Daily Shred - 3

Folks, I almost didn't make it today.

All the excuses lined up to play.

"Oh. You woke-up late."

"I am so hungry! Breakfast first?"

"Missing one day wont be a big deal."

"Nobody will know I missed today."

And. my all time favorite.

"You have been working hard. You deserve a day off!"

OH BROTHER!!

It was mind over matter and I did my work-out.

Why do I sabotage myself? Set myself up to fail? The inner dialogue is one I would never allow in a friend or family member. Why do I allow it in myself?

It's a mystery. One that I need to work through somehow. One that I need to conquer. Losing this weight is so much more then looking good in a swimsuit. It's proving to MYSELF that I can begin and follow through with something for ME. Not for my wonderful hubby (although he is a huge motivator), not for my daughter (although she is a huge factor), not for somebody at church (that keeps me busy), but FOR ME.

FOR ME!!

Daily Shred

 One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was my 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels (thank you mom!). I have used it off and on since Christmas, but nothing consistent.

As of yesterday (February 8th), I officially began my 30 days.

Matt took pictures for me and many varying measurements. I'm not brave enough to post them yet. It's not pretty. Do you ever look at a picture of yourself and in a moment see all of the choices you have made (good and bad) flash before your eyes? That's how I feel when I see those pictures and measurements.

Right now I am on Level 1. It's a good work-out. In 20 minutes you get 3 circuits of cardio, strength training and ab work. So far, the ab work is tough, but I can see needing more in the future. I guess that's why there are 3 levels possible on the DVD!

So, yesterday was a good day. I felt good. I got a lot done. The exercise made a diffrence!

Today has also been a good day. I exercised first thing and felt good getting it done. Mattie and I went to the library for Preschool Story Time and ran an errand or two. It also feels good using your time wisely in a day.

As much as I dislike getting up for it, exercising first thing is a good way to start the day. I am also very likely to not do it if I wait.

I am working on balancing my food intake. I am trying to have protein, "slow carbs" and "fast carbs" at each meal or snack. This also includes cutting out the white flour and most sugar. So far so good.

Every Day Miracles

When I slow down, pause and look around me, I see the miracles in my life. I believe I would see them every day if I would but take the time. I hope to work on that. I want to better recognize my every day miracles, be grateful, and then share them. Many are too close to my heart to share here in the blogosphere, but there are many others that need a voice.

With that in mind, let me share a little story. I know it's one you have heard.

"The Lord directed Elijah to go to Zarephath and dwell with a widow who lived there. When he arrived in that city Elijah saw the widow gathering sticks. Thirsty from his journey he said to her, “Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” As she turned to go for the water, Elijah also asked if he might have a little piece of bread.

“As the Lord thy God liveth,” the woman answered, “I have not a cake [bread], but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse [jar]: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it [make a small loaf of bread] for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

Elijah’s heart was touched by her words. He knew that there was famine in the land because the grain needed precious rainwater and full streams to make it grow. Nevertheless, the prophet tested the woman’s faith and, hoping to ease her mind, he said, “Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me a little cake [bread] first, and bring it unto me, and after make [bread] for thee and for thy son.

“For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal [flour] shall not waste [become empty], neither shall the cruse of oil fail [run dry], until the day that the Lord sendeth the rain upon the earth.”

And it was true as the Lord promised through his prophet. Each day there was enough meal and oil for the widow and her son and Elijah to have bread to eat."

- Bread Enough to Eat, 1 Kings 17:8-16

This morning as I was putting in my first load of laundry I thought, "I better check my detergent. It must be getting low." Sure enough, it's getting low. I went and put it my shopping list. But, low and behold, it's already on the list! I scratched it off and then continued reviewing the ever growing list. To my utter amazement I noticed that I had crossed detergent off my list FOUR TIMES (without having ever purchased it at the store). Seeing that got me thinking. When was the last time I bought laundry detergent? Hmmm... Well, it was...

Pause.

Silence.

Then it hits me.

The detergent in my cabinet is the bottle my mom bought me in JANUARY. Yes folks, my laundry detergent has managed to last nearly 8 months. If I do the math, we should have run out sometime around the beginning of April.

Many things have happened during the last 8 months. My husband has worked his tail off for little to no pay (self-employed). We had our nephew live with us for about 6 weeks. Both my husband and myself work in presidencies for the youth of our church. Gratefully, we have had to accept the help of our church to get groceries and pay our utilities (initially very discouraging, but now a spiritual and humbling thing to do). In short, we have struggled, like so many, to make ends meet and to find enough time in the day to get everything done.

In the midst of our hustle and bustle existence the Lord is DAILY giving my family a little (yet so big) miracle. He is refilling my detergent bottle much like he did the oil and flour for the woman of Zarepath. How long have I missed this miracle? I am so grateful to see it now.

What is your miracle today?

To all of you who feel like giving up

A friend on facebook posted this and I liked it so much I wanted to share it with you. There isn't much else to say except that he is right.

Another one bites the dust!

I actually finished my daily saltwater a hour and a half ago! Another one down! It went down quick today, thankfully! We are on day 8 with 4 more to go. I am feeling really good! My energy is up, my attitude is up, my motivation is up and my excitement to tackle the "eating healthy" challenge is up. I am currently working on a way pump up the health factor of some of our favorite meals.

For example, we LOVE tacos and tostadas at our house. So, in order to up the health factor we plan on switching flour to corn tortillas. And to up the veggie count we love to add beans and corn to the taco. Top with some lettuce, tomatoes and a fresh salsa and you have a pretty darn healthy taco!! YUM! We also love pasta at our house. The first obvious change will be to whole grain pasta. Next would be to have flavorful sauces full of veggies.

In general, I think it's safe to say that another problem is portion control, so that is what we will also work on. The good news is that we are "cleaned out" and free of all sorts of the toxins and crud that accumulate in our bodies after drinking too much soda and coffee and eating too much crap-ola.
I am on the look out for your favorite healthy recipes. Please share!