Nov. 13

Man that Chex stuff, NEVER MAKING IT AGAIN. NEVER. It is just way too good and easy to munch. Let's just say that packing it into individual servings was a waste of my time and detrimental to the environment due to all the plastic baggies I wasted. *sigh*. I won't go into detail. I started my workout at 7:30 bc I was so tired... I ate way too much of that chex stuff. luckily it has tons of fiber so it wasn't completely bad for me, but STILL. STILL! And there are much worse things I could have "binged" on. But none taste THAT good. MAN it is so goooooood.

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Punch, Kick, and Jam w/ weighted gloves, Turbo Jam Fat Blaster (no gloves) + Bootcamp Abs challenge (I DID IT!!!!!!!!!) holy crap it hurt so so so so so so bad. And I was glad.

Breakfast: wasnt hungry at all due to the abundance of Chex consumed just 8 hours prior, after workout i ate 1 lavash wrap with 1/2 beef patty, 1 slice american cheese, low fat mayo, ketchup, mustard, onion, relish, garlic. And some Chex. arggggh.

Lunch: chex

Dinner: 15 almonds

Dessert/snacks: --

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

Nov. 12 -- Stagnant

Haven't written in a few days...but I've still been thinking.

A journey with the Lord can be compared on so many levels to a journey to get in shape. When you commit yourself to Jesus, it's not just for 30 days, six weeks, or as a New Year's resolution. It's for life. People, myself included, set similar fitness goals for themselves. We hear statements of intent like this: "For the next three months, I am going to exercise four days a week so I can lose 30 lbs and look good for the family reunion." ... we fall into the promises of women's magazines that you can look good in a bikini in 30 days. "Five weeks to your best body!" ...

I'm sorry, I hate to burst the bubble here, but it takes WAY longer than five weeks to look good in a bikini. WAY longer. It's a growth process and it takes commitment and consistency. And from a logical standpoint, it doesn't even make sense to exercise for 30 days and then just stop. Over time, you'll gain back the weight you lost and lose muscle you gained. IT TAKES HARD WORK TO GET IN EXCELLENT PHYSICAL SHAPE AND STAY THAT WAY. No dinking around for ten minutes on the treadmill (although it's a start) and expecting to drop major pounds.

The same applies to our walk with Christ. Just like you can't work out for 30 days, stop, and expect the weight to stay off and the muscle to stay on, you can't just occasionally wade into the Word, or do a set of sprints and expect long-term growth. Sure, it's a start, and its important to realize that a lot of the "Get fit in 30 days" gimmicks are actually designed to get you into the habit of exercising for life, not so you get it done and over with.

Over time, consistency wins. If we are consistent in our walk and relationship with the Lord, we will grow! Likewise, if we are consistent in our fitness endeavors, we will increase our fitness level. But watch out! What happens if we work out the same way every day--the same amount of weight, the same speed, the same distance-- and don't ever challenge ourselves? No progress either, right? We just stay the same. The same can happen if we aren't consistently being challenged in our relationship with God...When we increase the amount of resistance on our muscles while weight training, our muscle fibers literally shred, unravel, and rip apart from one another. When the muscles heal, though, they are stronger than before. Likewise, in your walk with Him, allow God and His Word to rip apart your old self, unravel your heart, and make you stronger in your faith. Instead of wading cautiously into the Word, DIVE into it and let it change you.

As stagnant water in the heat of summer invites mold to grow and mosquitoes to breed, so invites the stagnant heart sin to plant its seed; the stagnant body disease.


Today's Workouts: Women's Health total workout in 10 (all 5 segments: 50 minutes) with 8 and 5 lb weights

Breakfast: one banana before workout, after workout leftover spinach onion kugel from yesterday

Lunch: 2 slices healthy french toast (no, really!) + some chex mix dessert i made... packed up the rest, not allowed to have any for a while!!!

Dinner: rest of the Kugel ...

Dessert/snacks: 1 serving of the chex mix (i know, i know)

Water: good

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

Nov. 11 -- Veteran's Day

Today's Workouts: part of a Billy Blanks workout + Turbo Jam booty sculpt + abs w/ 8 and 5 lb weights

+ 3 miles with Dad

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout 1 lavash wrap w/ 1/2 hamburger patty, low fat mayo, red onion, relish, 1 slice American cheese, low sugar ketchup, mustard

Lunch: caesar salad

Dinner: tried a Weight Watchers recipe ... "Spinach Onion Kugel" apparently is very low in fat. I hope that is true.

Dessert/snacks: 1 cheese stick..... 2 tbs ricotta, 1 graham cracker before dinner (VERY hungry lol) ... dessert = one ice cream sandwich, 1 sugar free popsicle before bed

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

Nov. 10 -- New Jeans

I think I gotta get over the fact that if I eat badly ONE single day, I'm not going to wake up the next morning 13 pounds heavier. I felt guilty when I ate that pizza and ice cream cake and I kept saying to myself "well, I guess I blew it"... but I didn't!!!! Geez!! An occasional splurge is not going to kill me. This morning I woke up later and feel tired, I think its because of what I ate yesterday, so I'll take it as a reminder that I FEEL BETTER when I eat healthier...

Also... yesterday I bought a new pair of jeans... in a size 4!!! That is a BIG DEAL for me! I'm very excited. I tried on the 6 which I normally wear and they were loose enough I could slide them off without unbuttoning them... but the 4 fit me great!! Even in the age of major vanity sizing, I haven't been able to fit in a size 4 since I was 16! So this is great!


Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam marathon lol ... Kickin' Core + CPRemix + 20MW with 1 lb weighted gloves. . . 95 minutes.
And now I have a migraine. One of the possible causes? Intense physical exertion. Ah, well, at least I burned off that pizza and cake last night.

+ 3 miles with Dad


Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout lavash wrap with 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/4 cup mexican blend cheese, and a bit of sour cream inside. Attempted to eat a salad.

Lunch: a cheeseburger

Dinner: one 60-cal pita with 8 chopped cherry tomatoes, a pinch of mozzarella, a tbs ricotta, 1 tsp or so sundried tomato pesto, oregano, garlic, splash of EVOO. yum.

Dessert/snacks: ice cream sandwich

Water: so far so good

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins:

Nov. 9 -- Hello, Key West!

Well I made it to Key West!! Finally!! I haven't decided where to go next, so I will stay here for a while. What a trip! I'm actually gonna get to go there in March, probably. Spring break! Yeah!!

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam CP2 + Kickboxing ab routine from Perfect abs DVD

Breakfast: 1 banana before workout, after workout 2 mini bagels with 1 slice Gouda, 2 slices salami, almost 1 wedge spreadable cheese, a bit of chive/onion cream cheese

Lunch: 7 small swedish meatballs, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, a cup of roasted tomato garlic soup (we had lunch at IKEA), 3 small squares dark chocolate for dessert

Dinner: 2 slices pizza, 1 breadstick, 1 (probably too big) slice ice cream cake from bruster's LOL... so worth it.

Dessert/snacks: n/a

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: check

Nov. 8

Today's Workouts: Turbo Jam Total Body Blast

Breakfast: 1 bagel, 1 slice Gouda, 1 slice salami, chive/onion cream cheese, 1 tangerine

Lunch: 15 almonds, a few sunflower seeds, 1 apple, one 12-oz pomegranate green tea, later a bowl of mexican vegetable soup (see yesterday for ingredients)

Dinner: ...? i dont think i ate anything

Dessert/snacks: 1 ice cream sandwich, 1 extra dark chocolate stick, 1 cheese stick b4 bed

Water: check

Daily Vitamins: check

Nightly Vitamins: forgot

So worth posting...

I had been wondering what it was that I experienced a few weeks ago. It was like a wave of FEELING swept over me. For so long, I hadn't had any true life flowing through me and no matter how hard I tried, I still felt almost ... dead. Some things would tear me up, sure, and for good reason, like saying good bye to friends, but I don't mean those kind of [sad] emotions... I mean emotions in general. The feeling and awareness that you're alive. Maybe some of you have heard me mention before that I "don't feel like a real person" ... that's changed now, somehow. And until today, I had been calling it, this thing that happened on October 25, 2008, "the transformation"... but I read something today that a good friend of mine had posted on her blog... it's from an anonymous writer. Chew on it.

12 SIGNS OF A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

1. An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
2. Frequent attacks of smiling.
3. Feelings of being connected with others and nature.
4. Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
5. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience.
6. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
7. A loss of ability to worry.
8. A loss of interest in conflict.
9. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
10. A loss of interest in judging others.
11. A loss of interest in judging self.
12. Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return.

- Unknown -


That's exactly how I feel. I feel like something inside me, I guess it's really my spirit has just woken up all of a sudden.

And the things that mattered before just don't matter anymore.