Day 26

26 Days of P90X completed! I never thought that I would do a work out this intense, always thought I was too weak, or "not the work out type."

Truth be told: I LOVE IT. I am shouting from the roof tops. Definitely my favorite work out thus far.

It doesn't mean that I enjoy 90 minutes of sweat yoga. Or Dreya rolls. Or SuperMan Banana. BUT...I love that I am FINALLY taking over my body, taking good care of it, pushing it to the extreme. I love that I can feel myself getting stronger, that my clothes are fitting better and I feel better about myself. I love the common ground that it gives Jon and I and sometimes, yes sometimes, we work out together. Never thought I would see the day.

I laugh. If you only knew my crazy insecurities. I remember when we were dating in high school. I had a pass to a local gym. One time Jon called my house (oh the days of no cell phones. G A S P.  A teenage boy calling his teenage girlfriend's house?!?! What? No texting? No cell phones?) My mom told Jon that I was at the gym. I was so mad. I didn't want him knowing I was working out. I thought he would laugh at me. And now...I actually look forward to working out WITH him.

A few surprising things: I never thought I could work out so much, eat so well, clothes fit so differently (in a good way) and not lose much weight. Seriously frustrating. All this work on not a lot of weight lost. It is crazy. Depending on the day, I have lost anywhere from 3-7lbs. I really was expecting more. Another surprising thing....I actually love the work outs. Don't get me wrong, it is hard to motivate myself, and get out of bed early, but once I do....I LOVE IT. Fun stuff.

What are you doing to get in shape this winter?

It's That Time and Everyone Else is Doing It!!!!

Have you all made your 2011 resolutions? I LOVE making resolutions. I love setting goals. I love revisiting the past year and evaluating.

This year I have a new resolution: To not make a resolution. One thing I have learned about myself is that I am "All or Nothing." Sometimes I am more "Nothing" than "All" which forces me to experience failure. 

Ok, so it is not that I don't have a resolution per say----

I will be setting goals at the beginning of each month, attainable, measurable goals. So....what do you think?

Yeah, it was THAT bad.......

On Friday, August 7, 2010 I finished my first ever 5k....just barely. It was one of the most miserable physical experiences I have ever had in my life.....and I am by nature, an exaggerator.

And yes it was THAT bad.

So bad that I started crying at mile 1

So bad that all runners had passed me

So bad that most walkers had passed me

So bad that all of the children could have lapped me twice

So bad that people with strollers lapped me

So bad that old women and men were running laps around me

So bad that if I would have been in my own town, I would have walked straight home

So bad that I thought it was my most embarrassing moment thus far

So bad that I thought my husband and friends would be ashamed of me

So bad that I vowed never to run again....ever

So bad that I was planning my dinner/dessert binge when I got home

So bad that I could not take off my sunglasses because I was crying

So bad that I spent most of the time walking and not even running

So bad that I was in a pretty bad spot of self loathing

So bad, that I almost finished last


The whole experience was awful. I want to keep running on my own, because I still have a lot of weight to lose, but I don't know if I will do another race again.....at least, a race where I try to run. I can walk a race, but trying to run is a whole other game.

Some days we are friends, and I celebrate those days.

Like today.

Today we were friends.

Good friends in fact.

I even shouted for joy.

It did take me by surprise because we are not always good friends. Actually for four years, we have been enemies, but this summer, we have close. Very close. And very encouraging actually.

Today, my good friend told me that I have lost 14lbs thus far in my weight loss journey.

My good friend did not say "Good for the 14, but you know you have about 40lbs to go, right?" nope, my good friend, simply said "14lbs down. You can do this. Keep it up girl. Rock it out."

Yes, I am talking about the scale in the bathroom.

{Loss of the Battle}

What battle?

The battle of the holiday weekend

I didn't even fight it. I just gave in.

And ate.

And didn't exercise.

And ate some more.

And didn't exercise.

And got out of great routine.

But you know what? I am not done. I may have lost the battle, but the war to beat the game of weight loss is still very much before my eyes.

I have less than 3 months to fit into this super cute bridesmaid dress.

So please.....help me to press on friends! Wanna work out with me and push me to keep going? I would love the help!

So glad I pushed through

I am working towards shedding pounds, getting in shape and being healthier

I have been eating fairly healthy,

Have resisted some huge temptations,

Found healthy substitutes,

And many cravings have been eliminated.

I have been exercising 5-6 days a week,

Working on running, on W2D3 of The Couch to 5K,

Working on my arms and abs,

Moving around more,

Cutting out pop,

Pushing through the pain,

lots of pain this week with running,

pain in my feet and legs,

and pain from running in the sun.

For what? LOSING 6LBS!! I am so excited. There is still a long way to go, but I am getting started, seeing results, and I am going to push through!

Wait, it's March?

Well, shoot. Where did all of my resolutions go? What happened to "THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT?" How is it that it already March, and I have seen no significant change?

Oh wait.

Because its only March.

And I said this year is going to be different.

In order to change my life in any significance, it is going to take time.

So here I am, Monday March 8, plugging away. Falling short. Starting over. Falling again. Starting again.

And making changes.

Checking In- Week #2

A weekly check-in to see how I am accomplishing my 2010 goals...thanks for keeping me accountable.

Goals for 2010
PHYSICAL- Lose 57lbs, run a 5k
I have lost 5.8lbs thus far...51.2lbs to go:)

SCRIPTURE READING- Read through the Bible in a year, memorize the Psalms of Ascent (Psalm 120-134)
I am two days behind in scripture reading, but will be catching up today. I have memorized Psalm 120 and working on Psalm 121.

READING- Read 12 books of spiritual development, ministry helps, etc.
2 Books down, 10 to go:) I finished Encountering God in the City, and Transforming Prayer. This week, starting, "The Good and Beautiful God"

SPIRITUAL- 1 retreat day a month, devotions 5 days a week, 20 minutes of prayer a day
yes yes yes

FAMILY- Be the best wife that I can be
This week was good..striving to be better

FINANCIAL- follow set budget, pay off school loans, save for adoption
It is easy to follow a budget when you don't leave the house and don't spend money. Definitely was my last week. I did not venture out much...therefore budget=kept.

MINISTRY- Volunteer in Albion, start neighborhood groups, learn about modern day slavery
-Women's Small Group at my house starts next week!! So excited.
-Goal this week: learn how to volunteer in Albion and DO IT!

Weekly Check in #1

As an effort to encourage you to make 2010 a year of change, and as a means of accountability for myself, I will be doing a weekly check in on Mondays (hopefully) letting you know how I am doing at keeping my 2010 goals. Now, I know that my decisions in keeping these goals may not be life changing for you, but hopefully we can be an encouragement to each other as we press on to pursue the kingdom.

Goals for 2010
PHYSICAL- Lose 57lbs, run a 5k
So far this has been a great goal, and seeing results already. I have a dear friend who has graciously taken the challenge of training me. Following her work out plan, doing some of my own workouts (with exercise videos, walking, etc) and the South Beach Diet, I am 4.4lbs lighter this week!

SCRIPTURE READING- Read through the Bible in a year, memorize the Psalms of Ascent (Psalm 120-135)
I AM LOVING my time in scripture. I am really devouring it, and my love for scripture is growing. I have read all 4 days of January and have memorized one verse a day for my memorization work. I am always amazed at what happens when I commit to memorizing God's word. I find myself thinking about His ways, desiring Him more...

READING- Read 12 books of spiritual development, ministry helps, etc.
It does not hurt that I started the year with 2 partially read books. I am hoping to have them done in the next week. Reading: Encountering God in the City, and Together in Prayer. Both books have been a great source of training for me, and I am excited to implement several of the ideas! Stay tuned to see how they are implemented!

SPIRITUAL- 1 retreat day a month, devotions 5 days a week, 20 minutes of prayer a day
When I make a commitment to spend daily time with the Lord in scripture and prayer, I am amazed at how I keep craving more and more of Him. It seems like the "structured time" I have is a time that just wets my appetite and I want more!!! I have been reminded this week that I do have a gift of intercession, and how little I use it to further the kingdom. How can I pray for you this week?

FAMILY- Be the best wife that I can be
Will this always be a struggle for me? I know it is a vague goal and not easy to measure....but at least it is always at the forefront of my mind.

FINANCIAL- follow set budget, pay off school loans, save for adoption
On New Years Day, Jon and I sat down and made our January 2010 budget. We are following the Dave Ramsey, envelope plan (using cash for everything). I LOVE making a budget. I like to tell my money where to go, and having control over our finances. We want to be great stewards, after all, we are just managing the money that God has given us....He is the owner.

MINISTRY- Volunteer in Albion, start neighborhood groups, learn about modern day slavery
January 19th, there will be a women's small group meeting in my home with the hope to see women transformed by the word as well as being a part of transforming others. We will be studying Hosea, praying together and serving together. Do you want to be a part of it?

Pursuing the Kingdom in 2010

Hey Friends! It is the time of the year where we are all making resolutions and vowing that this is the year where things will be different...the year where change will happen.

I am all for making New Year's Resolutions, actually I thrive on making lists of goals and making plans on how to accomplish them. I get excited for those things.....I am that much of a nerd. I think it is a great practice to reflect on the year past, and plan for the next year.

I have several resolutions, and am excited to keep them all (right?) You will probably fall victim to reading several of those posts later on for the month....but for now.....

How will you be pursuing the kingdom of God in 2010? What will you be doing that will be intentional in making His kingdom known in your areas of influence?

• How will you step out of your comfort zone to make the love of Jesus known this year?
  
• How will grow in your love and knowledge of God this year?
  
• How will you spend your money/time in order to pursue the kingdom and to bring it forth?
• Who will you invest in this year, to share the love of Jesus and to further them along in their faith?
  
• When will you get started?
  
• Who will keep you accountable?