For the past 7 days, I have been shut off from all media. No tv and no music. Now I'm not a big tv watcher so that definitely was not even a struggle for me. I go without television on a regular basis and I'm cool with that. As I mentioned before, no music was not so easy!!! On Saturday, I was doing some cleaning around the house and was going crazy because I couldn't listen to music!!! I had a song in my head and really wanted to listen to it so I decided because it was gospel, it wouldn't hurt to listen for just a second. I felt bad as I started to listen to the song because I was not adhering to the sacrifice. I then turned it off and went back to working in silence. I then came up with the great idea to just listen to an audio version of the Bible and figured that would be alright. The man who was doing the voice over had the most eerie voice I had ever heard. He was not making the experience pleasant, so I turned that off as well. Back to silence I went. Now that I'm coming down to the last day of this, I'm really excited about being able to get back to the music tomorrow.
Tomorrow also marks a new sacrifice which is...dun dun dun dun.....social media and the internet!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!! So that means no facebook, no Instagram, no personal e-mail, no blogging, nada! I will be allowed to check work e-mail, but anything outside of that is off limits! Disconnecting myself from the internet (my favorite past time) and all social media will probably be good for me! I do spend a lot of time on all of my social networks or just surfing the web when I'm bored. A new devotional book that I just ordered camed in the mail today and I recently signed up on my Bible app on my phone to do a "read the Bible in a year" plan. I will have plenty of time on my hands to get some reading in and really connect with God without these distractions. With that being said, I will post my Workout and Worship Wednesday segment today so that you guys will still be able to benefit from that even though I'll be away for the next 7 days! If you want to e-mail me about any questions regarding getting fit, clean eating, etc. go ahead and feel free to e-mail me and I'll get back to you next week! road2bfit@gmail.com
I also want to express how overjoyed I am with all of the support I got from my rededication to God and my baptism post!!! I have gotten the most hits to date from that post alone! That truly shows me that God is really working through me to bring people close to him! I mean out of all the things I post about, that one was the most popular!! I really do hope my journey through life and my testimony is reaching others and making people want to try God for their self! Thank you all for the support and the love!!!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Rededication
Today marked a very special day!! One of the proudest and most monumental days in my adult life! I was baptized and I rededicated my life to the Lord. About 15 years ago, I was baptized, but this time, I made the decision as a fully aware adult who wanted to publicly declare that Jesus is my Lord and Savior! I blogged about this briefly a few posts ago so I won't go into too much of that again, but I do want to share with you all my joy regarding this moment!
So what does this mean for me? What will life be like now that I've decided to get baptized again? Why even get baptized again? Well for me, this means continuing to live for God and to inspire others to be drawn to God as well. I tell you, my life has been so amazing since I developed a deeper relationship with God. And this is not about material things or being blessed with everything I've ever asked for. No, not a chance. I have had my fair share of disappointments, set backs, upsets, etc. even AFTER I have developed a relationship with God.
Over the past couple of years as my relationship with God has grown, I have realized that having the joy and peace that God gives me is so much better than my life before I really knew him. I also don't even desire to live that kind of life anymore. I don't even miss it! I am so overjoyed and words can't express the feeling I felt today after my baptism. When I first got into the pool, the first thing I thought was "whew this water is cold!" Apparently everyone who was watching below could also read my lips to see that's how I really felt! I was a tad distracted because some of my closest friends were standing in the door way watching and I was looking at them trying to get my mind off of the cold water.
I had envisioned the moment to be a serious moment where I would reflect on my old self literally dying and when I was brought back up out of the water, I would feel like the new rest of my life was beginning. I came out of the water discombobulated trying to gather myself, and after my pastor wiped my face off, I started smiling when I saw all of my friends looking back at me. Everything happened so quickly, I didn't really get a chance to bask in the moment. When I got in my car to drive home, I felt like I missed the moment. I was even some what disappointed that I wasn't focusing enough at the time. I got home and continued to listen to music while worshiping God and I shared a picture on Instagram and Facebook of the moment. After so many people liked the picture and commented on how inspiring it was, I started to realize that I do have the rest of my life to live for God. The baptism was a mere second, but it signifies so much more! I felt inspired that I was inspiring other people! I felt humbled that God was using me, someone who would have never imagined this to be happening to me 5 years ago. I felt proud of my decision! I felt God's presence all over me!!
I heard a quote one time that said something like "I wish I had known God before knowing the Christian". This essentially means that some people are turned off from knowing God because of how Christians act. Christians are ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). What we do will either attract the nonbeliever to want to have a relationship with God or will push them away from God. I am hoping and praying that I am attracting people to want a deeper relationship with God! That people will want to know God for their self! That something I say or do will touch someone's life in a way that will give all the honor and glory to God!
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life"
Romans 6:4
God bless you all! Thank you for reading the Inspiration Station! I hope you have been inspired today! :)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Power of Choice!
This post may come across as a "duh" post to you, but I feel like it could also help someone! So let's get in to it! Today after leaving the gym, I headed home to enjoy the rest of my Saturday! Of course the first thing I wanted to do was eat!! I had worked really hard during Saturday morning Bootcamp (which for some reason I'm convinced the instructor's goal on Saturdays is to kill the participants) and I also lost another 1.8 pounds since my last weigh in!! That takes me to 19.8 pounds since October!!! I'm not bragging or boasting, but that certainly is a big deal to me!
Anyway, after class I knew food was on the agenda, but I had to decide what I was going to eat. I usually don't do meal prep for the weekends unless I'm traveling since I have more time to figure out what I'm going to eat and more freedom and flexibility to eat things that might not be as quick to put together during the week. My first meal after the gym consisted of a protein shake, 1/2 of a banana, and a handful of almonds. That was cool for a while, then I got hungry again. This time I chose grapes and carrots because I am planning on making something a little more heartier for lunch, but hadn't gotten a chance to do that yet. So I'm looking at my carrots and trying to decide what I'm going to pair them with. I have three options: peanut or almond butter, hummus, or nothing at all. I really wanted the peanut butter because I loooooove peanut butter, but I then realized I already had almond butter with breakfast and almonds in my post workout snack. I am also planning on making a meal later on that might be a little higher in calories, so I chose the hummus (forget nothing at all).
It then dawned on me that this whole thing is truly about choices. Peanut butter is great, but it's also a whopping 190 calories per serving. It's not even noon here yet so I had to decide what I was going to do to be smart about the rest of my day. I forgot my heart rate monitor at home this morning so I have no idea how many calories I burned during my workout so I don't know how much wiggle room I have today to "indulge" per se. This concept applies to anything you're eating! There are so many other choices that are just as good and pair well with our food that can be a better option at the time. The hummus I chose only has 30 calories per serving, yet I only had half the serving (15 cals) since I didn't have that many carrots that I was snacking on.
The power to choose also comes into play when you're out to dinner/lunch/etc. I was talking to a friend this morning and she was telling me about her plans for next weekend. She has a dinner lined up just about every night of the weekend for her birthday and she said "I'm going to have to really be careful what I'm eating during the week so I can afford to have more flexibility and freedom this weekend". Yes!! That's what it's all about!! Being aware of what you're eating and also in a week's time frame. To lose 1 pound of fat/week you have to burn 3500 calories or take in 3500 less than you usually would (cutting 500 calories/day for 7 days is an easy way to do this). If you're taking in more calories than you're burning then you're not going to lose. Weight loss is science and math, not magic! Making good choices and thinking about why you're doing this is also a way to stay motivated and on track!! To be honest with you, I have found myself asking me regularly "why are you doing this"? I have to ask myself this to keep me in line. I haven't always been this dedicated to the cause, but changing myself and helping others is what truly keeps me going!!
Always remember: if you don't choose, someone or something else will choose for you. In this case, if you just go through life not making these conscious choices, then not meeting your weight loss goals will be the choice that will be made for you!
It's a work in progress and every day isn't perfect, but just keep going!!! When I stepped on the scale today and saw that I was down to 177lbs (first time since like college), I thought about how if I gave up in December, then I'd be looking at March now wishing I had started and kept going back then! It's been almost 5 months and I've come so far that I just can't give up now!!! Keep pushing, keep educating yourself, keep making good choices and you'll be transformed!!
Anyway, after class I knew food was on the agenda, but I had to decide what I was going to eat. I usually don't do meal prep for the weekends unless I'm traveling since I have more time to figure out what I'm going to eat and more freedom and flexibility to eat things that might not be as quick to put together during the week. My first meal after the gym consisted of a protein shake, 1/2 of a banana, and a handful of almonds. That was cool for a while, then I got hungry again. This time I chose grapes and carrots because I am planning on making something a little more heartier for lunch, but hadn't gotten a chance to do that yet. So I'm looking at my carrots and trying to decide what I'm going to pair them with. I have three options: peanut or almond butter, hummus, or nothing at all. I really wanted the peanut butter because I loooooove peanut butter, but I then realized I already had almond butter with breakfast and almonds in my post workout snack. I am also planning on making a meal later on that might be a little higher in calories, so I chose the hummus (forget nothing at all).
It then dawned on me that this whole thing is truly about choices. Peanut butter is great, but it's also a whopping 190 calories per serving. It's not even noon here yet so I had to decide what I was going to do to be smart about the rest of my day. I forgot my heart rate monitor at home this morning so I have no idea how many calories I burned during my workout so I don't know how much wiggle room I have today to "indulge" per se. This concept applies to anything you're eating! There are so many other choices that are just as good and pair well with our food that can be a better option at the time. The hummus I chose only has 30 calories per serving, yet I only had half the serving (15 cals) since I didn't have that many carrots that I was snacking on.
The power to choose also comes into play when you're out to dinner/lunch/etc. I was talking to a friend this morning and she was telling me about her plans for next weekend. She has a dinner lined up just about every night of the weekend for her birthday and she said "I'm going to have to really be careful what I'm eating during the week so I can afford to have more flexibility and freedom this weekend". Yes!! That's what it's all about!! Being aware of what you're eating and also in a week's time frame. To lose 1 pound of fat/week you have to burn 3500 calories or take in 3500 less than you usually would (cutting 500 calories/day for 7 days is an easy way to do this). If you're taking in more calories than you're burning then you're not going to lose. Weight loss is science and math, not magic! Making good choices and thinking about why you're doing this is also a way to stay motivated and on track!! To be honest with you, I have found myself asking me regularly "why are you doing this"? I have to ask myself this to keep me in line. I haven't always been this dedicated to the cause, but changing myself and helping others is what truly keeps me going!!
Always remember: if you don't choose, someone or something else will choose for you. In this case, if you just go through life not making these conscious choices, then not meeting your weight loss goals will be the choice that will be made for you!
It's a work in progress and every day isn't perfect, but just keep going!!! When I stepped on the scale today and saw that I was down to 177lbs (first time since like college), I thought about how if I gave up in December, then I'd be looking at March now wishing I had started and kept going back then! It's been almost 5 months and I've come so far that I just can't give up now!!! Keep pushing, keep educating yourself, keep making good choices and you'll be transformed!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Updates on Lent 2013
Today makes the beginning of the third week of Lent! Thus far, I have been following a Lenten guide provided by a church that a friend of mine goes to. This guide is a very detailed packet that explains what Lent is all about and also challenges those who are following it to sacrifice something each week during the 40 day Lenten season.
I must say, the first two weeks have been rather regular for me. I haven't felt like I'm getting close to God within the realms of this guide I'm following, but I am still going on with my normal routine of fellowshipping and having praise, prayer, and worship.
During week one, participants were instructed to refrain from eating sweets and participating in self-indulgences. We were told to live as cheaply as possible and to only spend money if we absolutely had to. Any money that we wanted to spend, we were asked to give a sacrificial offering of that money to the church. On the first day, I bought a new pair of headphones because I didn't catch that part about giving up self-indulgences which consisted of not purchasing things. I was talking to my best friend and she mentioned that we weren't supposed to eat sweets OR buy anything. I was thinking to myself, oh wow....well I won't buy anything else! I then noticed that I don't really eat sweets anymore so to challenge myself, I decided I would refrain from eating my flavored yogurt during this period. I purchased a few cups of plain Greek yogurt and lets just say some days were harder than others and I was glad when the 7 days for this were up! I was also making frequent trips to the grocery store to restock on more food and purchasing gas. Even though these things are necessities, swiping my card for me handles that "fix" of feeling the need to spend money. And lastly, I made a purchase for an event I'm going to over the summer that I had to get right then and there because tickets were selling out fast! I felt a sense of conviction after I did this because I seriously knew that that was going against what we were asked to do. The groceries, the gas, and even the head phones (I had no idea) were one thing, but this was another. I also noticed I was not taking as much time to really mediate and go deeper in my relationship with God.
Week two, we were asked to fast from some form of food or a particular meal. The choice was yours. I chose to not eat meat for week 2. Because I already don't eat beef or pork, I was basically only giving up chicken and turkey. I had already done my meal prep for the week and it included chicken, so I just froze those meals until week 2 was over. This week wasn't too difficult since I was still eating fish and for only 7 days, it wasn't too bad. Still I didn't feel like I was really connecting on a deeper level. I think this is because I wasn't really setting aside the time that I needed to.
Moving on...week three! Week three started today and it asks that we refrain from any form of media (this includes television and music). Can I tell you how much of a struggle my 40 minute commute to work was this morning and afternoon??? I can see this week is going to be a long one!! I am already not a regular tv watcher so that really isn't a problem, but I love music!!! I breathe music!!! Music is a huge part of my every day life! I thought at first, I could at least continue to listen to my gospel music and that would be ok, but then I read on and it said nothing about still being able to listen to gospel. There is a lot of silence right now and I am basically feeling like this week will really open me up to experiencing God on another level. I didn't go to the gym today, but working out with no music is something I'm not looking forward to experiencing! I'm still going to do it, but it'll be interesting to see how this goes!
Next week I must refrain from social media and the internet! OMG....I can see right now that God and I are going to have some major time together!! Music is a big part, but me with no internet....oh boy it's going to get mad real over here!
Stay tuned and I'll be sure to update you on how things went (of course after that week is over).
I must say, the first two weeks have been rather regular for me. I haven't felt like I'm getting close to God within the realms of this guide I'm following, but I am still going on with my normal routine of fellowshipping and having praise, prayer, and worship.
During week one, participants were instructed to refrain from eating sweets and participating in self-indulgences. We were told to live as cheaply as possible and to only spend money if we absolutely had to. Any money that we wanted to spend, we were asked to give a sacrificial offering of that money to the church. On the first day, I bought a new pair of headphones because I didn't catch that part about giving up self-indulgences which consisted of not purchasing things. I was talking to my best friend and she mentioned that we weren't supposed to eat sweets OR buy anything. I was thinking to myself, oh wow....well I won't buy anything else! I then noticed that I don't really eat sweets anymore so to challenge myself, I decided I would refrain from eating my flavored yogurt during this period. I purchased a few cups of plain Greek yogurt and lets just say some days were harder than others and I was glad when the 7 days for this were up! I was also making frequent trips to the grocery store to restock on more food and purchasing gas. Even though these things are necessities, swiping my card for me handles that "fix" of feeling the need to spend money. And lastly, I made a purchase for an event I'm going to over the summer that I had to get right then and there because tickets were selling out fast! I felt a sense of conviction after I did this because I seriously knew that that was going against what we were asked to do. The groceries, the gas, and even the head phones (I had no idea) were one thing, but this was another. I also noticed I was not taking as much time to really mediate and go deeper in my relationship with God.
Week two, we were asked to fast from some form of food or a particular meal. The choice was yours. I chose to not eat meat for week 2. Because I already don't eat beef or pork, I was basically only giving up chicken and turkey. I had already done my meal prep for the week and it included chicken, so I just froze those meals until week 2 was over. This week wasn't too difficult since I was still eating fish and for only 7 days, it wasn't too bad. Still I didn't feel like I was really connecting on a deeper level. I think this is because I wasn't really setting aside the time that I needed to.
Moving on...week three! Week three started today and it asks that we refrain from any form of media (this includes television and music). Can I tell you how much of a struggle my 40 minute commute to work was this morning and afternoon??? I can see this week is going to be a long one!! I am already not a regular tv watcher so that really isn't a problem, but I love music!!! I breathe music!!! Music is a huge part of my every day life! I thought at first, I could at least continue to listen to my gospel music and that would be ok, but then I read on and it said nothing about still being able to listen to gospel. There is a lot of silence right now and I am basically feeling like this week will really open me up to experiencing God on another level. I didn't go to the gym today, but working out with no music is something I'm not looking forward to experiencing! I'm still going to do it, but it'll be interesting to see how this goes!
Next week I must refrain from social media and the internet! OMG....I can see right now that God and I are going to have some major time together!! Music is a big part, but me with no internet....oh boy it's going to get mad real over here!
Stay tuned and I'll be sure to update you on how things went (of course after that week is over).
Results of my 7 week challenge
If you have been reading my blog, you would have known that I challenged myself to a 7 week challenge that lead up to my birthday. This challenge included me eating as clean as possible along with working out 6 days/week. Here is the full story if you would like to catch up regarding the 7 week challenge.
I just reread it myself and I love the fact that I seemed so confident, yet unsure if I would really be able to achieve this thing. Well I'm here to report to you that I finished it, and I would say I definitely succeeded. I started off doing Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD every morning during the week. That was a challenge within itself. I would get up at 5am and head downstairs to workout in my townhouse. There were so many days that I just didn't feel like doing it. I was tired or super sore, but I pressed on! I had to do a lot of self-encouraging. Eventually, I started to continue to blog about my weekly progress and with the support and motivating words of all of you, I would find a new breath of energy to keep going.
So let's get down to it! I said I would post a progress pic, good or bad, so here it is!!
I posted this same picture on Facebook and Instagram with a caption that said something along the lines of I started working out and eating clean 7 weeks ago. I think there was a little confusion with this statement though. The top picture was taken on December 15, 2012. The bottom picture was taken on February 22, 2013. Technically the pictures were taken 10 weeks apart. I had always been working out. As you can read from the post that started all of this, I was logging two hours at a time in the gym on a fairly consistent basis for 2 months. I have also always been the type to exercise at last 3 times/week here and there. I would sometimes get on my exercise grind hard, then fall off the wagon for a few weeks, then get back to it. Either way, my stomach has always been my biggest problem area so the top picture is pretty accurate for how I used to look on a regular basis. The shorts I'm wearing were given to me by a friend who had lost a lot of weight and couldn't fit them anymore. When she gave them to me, I told her "uhh these are way too small!" She told me to keep them and let them be "goal" shorts and to let them motivate me.
On January 7, 2013, I finally started coupling my workouts WITH a healthier diet. These two things together have made this transformation so powerful!! And I'm not done yet! I am very pleased with my results, but I'm going for the gusto! I want more definition in my body so I am working on building muscle! So here are my 7 week challenge results! I'm learning more and more every day about clean eating and I'm so excited to see what kind of results I'll have by this time next year.
Here are a few words of encouragement for you: although 7 weeks doesn't seem like a long time, progress is truly a slow process!! Throughout this challenge, there were days when I would get so discouraged. I was taking pictures of myself almost every day!! I had to finally tell myself to stop because when I didn't feel like I saw enough of a change, I felt like I wasn't getting any results at all. People at work would ask me if I was losing weight, and that felt good, but I wanted to see more results faster! Oh how impatient us humans can be. Seeing these pictures lined up together definitely shows I've come a long way, but when you're looking at pictures of yourself every day and they all start to look the same, you feel like it's not happening fast enough.
I am committing myself to this lifestyle and along the way, I'm very passionate about helping other people! People have reached out to me and I have done my best to help them as much as I can. Here are some other things that might be encouraging to you:
1. I've been at this "I want to lose weight and have a defined body" for years. It's not going to happen until you decide "I'm ready to make changes and I'll do whatever it takes to get it"! I didn't just wake up one day and say I want to be healthier and have a better body and all of a sudden I started eating healthy food all the time. A lot of the foods I eat I used to not want to eat AT ALL!! I didn't like the taste, had no idea how to prepare it, or just had no idea what it was in general. This is a continuous process (lifestyle) and you will learn so much along the way if you're open to educating yourself about what works and doesn't work for your body.
2. Slow and steady wins the race. Now I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I strongly advice you to stay away from anything that promises results in "x" amount of days/weeks/months etc. This is a lifestyle change so the results will come if you stay consistent. I must admit, I've been very tempted to try different things that I've seen on Instagram, tv, heard about through the grapevine, etc., but I have also decided that I have to do stuff that will last me a lifetime. No more working out hard core because I'm going to the beach next month, no more eating right just to fit into a dress for a wedding I'm in, no more "special occasion" weight loss motivation for me! I told myself this, "if you can't do it consistently for 10 years, then don't do it now". Now this is for me...so you don't have to take this on for yourself. But what I mean is, if I know I can't afford to take diet pills for the next 10 years to lose weight and keep it off, then I'm not taking them now. If I can't afford to take a line of cleansing/detox products consistently just to lose weight, then I'm not going to do it now. Now you might be saying "well what's wrong with doing these things to get a jump start on weight loss"? You're right, it's nothing wrong with it, but for me, I'm trying to get in the habit of doing this for myself and doing it consistently in a way that I can maintain and always stick with it. Old fashion good clean diets and exercise is something I know I can stick with.
3. Listen to your body and pay attention to it. When you're working out, push yourself, but don't push it until you get injured. That's no bueno! If something doesn't feel right, listen to your body and chill out. Take some time and then get right back to it. And also remember, you can go as hard as you want in the gym, but if your diet is poor, then you're cancelling out all of your efforts! You can't out exercise a bad diet so no need to go hard, injure yourself, then on top of that eat a bad diet....you'll be right back at the start in no time. *thumbs down*
4. Be careful who you're taking advice from. I noticed that when I first started doing this, I was following a lot of people on Instagram who I viewed as really healthy and fit! I then started to notice that these people were taking all kinds of supplements and I just couldn't keep up with what I should be taking too. It then dawned on me that some of these people were body builders and were preparing for competitions. I am not trying to be a body builder, I'm just trying to get healthy and fit. I then realized, I don't need to try to keep up with them because we have two different goals. I had to find out what was right for me and stop trying to keep up with the Buff Betty's and Bob's out there! Educating yourself on a lifestyle change can be super overwhelming! There are so many books out there, trainers giving advice, people giving advice, etc. so it's like what should you do?? Kind of like with Dr. Oz..it's like if you followed all of his advice (which I'm sure there is some great advice he's giving), it'd be almost impossible to keep up! I know that's how I feel every time I watch his show!
5. If you fall off the wagon, just remember, there's always tomorrow to get back on! Every day isn't going to be perfect and there will be weeks when you feel like you are getting nowhere, but just keep going! The key is consistency!! Anybody who's successful at this will tell you, they kept going and that's when real results started to show and stay!!
I am looking forward to sharing with you all more results to come and to keep blogging about this road to being fit for life!!
...Stay tuned...
Workout and Worship Wednesday 2/27/13
Hello everyone!! I've been super busy since my last post, but I made it a point to be sure that I made enough time to sit down and do my Workout and Worship post today!! I have so much to share with you guys regarding other topics and can't wait to be able to sit down and get all this stuff out there for you!! I will do several updates probably this weekend when I have some down time so stay tuned for more to come!!
Ok now on to the regularly scheduled program! It's mid week and we're back at it again with W&WW!!! I hope this has been a blessing to you all! Have you been doing the workouts? I'm hoping the scriptures and songs of worship have ministered to your soul as well!
Let's get on with the scriptures. I have three for you today (yes, 3)!! Last night I was catching up with my Lenten guide (ahhh so behind on everything over here), and came across 1 Peter 5:10. The guide suggested we read 1 Peter 5:8-9, but I read on and verse 10 caught my eye. It reads: "But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That's why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm". After reading that, I remembered James 1:2-4 and felt like it was a great additional passage to go along with 1 Peter 5:10. James 1:2-4 reads "my brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need". And to tie all of this together, let's go to Joshua 1:9 which reads "I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lordyour God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go."
This whole weight loss, eating right, being more physically fit journey is tough and there are times that you want to give up, or you face some hard times, but just keep going!!! These verses can also be applied to any other area of your life that you find yourself in a between a rock and a hard place. God is there with you to help you. Have faith! These times are the times that truly strengthen and mature us as we grow in Christ!
Today's song is one of my favorites and it always gets me in a pumped mood!!! It's You Are Good by Israel & New Breed. This group is phenomenal and sure do know how to jam while praising the Lord!!
Today's workout is going to focus on your entire body!! We're getting way too close to summer and a full body workout is indeed necessary! Even if you feel like certain parts of your body look good enough, keep working on it! Don't neglect any part of your body while working out. You can't spot train a particular section of your body. You get better results when you work the whole thing out!! Warm up with a jogging in place, jumping jacks, dynamic static stretches, etc if you can't get to the gym or if you can, take a quick jog on the treadmill for about 5 minutes to get your body warmed! And don't forget your cool down stretch!! Full Body Workout. See if you can complete this circuit at least 3 times before the next week!
Have an awesome and amazing day!!!
Ok now on to the regularly scheduled program! It's mid week and we're back at it again with W&WW!!! I hope this has been a blessing to you all! Have you been doing the workouts? I'm hoping the scriptures and songs of worship have ministered to your soul as well!
Let's get on with the scriptures. I have three for you today (yes, 3)!! Last night I was catching up with my Lenten guide (ahhh so behind on everything over here), and came across 1 Peter 5:10. The guide suggested we read 1 Peter 5:8-9, but I read on and verse 10 caught my eye. It reads: "But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That's why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm". After reading that, I remembered James 1:2-4 and felt like it was a great additional passage to go along with 1 Peter 5:10. James 1:2-4 reads "my brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need". And to tie all of this together, let's go to Joshua 1:9 which reads "I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lordyour God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go."
This whole weight loss, eating right, being more physically fit journey is tough and there are times that you want to give up, or you face some hard times, but just keep going!!! These verses can also be applied to any other area of your life that you find yourself in a between a rock and a hard place. God is there with you to help you. Have faith! These times are the times that truly strengthen and mature us as we grow in Christ!
Today's song is one of my favorites and it always gets me in a pumped mood!!! It's You Are Good by Israel & New Breed. This group is phenomenal and sure do know how to jam while praising the Lord!!
Today's workout is going to focus on your entire body!! We're getting way too close to summer and a full body workout is indeed necessary! Even if you feel like certain parts of your body look good enough, keep working on it! Don't neglect any part of your body while working out. You can't spot train a particular section of your body. You get better results when you work the whole thing out!! Warm up with a jogging in place, jumping jacks, dynamic static stretches, etc if you can't get to the gym or if you can, take a quick jog on the treadmill for about 5 minutes to get your body warmed! And don't forget your cool down stretch!! Full Body Workout. See if you can complete this circuit at least 3 times before the next week!
Have an awesome and amazing day!!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Workout and Worship Wednesday 2/20/13
Happy Wednesday everyone!!! It's midweek and we're two days until the weekend!!! Yay!!!
Here's today's Workout and Worship Wednesday segment!
Today's verse that I'd like to share with you all is a focus scripture I found in my Lenten guide. It's from Matthew 9:35-38 and it says "Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were beaten down and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Here's today's Workout and Worship Wednesday segment!
Today's verse that I'd like to share with you all is a focus scripture I found in my Lenten guide. It's from Matthew 9:35-38 and it says "Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues. He preached the good news of the kingdom. And he healed every illness and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt deep concern for them. They were beaten down and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers. 38 So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field.”
I encourage you all to think about some "work" that you could be doing to help and show compassion to others! There are so many people who need help with so many things! If you have a gift that you could share with someone, please do! One thing I know a lot of people want help with is staying motivated to workout and eat right. Find a buddy to keep you motivated and you do the same for him/her! We're almost at the 3rd month of the year and that is certainly when most people fall off the "let's get healthy and fit" bandwagon. I hate to call it a bandwagon, but unfortunately, that's what it becomes for so many of us. Commitment and passion is key to stay successful in this thing! It's a lifestyle!! You don't have to apply this all just to working out and eating right. You could help others in any area of expertise that you have!
Song of the day is You Are Great by Juanita Bynum! I love, love, love this artist and her music!!! She has such a powerful voice and I find myself in deep worship with many of her songs!!! Here is the link on YouTube.
And today's workout is one to help get those glutes in check!! I'm all about having nice buns and great legs!! Summer is coming up and we all want to look nice in our shorts and dresses!! At least I do! :)
I found this on Pinterest so hopefully the link allows you to get to this page even if you don't have an account with them. If you can't get to it, let me know and I'll find another way to get it to you! Your Best Butt.
Have an awesome day everyone!! Peace, blessings, and motivation to you all!!! Thank you for reading!!
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