Just Call Me Master

Last time I was on here, I talked about bringing God into your health journey, and I was so true on that. Weeks later that post is still rocking me and I've been looking for practical ways of doing that and one thing I've been doing is using this Bible Study/Course I found on Setting Captives Free called The Lords Table.

I cannot tell you what this course has done for me! I'm on day 8 and these first few days are a bit tough, breaking old routines but it has been incredible just finding out new things about God and growing closer to Him.

Basically what happens is, there's some notes, scriptures and testimonies to read and it's interactive so you also have to answer some questions, and there's also a food plan, not meals or recipes, you still control that, but the point is to show you that your body wasn't designed and doesn't need to be fueled by constant snacking, God created us with an internal pager to tell us when we're hungry, when we're full etc. It teaches you the spiritual significance of hunger and that we don't have to constantly jump from diet to diet, food is not the enemy, our attitude is.

Why do we know in our hearts that, if I ate half this packet of fries, I'd be full, yet we still eat the whole packet, plus a sausage, plus a half liter soda? Is it because we really are hungry or are we trying to use food to cover up our stress, emotional issues, boredom, loneliness etc? Are we looking to food to be our comfort and satisfaction instead of God, are we putting food before God?

Anyway, there's a lot more I can add, but check it out for yourself and see if it's for you.

They also encourage you to add exercise at least 30 minutes a day into your schedule and you may also be assigned an accountability partner/mentor who you can talk to, ask questions, vent to etc. I hit the jackpot of mentors and mine usually throws in some prayers and encouragement on email. God is good!

Anyway the hugest lesson I've learned is this:

This was my after dinner dessert a while ago, pink lady apples and peanut butter. I'll post the recipe soon.


All The Love and Encouragement in the World,
Jo

Bring God into your Health Journey

I love blogging, more than that, I love reading blogs, blogs about people trying to work out God into every area of their life and I Love Life Massive is one of those blogs. Found this post that I LOVED and thought I'd give you a glimpse into the type of writing Michelle does and why I love this blog.


"This past month I've started to crave that lifestyle again. Noooo not joining the cheer squad again... getting healthy. 
Working a desk job all day means little movement and to be honest, I've felt week and tired. Enough was enough and I decided to make a change. I didn't want to trumpet it to the world like I usually do when I start something new... (call me an external processor)... because this time...it was for me. 
I never realized this until recently, but any time in the past that I've started to get healthy, more active, or eat better, it was always because I felt obligated to do so... like I owed it to the world or something. I felt like I had to because it was the right thing to do...  not because I had any internal motivation. 
God has been doing SO much in SO MANY areas of my life, and I've just recently come to realize that a genuine desire to be healthy and strong is a natural overflow of what He has been doing in me. 
I've been waking up eeeeearly to work out in the mornings. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't believe in getting up before the sun. I feel like I am a sun... and I like to rise with it, and sleep with it ;) My point is... GRACE has been covering me! Sure, it's not always easy to roll (and I literally mean roll) out of bed in the morning, but once I get up and going, It's GLORIOUS!! I feel GREAT after a work out! I feel stronger and I feel like I made the time count! I've also been doing Body by Vi. If you haven't heard about it, you can learn more here. I absolutely LOVE drinking the shakes every day. They are SO yummy! Everyone calls it the shake mix that tastes like cake mix :) I actually have to remind myself that I can't just have it for all 3 meals a day... otherwise I WOULD! Ha!! I love it :)

My success tools have been...
1. Working out with a friend... we help keep each other motivated and encouraged... plus its FUN!
2. Body by Vi (it's making my meals EASY!!)
3. Water
4. Hope & Vision for a healthy me! (You have to believe it's possible)
5. Self worth (because I AM worth it!)

If you feel unmotivated or disconnected from health in your life, ask God to give you vision for it. When I let Him in the picture, everything changed for me. I just wanted to share a bit of my story in case someone, somewhere, needed a testimony to remind them that it's possible. I have enough hope for all of us :)

Happy Health!!"


The parts in bold are the parts that really got me. Make sure you head to her blog and read her thoughts on God too.

xx
Jo

Fitness Motivation

By the time you read this, I will have hopefully woken up early to go on a run, or and more likely, overslept and have to go on the treadmill. Either way, I will have gotten back to working out. The "but I was sick" excuse doesn't really cut it anymore. Its been 3 weeks since my food poisoning thing and I haven't worked out once! AND I've been eating like crap. Anyway, time to get my butt back in gear.

Kathrine Kunde is a Fitness Instructor out in Redding, California and I LOVE her, her spirit, her sweetness and her healthy lifestyle. Going through her blog, I found this awesome motivational post from way back in 2010. Click here to read it all, and check her out here.

1. Dream a little...or a lot!
    It`s OK to want to be thinner, healthier, have a bouncier butt, run a marathon, or loose 10 pounds.
    Be honest with yourself and DIG UP those dreams that so easily can get lost in all the business         around us. What do you need from yourself in order to be happy? Write it down, talk to a friend about it.

 2. Throw out the trash!
    Is there a pile of trash hindering you from reaching the door? It can be a negative experience, hurting friendships, a stressful job or a messy economy that is holding you back from reaching your goals. When you are ready to be real about achieving your goals, you do whatever takes to clean out your walk path so you can get anywhere. And that takes us to our next step...

3. Be proactive!
    Don`t listen to anyone saying that "if it isn't more then 40 minutes on the treadmill a day then its not worth it. A 20 minute walk is better then nothing! 10 minutes of weightlifting in your living room is better then not doing it. Just do something. Get a new pair of running shoes, put on your favorite Natasha Bedingfield song and dance your heart out, watch The Biggest looser and get motivated. The hope here is that you start walking, moving in the direction of your dream by doing something. For the longest time I would go to Barnes and Nobles and just read trough all the fitness magazines I could find. I loved getting new work out ideas, seeing other peoples achievements etc. I longed for my own achievements one day but at least I was surrounding me with what I am passionate about.

4. Who`s your daddy!?
    Are you surrounding yourself with people you wanna become like? It is absolutely vital for your future in health and fitness that you surround yourself with people that has gone the path your on. It might just be getting around a friend who goes to the gym weekly. Or, if you dream about becoming a swim teacher for kids, go find a place in your town that offers that and get to know the people in charge. It is the only way your gonna get better, is if you are around people that are better then you. Allot of people needs to stop thinking they can rely on themselves to achieve something they time after time have proven to fail. It`s OK to seek help from other people. =)

5. Plan it!
     I know your busy and don't have time for anything else to be added to your schedule. But one way to get lots of stuff done, is to schedule your work outs, meals and maybe even laundry..
Smart successful people have an ability to look ahead and be realistic: If I go to bed at 10PM, I can wake up rested till about 6.30AM, go straight to the gym and have a great work out. Then head to the grocery store and stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Make a nutritious smoothie that I'm drinking while I get started on laundry. Then I jump in the shower and get ready for the day and its only 9AM. Boom. Had I decided to go to bed at midnight, I would have needed to sleep till 9AM....
Just sayin =)

6. Play and have fun!
    Not only for motivational purposes, but for so many more reason should you mix up your active playtime everyday. Go running outside in the park one day, take a zumba class the next, sign up for personal training twice a week, go for a swim at the lake or bike there... There is so many options for staying active and getting fit. It`s not OK to be bored in working out!

source: Kathrine Kunde

xo

Jo