For I know the plans I have for you...

**Disclaimer: I am not a professional writer. I never have been and never will be. I'm simply a God-fearing mama to 4 sweet babies who has been wrestling with God over sharing my heart. Oh and BTW this has NOTHING to do with exercise, not of our body anyway, maybe our soul...

I know that every single person who is reading this has something going on in their lives. We have hurts, fear, or problems. Whether it be financial, relational, health wise, spiritual or whatever. I also know that because we are women that we tend to worry about our situation or even other peoples.

As a Christian woman I do not believe in coincidence, happenstance, accidents or anything of the like. I totally believe that God puts us where we are for a reason. A reason that will allow Him to work in our lives.

Isaiah 14:24

The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.

This is the verse that God has put on my heart. I'm not sure why, I don't know who may need it other than me...I KNOW I need it daily :) This means that whatever is happening in our lives at this very moment is part of His wonderful plan. Although we may not understand why it is happening, we may not understand what His plan is, he promises to be there for us and to take care of us.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I don't understand why things happen. I don't understand why we are in the place that we are. I don't understand why my husband can't seem to land a job that pays enough to support us comfortably, I don't understand why my best friend found a lump in her breast. I don't understand why my friends husband left for 3 years and then suddenly came home. I don't understand why Misty's foot was injured. I don't understand why I can't have a good healthy relationship with my family. I don't understand why I can't keep my eating under control. But I do understand that He has a plan for me, and it's a plan to prosper me and not to harm me. This makes me so excited! It makes me anxious to understand what this plan is. He is the Lord Almighty, the creator, the healer, the comforter, the counselor.

I don't understand these things, and I'm not supposed to understand them God also says:

Isaiah 55:9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Even though we don't understand and aren't supposed to, we can have hope. These things that happen in our lives, the seasons that we're in....it's all part of His plan for our lives.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him....

Did you catch that last part? Those who love HIM. He loves us with everything in Him, he gave his one and ONLY son to die on the cross, a horrible, painful death for MY salvation. He loved me that much. Even while I was still a sinner He loved me.

Romans 5:8

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (red letter, this is Christ talking)

He wants an intimate relationship with me, but it's my choice. I get to choose if I want to serve Him or if I want to serve the world. It's all about choices....we can choose to serve Him or we can choose to serve the world, but we can't do both.

Matthew 6:2 (New Century Version)

"No one can serve two masters. The person will hate one master and love the other, or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches.


Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

My prayer is that you'll choose Him, the Lord Almighty. Cast your burdens on Him, he wants to carry them for you, He loves you, even a sinner like me, he loves us. He promises us rest, rest from worry, fear, complications, sadness, the list goes on and on and on.....

Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (red letter this is Christ talking)

Ok, I really didn't mean to preach to you. I just know that we are all hurting today, and we're all afraid, we're all tired....He is the answer to it all. -Rebecca Goodman

Results are in...Dun, Dun, Dunnn

Great finish to our Biggest Loser competition.  We have a winner with 8.4lb weight loss making her percentage, 5.07% in less then 2 months!!!  Congrats Misty on all your hard work.  You have won a FREE month of FIT Boot Camp.  Keep challenging yourself and others on this lifestyle change.  You are turning heads and making a difference.  Great job!!

5.07% Misty

2.83% Lindsey

2.15% Christa

2.12% Kelly

2.08% Erica

Great finish, girls!!  The end isn't ever yet. “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”  

How many times have you told yourself “I can’t do that?” Most us probably say it more often than we realize. Every time you are faced with a challenge, do you automatically think of all the things holding you back or do you think about the things you have that make it possible? A positive attitude about yourself can catapult you into higher achievement. So, the next time you hear yourself saying, “I can’t,” remember that YOU CAN! -sp

Make today count!!

Healthy Weight Goals

Post by Debbie Vinyard
Check out her inspiring story and fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Check out the Happy First blog. She is truly inspiring!!

Happy Motivational Monday! Lately I have had a goal setting series on my blog on Mondays. This week I am going to talk about health and fitness goals.

Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.

I think we are the happiest when we feel and look our best. I know when I am working out regularly and eating healthy foods I have more energy and feel so much better. When I am at my target weight I feel more confident too! Now I am not saying you have to be skinny to be happy, just at a healthy weight that is just right for you.
In an earlier blog post I mentioned you should have measurable goals. For my weight goal it is a target number and for my exercise goal  it is having a program to follow or a goal (for me it was a half marathon).
I have been wanting to be back to a certain weight for about 3 years so I finally committed to doing that this year with a specific date to be that weight. I think we have to have a healthy lifestyle and eating habits to maintain our goal weight. I can work out a lot, but if I don’t eat right, the weight won’t come off.
The three things I want to talk about with regards to weight loss are some weight loss programs, simple tips from friends, and enlisting help from a buddy.

Weight loss programs

When I want to lose excess weight, what works for me is cutting out the sugar and simple carbs. I like to follow the South Beach Diet. Some of you may think it is hard at first because the first 2 weeks you cut out all pasta, bread, rice, fruit, and alcohol. That may sound extreme to some of you but if you read the book you will see the whole purpose of this is to change your mindset and get your body off of all the excess sugar. I have felt so much better doing this. I eat about 5 times a day, 3 meals, and 2 snacks (love nuts, have them in my car). I lost 5 pounds in my first week. After the first 2 weeks you can add back complex carbs. They have lots of good recipes.  Just cutting out the sugar is amazing.
I have heard really good things about Weight Watchers too. Some people need the accountability with a group and portioned meals. There are many programs out there to help you lose weight. Just make sure it is not a bunch of processed food. Fresh food is the best. Grass feed natural meat is better for you than grain fed. Organic fruits and vegetables are best. Soon it will be spring and there will be farmer’s markets where you can find locally grown food. Again, it is all moderation and what works for you. Just set a goal and get the mindset and do it! I think that is the secret.

Simple Tips for Weight Loss

Here are a few tips from friends and me.  Do what works for you.
My friend Lori, who is super fit, wanted to shed a few extra pounds and she decided to cut out her unhealthy afternoon snacks and eat dinner before 6 pm. She also went with smaller meals. She didn’t deny herself any certain foods, just ate less.
My friend Pam reduced her portions, drank green tea and got eight hours of sleep a night. Studies have shown that when you are sleep deprived you eat more.
I feel better when I don’t eat until I am full. I don’t like that full feeling anymore. I also don’t like to eat late anymore. I like going to bed feeling just a tad hungry. I feel so much better when I wake up. And I am a big believer in breakfast! It is my favorite meal! I have read that if you eat breakfast, you won’t eat so much throughout the day.

Get a weight loss buddy

It really helps to enlist the help of a buddy to be accountable to. My friend Lori and her friend would text each other when they had a craving and then they would talk each other out of it. What I did was get a friend that also has a weight goal and we email each other each day with our daily progress. It really works!
And don’t get discouraged, just keep going. I had lost 8 pounds (my goal is 10) but then recently went on a girl’s trip to Scottsdale, Arizona and then the next week I went to Dallas. Even though I ran while out of town, I had gained some of it back, but now that I am back home with more planned meals I am losing it again.
I hope these suggestions help you get to where you want to be in getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.
Next week I will tell you my fitness goals.
What ideas do YOU all have that works for you as far as health and fitness? I love new ideas!

Thank you, Debbie!!

We Settle

Post by Amanda Torres
I don't see a way out.  We settle.

I'm not sure I can find something better.  We settle.

It's the best I can do.  We settle.

I'm not sure I can pull this off.  We settle.

I really want to do this, but I there's no way to get it done.  We settle.

We settle.  We settle.  We settle.

Maybe I'm only speaking from my own experiences here, but I have a feeling it's human nature to settle.  It's in our nature to cut ourselves short.  It's in our nature to doubt our abilities.  It's in our nature to see what we can't do instead of what we could do.  Is it just my nature here?

Let me rephrase that...

Was it in my nature?  I can recall so many times I settled because my little mind couldn't wrap around a solution to whatever I was facing.  I didn't see a way to quit my job.  I didn't see a way to move into a larger house.  I didn't see a way to reach other people.  I didn't see my place in this world.  All of these things crossed my mind.  Then I started getting serious about losing the focus of me, and putting the focus in my relationship with God. 

Now when I come against something that doesn't allow me to see a humanly way to fix it, I focus on what God can do.  Since He can do anything, it relieves my tension.  Suddenly, I'm not settling anymore.  I'm hoping for something big.  A lot of times the answer is small, but the result is big.  Here's a case in point.

Since quitting my job two years ago, we've lived on a pretty tight budget.  Our entertainment budget went way down.  Steven and I were completely okay with that.  Okay until we wanted our kids to become involved in physical activities. I didn't see a way this was possible.  I could only see the amount it was going to cost to put two kids in a sport, and the money wasn't there to do it.  I was about to settle, and accept that we wouldn't be able to do sports this season. 

Thank goodness I didn't!  Instead of settling, I prayed.  I just asked God for a way the kids would be able to participate without breaking the bank.  The answer came within a month. 

A former cheerleader I coached emailed and asked if I would be willing to teach a few gymnastics classes during the week.  I was interested.  I love working with kids and I love gymnastics.  I called the director.  After getting the details I asked if it were possible for me to work in place of my kids tuition.  Her answer..."The kids make one class each for free if you are a teacher." 

 

It's been almost a year now that I've worked at Almighty Gymnastics.  The kids love it.  They're learning the basics of every sport...balance, coordination, strength, flexibility...and I get to keep my paycheck.  Better than that, I've had an opportunity to sow seeds in other boys and girls that are in my classes.  A double blessing.

So before you're about to settle.  Stop.  Ask for help.  You'll get an answer.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I can attest that this verse is true.  If you've got a burning desire in your heart that's pure.  It's there for a reason.  Don't settle!  There's something big awaiting you.  Now, go enjoy your day.  Expect great things.  Over and out.

 

Click here to find out Amanda's 'Favorite Prank...Ever'  Be sure to follow her.  I promise, you won't be disaapointed.  You can thank me later.

What motivates me?

Hi everybody!

Erica asked me to write a short piece for the blog this week.  I’m no expert, but I’m happy to give you my two cents.

When I heard about the first boot camp starting, my first thought was “Yeah, right! NOT for me!” As a lifelong non-morning person, the thought of a 5:30 am workout just made me laugh. But at the time it was starting up, I was preparing for a lot of changes in my life. Those changes were mostly because my husband was preparing to leave for a one-year job overseas.  After some encouragement from him and from Tuesdye and Tanae, I thought I might as well give it a chance. I figured it was just temporary insanity!

So the first week of boot camp arrived and I had a really bad head cold. And it was cold outside. And the MOON was still out, for crying out loud! But somehow I made it through. The first three weeks, I was counting down how many days were left in the session so I could quit at the end. But something happened in that last week. All of a sudden, I was getting those “happy endorphins” that you get when you’ve had a really good workout.  And then I thought, “There’s no way I’m sitting out the next session!  I want to feel like this every day!”

Now here we are about five months later. After my assessment last Friday, Erica asked what motivated me to keep going. It’s really a lot of different things. I like feeling like I did something good for myself. I don’t have much time to do that these days. I like that when I’ve worked hard, I feel great all day. I like seeing all of you. (I promise! I know I don’t say very much.) I like feeling like you are all looking for me and if I don’t show up, I’m going to hear about it (thanks, Tuesdye!).  I like feeling that I am really making progress toward being healthy and staying that way.  I think there’s something about accomplishing something I never thought I’d do, it’s really motivating me to keep going to see what else I can do!

I still struggle with the morning thing. Some days, my mindset isn’t all that great and I just have to get myself there and get through it.  But I think Erica and all of you are really inspiring. This has been a rough five months for a lot of reasons, but I can’t thank you all enough for being there for me.

-Shelley Hall

Boundaries...

I recently was told something about myself that was news to me.  Ready!!! Wait. For. It.  I use alot of exclamation points when I write!!!!  I had no idea.  That must be my happy button.  It's my inner cheerleader coming out. ;) News flash... I never cheered. :) 

 

Ok, now that I've lost you. Come back. WOW!!  What an amazing workout this morning.  Cardio Tabata was a great way to kick off my morning.  If your anything like me today, my list is already getting longer by the minute.  I'm beginning to wonder, where do I start and how does it all get done.  Ok, now breathe with me. In....and out!  I remind myself when my list starts to look nutty- I have a choice.  How will I choose to look at my situation? Positive, negative.  Good or bad.  It may seem silly but it can slowly send you in a daily down-ward spiral. 

 

As I was garage selling this weekend, I was talking to a friend about my ups and downs.  The emotional roller coaster I seemed to be on wasn't getting me anywhere.  I was tired of being dragged down by myself and others.  She explained to me BOUNDARIES.  Whats that mean??  Setting boundaries for yourself and others that share your life with you.  Without healthy boundaries you can quickly choose to hop on the roller coaster and ride the exhausting, no good ride.  Or get off and set boundaries that help you look towards your goals.

 

Debbie is a friend of mine, who recently shared her cancer survivor story on paper.  After fighting this disease she now lives 'Happy First' everyday.  Today, she looks at every first in her life and celebrates each one.  Her choice in positive thinking has helped save her life and changed her forever.  Check out her blog and follow along with her on every Happy First.

 

Make today count.  Don't think it, Do it!!

Contagious...

When you hear that word what do you think of?  Sickness? Disease?  Well ladies YOU are contagious!  I don't mean your sick or you have a disease I mean your attitude is contagious.  Have you noticed that when you respond to someone in a hateful tone you usually get a hateful tone back?  Of if you smile at someone they smile back?

There are different ways you can be contagious.  It could be in your tone, response or just in your face gesture's.  But also you can be contagious in your journey of weigh loss, or health, or whatever your case my be.  When you get excited about something it gets other people excited.  I get excited about boot camp...I know that sounds korny but it's true!  I get excited knowing that I am working my butt off to get in shape and to lose weight. Is it easy NO, but that makes it even better!  When you work so hard for something it makes those result so much more satisfying.

As some of you know, my first day at Boot Camp was not a success. I distinctly remember Erica saying "Ok, lets get ready for our timed one mile".  If looks could have killed she would have been dead!  I said under my breath "I hate running, I DON'T run!"  Little did I know 2 months later I would start training for a half marathon!  It just takes that first step and that willingness to believe in yourself.  Once you start believing in yourself other's will follow. 

Since I started running, I have become CONTAGIOUS.  Without my knowlegde, my actions are being heard.  People that I never imagined have been asking ME for advice ...what I am doing, how am I working out, running questions.  The reason is because they see me excited about what I am doing and they want that excitement.  I am becoming the FIT chick I've always wanted to be.

I am not saying these things to pat myself on the back by all means, it's just exciting to know I have helped someone feel better about themselves and get motivated to get their butt off the couch. :-)  See ladies we are ALL contagious!  How are you going to handle that responsibility?

Love you guys...
Misty Wooldridge

S.I.M.P.L.E.

With the hype of New Year resolutions behind us, its time to revaluate.  Where are you?  Where do you want to be?  What will it take to get there?  A lot can happen in 3 months… new job situations, school semester blues, tough relationships, and new babies growing. (Congrats Sherlyn!!) 

This past week we all had time to take a break.  A break from our regular workout routines and early morning starts.  I consistently remind myself as I get up at 4:30 to prepare for class, ‘ If it’s hard…IT’S WORTH IT!! ‘  If it wasn’t hard, everyone would be doing it!!

OKC half marathon is upon us.  We are 5 weeks out and I couldn’t be more proud.  So many of us have been training our minds and bodies to work together.  I always say… If we can get our minds to cross the finish line, our bodies will follow.

Why do I ask for positive affirmations every morning?  Simple- because the power of encouraging stories and words leads to others confirmation in their abilities.  At times, we all can feel inadequate.   But when I choose to leave the negative behind, and choose a positive- right attitude, I can DO ANYTHING!!   

Start today.  Think about your January goals and choose one.  Write it on your mirror and take one step a day to accomplish it.  Before you know it, you will be at the finish line.  I want to help you celebrate your victory.  Post your one goal…scary, I know.  Ok, GO!!

S- Stop making excuses.

 I- ‘I GOT THIS’ attitude

M- Make today count!

P- Practice your positive thinking

L-Live like there’s no tomorrow…Dance when no one’s around…

E- Encourage one other.  We are our biggest cheerleaders!!

It's Worth It

Blog Post from my friend, Lisa Ensor.

My mom and I love talking about health, nutrition etc. One Fall day we were walking with B in the stroller talking about how it feels like we are in the same "rat race" of diets and "trying" all the time. I said out loud- "Why is it everything in life WORTH having takes HARD WORK and EFFORT? Like marriage, friendship and my health. I keep waiting for it to be easy, for someone to hand my a step by step plan that take no effort. I want all the results, but not the discipline. I want something different without doing anything different."

But really all the effort is worth it. Every time I make a decision to be discipline, I gain a little more self confidence! I'm proud of myself all day and then it gets easier the next time. That's not to say I don't ever have a bad eating day or have dessert every once in a while.

I have to continually remind myself what it takes: like watching the biggest loser or counting calories on the app on my phone. It keeps my mind renewed to what I really want in life.

Good Morning FIT Boot Campers,

Here's the hard truth.  Are you ready?  My eating sucks!!  Yes, me.  Your invincible trainer who struggles with the same foods and challenges you do.  Although I have great genetics, I have to work at it.  I struggle trying to keep myself accountable.  After having a kiddo, weight just doesn't sit the same.  It falls in places I've never felt it. I have been struggling with these last 5-8 pounds and I feel like I've hit a wall.  Here that, it almost hurts to say it out loud. Although mommy-hood is so worth it, but the clean-up is hard.

So who's ready? Who wants change?  Who needs some accountability to keep focused and pressing forward.

The Challenge.
For everyone who wants to participate in this weight lose challenge, everyone puts in $10 (including myself) and we weigh in every Monday for the next three months. The person with the highest percentage of weight loss will win a month of FIT BootCamp in May and other great prizes.

The Rules.
Starting today, I want everyone to weigh themselves and email it to me.  If you don't have a scale at home we can weigh you early Wednesday morning. Also, sometime throughout this week, take a picture.  This will be the hard truth for most of us.  I have started a blog (still in the works) http://fitbootcamptulsa.blogspot.com/ for us to post and follow one another victories and challenges along this journey.  Each Monday, starting next week, those wanting to participate will comment on my Blog with their weight.  We will be weighing ourselves from our home scales and then sharing on the blog. 

Every Monday for TWO months all participants MUST post their weight on our LiveF.I.T. blog. If you do not post your weight within 24 hours you will be eliminated from the challenge.

Final weigh in on Friday, April 29th with a juicing celebration after a recovery workout.  Since we are using our individual scales, you must weigh yourself before coming to bootcamp.  A final weight post will help us determine the WINNER.

Start today.  

“It’s hard to beat a person that never gives up.” Try to look at life with a perspective of learning as much as you can from every situation and you might find that giving up shouldn’t ever be a choice. Keep trying and using those lessons of failure to build a solid foundation and victory will be your sweet reward! sparkpeople.com

So who is in?
Make today count!