Music for your heart & feet

I know that I am just starting out, but exercise can be really boring. Even more so if you find yourself watching the clock, hoping for those minutes to pass by. Monday night I didn't have my iPhone (aka mp3 player) on me, and let me just say how BORING my workout routine was. All I could think about was it being over and my body hurting. So on tuesday I made sure that I had my workout playlist ready to go.

Creating My Playlist
As a Christian who has dedicated my weight loss journey to God, I knew that most of the songs of today would just not cut it. I am not saying that secular music is necessarily bad, but I wanted to have a Godly playlist. You know, for those moments when I am praying "Lord please get me through these last 5 minutes" and all of a sudden I hear how I need "to shake my booty". Does anyone understand what I am talking about? Anyways, so I set out to find music that had an uplifting message AND suitable for a workout playlist. The following songs are part of my playlist and they are great at keeping me motivated and giving me that extra push when I need it:

1. START OVER by the Afters (great warm up song! especially if you are having a bad day)

2. MOVE by MercyMe

3. I WILL NOT BE MOVED by Natalie Grant

4. OVERCOMER by Mandisa

5. SHAKE by MercyMe

6. THIS IS HOW WE OVERCOME by Hillsong United

I truly believe that music helps to make a workout more fun and it is a key to having a successful session. I encourage you to add some uplifting songs to your current list. 

Turn up your music and get moving! 

What songs are a must have on your playlist? 

I will not be moved

I will stumble, I will fall own, But I will not be moved.

I will make mistakes, I will face heartache, But I will not be moved

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand

I WILL NOT BE MOVED

by: Natalie Grant (the link will take you to the full song on YouTube)

Today is the beginning of the 4th week of my journey and it was also weigh-in day! Last week I lost a total of 3.6 pounds. This brings my grand total weight loss to 20.4 pounds.

I definitely stumbled and I made mistakes. It took me until Wednesday/Thursday to get back on the "wagon". I am definitely learning a lot about myself and where I struggle. It has come down to every single day making the choice to be better than what I was yesterday!

In my KEYS TO SUCCESS post, key #4 was "SET BACKS ARE INEVITABLE" and it was about trying to plan for future roadblocks. Well the 270's are one of my roadblocks. I know that the next 2-3 weeks are going to be very challenging for me. However, I believe that God is bigger than any roadblock that I may face, so I am handing my stress and worry over to Him. I pray that he would go before me each and everyday and give me Victory over whatever roadblocks are in my way. I know that He cares about me being healthy.  To overcome I know I need to successfully stick to my calorie intake and exercise output.

This is another new week with each new day the opportunity to be better than the day before!

A review of last weeks goals:
{ } Finish the cleanse strong; and stick to my calorie limit each day.
I did not finish the cleanse strong. But, I did stick to my calorie limit each day.
{ } Spend time getting my "Daily Bread" & in prayer with God.
I spent time with God, but it could have been more. 
{ } Drink more than 1/2 of daily water intake.
No, I didn't drink anywhere near the amount of water that I was suppose to.
{ } Continue waking up at or before 7 am.
This has changed just a little bit. I am now waking up around 8am.
{ } Lose 2 pounds this week. 
Lost 3.6 pounds this week!!!!
{ } "Walk" my way to 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. 
This was definitely setting my goal a little high for where I am at in my journey. I will be reevaluating and making a new goal. 

WEEKLY GOALS:
{ } Stick to my calorie limit
{ } Drink more water
{ } Spend time getting my "Daily Bread" & praying 
{ } Stick to early wake-up time & going to bed early
{ } 30 minutes of walking doing intervals at 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 mph

SHORT-TERM GOAL:
Because I am so close to my original goal of 25 pounds by March 10th, I have decided to change the amount so that I am giving it my all and leaving no room to slack off or try less. It is now 37 pounds! 

LONG-TERM GOAL:
Get my blood pressure under control, live an active & nutritious lifestyle, and to be at a healthy weight for my body.

Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers. 

Bang! Crash! Burn!

Last week started out with a bang, ended in a crash, but I refuse to let myself burn.

The most important thing I learned last week was that I need to plan for those days when I will not be home. I am not in a place to overcome the temptation of bad foods when I am really hungry and every one else around me is eating them.

" Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it. " - Horace Mann 

Eating bad/junk food has become a bad habit. I've had about 10,220 days of weaving this particular thread around my life. Why would I even think that this was going to be an easy one to break? Everyday I will grab one thread and begin to unravel the cable that I have created. And for every one of my threads, I know that God is breaking 10 more. I can't do this without him. He is my strength and refuge in times of trouble, he is my joy and comfort always. I will turn last week over to Him, and ask for his strength to begin again.

A review of last weeks goals:
[75%] Sticking to the cleanse eating plan 100%! 
I did great until Fri-Sun. 
[X] Drinking AT LEAST 1/2 of my recommended water intake.
I would say this was true. I drank anywhere from 5-10 glassed of water a day.
[X] Walking for 30 minutes at 3.0 mph.
I did 25 minutes a day alternating 3.0/3.5 averaging 1.2-1.5 miles. The plantars fascists in my left foot was extremely painful this week, but I pushed through the pain and just kept walking! 
[X] Lose 1.5 lbs by end of the week.
I lost a total of 5.8 pounds this week. I will not focus on the "should have-could have"! 
[ ] Spending time getting my "daily bread" & prayer with Jesus.
This was one of my biggest downfalls this week. I did not spend enough time in my Bible or in prayer with God.
[X] Sticking to a 7-8 am Wake-Up no matter what time I go to bed.
My wake up times were anywhere between 5:30 am - 6:30 am !!

THIS WEEKS GOALS:
{ } Finish the cleanse strong; and stick to my calorie limit each day.
{ } Spend time getting my "Daily Bread" & in prayer with God.
{ } Drink more than 1/2 of daily water intake.
{ } Continue waking up at or before 7 am.
{ } Lose 2 pounds this week. 
{ } "Walk" my way to 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. 

SHORT-TERM GOAL:
 Lose 25 lbs by my birthday (MARCH 10th) - I am currently 8.2 pounds from reaching this goal!

LONG-TERM GOAL:
Get my blood pressure under control, live an active & nutritious lifestyle, and to be at a healthy weight for my body.

Time to get moving and planning. I pray that God would be with us all as we endeavor to be active & healthy. God Bless! 

Key's To Success

Over the last 16 years I have set weight loss goals and have never reached them. Because there is no point in trying to do the same thing and expecting different results, I decided to do a little research about how to set and achieve goals.

11 Key's To Weight Loss Success 

Key # 11: SET THE DATE- Simple, Yet so difficult. Choose and stick to a start date. Try not to set a finish date, as you are changing your lifestyle which has no end.

Key # 10: WRITE IT OUT- Take the time to strategically plan your journey on paper. Don't get so hooked up on the planning that you never start. 

Key # 9: PERSONALIZE EACH GOAL- Do not worry about another's journey. Choose goals that are tailored to your specific needs, expectations, fitness level, and health concerns.

Key # 8: BE REALISTIC- Set goals that are truly attainable. For example, ply plan to lose 1-2 pounds a week. Slow and steady will usual mean long-term success in the battle against the "bulge".

Key # 7: FOCUS ON THE PROCESS- Instead of setting a goal to be a certain weight, set goals that will focus on your daily behaviors such as drinking more water, walking an extra 15 minutes, etc. Again, be specific and realistic. 

Key # 6: SHORT TERM, LONG TERM- The first will keep you focused daily, where the latter will motivate you in the long run. Visualize each short term goal as a stepping stone on your journey, with the long term goals being the milestones. 

Key # 5: THE SMALLER THE BETTER- You are more likely to stick with a program that focuses on a set of small goals that build into a larger goal. 

Key # 4: SET BACKS ARE INEVITABLE- Try to identify future roadblocks and plan accordingly. If you fall, don't waste time in self-pity. Start fresh each and every day. Strive to make today better than yesterday in all areas of your life.

Key # 3: EVALUATE YOUR JOURNEY- At the end of every week see where you are at with meeting your goals. Ask yourself "Was I successful at meeting my goals?", "are my goals realistic?".

Key # 2: BE OPEN TO ADJUSTMENT- You need to be open to changing your plans as your progress. What works now, may not work in the future and vice- versa. 

Key # 1: COMMIT YOUR PLANS TO THE LORD! - 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." PROVERBS 16:3

I hope these keys will aide in my success and inspire you to set achievable goals for yourself.

God Bless.

ADVISORY

Please understand that I am not claiming to be a medical professional, nor am I trying to tell someone else what they should be doing. The above information is what I personally have gathered from other sources and my own experiences. I use the above as a guideline on my own personal journey and hope to inspire others to make a change that will better their health and life. Please contact your physician if you are seriously considering making a healthy lifestyle change and you desire to lose weight. Thank you. 

1 Week, New Week

Today is officially the end of week one. Last week had some ups and some downs. But this is a whole new week! I have no time to focus on the past or the mistakes I made. This is a new week, and each and every morning is a new opportunity to do better than I did the day before.

Last week I lost 12 lbs. I know there is water weight in there, but I walked every single day! That's right! This lady right here chose to get on the treadmill and push through the "aches, pains, feelings of not wanting to" etc. I am proud of myself. I did not let my emotions or the enemy get the best of me!

I am looking forward to this new week. I will be doing the Advocare Cleanse for 10 days. Also, Larry is doing it with me, so I won't be alone in revamping what I am eating this week. :)

WEEKLY GOAL:

[] Sticking to the cleanse eating plan 100%!
[] Drinking AT LEAST 1/2 of my recommended water intake.
[] Walking for 30 minutes at 3.0 mph.
[] Lose 1.5 lbs by end of the week.
[] Spending time getting my "daily bread" & prayer with Jesus.
[] Sticking to a 7-8 am Wake-Up no matter what time I go to bed.

SHORT-TERM GOAL:
 Lose 25 lbs by my birthday (MARCH 10th) 

LONG-TERM GOAL:
Get my blood pressure under control, live an active & nutritious lifestyle, and to be at a healthy weight for my body.


Please join me in prayer, asking the Lord to show me favor this week. That he would walk with me and show me the "way out" when I face whatever obstacles that lay ahead.

Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers.

The Butterfly Effect: It's The Little Things That Add Up

 ".......Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the prize which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:13-14

A butterfly effect (with reference to chaos theory) is the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change can have large effects elsewhere. Example: A butterfly fluttering its wing in Texas can change the weather in such a way as to cause a hurricane in Australia. 

Much like the the possibility of a tiny wing flutter causing catastrophic weather events, so it is with the changes needed to start living a more active and healthy lifestyle. It is in the little things that the biggest changes happen. The following is a list of simple, easy, inexpensive changes that can have the biggest impact and I am sure they are nothing new.

 So for the time being I plan to:

• Drink more water. Cut out soda and sugar drinks which includes "Diet" as studies are now showing the negative effects of aspartame. 
• Find ways to sneak in exercise: park in the furthest parking space, use the stairs, play active/outdoor games with the Brodster.
• Don't eat more calories than my RDI. 
• Don't use food/drinks as a way to reward myself.
• Don't use "diet" products. Watch the labels of non-fat/low calorie products.

If there is any truth to the butterfly effect theory than I should see inches, if not pounds, begin to melt away :) 

God Bless! 

The Cycle Of Life

In my previous post I shared how God used an image of a butterfly to start me on a journey of self-discovery and weightloss. I just want to share a little bit about what I learned as I studied the butterfly life cycle.

The Egg: Setting a Standard From The Start

It all starts with an egg.  A female butterfly attaches an egg to a leaf. It may not seem like much, but the truth is that she chooses the leaf with every intention to give her baby the best start. For the leaf she chooses will be the caterpillars first source of food. This leaf is not just about the best looking leaf on the tree, it is so much more than that. A mother butterfly attaches her eggs to leaves that are the best source of nutrition for their species. She sets the standard for what the caterpillar is suppose to eat!

Just like a mother butterfly choosing a leaf, it is our job as parents to teach our children about a healthy diet and lifestyle.

My mom is an amazing mom. She went through a lot when I was younger and she worked really hard to make sure we had the necessities and then some. Due to her work schedule, we ate fast food and heavily processed meals on a daily basis as she rushed from one job to the next. As I grew up, eating fast food was standard and normal.

As an adult it has become my greatest pitfall and addiction. Trying to break this habit has been a struggle. As a mom, I want what is best for my son, but I too have set a standard of eating fast food. I know the dangers of this lifestyle and now I am working towards being a better example for my son. It is not about dieting, it is about living a healthy and active lifestyle. That is the standard I want to set for myself and my family.

The Caterpillar: The Feeding Stage

The next life cycle stage is the Caterpillar. A caterpillar has one job in life: to eat, eat, and eat. How much the caterpillar eats before it enters the cocoon/chrysalis will determine the size of the butterfly. 

While learning about this stage of the butterfly, God really dug deep into my heart. There are about 17,500 species of butterflies. However, one butterfly stood out to me above all the others. In Australia, there is a butterfly called the CAIRNS BIRDWING. The more I read about this butterfly, the more God exposed some hard truths about myself and the similarities I shared with this beautiful creature. 

First, what is normally deadly to most other butterflies, the Cairns actually thrives and depends on the poisonous leaves of the Aristolochia vine. For too long I have thrived and depended on the toxicity of fast food. Most people tend to get sick when they eat fast food, but I have eaten there so much that I never get sick. I don't consider that a good thing, or anything to boast about! It actually makes me cringe!

Second, as a caterpillar, it uses bright colors and sharp spines to protect itself against predators. 

To protect myself from being hurt by others, I allowed myself to become overweight. And now that I am overweight, I use other defense mechanisms (sarcasm, cynicism, anger, etc) to protect myself from being hurt because of how big I am. It is a vicious cycle that has brought more sorrow than joy. 

Those are the biggest similarities. The biggest difference between me and this butterfly leads into the next two life cycle stages. 

The Chrysalis: The Transformation Stage

&

The Butterfly: Metamorphosis Completed

The Chrysalis stage is where the magic happens! Where a chubby caterpillar turns into a magnificent butterfly. And this is where I have differed from the Cairns caterpillar. I have never entered this stage. 

That's right. I have chosen to be a hungry caterpillar growing bigger and bigger with each passing day. But enough is enough. I am the largest I have ever been in my life. It is time to wrap myself in healthy eating choices, daily exercise, and growing deeper in my relationship with God. It is time to enter the Chrysalis and start the amazing transformation into a new me. 

And now the questions and worry began. What will this metamorphosis look like? Is it just about weight loss? These are the questions I brought before the creator of all things bright and beautiful. After much thought, I drew a simple outline of a butterfly with 5 parts: a body at the center and four wings. This is what I believe the Lord was showing me what my metamorphosis will look like:

The body at the center represents keeping Jesus at the center of my heart and the four wings represent the balance of the following areas:

SPIRITUAL:

• Love of Jesus shining through me for all to see.
• Intimate relationship with God through prayer, worship, and devotion
• Constant hunger and thirst for righteousness and actually living God's will.
• The fruit of my branches would be noticeable to others and the gifts of the Spirit would be present all around in my life. 

PHYSICAL:

• Healthy blood pressure & blood sugar levels.
• Hormone levels balanced.
• Active Lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight, and to be strong and flexible.
• Healthy Eating: Portion Control, Food Choices, Water, etc.
• Shiny and strong nails & hair; glowing skin.

EMOTIONAL:

• No erratic feelings of highs and lows.
• Be Joyful
• Healthy relationships with family and friends.

MENTAL:

• Less worrisome and stressed out.
• Self-Controlled.
• Disciplined. 

SOMEDAY GOD'S PERFECT BEAUTY WILL BE MADE COMPLETE IN ME 

 and I will emerge as the beautiful, creature of a woman that God created me to be. 

A Butterfly's Journey

 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”  Romans 12:2

Recently I started praying about my weight and the struggles I have faced over the past 16+ years. 

In my quiet time with God, he led me to an image of a  butterfly. This led me to explore and learn more than I have ever known about the butterfly and its life cycle. And in return, God showed me more than I could have ever known about myself. 

So this is my journey from 

a HUNGRY CATERPILLAR to a BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY

It is my hope and prayer that my Journey would be an encouragement to you. Just like every butterfly is different and beautiful in its own way, so are you and I.