true, you need to know that you will honor your own personal boundaries. There is safety in having personal boundaries, it shows that you love yourself and  that you process the ability to love others in a healthy way.

Now to get back to exercise. It really takes a commitment. Nobody likes to get up early for a walk or go to the gym after work. We all need the resolve in our hearts that we will do this thing, no matter what. Come rain or sunshine, come stress or peace, come workday or holiday. It really takes a change of heart and mind, realizing once and for all that exercise is not your enemy but a great gift. Use this great gift, commit to getting active before God and yourself. The results will only be beautiful: You will be healthy, be there for your future, be able to enjoy your family and age gracefully.

Think about people you know who honor their own commitments. They most likely honor their commitments to others as well. They are probably people who get things done and people you can depend on.

As for the Exercise Commitment: You will not believe what a difference exercise can make in your life. Committing only to exercise and spending more time with God can change your whole life around. Many people have overcome their struggle with food mainly because of a daily commitment to exercise. It takes time, but if you stick to it, it becomes fun, you don't want to eat junk anymore, you are amazed at what your body can do and you want to do more. As time passes you will want to make more commitments and experience the same joy in other areas of your life.

There is sheer joy in making a promise to yourself and seeing it through. How many new years resolutions gets broken on the 2nd of January? We live in a society without commitment. People change their minds all the time about everything and don't care to full fill their promises.

A word of warning: You can be assured that the enemy would not want you to honor your commitment. He has seen what happens when Christians make commitments to God and themselves and stick to it: Great power is released, self control comes forth, and a deeper relationship with God is forged. So know that you will be tempted and tested to break your commitment. However, the Bible warns us against the enemy's attacks, but we are also instructed in James 4:7 that if we surrender to God and resist the enemy, he will flee form us.

So it comes down to "hanging in there" with the help of the Holy Spirit: Through the difficult first weeks, through the sore muscles, through the voices of doubt, and through the excuses that will come up in your mind every time you lace up those sneakers.

You can read more about resisting Temptation, especially the kind that follows as soon as we make a commitment, in my 12 Week Online Program for women who struggle with eating disorders such as compulsive overeating, bulimia or binge eating.

Don't give in, don't break your commitment, and if you do, commit again! Don't let failure keep you back. You know that the only way a baby learns to walk is to keep getting up and try again. Make an Exercise Commitment and keep at it, you will never regret it!

Author: Heleen Woest
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