The Change Formula - Small Shifts + Community = Big Outcomes!

There is a picture from a family vacation that hangs in the front entryway of our home that shows me with our two older boys on the top of a mountain that we climbed while on our family vacation.

There is also another picture of me that hangs in our home from my first trip to Maui with my wife for our 10th anniversary.

While these pictures were taken within ten months of each other, there is one big difference.

42 pounds of difference to be exact!

Yes, at one point I, Carlos, was 42 pounds overweight.

What changed?

Not long after that first picture was taken, my siblings and I made a video for my dad's 60th birthday. As I watched the video I could not believe the image of myself looking back at me.

After several years of little to no exercise, and eating quite poorly, the results spoke for themselves. I was physically unhealthy and the picture of me on the video was a wake-up call to make a change.

I made a commitment that I was going to get healthy.

I wanted to feel better and knew that I could commit to some small changes and over time get big results.

So the journey began.

I changed gradually my diet. I began with eliminating soft drinks, then focused on portion control. Over the course of two months, I had a very healthy diet.

I committed to three workouts per week. I started with doing a run/walk of a mile. Over time I added some weight training on days I did not run. By month six, my mile run/walk had turned into 5-mile runs.

What made this process of change possible was the incredible support and encouragement I received from my wife Susanne. On days I did not feel like working out, she would encourage me. She was a great support in helping me change my diet. The continual cheerleading made this transformation easier.?

More importantly, the small changes I made became a habit and I have kept the weight off for more than 15 years. These small shifts led to big and permanent outcomes.

In many ways, my decision to get healthy is not much different from any other change we need to make in our lives. Ultimately it comes down to this:

• Does the pain and consequences of how you are living outweigh the fear and pain of change?
• And do you have a supportive community?

Only you know the answers to those questions and what you need to do to begin the process.

On the Journey With You,

Carlos