Self Control is a Virtue

"I need your help" is something I hear a lot.  Usually someone is rubbing their belly at the same time and sometimes they're holding a frappe or 32oz soda in their other hand.  To which I always ask, "What's in the cup?"  Instantly, they look at the cup, look at me, and say "oh" or "I know, but..."

For the most part, we know what we are doing wrong when it comes to our weight and what we need to do.  For the most part we just need to learn some self control to NOT EAT when we're NOT SUPPOSED TO. AND to NOT EAT AS MUCH!  Because, honestly you can eat bad stuff and still be skinny. You just have to have small quantities of it.  I'm not saying this is ok!  On the flip side, you can overeat all the fruits and veggies and lean meat and complex carbohydrates you want and still be overweight because you've had too much of it.

As you go throughout your week this week THINK ABOUT what you're doing BEFORE you do it!  This is something we have to teach our children, right?  So, now WE HAVE to PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH. 

We need to own our own actions.  Don't blame this or that or this person or that entity. "But I was hungry and Starbucks was right there!"  Ummm, no!  You pulled in,  you ordered, you payed and YOU put it in your mouth!!

Own It People!  Use Self Control and Don't Eat when you're NOT HUNGRY!  And don't eat once you're satisfied!  The difference between satisfied & full: full means, your belly hurts. Satisfied means you have room, but you don't need anymore!  I promise eating until your satisfied, rather than full, will give you more energy.  Instead of your body having to put all of its energy into breaking down and absorbing and filtering too much food, you can use the energy you just ate to go and DO something fun (Not to include sleeping!)

"Let's Not Talk About That".... Or LET'S!

This is a picture of the beginning of dinner for my family.  They will be puree'd and secretly added to the spaghetti sauce that will be poured over whole grain spaghetti.  (And in case your wondering, I like Classico spaghetti sauce. It's a reasonable price and the ingredients are fairly healthy.  My favorite is tomato basil.  Sugar is listed as an ingredient but #1 it's listed as SUGAR, rather than high fructose corn syrup and #2 it's listed under the 2% or less.  Check it out for yourself   http://www.classico.com/Products/Tomato%20Basil ) 

But how does spaghetti sauce & bell peppers relate to "let's not talk about that"?  Well, I have found that bell peppers really help with being regular... as in, going poo.  (Woooaaaahhh, there I go!)

Yeah, so my cute little 4 year old, who is making up songs about the "Texas Star is so much fun", right behind me right now, has had stomach pains for a full week!!  I finally took her to the doctor, since they didn't resolve on their own, just to find out she was Full of "it"!! (Pun totally intended!!) They even did x-rays to be sure that was the only issue.  And there it was. Poop, poop pellets (ouch), and lots of gas!!  The doctor prescribed Fruits, Veggies, lots of water, and Miralax!

Now, I pride myself on my kids eating healthy: green vegetables at every dinner, taking a "2 bite no thank  you" of food they don't normally like or aren't willingly try on their own, and making sure they're drinking their Bolthouse Green Goddess just to be sure they're getting enough fiber/vegetables (especially if that 2 bite no thank you included the green veggies!)  But with moving into our new, bigger house and getting settled, I guess I haven't been as diligent.  Now, constipation apparently "runs in our family", but when I eat all my greens every day, I have no problems!!!  So, it makes me wonder how much of it is "inherited" and how much of it is actually related to our diets, including the diets our families have passed down. 

I have so many thoughts about this.... where to start!

1. I think that a lot of what society and the medical community says we "inherit", is a lot of issues that can be linked to the diets and habits that have been ingrained in us through what our parents have taught us.  If we grew up eating bacon & eggs for breakfast and meat and potatoes with few veggies for dinner and we continue to do that into adulthood and teach it to our children, then it is very likely that we are going to "inherit" high blood pressure, diabetes, constipation, etc just because we are lacking a ton of nutrients from the vegetables, lacking healthy whole grains and lacking healthy fat from nuts and fish (which do help with digestion and brain function) and adding too much fat, unhealthy proteins, and too many carbs.

2. I was reading an article on WedMD about constipation and I don't understand why the medical community doesn't stress, and I mean STRESS, Green Leafy Vegetables.  http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/chronic-constipation-facts-vs-myths  I mean, this is a great article, but I really feel like it leaves out a lot of information.   I have recently added beet greens to my daily salad (  http://foodfacts.mercola.com/beet-greens.html ) and oh boy has that made me even more regular.  When the articles you read talk about "dark, leafy greens", Beet Greens is what they are talking about!

The WebMD article also mentions that 50% of people only have 1 bowel movement a day (I guess BM is a nicer way of saying that. But when you have 4 kids, well, I'm just used to talking kid talk.)  The article also says that even just three bowel movements a week is normal.  "Normal" may mean it's with the majority, but I don't think it is necessarily healthy. I have found for me that when I don't eat my veggies I am not as regular.  A dietician once told me that you are supposed to go poo as often as you eat.  So, if you eat 6 meals a day, you should poo about 6 times a day.  to be honest, every time I have to go pee, I end up going poo just a little. Gosh I know that's TMI, but honestly, that is information that needs to be put out there.  Going often is normal and good for your colon!!!  

The WebMD article mentions that "toxins do not accumulate in your colon when constipated", but what it doesn't mention is the major issues that can happen!!  This article from Livestrong.com mentions a few issues, including Diverticulitis.  My brother had this at 20yrs old!! It's not fun!! He almost died from it! http://www.livestrong.com/article/175379-harmful-effects-of-chronic-long-term-constipation/   Having poo remain in your colon is NOT HEALTHY and cause SERIOUS damage!!

Thank goodness my little one didn't have damage to her colon or small intestines, but it sure did cause her a lot of pain.  I mean, this girl was in so much pain a few times, she writhed (back arched, tears down her face), her skin even became pail, then she would pass out sleeping from the whole ordeal.  And that was just from gas and constipation.  Imagine if something even more serious happened.

The moral of this blog is EAT YOUR VEGGIES PEOPLE!!!  Laxatives are not always the answer!!  Taking too many can actually make your constipation problems worse!!  I always try to treat me and my families ailments naturally.  So, if eating greens and bell peppers can help with constipation, well then I will sneak them into my families diet if I have to.

I can't wait for spaghetti tonight ;)

Be Healthy!



 

Not If, When

A friend posted a great devotional about "if". I don't know where she found the devotional so I'll post the entire thing below, but I wanted to give you my take on part of it.  The part that made me think is below:

"Now, just before He went out into the wilderness, Jesus was baptized and a booming voice came out of heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." He was publicly affirmed and honored by God the Father, and then the Spirit of God lead Him out into the desert. This is where the testing of His faith came in. There's a lot that happened that we aren't told about, but we do know that Jesus was there with no food or water. Along comes the enemy saying, "If you are the Son of God, why don't you take these stones and turn them into bread."

He offered Him a temporary fix, but Jesus wasn't interested in a temporary fix; He was interested in an eternal solution. Jesus had to stand strong against the temptations of the enemy and press past the "big If."
The enemy always tries to dispute our identity and confidence. He tries to dispute our worth and make us doubt who we are. But Jesus didn't have to prove Himself. Do you know how Jesus resisted the "big If?" By the Word of God! He said, "Man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." He was saying, "No Devil, I don't owe you an explanation. I don't have to prove who I am. I know who I am, and I have been affirmed by Almighty God in heaven!"
Today, know that because Jesus beat the "big If," so can you! The next time the enemy tries to get you to doubt God's Word, the next time he tries to steal your confidence, declare God's Word out loud. Find where that promise is written because with Jesus, it's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when!"

A lot of people start the new year's off with a  resolution to be healthy.  But their true mentality is IF I reach my goal weight or IF I'm successful I'll stick around.  Or IF I'm able to make it to the gym I'll work out; IF I have time to cook dinner I'll eat something healthy at home, IF I'm able to do it at all.

When you have an IF mentality about your health... You are not going to be healthy.  Because you haven't committed to it! Whether that commitment is because you don't want to give something up, you don't want to be uncomfortable exercising or maybe you just don't see that it's even possible to change.

Here's a silly little example, yet it is so true for most people.  My daughter and husband decided they love Oreo's so much (and I don't buy them very often because when I do the entire package is gone in less than 24 hours. NO Joke!)  So, they came home with 3 PACKAGES of Oreo's!!  Count them, 3!!  The deal is, I. LOVE. OREO's! And I WILL eat them when they are in the house.

Well, I'm home sick, which means no workouts, no energy, which means my body craves food, especially chocolate, to get some energy.  Oreo's are NOT GOOD for you ever, but especially not when you're sick!!  Well, I allowed myself only 2 cookies (in the morning and at night, which equals 4)  Well, today I said NO WAY!  I am NOT going to have more cookies!!  I want to get better so I must resist the temptation of these terrible, preservative filled, sugar filled deliciousness!

What I did NOT say was, "If no one else eats them, then I won't eat them either". "If the temptation is not too strong, then I won't eat them."  They ARE tempting me!  My family WILL eat them tonight!  I, however, have made a conscious, stead fast decision to NOT eat them no matter how tempting or how many my family chooses to eat.

I feel like so many do the same thing with their health, their food choices, their workouts. They say, "IF my family will eat it, then I'll make it (healthy)", "IF my workout partner shows up" or "IF my spouse will workout with me, then I'll work out".  "IF I don't forget my workout clothes", "IF the parking lot's not too full", "IF I don't forget my snack", "IF I'm not too hungry" (ok, don't really workout when you're hungry.  Have a snack packed to last you to the next meal.) IF, IF, IF means it's most likely not going to happen and your probably hoping it won't, too!

The point is, don't deceive yourself into thinking you can do something, like lose 10lbs, without being committed.  I, myself, have been under a lot of stress lately and have gained weight :(  As a trainer, it's not a good example and everyone notices.  But as a real life person, just like the rest of the non-trainers, it CAN be a good example.  I am still getting in my workouts in, even if one week is only 3 days, and I am trying to log my food everyday.... uh... did you catch that? I am TRYING ... Trying is not good enough!  I need to be committed to logging my food everyday!  (pause while I log my food)

The other part of this IF is, IF I'm able to lose weight.  Well,  why wouldn't you lose weight?

1. You don't change your habits - alcohol at night, snacking in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, not increasing your activity level, increasing your activity level AND increasing your food intake.

2. You "workout", but not really.  I mean, taking a walk is a great activity, but if you're not really pushing yourself, getting out of breath, breaking even a small sweat, then you're probably not working hard enough to see much of a change.

3. You make healthy food choices, but you eat too much of it.  Quality is just as important as Quantity.

4. You don't keep up these new healthy habits for long.

It takes 4-6 weeks to see any changes, and they may only be slight changes.  To see drastic changes, you have to stick with it for the long haul, I'm talking MONTHS.  You need to be committed for longer than the month of January. I mean, even being committed January through mid March you will definitely see some kind of improvements.

But ultimately, if you go back to your old habits, you will gain all of that weight back and then some.  So, really, your goal should be to live a healthy lifestyle-for life!

I say this because people get so discouraged so soon.  Learning to be healthy/lose weight is a lesson in patience and perseverance (the devil does not like us to learn these things.  He likes to see us suffer.)  You must be patient in seeing the weight come off AND you must persevere: keep going even though you may not see the changes you want to see... or see the changes as quickly as you had hoped you'd see them. (The Biggest Loser is NOT REAL people!  You cannot expect to see drastic changes like that.  Plus you don't see those people months later. Most of them have gained it all back once they leave the show and get back to their normal environment.)

"The enemy always tries to dispute our identity and confidence. He tries to dispute our worth and make us doubt who we are. But Jesus didn't have to prove Himself" 

Don't let your size or your past determine who you are.  Decide to take care of yourself. Be confident in your decision, be confident in who you are.  Make the changes you need to and make them last.  BE an example to those around you-family, co-workers, even acquaintances.  I know a few people who have lost over 100lbs. I've never had to lose that much (50lbs after my kids were born), but boy are they an inspiration to me.  They were patient, they persevered, and they made the habit a life style and have kept that 100lbs off (I'm talking about at least 5 people I can think of right now.)  Do the math, 2lbs/week is a normal weight loss.  The means it could take 50 weeks (that's 1 year) to lose 100lbs.  And that's talking about the fast route.  So don't be discouraged when you see small changes over a small period of time. Instead, rejoice in the fact that you have made a change at all!! Celebrate it and keep on working!!

The entire devotional is below:

The Big "If"


Anytime we step out to believe God for something, the enemy tries to throw us off course with thoughts of doubt and discouragement. I believe one of the main ways he comes at us is with the word "if."
Think about the word "if" for a minute. "If" implies uncertainty. It implies doubt. That's exactly what the enemy wants to instill in you—uncertainty and doubt! One of the main keys to overcoming in life is to overcome the big "if" in our minds.
...

In scripture, there was a time when Jesus went out into the wilderness. It says He hadn't eaten for 40 days. He was obviously alone, so guess who showed up? The "big If" himself! The tempter, the accuser, the enemy, the devil came and tried to tempt Him.
Now, just before He went out into the wilderness, Jesus was baptized and a booming voice came out of heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." He was publicly affirmed and honored by God the Father, and then the Spirit of God lead Him out into the desert. This is where the testing of His faith came in. There's a lot that happened that we aren't told about, but we do know that Jesus was there with no food or water. Along comes the enemy saying, "If you are the Son of God, why don't you take these stones and turn them into bread."
He offered Him a temporary fix, but Jesus wasn't interested in a temporary fix; He was interested in an eternal solution. Jesus had to stand strong against the temptations of the enemy and press past the "big If."
The enemy always tries to dispute our identity and confidence. He tries to dispute our worth and make us doubt who we are. But Jesus didn't have to prove Himself. Do you know how Jesus resisted the "big If?" By the Word of God! He said, "Man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." He was saying, "No Devil, I don't owe you an explanation. I don't have to prove who I am. I know who I am, and I have been affirmed by Almighty God in heaven!"
Today, know that because Jesus beat the "big If," so can you! The next time the enemy tries to get you to doubt God's Word, the next time he tries to steal your confidence, declare God's Word out loud. Find where that promise is written because with Jesus, it's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when!

Being Organized saves you Time and Money


....what does this have to do with being fit you ask?  Well, being fit...being HEALTHY, Saves you time and money as well.


If you hate cleaning, www.flylady.com is an amazing site that will help keep you motivated and tell you exactly what to do.  You just have to do it!  In one of her articles Routines Can Save You Money http://www.flylady.net/d/br/author/flylady/  She talks about a few things that I wanted to share with you because it is SO TRUE!!


Planning your menus for next week and preparing a grocery list before you go shopping can help too. This keeps you from going to the grocery store multiple times each week. This alone can save you $50 a week. There is hardly anyway to keep from spending less than that each time you go to the store. If you are cooking then you are saving more money by not getting takeout from restaurants. That could alone could save you another $25 a week. This amounts to $3900 for a year.


Wearing good shoes for your feet help in lots of ways! Good shoes gives you more energy and keeps you from breaking toes and cutting your precious feet. More energy helps you to exercise more and take better care of yourself; this saves on doctor bills. One co-pay for an office visit could save you $20 a month. A broken foot could set you back $1500 for an emergency room visit. Shoes save you more than you would ever think about. $1740 is amazing when a good pair of shoes could runs around $50. What an investment! This doesn’t even count the money you save because of the energy you have to keep your home in order.


These are things that I, and my other trainer friends, tell our clients all the time!  And yes, it's easier said than done to plan ahead, but it is soooo worth it in the long run!  And being active and eating healthy NOW save you money from going to the doctor, getting meds, having surgery, whatever! Just life healthy people!!!


I know for me, I'm usually worn out and exhausted and I just. want. a. break!  But the times when I drink an extra cup of coffee and just Make Myself do the prep work, I am so thankful for it later on!


Planning should be a priority.  Even if you only take 15 minutes to prep your veggies, it's better than not having any ready to go and taking an entire hour to make a salad for lunch (There goes your lunch break!)  Oh, I'm talking about me.  Most of you probably would just choose something different (less healthy) or purchase something (spending more money).  See how it all works?


So, plan ahead for your meals and activities and your workouts!! Even if that includes riding your bike around the neighborhood with your kids or playing outside with them. This way your moving around and spending time with those you love.


Oh and one more thing: since Saturday is Valentine's Day, eat really clean Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday, so you can indulge on your date night and not have to feel guilty or cause your mate to be upset that he/she took you to a nice restaurant just to order a stinkin' salad and water!  I mean, at least get a dessert if you're just getting a salad!  Happy Valentine's Day.


Be Healthy


Vicki Luu

Simple Minded and Lacking Good Judgement

Proverbs 9: 4b-6, 16-18

“Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,⁵ “Come, eat my food,
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
    learn to use good judgment.”

¹⁶ “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
¹⁷ “Stolen water is refreshing;
    food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
¹⁸ But little do they know that the dead are there.
    Her guests are in the depths of the grave.

I was looking up some bible verses about food and comfort and noticed something interesting in these verses.  This is a chapter talking about wisdom as if she is a person asking people to come into her home.

In the first verses (4-6) she urges the "simple" and "those who lack good judgment" to eat food & drink wine and THEN says to leave your "simple ways" and "use good judgment".

In the second set of verses (16-18) again she urges the "simple" and "those who lack good judgment" and AGAIN mentions food & water.  But she skips right over being simple minded and having good judgment and goes straight to the truth. "Little do they know... her guests are in the depths of the grave."

I don't think this is a coincidence knowing what our society lives for.  We live to satisfy ourselves.  And given the epidemic we have of obesity, we satisfy ourselves with food. (This is also called gluttony, but that's another blog for another day.)  I know I turn to food for all kinds of emotions: sad, tired, angry, even happy! Sometimes a little alcohol to calm me down from a rough/stressful day (usually involving children!).  I would probably turn to alcohol more often except that I think about how many calories and sugar it contains.  And then I think about how "out of control" I can get if I drink too much. And I also think about the after affects/how I'll feel the next day!  What's funny is, food has the similar affects and yet I don't have this mind set as ingrained in my head about food as I do about alcohol...  And maybe that's because alcohol is a "drug" and can be very bad for you. 

You know we've all heard over and over to not drink when you're pregnant and don't drink and drive. These things are ingrained in your brain!  But how many commercials or advertisements do you see talking about how food is bad for you?   We may see a few news reports on certain foods: sugar & diabetes, fried foods & cholesterol, etc. But I guarantee you that during that 7 minute commercial break you're going to see AT LEAST 1 Food Commercial!!  And it is NOT going to be advertising health foods!  So, even though food is necessary for our survival, food IS OUR DRUG OF CHOICE in America!  People are dying from eating too much food and too much of the WRONG food!  I mean, you would think that a marathon runner would be the golden standard of health.  But how many do you see or hear about getting injured, getting dehydrated, having heart attacks.  A lot of this comes down to what they are putting into their bodies.

If we could just change our mindset about food.  Food is our Energy that sustains our life.  Food is not intended for pleasure or to heal us from pain (emotional or physical).  If you eat too much food you will feel terrible afterwards!  You will feel tired. You will feel dehydrated (even though you may not recognize that you are thirsty. You will probably end up eating more instead of drinking water).  You will feel bloated. And you will feel fat.... because you will be getting fat if you continue to over eat what your body needs on a daily basis.

According to these Bible Verses we are simple minded and we lack good judgment when it comes to what we eat and drink. And I wholeheartedly agree!  We don't think through the process of what we are doing to our bodies when we eat and drink food that is not good for us.  (To think through our biological processes is very technical!! Definitely not a simple thought.) Instead of thinking through a meal plan; Instead of making a recipe made with real, non processed foods; Instead of thinking about the nutrients our bodies actually need, we simply stuff our faces with what is convenient, quick and will satisfy our wants (not our needs) in that moment.  In that moment we may be happy and want to celebrate! But why do we have to have ice cream to celebrate?  Why not get together and hang out with friends to celebrate?! I mean, that's what we do for our birthdays, right? And when t comes to our food CHOICES: We all know that we can't live on ice cream for every meal of every day.  But we sure could if we had to, right??  But why do we think that we can live on cheese nips, 100 calorie Oreo snack packs, sugar & milk filled Frappuccino's (These are dessert people!!! Not Your Morning Coffee!!!) 

²⁹ Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. ³⁰ And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. Genesis 1:29-30 tells us what we need: plants and fruit.  Before sin the animals and the humans got along. They didn't eat each other.  But in Leviticus 11 it talks about the clean & unclean animals.  Animals that are good and healthy to eat vs what is not good to eat.  (There's a lot more that goes into that, but we'll leave it as that since we are working slowly on our simple minds ;)

It sure does look like understanding and figuring out what is good and healthy to eat requires some research and discipline.  It is challenging because it is somewhat complex.  We are lazy people. We do not use good judgment when it comes to food, alcohol, what our bodie's need, what we mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually need.

But if you desperately want to be healthy, you will make the extra effort to research why you eat when you shouldn't, research why foods aren't good for you (if what I said wasn't enough), research what you should eat, research when you should eat. 

"Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
    learn to use good judgment.”

When your body is healthy it's easier to make your mind & spirit healthy and vice versa.

Measuring Up

I feel the need to give out a big dose of encouragement today.  I happen to have a couple of people specifically on my mind, but I figure, there's a reason for that. And this may be meant for just those two, but I have a strong feeling that MOST of us need to hear this.


If you are feeling down on yourself in any way, why? Do you feel your not good enough? You don't look good enough? You're not a good enough mom or wife or daughter or friend? Maybe you think you just don't do enough.... to be good enough. 


How is it that we get into this negative frame of mind to begin with?  Usually something has happened or someone has said something.  there are the obvious thing like, you're fired from a job or an abusive person in your life (parent, friend, teacher, boss, etc) said some terribly mean things to you.  Either way, it was some thing that was important to you, like a job or a position, or it was said by someone important to you.  What's funny is that, it may not have been done in a negative way or said directly to you.... Let me give an example.


You wanted so badly to be promoted to a certain position, but the company passed you up for someone outside the company.  You ended up getting fed up and quitting and finding a different job later.  But being passed up has stayed with you and made you feel that maybe you just weren't good enough, even though the job you found was even better for you.


Maybe a mentor gave you constructive criticism. You can't believe that they don't respect you and don't realize how much you look up to them and how much they have hurt you by telling you "you need to do this better".  When in reality what they actually said was "try to improve this".  You end up moving on and not talking to that  mentor much anymore. What you don't know is that that mentor recommended you to that place you moved onto. And they recommended you improve that one thing because "that" was just what they were looking for.


We make up these scenarios in our head (especially us ladies!!) and we just think of all the ways that we don't measure up!  But what... or who... is that we are trying to measure up to?  Maybe it's ourselves, our own expectations of keeping up with the house work or home work or workouts or food prepping and planning, etc.  But if you really dig deep.... are you trying to keep up with your friend who is always on top of her house work? your colleague who is always on top of her homework? That girl on Facebook who posts her COMPLETED food prepping every Sunday?


What you don't know or don't see is the OTHER areas in their lives where they do struggle!  Maybe that person who is always on top of her housework has trouble socializing and feels lonely and that she has no friends. Maybe your colleague who is always on top of her homework has marital problems and getting her work done is keeping her from dealing with her husband.  Maybe that girl on Facebook who is always prepping her food has an eating disorder and doesn't think she's pretty or good enough for anyone.


DON'T BELIEVE THE ENEMY'S LIES!  Lies that you are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, talented enough…or simply just not enough period. It is time to overcome the lies of the enemy with the promises of God. You are who God says you are! You have what God says you have! You are His holy, chosen, forgiven, and dearly loved child that is equipped by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and enveloped by Jesus Christ.


I know that reading this and agreeing with this are much harder to actually, truly BELIEVE THIS and FEEL IT in your SOUL that it is truth. So I'm going o repeat it, but YOU need to repeat it, outloud, to yourself, as well, as many times as you need to until you believe it.


Let me tell you a little of my story. 


I have a pretty good head on my shoulders. I think positively most of the time.  I'm pretty modest, humble, but I think that is also because I have a decent combination of thoughts that say "you look horrible today because your workout has left you with frizzy hair and the lack of sleep has left you with some night purple circles under your eyes."  But then I have those days when I get to dress up, put on some make up, some cute clothes and heels and cute jewelry. I even get to blow dry my hair!  (That's an accomplishment with 4 kids and living in workout clothes 5 days a week).  But on those days I look in the mirror and think, "Man, I really am looking good today!"


But, when I got married my husband would tell me all the time, "You're Hot!".  It was a running joke because when ever one of us would say "You're Hot" the other would respond with "You're Sexy".  It was fun and cute, but one day I had this realization.  My husband actually meant it!!!!  I mean, he would say this "you're hot" or "you're sexy" after I worked out with the frizzy hair and purple circles under my eyes!!!  And this was 4 years after we had been married!!  I think God finally opened my eyes to the TRUTH that My Husband Truly thought/thinks that I am Hot! Even when I think I'm not! 


This is the same way with God.  God created you! You are His precious child! Don't you love your child?  Don't you think your child is beautiful even when they are at their messiest?  Don't you think they're cute even when they've done something wrong? (So you have to hide your face from them when you laugh after you've just scolded them.)


God Loves You The Way You Are!! 


And that is ALL THAT MATTERS!!! 


This life here on earth is soooooooo temporary.  God put us here to love Him. 


It takes our kids a while to realize how much we love them (usually when they become parents themselves, right?)  So don't feel bad if you it takes you a long time to realize that God Truly Does Love Every Single Part Of You and Truly Has Forgiven Every Bad Thing You've Done.  My prayer is that you have this same realization one day.  I pray that you, one day soon, KNOW that YOU. ARE. WORTHY. IN GOD'S EYES.


It is our responsibility to take care of our bodies and the things God has given us, but if your mind and spirit are not in the right place, you cannot take care of your physical body properly.


Remember, we have ALL FALLEN SHORT of the Glory of God.  So don't compare yourself to others!  They have fallen short, too. Just maybe in a different area than you.  Instead compare yourself to God's example, but give yourself Grace, forgive your own short comings.  If JESUS, part man part God, PERFECT in every way, can FORGIVE YOU!!! YOU CAN FORGIVE YOURSELF.


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Y'all be Healthy, but more importantly, Be Happy!

Just Another New Year Resolution?

It's about to be a New Year! And everyone wants it to be A New You kind of a year, but very few will succeed! 

A few tips for you to be successful reaching your goals in 2015:

1. Be ready to CHANGE!!  "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." -Albert Einstein  

Whether you want to quit smoking, quit drinking, quit eating so much, workout more, play outside with your children more, park in the back of parking lots or take the stairs from now on, Be Dedicated!! Don't make a half hearted decision just because you think you should do somethimg or you feel guilty or because someone said you should. 

You need to make a conscious decision right NOW that you WILL DO WHAT IT TAKES! 

That you WON'T GIVE UP, and you WILL JUMP BACK ON board when you fall off.

2. Breaking bad habits means you need to replace them with new healthy habits.

Quitting anything (drinking, smoking, eating) means you will have to RESIST TEMPTATIONS and BREAK HABITS. Figure out what New Healthy Habit you are going to replace your old bad habit with. For example, instead of a smoke or a drink or dessert, get yourself a new water bottle and fill it with water, lime, & mint. Take a 10 minute walk and enjoy your refreshment. Chew some gum if you still need something. Or pick up baton twirling... Just kidding. But maybe not. You could start playing that instrument that you've always wanted to learn. Spend money on lessons instead of cigarettes. 

3. Get a partner. But first, to those that are married: It's extremely important to your success to communicate with your spouse about this goal of yours and how important it is to you. You can't rely on them for your success but their support and encouragement will be integral to your success. 

Now find someone who will take those walks with you. It can be a spouse, a child, a dog, a co-worker. Let's NOT have 2 people who are half heartedly fighting the same temptation though. (I mean you and your partner.  This should NOT be your partner in Crime. This should be your accountability partner. And you better choose wisely if you want to succeed.) This should be someone who has already conquered this habit, or who will be a good roll model, an encourager and a motivator for you.  Hiring a personal trainer is great, but what about the other days of the week? Find a workout partner who will be willing to push you but help you be successful too.

4. Remind yourself WHY you are making this goal. There could be so many reasons but some of the best reasons I can think of (aka the reasons that motivate me and keep me accountable to myself) is my kids. I want to set a good example for them. I want them to be healthy too. I want to be healthy FOR them. I want to spend time with them doing fun healthy activities. I don't want to embarrass them by my bad habits. I want them to be just as proud of me as I am proud of them.

5. And most importantly, Expect to Fail... at first!  This is not going to be easy, so don't expect it to be.  Expect to mess up!  And be ready to pull your big girl panties on (or big boy briefs) and start over again!  No one ever learned to walk without falling.  And I'm not just talking about babies. There are real people, adults, who have been injured, had strokes, been attacked by terrorists and have had to RE-Learn to walk.  They didn't do it without falling down. They didn't do it without pain, tears and sweat. They also didn't it without determination and encouragemen, motivation and love from those around them.  So, don't get down on yourself for messing up.  Just figure out what went wrong, correct it (aka don't put yourself in that situation again, be prepared next time), and start over again with even more determination and even more effort than you put forth before!  Your hard work WILL pay off in the end. But ONLY  if you WORK HARD! AND NEVER, NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!

Have a Happy, Healthy 2015

Sincerely,

Trainer Vicki