Time To Get Selfish

Is there anyone out there like me who seems to get some control of order and then before you know it all chaos breaks out? Over the past few days it seems as if I am barely getting from one day to the next. So this morning I woke up trying to inventory my priorities. And easily I can see where I have gone wrong.

One thing that I have realized is that I have taken focus of God and myself and have been worrying about all these other things. Excuses started to creep there way back into my mindset and self-pitty along with it. Because I have lost my focus everything around me has suffered because of it. So it is time for me to get selfish. I know that seems wrong, but I believe there is such a thing as being selfish in a Godly manner. Here is my reasoning:

As a woman, especially one that is also a wife and a mother, we have many hats that we wear on a daily basis. We are maids, cooks, nurses, teachers, financial advisors, personal assistants, and the list goes on and on. With all these responsibilities it easy to forget to take care of ourselves. But there is danger in that. How are we suppose to accomplish all these tasks when we get emotionally, physically, mentally, and, most importantly, spiritually out of balance? The answer is we can't and that is when we start to see the CHAOS building around us and filling our homes.

We need to shift our mindsets from not wanting to be selfish to wanting to be healthy and energized to take on our day. So how do we do this? I am by no means an expert on this subject but I believe we can accomplish this as follows:

• DAILY COMMUNION WITH GOD (SPIRITUAL): We do this by reading His word, praying, and spending time in worship with the Father. 

• ARMOR OF GOD (SPIRITUAL): Ladies, our homes are our battlefields! Our bodies and minds are our battlefields! We can't go into battle if we are not dressed for it. It leaves us vulnerable to attacks. That is not to say that we won't be attacked, but that we are ready for attacks.

• DIET & EXERCISE (PHYSICAL): We need to be healthy! Again how are we suppose to accomplish our daily tasks and run around after our husbands and kids if we are sick and tired all the time? It is not a quick fix but a life long journey. Find out what works best for you and give it your all trusting in the Lord to guide you.

• ALONE TIME (EMOTIONAL & MENTAL): We need some time alone to do what we love even if we are not alone and choose to hang out with the girls! There are times when we just need a moment to ourselves without hearing little voices screaming for juice and snacks. 

I know that is not an extensive list, but it is where I am going to start. Which leads into how we fit this into our daily lives. I have been learning that 16 hours a day is plenty of time if we are smart managers of our time. 

Here is a simple way of doing this: On a piece of paper write out your day in 1 hour blocks from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Take an inventory of a full day of activities and pencil them into the blocks. At the end of the day tally up how you are spending your time. Do you have several hours of TV time? How about Computer? What about games and time on your smartphone? Are you spending way more time than necessary cleaning, especially on messes that little ones and husbands could be helping with? Now I understand that there are many women who work full-time either inside or outside of the home, but that is when tasks need to be truly shared by the entire household. Call a family meeting and start taking back your time. The enemy wants us to believe we have no time, and we need to stop giving ourselves over to this belief. 

I pray that this week we would all take the time to get a little more selfish and be better stewards of our time. 

God Bless us all on our journeys to better health!

Another one bites the dust

Another pound that is.

Let me begin by saying that when you give it your very best during your workout and you follow your eating plan precisely, it is a little discouraging when you step on the scale and see a negative of 1 pound or less.

With all the fad diets, supplements, and television shows that promise or show huge weight loss numbers on a weekly basis, we tend to go through a roller coaster of emotions when we don't see those big numbers on our scales, especially if you know that you know that you gave it your very best 100% each day.

I refused to allow myself to get down about my 1 pound loss. That's because, on Sunday, I went to Old Navy with my mom and on a whim tried on a pair of size 20 jeans. 7 YEARS, it has been 7 years since I have been able to get my booty into a pair of Old Navy jeans!

Ladies (and gentlemen), we can NOT rely on just the scale. I am learning that our bodies go through so many changes on a daily basis and to use only a scale we can fall into the pit of "weight loss despair" if it is where we focus.

I decided to research how to effectively monitor weight loss and I will definitely be adding the following to my monitoring routine:

1) The Scale: I weigh-in every Monday morning after waking up.

2) Tape Measure: Use a tape measure to show loss of inches. I measure every 30 days, but I am sure it could be done on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

3) Pair of Jeans/Shirts: Clothes don't lie (well when they are on the hanger at the store I believe they do). Based on if they are too snug or too loose I will know where I am at and what I need to do!

4) Physical Fitness Level:P Take the time during a workout to make a mental note about where you are physically at when it comes to exercise and then start a journal to keep track.

5) Body Fat Monitor: I know that those little machines where you place your hands to check body fat are not 100% accurate, but if you are losing body fat it should show it and that is all that really matters to me.

6) Emotions & Energy: How am I feeling? Am I tired? etc etc etc. I am just going to use :)    :(   :/ in my journal for emotions and use a scale of 1-5 for energy tracking.

7) Progress Pictures: Shriek! Take pictures weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and line them up from beginning to end. Wear the same form fitting outfit each time.

I am sure there are many other's but this is a good start for me. Not relying solely on the scale should help for those days like today when the scale does not effectively show my hard work.

** Just read that if you have been losing fat, but gaining muscle you could have a 2 pound gain. That is reassuring to know. **

Any-hoo, don't allow the fail scale (lol) to dictate how you feel. Find another method and ask God to help you not focus on the numbers.

God Bless us all on our journey to having healthy bodies and minds.

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. 

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? 

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. 

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!