Tag Archives: exercise

How to Fight the Fat and WIN!

Re-blogged from Bonnie Pfiester at pfitblog, this article helps to describe our different personalities in regards to how we exercise and make strides towards our goals.  I’ll tell you that I am a dancer, (working out but not QUITE pushing myself into the uncomfortable zone) and a spectator, (I can tell myself AND everyone else what to do, just not exactly following through myself).  In this quest to get through the rest of this year focused on treating this body of mine as God intended, finding balance in the chaos and reaching toward my health goals one day at a time; I’ll step toward “fighter” status with every healthy choice I make.

Phillippians 4:13  

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

How to Fight the Fat and WIN!.

Motivation…Just put one foot in front of the other!

My first little re-posting of some super motivational gems to help us keep our eyes on the prize, one day at a time!! (click on the link under the pics to visit some great fitness, inspirational and motivational blogs!)

 

                                                                       pfitblog

Focus on the prize

Thanksgiving week here in the U.S.  Thursday we will give thanks for our many blessings and watch football, spend time with family and friends, and nap after a ridiculously huge and delicious meal.  The next day many will head out and shop ’til they drop, thus signifying the start of a month-long season of eating, drinking and generally living in gluttonous excess in celebration of the birth of Our Saviour.  Weird, huh?

The average weight gain during “the holidays” is reported to be about 7 pounds per American, other studies show its more realistically about a pound…..for my, it’s about 4. Average spending per American is about $700 during the holidays.  No wonder we are all stressed.  I was thinking about all of this the other day and decided THIS year I am approaching the holidays differently.  Much differently.

I enlisted my girlfriend who I work with and another girlfriend who I know does EVERYTHING for EVERYONE all year-long and can use some de-stressing as well.

It’s simple, really.

One day at a time.

  • Focus on regular exercise throughout the remainder of the year.  Shooting for a minimum of 20 minutes a day.  That is NOTHING!!!!!  Just plan it.  A quick 20 minute walk before your day gets going.  20 minutes while dinner is in the over.  20 minutes after dinner.  Whatever.  The time is there.  Just do it.
  • Healthy eating choices.  Log food or plan it out.  Be AWARE of what is going in.  So much temptation.  Ask yourself, “is it worth it”?

This season is about Jesus.  Let us focus on Him.  Let us treat our bodies as the Temples they are.  If we don’t take care of ourselves, how in the WORLD can we love and take care of those around us???  The airlines don’t tell us to put our own oxygen on first and then the kids for nothing…

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is a [a]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from [b]God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

I plan on blogging throughout the month-ish and re-blogging encouraging and inspirational blogs as well to cheer us on.  Be blessed.  Don’t stress.

To encourage you….this morning I did 20 minutes of P90X Cardio X.  20 minutes.  It’s what I had time for.  Bring it!

Friday, Advent and style…it’s a theme.

It’s Friday, so that means it must be:  7 Quick Takes with Jennifer Fulwiler et al.  Join on in, it’s a super crowd!!

1) I don’t want to get anyone all crazy or anything but Advent is just around the corner, December 2, 2012…the first day.  You ready??  Huh??  Huh??  Huh??  Me??  Uhhhhhh.  Sorta.  Our family does a little thing each Advent, for every day, this will be our 3rd year.  I have procured the items we will need over the past many months.  It’s something a good friend of mine started us on our first year in where we randomly and anonymously “gift” someone throughout Advent.  It’s not anything big, just something small to hopefully brighten their day and spread some CHRISTmas joy.  Yes, the cards even say “Merry Christmas”…..scandalous in this P.C. day and age, right??

2) Now I’ve just spent 2 hours trying to decide which site to use for our Christmas card with the right pictures and coupon code and the site freaked out and I had to start over.   Grrrr..  Bedtime!!

3) We’ve had soccer and cheer all week, staggered so it’s been very DRAWN OUT!  At least I’m getting my walks in!!  However, joy of joys….it is the LAST week of both girl’s sports.  Our last  soccer game is tomorrow and it’s at HOME, and cheer finishes up with competition on Black Friday (can you believe the nerve?!?!?)

4) This week gave me a little reminder of how busy the holiday season is going to be and my girlfriend and I are going to start a little holiday health challenge/focus to get us through the New Year.  It’s such an insane time of year with parties, plays, gift giving, meals, time off from school, juggling family visits etc, that, as a woman (and I’m sure a few men, too) we tend to get so caught up in taking care of others and focusing on activities that we OFTEN forget to take care of ourselves.  Therefore, we are planning on being accountable for regular exercise (nothing crazy…just staying active) and watching what we put in our mouths.  We need to remind ourselves our body is The Temple of Christ and I think we all forget that from time to time.  Isn’t Advent a “good” time to focus on that?  Anyone can join in…if there’s a big interest I’ll make up something “official-like”, for now it’s just email and texting and friends at work accountability, too!

5) Speaking of Advent…(apparently there’s a little bit of a theme this week since I continue to return to Advent), My blog is almost at 100 followers!  So, I’ve decided that  I’m going to do a giveaway of Dan Lord’s new book, “Choosing Joy:  The secret to living a fully Christian life”.    If you didn’t know, Dan is married to Hallie Lord, author of “Style, sex and substance” and blogger on marriage and style over at Moxie Wife.   I’ll post a blog on the official giveaway and all that jazz once I hit 100 followers!

6) On style….for the past two Sundays I’ve participated in “What I wore Sunday” over at Fine Linen and Purple.  It’s been super fun (awesome for visitors to my blog!!!!) and inspirational on paying a little more attention to dressing for Mass and other times when I’m out of my scrubs and workout clothes (95% of my time!).  As timing would have it,  Dwija at House Unseen posted about taking care of appearance in general and the subtle messages it sends to our families and loved ones when we do or don’t pay attention to how we look.  It definitely made me think about taking a few extra minutes on regular days, too.

7) Last one, also in reference to style….last night I bought some boots.  Target.  My boot envy got the best of me, especially since I currently don’t have any boots and will need them on our surprise trip in January to Pennsylvania!  So exciting.  The only thing about boots is that my calves are muscular and sometimes it’s really difficult to find a pair of boots to zip up past my calves.  Frustrating I tell you!!

Alrighty then….I’m out.  Time to wake the kiddies and get this day rockin’ on into the weekend!  Blessings and don’t forget to check out Conversion Diary for other great peeps!!

Baking, backbends and stuff…7QTs!

My weekly roundup of the week with J.Fulwiler, Catholic blogger and reality show star and her amazing followers of blogginess…Check ’em out HERE, they have some FUNNY stuff over there….and USEFUL….and HISTORICAL….and…well…just go check it out, there’s something for EVERYone!!

1.  I’ve returned to the gym (for weight work).  My muscles are meeting to secretly stage a coup, I’m sure.  Shhh, don’t tell them, but we’re going back tomorrow.  As soon as I can bend over to tie my shoes.  It’s just not fair how quickly you get sore when you add in new/old/different stuff.  Cue the Rocky theme song….

2.  To celebrate my return to the gym, I helped our oldest daughter attempt a Pinterest recipe for chocolate chip cookie bowls…click HERE for pic credit AND recipe if you should like to give it a whirl.  Bless her heart.  Her Mama didn’t read the directions first.  Fortunately, she only made 6 and the rest regular cookies.  Apparently it calls for the cookie dough in the tube…whatev…

Taste=FABULOUS  Presentation=Room for improvement.

Ours:

Sweet girl. Our future “Cake boss”, but much kinder!

This is MESSY!!

ALMOST!!!!

Theirs. Perfectionists. So not real life…..:-P

3.  This weekend we are getting our family picture taken.  By a real person.  Not just a self-timer.  Christmas cards…..it’s on!

4.  Our youngest diva daughter has been working diligently on this backbend kick over and by golly, she got it!!  Try THIS LINK…I’m just too cheap frugal to upgrade to the video uploader….or you can go to my Twitter and view it…or just imagine our girl finally getting her backbend kick over!

5.  This morning, somehow, we overslept an ENTIRE HOUR!!!  ALL of us.  We woke up when our oldest should have been getting ON the bus.  Talk about an adrenaline rush.  I don’t know about you but we are seriously efficient when running EXTREMELY late.  There is NO time for bickering, arguing or even talking.  The high schooler and elementary kids made it on time and I was late (fortunately no patients were waiting on me…I wasn’t THAT late!!) and Hubby took our middle schooler at his regular time.  Mad skillz, I tell you. Or a well oiled machine.  controlled chaos.  What have you.  Sure got my heart rate up.  I have re-checked the alarm settings many times already tonight….

6.  This week my Aunt received bad news regarding her cancer and has decided to be done with chemo and to let nature take its course.  It’s awful.  Her daughter and son are my age.  I can’t even fathom it.  She is at peace with her decision and I know God will take care of her family but it isn’t going to be easy.  Not one bit.  Today, my brother-in-law (Hubby’s bro), had a heart catheterization and two stents placed. After he drove himself to the hospital because he wasn’t feeling so good.  He’s 42.  3 kids (10, 6 &6)  He’s doing fine but……ugh.  I can’t even go there.  The point is…..We do not know when our hour will come.  And I am reminded of a beautiful twitter quote I’ve been mulling over all week:   @JamesMartinSJ: Gospel: “Live today as if it were your first day…your last day…and your only day.”

7.  And so with Father Martin’s quote fresh on my heart earlier this week, I received an email with RIDICulously low air fare to see my mom.  I promptly booked 3 tickets for myself and the girls to go in January.  It’s their Christmas present (shhhhhh).  I’ll take the boys this summer.  YOLO, right?  Fortunately, Hubby was VERY understanding and forgave me for my completely impulsive decision without his input and is on board.  Phew.

That’s all from me….Blessings to you ALL!  Have a great weekend!