by | Health & Wellness
I don’t know where you are right now, but I’m in Missouri and it’s freezing. We got hit with an unexpected snow the other day that left a 15-car pile up on the road I use to get home. Thankfully, I was three hours away, driving in the sunshine.
Not only can winter cause traffic jams, it can wreck our exercise routine.
But it doesn’t have to. We can think of a million reasons to use the winter as a reason not to stay fit. But honestly, when it comes down to it, they’re just excuses.
Here are four suggestion to keep you fit during the winter:
Use a workout video.
No, you don’t have to sweat to the oldies with Richard Simmons, but hey, it’s actually kinda fun. There are so many good workout DVD’s out there. I’m stocked up on The Biggest Loser Bootcamp, You Won’t Be Able to Walk for a Week After You Do This Workout with Jillian Michaels (Okay, it’s actually called Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, but it’s all the same), and a few others.
Most videos run from 30-45 minutes, giving you plenty of time to workout in your living room.
Invest in a treadmill or elliptical.
I know not everyone has the money to go out and buy exercise equipment. If you do, then make the investment. If you don’t, search for a deal on Craigslist, or share the news with your friends on Facebook. That’s exactly what I did. I was looking for a used treamdill and a week later someone graciously gave me one.
Right now it’s covered with a suticase and a pile of clothes, but it gets used on the days I can’t get my car out of the driveway. I’m curious if my new dog will take to it as well.
Deep clean your house.
You’d be surprised how many calories you can burn while sweeping and mopping in those nooks you haven’t seen in three years. Go through those old boxes in the garage you’ve had on your t0-do list for a while. Do your dishes by hand.
And you must dance. Don’t just sweep the kitchen floor. Sing into the broom handle like you’re Tina Turner. You think those legs just came naturally to her? No. I imagine she’s used a dust pan a few times in her life. Maybe not. I dunno.
Embrace your inner rebel and go outside.
By this time the snow plows have cleared the roads enough for you to know you’re not falling into your neighbors ditch.
You can do it! Bundle up nicely, layers preferabbly. Grab the running shoes and the lip balm, put “Eye of the Tiger” on your iPod and run like the wind.
I’m sure you can think of several other ways to keep yourself going in the midst of winter blues. Just remember to keep your heart rate up, try to workout for a minimum of 30 minutes, and be creative and have fun!
I’m giving away one copy of Faithfully Fit: A 40-Day Devotional Plan to End the Yo-Yo Lifestyle of Chronic Dieting to one lucky winner.
For your chance to win, you must:
- Leave a comment below. Tell me what creative things you do in the winter to keep exercise in your routine.
- Tweet a link to this post. You can do so automatically by clicking here. If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can use Facebook.
by | Health & Wellness
I’m taking a sabbatical from blogging for the next few weeks. While I’m gone, I’ve asked some of my favorite bloggers to stand in for me. This is a guest post by
Renee Fisher. She’s a spirited speaker and author to the 30-somethings, with four book under her belt, including
Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me. Follow Renee on Twitter (
@reneejfisher).
Hands and feet are the two body parts I used to hate and wish I never had.The two body parts that–along with my head–cost me almost ten years of my life.
I’ve shared my story before and I’ll share it again. It was because of severe eczema that took the skin off my feet, face, and hands. I also gained one hundred pounds in ten months from taking Prednisone to control my skin.
So when I say I love my body–it’s nothing short of a miracle!
There were many times I felt like giving up or wishing I had someone else’s body or body parts. I always felt like my body disqualified me from living and that no one would ever love me.
My body made me feel ugly.
That’s why I wanted to write this series. I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with believing the truth about their body. And that beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes.
The chunk of Scripture that I feel represents this series the best, and how Jesus views our body is 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. It says,
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And…If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:14-15, 26, NIV84).
When my hands suffered–the rest of me suffered.
The same with my head and feet.
Instead of writing a sob story or love letter to my body, I wanted to say how grateful I am. I not only had the pleasure of participating in the sufferings of Jesus (1 Peter 4:13), but by the wounds on His hands and feet that were nailed to the cross–I am healed (Isaiah 53:5).
Free.
Beautiful.
Forgiven.
Because of the things I have suffered in my body–I no longer view beauty the way the world sees it. The media might overemphasizes your size. Skinny over fat. Beauty over health.
But I say healthy is the new skinny.
Before I judge–I need to be careful. I haven’t walked a mile in your shoes. I don’t know where you’ve been or how long and hard you fought to get where you are today.
The same is with me.
Before you judge me by my hands and feet or by the size of my curves–you need to know where I’ve been. (I’m talking to myself too).
On the cross.
With Jesus.
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.After two days he will revive us;on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3, NIV84)
Maybe God didn’t heal my hands and feet in three days, but He raised my prayer life from the grave. Maybe God didn’t restore me when I wanted Him too, but He came to me over and over in the Scriptures.
Praise be to the Lord my Rock,who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. (Psalm 144:1, NIV84).
I love my body not because I am perfect, but because of my battle scars. And that my friends is a beautiful thing.
by | Health & Wellness
I’m taking a sabbatical from blogging for the next few weeks. While I’m gone, I’ve asked some of my favorite bloggers to stand in for me. This is a guest post by Kristen Feola. She is the author of
The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast. Kristen is leading an online Daniel Fast January 5-25, 2014, where participants can sign up to receive daily emails, recipe ideas, and fasting tips. Follow her on Twitter (
@kristenfeola).
If you’re like most people, one of your goals for 2014 is to get in better physical shape. While that’s certainly a worthy ambition, it’s also important (and even more so) to improve your spiritual fitness this year. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT).
One way to train your spiritual muscles is to fast. Fasting involves denying yourself food, or certain foods, for a specified period of time as an act of surrender and worship to God. There are basically three different types of fasts:
• absolute – no food or water.
• liquid – water, fruit and vegetables juices, and/or broth.
• partial – eat certain groups of foods and restrict others (such as the Daniel Fast).
Even though the Bible doesn’t contain a direct command to fast, several examples appear in both the Old and New Testament. One passage occurs in Matthew 6:16, as Jesus is teaching his disciples basic principles of godly living. Addressing the issue of fasting, he begins with, “When you fast,” not “If you fast.” Jesus’ words imply that fasting will be a regular practice in the lives of believers. Following are a few reasons why you should embrace this powerful spiritual discipline:
Fasting is the example set by Jesus.
We should fast because Jesus did. Our Savior spent forty days and nights in the wilderness fasting and praying before he began his public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11). During that time, the Lord was able to defeat Satan’s attacks because he was prayed up and armed with the Word of God. Jesus’ example shows us how fasting equips and empowers us for victory over sin.
Fasting helps you grow in faith.
When you commit to a fast, you realize how completely dependent you are upon the Lord. You learn to lean on his strength instead of relying on your own.
Fasting changes you.
Fasting allows you to experience a greater sense of the Lord’s presence in your life and the indescribable joy that comes from walking in obedience. As you meditate on his truths and apply his promises to your life, your life is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When accompanied by fervent prayer, fasting will help you develop intimacy with the Lord like nothing else can. Don’t allow fear, laziness, or the excuse, “It’s too hard!” keep you from stepping out in faith. You can do it. God will help you. He promises to bless those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Make spiritual training your highest priority this year. Nothing is more important than knowing the Lord and growing in Him.
by | Health & Wellness
If you have been overweight for any amount of time, I’m sure you have exposed yourself to the hundreds, if not thousands of dieting books on the market. If you get nothing else out of this post, get this:
THROW THEM AWAY NOW!
Why?
- Diets rarely ever work.
- They are usually temporary.
- They play unnecessary mind games with those of us desperately seeking change.
These are only a few reasons. Think about this.
The diet industry is a multibillion-dollar enterprise, raking in over $40 billion per year.
If diets worked, would there really be a reason for such a large industry?
Nobody ever tells you the mental strain dieting will put on you. That the majority of today’s television and magazine ads try and convince us that if women aren’t a size 3 they are fat. That diet pills and other “quick, fat-burning” solutions do more harm for your body than good.
At least, nobody told me that. Or maybe I just wasn’t listening.
At the end of every diet the path curves back to the trough. – Mason Cooley
I couldn’t have said it better myself. In my opinion, and it’s just that, every diet will lead you back to where you started. And most of the time, when you get back there you’ll most likely have gained more weight. No wonder the depression rates are climbing.
It’s hard to get out of the pit when we keep digging the pit deeper.
There’s an English proverb that says,
Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.
There is so much truth in that simple statement.
If you have believed the lies that there is nothing else you can do and you’re just destined to be “fat” for the rest of your life, I will now share with you my new favorite word:
MALARKEY!
ma-lar-key
noun. Nonsense; foolish talk.
There is a way out. It’s not an overnight rescue. There is no quick promise.
If you are going to succeed in weight loss, you are going to have to learn to be determined.
To keep going. To work hard. I wish I had started a lot sooner. I wish I had saved all the money I spent on trying new diets. I wish I could have been healthier in high school and enjoyed more activities with friends.
If I had done all those things then, perhaps I would have enjoyed my life more. But I didn’t do those things.
Instead I made excuses. I quit. I gave up time and time again. Maybe you have too. Maybe you are ready to give up today.
It’s time to stop waiting for an easy fix and start a new journey.
These words are taken from my free ebook, Step Away from that Diet: Ten Steps to Losing Weight and Gaining the Confidence You’ve Been Searching For. They were written from the heart with the goal to inspire others to change their lives and say goodbye to dieting once and for all.
I’d love for you to read the rest of the book and get to the nitty gritty of the ten steps you can take to start losing weight and changing your life today. Simply sign up for my newsletter and the book will quickly be delivered to your “doorstep” – okay, inbox.
Oh.. and a quick reminder, I recently wrote about how you can keep from gaining weight over the holidays. Check out the post here.
What’s keeping your from gaining the confidence you’ve been search for? I’d love to hear in the comments below…
by | Health & Wellness
I have a goal this Holiday season – NOT to gain the normal 5-10 pounds most people gain.
Just how am I going to do this? By being mindful of what I’m eating while continuing to exercise.
I know, I know. It sounds so much easier said than done, doesn’t it? But I thought if I said it out loud, typed it out loud, and posted for all of us to see, it could actually be a reality versus a myth.
The holidays are a great time of the year, for most people anyway. Honestly, sometimes it depends on whether or not those hard-to-love family members show up or not, but that’s another post for another day.
As the holiday circuit comes around though, and fatty food is at every business party, church gathering, school function, etc., it’s easy to get sucked in, spiral out of control, and find yourself back to square one by New Year’s Day. It’s an important time for me not to throw caution to the wind and indulge in every craving and pumpkin pie thrown my way.
But I think we can enjoy the festivities without getting out of control. I think I can indulge a little without crossing the border to crazy. So can you.
Here are a few tips, thanks to fitness guru Jillian Michaels, to help both me and you stay on track as the Holidays approach:
Holiday weight gain doesn’t have to be inevitable.
Start with adjusting your mind-set for the holidays. Thanksgiving is happening this week, so let’s start there. Let’s fill up on the healthy stuff, like veggies, salad, and the roasted turkey. Then we can enjoy the “must-have” dishes in moderation, like my cousin’s creamy corn casserole and my grandma’s homemade turkey dressing.
Feel free to eat a small slice of your mom’s favorite pumpkin pie, but remember, you don’t have to eat a slice at each festivity you go to. I’m reminding myself that my grandma’s pies are homemade. The corporate Christmas party that I’ll attend gets their pies from the grocery store deli. If I’m going to spend my calories, you can bet I want to do it on the made from scratch, melt in your mouth pie. Oh.. and just say no the egg nog.
Don’t even think about abandoning your fitness and healthy eating plans.
Doing this could be disastrous. I’ve been trying some new workouts lately and I remember how I felt after the first workout. I swear a semi came into my room in the middle of the night and consistently ran over my thighs. I don’t want to have to go through that again. If I take a couple of weeks off, I’m setting my body up for failure, plus my mind. I’m finally getting back into the habit of having a regular exercise routine. I don’t want to fight trying to get back on track, do you?
Yes, we’re probably going to miss a workout or two with traveling and busyness, but there’s time. We can make time, even if it’s 10-30 minutes of doing something. Let’s stay committed, especially when we know we’re going to have some of Grandma’s pumpkin pie. The gym is calling our names, especially the next day.
Quit believing you are going to fail.
Jillian says it best. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Oh how I’m absorbing these words right now. I need to plan ahead of time what I’m going to eat, as well as when I’m going to exercise. I need to write it on my calendar. Where can we fit in the extra time for a workout?
Eat a snack beforehand. This is something I need to get better at. Also, if you’re bringing a covered dish to the event, bring something you know you can eat; something that will distract you from the rest of the calorie-heavy foods.
This Holiday season, let’s all stay reminded that we are God’s temple. (See 1 Corinthians 3:16). What we put in our bodies, not only affects us physically, it can take its toll on our minds and emotions, too.
What step are you taking this Holiday season to stay on the course of consistently living in a healthy lifestyle? Leave a comment below…
by | Health & Wellness
That last couple months have been a struggle for me regarding eating. It seems I’ve been doing a little more emotional eating than usual. I don’t like it one bit.
Honestly, my weight has been fluctuating, and so have my hormones. One minute I’m crying, the next I seem to have a bowl of ice cream in my hand. Vanilla ice cream at that, and I don’t even like vanilla. If it ain’t got chocolate in it, I ain’t eatin’ it. Yet, I’ve found myself doing just that.
There have been a few people shocked to learn that I still have struggles. Since I lost 145 lbs. almost four years ago, they just assume everything is great and I don’t run into roadblocks. Afterall, I even wrote an ebook about it. Oh how I wish!
We need to be real about our struggles. (Tweet that)
That’s just what I’m going to do with you. Be real. I hope you wouldn’t expect anything less. The last thing I want to do is provide false hope for those of you fighting the health battle and convince you that once you hit your goal weight the job is done and now you sit back and relish in your victory.
It’s hard. There are days it’s really hard. Recognizing the struggle though is what keeps me going. I’ve been under more stress lately than usual, and with stress comes emotions. Unfortunately, there have been times I’ve turned to food instead of turning my fears, failures, and other circumstances over to God. I’m so thankful for his never-ending grace for me.
Because I recognize there are still some struggles happening in my life regarding emotions and food, I’ve taken some steps and implemented some things to get back on the right path. I wanted to share those with you today.
The Faithfully Fit Devotional
This is a 40-day devotional plan written to help end the yo-yo lifestyle of chronic dieting. Though I don’t use the word diet, I wanted to give this devotional a try because I watched the transformation in my friend as she went through it.
It’s a really great book. You can do it on your own, or with a friend. I highly recommend doing it with someone else. There are daily actions to take, whether journaling, memorizing scripture, planning exercise, and more. There is also a daily prayer that goes along with the devotion.
Praying Before Each Meal and Snack
“What? You don’t already do that?” you may be asking. Honestly, no. I usually pray with people when we sit down for a meal, but other than that, I don’t. But I wanted to turn food into an opportunity to praise God and thank Him for allowing me to put great things into my body. I’m trying to implement this habit into praying before snacks as well.
This habit is very new. So new, in fact, that I almost didn’t share it with you because I haven’t quite made it a regular habit yet. (How’s that for honesty?) Here’s what I’m learning: If I pray before putting anything in my mouth, how conscious will I be of what I’m actually eating? I can’t sit down to a bowl of ice cream, ask God to bless it to the nourishing of my body, then expect Him to really do it, can I? No.. there’s nothing nourishing about it.
Now, does that mean we should never eat ice cream? No, that’s not what I’m saying. We do, however, need to make sure we’re eating for the right reasons. Is it to enjoy a great tasting dessert or is it to drown out some emotions we don’t want to deal with? There’s a big difference there.
Find a Workout Partner
I don’t usually enjoy working out with others. I’m a loner when it comes to that. I like to crank up my iPod and get down to business, especially when it comes to running. But hey, I’m learning life isn’t all about me.
God provided an awesome new friend for me. She’s on a new weight loss journey. I’m working hard to stay on my weight loss journey. We’re a perfect match. I literally met her two weeks ago and last week we worked out three times together. It’s helping us both have incentive to show up at the gym on time. And we’re both Dolly Parton fans. How can this not work out in our favor?
Staying Accountable
I’ve talked about my accountability partners before. They’re great. Recently though, I reached beyond my tiny accountability circle to ask others to hold me accountable in the very specific area of food.
They are praying for me, being honest with me about my struggles, and supporting me through good times and bad. It’s caused me to be vulnerable outside of my comfort zone and though it’s hard, I’m okay with it.
There you have it. Some new changes I’m implementing in my life to stay on the course God has set before me. I’m constantly looking for new ways to grow and right now these seem to be working. I hope they work for you as well.
I’d love to hear some of your suggestions and what works for you. Leave a comment below…
