Welcome To My New Blog

January always brings New Year’s resolutions of personal goals and improvements that seem to be a long forgotten thing of the past come March. I made a weight loss goal in November and was involved in a friendly weight loss competition between co-workers. The competition went great and I had lost over 10lbs until the holidays hit and I fell off the bandwagon head first. I use to have a very high level of will power and dedication to health and fitness as a gymnast, however now it seems that just discussing eating bad food makes me jump ship in a heartbeat.

As a very insecure individual I dislike being around other people who are fit and trim. On Sundays I had begun dreading going to church because it seemed that everyone around me was so skinny and I felt like a fat cow. Our pastor could be preaching an amazing message full of encouragement but I would leave so beaten down with my own bad self-image. A few weeks ago a close friend of ours at church (who knew nothing about how I had been feeling) came up to me after church and shared a very encouraging word with me. She rushed up to me as soon as church was over and said that God had me so strong on her heart thru service that she wanted to pull me out of the service but she held off. She shared that God gave her a simple message that he loved me no matter where I was, no matter how I felt, and no matter how I looked. She said that God has not forgotten you and loves you so very much. Those simple messages hit home for me as during that exact service the devil was running me thru the gauntlet of how terrible I looked and what a failure I was in my appearance. Several weeks passed and I started to slowly get back into the groove of eating better, but due to family illness and bad weather we missed church for 3 weeks. I quickly fell back into my slump of eating whatever, not working out, and beating myself up.

 Yesterday as I sat in church during the alter call for healing I sat in my seat and quietly cried out to God that he would heal me of my damaged self-image, my terrible eating habits, and my lack of motivation for working out. I did not get an answer right then, nor was I convicted when I ate my terribly fattening lunch after church. Last night while I was sleeping God gave me a dream/vision that really opened my eyes. In the dream I was celebrating my 50th birthday and I received a call from my physician to inform me of some bad news about my health. I do not know what the bad news was, however I remember sobbing when I received the news and saying over and over “Why didn’t I take better care of myself when I was younger?” The dream then went back in time to my upcoming birthday and I was in the best shape of my life and I was walking down a hallway of opportunity and all of the doors were wide open for my future. God then reminded me of the following scripture:

 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 I have read this scripture verse many times, and it has never taken root in my heart. This verse took on a whole new meaning to me as God spoke to me last night. God promised me that he will rekindle my dedication to health and fitness and that I should share my story and journey to motivate others just like me. God has blessed me with a LOVE for cooking and I plan to use this talent to create new low calorie food options and recipes for everyone to share. I also want to bring back my passion for new and different ways to exercise and share those as well.

 My goal is to post a new/different low calorie recipe or snack option, as well as a new workout or workout move for everyone to share, and a motivational quote at least 3 times weekly. The best way to stay on track is by changing your workout and eating habits so that you do not get bored and jump off the bandwagon at every chance.