The most expensive gift you could ask for...

What are we really here for? No matter what religion you are, the message in all is pretty clear...we are here for a purpose. If we are here for a purpose and know we are meant to do something, use our special talents and gifts, take care of our families and love one another, why would you keep doing something or NOT doing something to prevent you from being the best "you", you can be?

Most people know I am a Christian and my blog posts and overall opinions come from the aspect of that. This one will be no different. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

I view design as a form of art. God designed the skies and the oceans, the mountains and the streams. Nature is beautiful and is God’s work of art. Know what else God designed? YOU. The highest price paid for a painting just sold in 2011 for 250+ million dollars. God paid for you…the ultimate price by sending His one and only Son to die on a cross to save YOU! SO..what are you doing to take care of that life, body, soul that God designed? NOW, go eat your veggies…he designed those too!

I came up with this thought a few weeks ago. But it's true! What ARE YOU doing to take care of the wonderful body God gave you? You ARE here to do good works and you can NOT be the best "you" unless you are taking care of yourself and showing God some respect by taking care of the vessel he gave you to carry out these works.

Like I always say, I would not be on this journey of fitness if it wasn't for turning over my problems with weight and health to God. It is NOT my doing. God has brought me through this journey thus far and I know he will continue to be my side. I started a very strict diet plan again on Wednesday for lent. So far so good. It really does feel good to know that I'm honoring God by putting good things in my body and exercising to keep it in shape. This morning when I was reading my devotionals I needed a little extra "umph" and started quickly flipping through my book hoping that God would answer this need, and take me to a really good one..and He did! Here it is, this is why and what God feels about us taking care of ourselves.....

"Didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you." 1 Corinthians 6:19 msg

Are you shaping up or spreading out? Do you eat sensibly and exercise regularly, or do you spend your time on the couch with a Twinkie in one hand and a remote in the other? Are you choosing to treat your body like a temple or a trash heap? How you answer these questions will help determine how long you live and how well you live.

Physical fitness is a choice, a choice that requires discipline--it's as simple as that. So, do yourself this favor: treat your body like a one-of-a-kind gift from God....because that's precisely what your body is.

"Maximum physical health happens when the body--with all it's chemicals,parts and systems--is functioning as closely to the way God designed it to function."--Dr. Walt Larimore

So you see, we are instructed specifically by the big guy upstairs to take care of ourselves! Like I said earlier, we ARE part of his grand artwork. Would you walk into a museum and deface a famous painting? It's the same thing we are doing to our bodies when we are constantly feeding it junk food and living a sedentary lifestyle. God paid the highest price for us. Treat your body as a gift...the most expensive gift you could ever ask for! 



L3-L4, L4-L5 can kiss it, along with ya dumb facets!

I did a hard work-out inside today rather than going out, due to a chest cold I've been fighting off all week. I'll post my links on here to what I did. I decided I wanted to do something different than the same old crap I've been doing. I thought I'd go to youtube and try and check some new stuff out. I was hoping I'd stumble across some video's I could actually use to do a work-out. I DID! I came up with this routine that was about an hour or so long and then I did my normal stretching routine.

10 Minute Trainer 2 minute warm-up video

10 minute custom P90X Cardio Work-out

Insanity 20 minute work-out- Fat Burner

P90X Ab Ripper

Followed by some good 'Ol push-ups!

I'm not gonna lie I probably only did about HALF of this work-out (between figuring out what I was doing and having to stop and catch my breath) . It was VERY hard for me to do. It made me realize I definitely need to get back into a routine of incorporating a LOT MORE strength/cardio/plyo into my regular routine. Running I have down...there are things I need to work on, but my distance is coming along and I'm pretty darn sure that if I start incorporating some of this other stuff I will start improving my speed....along with all the hills I've started running! I tried watching these video's before I did them and I was still all confused as to what I was supposed to be doing half the time! I was working out in the kids room that is in the transition of becoming my step-son's, more so than my daughter's, due to living arrangements. (reason for the half stripped purple paint and other half completely obsessed beyond insane Chicago Bears paraphernalia) This is a VERY small space and I was trying to watch these video's off my laptop. (So don't tell me you have NO WHERE and NOTHING TO USE to work-out! No excuses!)



One of the things that really threw me were the exercises in the Ab Ripper video. I've ALWAYS been able to do a lot of ab work. The position you start in though made it really hard for me to do. I could definitely feel strain on my lower back. I get really frustrated when my physical problems start interfering with my work-outs. I wanna do more and just can't. I was loving the routine at the end...the leg walks..

and Russian Twits....Russian Twists I think are one of my ALL TIME favorite exercises!

All in all I had a good work-out today. I did miss running, but figured it best to give my lungs a little more healing time before I go hard in the damp and cold. I'll continue to really work on my core and know that strengthening this will also help my back in the long run! No matter what...I'll always, always, always LOVE my push-ups and so glad that I can do them again. My shoulder is doing much better!

By the end of my work-out...this is how it was! Actually that's how I felt...this was actually only about 1/4 of the way into my work-out!!!



 



Excuses are for loser's..even if it bites ya later!

So I did my longest run ever on Saturday over 6 1/2 miles. Never, EVER thought when I started running I'd be logging those kind of miles. I'm still working on my time and unfortuneately hate to admit, I still stop for short walk breaks...but really? Over 6 miles!! When I started running last June (crazy to think it hasn't even been a year yet) I couldn't even run 2 minutes at a time. My training schedule called for me to do 2 minutes of running followed by 4 minutes of walking and repeat 4 times. It just completely amazes me to see how far I've come in a short amount of time! I must say, it hasn't been easy. Taking a bit of time off here and there when my kidney's flare-up gets really frustrating. I must admit though I feel better and better all the time. My back problems have improved GREATLY..I still have pain and know that SOMEDAY I will still need surgery but I will push that off as long as I possibly can!! It's crazy how much exercise can help you. I was worried at first about my knee's...carrying many, many extra pounds along for a run, when your muscles are not built up, makes for some sore joints. Everything started to get better and the pains slowly started going away, to where I could lose the knee brace, and not ice afterwards.

This weekend marked a new found determination. I had my longest run ever scheduled and felt like I might be getting sick. I WAS GOING TO DO MY RUN!! I just had a sore throat and some sniffles..was JUST starting with a cough..but wasn't going to let that deter me. I went out and pushed through an over 6 1/2 mile long run. It felt great!! The sense of accomplishment is overwhelming when you realize you're doing something you never thought you would do! I came home hacking and coughing. I did a lot of stretching and took it easy the rest of the day. I woke up Sunday morning feeling GREAT. All of that came crashing to a hault last night when I couldn't fall asleep until after 3am due to coughing...took a mucinex dm on an empty stomach and woke up feeling like complete crap. I slept until about 12:30pm and have been on my sofa ever since. Do I think this came about because I went on my run??? I don't think so. I think this was going to come about anyhow and that exercising did NOT make it worse. If I used excuses to NOT do a work-out I wouldn't BE working out and running. "I'm tired. My joints hurt. It's late. I don't feel like it. My back hurts. I think I'm coming down with something. It's dark out. It's cold out. I'll do it tomorrow. I don't think I can. I just don't feel like it. I worked out really hard yesterday. I'll work out extra tomorrow."

I've come to a point where I don't wanna make excuses...even if I should. Do I think I'd be laid up on my sofa today if I didn't do my run on Saturday..I'm not sure...would I take it back? Absolutely NOT! Did I do my run today? Nope....so do I feel like I know my limits? Yep! Do I plan to get back out there ASAP when my body "tells me" that I can? You know it!! So go ahead, tell me,...what's your excuse??