All posts filed under: Exercise

Health Idioms, True or False

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“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion.” Psalm 27:5a Joseph, who is very much the youngest child, a comical, sometimes pampered (he is the “baby” to 6 other siblings after all),” sprouting boy, whose legs are too long for his head, like a stalk of asparagus, said this week, out of the blue, “I feel a bladder coming on.” Ummmmm, Don’t we all. Lol. And, if he means a bladder infection, where did that come from since he’s never had one?! But, I can more than relate to the feeling that something is coming on illness wise. I’m about as impatient a patient as a pig in a bacon factory in the south. I have been known this week to bemoan to myself, “Just get me out of this!” But, let me tell you what I’ve learned, while I could only sleep one of five nights due to excruciating back pain. I was overcome, right in the middle of it, with waves of gratitude, which rolled in stronger than ever, even while the sky …

The Heart & 5 Fitness Philosophies to Help You Stick With It

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“Shine like stars in the universe.” -Philippians 2 So, I’m sitting at my middle school son’s football game this week when I hear guttural, deep chested orders, like the cry of a drill sergeant from basic who gives himself rewards of extra time to iron his own uniform when he’s been gloriously harsh and made a recruit cry. Instead of the bark of, “You can’t handle the truth,” this commander’s voice growled across the field, “CRUSH them, Hawks,” and was actually a woman, an everyday mom who checked her femininity at the gate. You might chuckle and think, “Oh yes, there’s always one of those.” But, there wasn’t just one of them. Oh no! They were everywhere, a surrounding chorus of rough, raucous moms shouting, “KILL THEM” and worse, and laughing at each other the louder they got. In classic form, my mirth bubbled up inside of me and I had to smash it down, like a bubbles trying to pour out of a shaken soda bottle on to the floor. I mean, I cheer, …

Weight Room Tips for Newbies and Women & Facing Criticism Like a Boss

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Above picture: Me at the gym doing Rectus Abdominis work (abs) using a weight between my feet. “He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.” – Psalm 18 Today around 6:00 p.m.,  I was happily driving through our high school parking lot to pick up my football players, when my daughter spotted an old friend, “Look, Mom, there’s Rick Dean.” Being about as energetic as the “Eveready Bunny” with greeting people, I stretched my arm in a friendly arc and waved vigorously. Rick looked absolutely vacant, about as empty as a jug of sweet tea in the south at a church potluck on the hottest day of Jul-Eye (yes, it has to be spelled that way in Miz-ippi). He must not have spotted me yet, so I tried again, this time with a full arm extension and an overjoyed smile. “Hi, Rick!” Yeah, nothing. Either Rick’s brain was taking a serious mental vacation, drifting off to the land of milk, honey and unicorns after a long day …

Life Calling, Daily Eating Checklist & A Green Coffee Smoothy

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The pictures above are some before and after shots.  “Oh, Jo. Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life? You’re ready to go out and – and find a good use for your talent. Tho’ I don’t know what I shall do without my Jo. Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it.” -Marmee from Little Women, 1994  No joke, this week, I was driving along just minding my own business, humming away to You Don’t Think You’re Beautiful by One Direction. Yes, that’s a junior high girls’ dream boy band. Don’t judge. 😜 And, one of my lovely daughters, with gold strands of hair down her back, with a feminine way of pushing her hair gently behind her ear, and the one who always picks peach, turquoise, glitter and tulle, made the throaty noise of collection in the back of her mouth and spat out the car window, like she was a beast of a defensive end who just played a …

Making Healthy Choices and 20 Healthy Snack Ideas

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Although I was a Criminology major and, long ago, managed a team who went into buildings in the middle of the night and crawled through ceilings, installing secret, pin size cameras, I don’t usually spy on people, I promise! I should confess that I am utterly techno-ignorant and had a brilliant team; I was a lot like an overzealous 15 year old whose parents give him a brand new Porsche Boxter the day after he gets his learners permit (I was a young leader with gifted help). The above pictures were taken right at the end of my time as a Detective Manager. Can you see the beautiful little girl that changed my mind about being a career woman? 🙂 Anyway, I am quite literally in a coffee shop at this moment, listening to two women beside me loudly talking about a fitness drink that will help them rebound multiple times a week from hangovers. I heard the word “isotope” and other trendy health terms thrown around, like jelly beans at Easter. This is not …

How to Eat a Whole Dinosaur and the First 3 Weeks of my 3 Month Ab Challenge

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“Who will bring me to the strong city? Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly.” Psalms 60 Every week, I try to write just a little about what I’m working on heart-wise, as well as with my fitness. You see those awesome people above? They are the best thing I get to be a part of every day on this earth. This week, however, I am feeling utterly overwhelmed with the needs of each of those 7 kids and their different and unique stages of life and academics. Our schedule is about as peaceful as a snowman in July. Nod to Frozen. Give me a break, people, I rarely have time for grownup movies! Lol. A good chick flick with friends, chocolate and jammies sounds like a slice of heaven right now. Let me give you a tiny one minute example of my kids and their ages. As I picked up kids, ages 7-17, yesterday and was navigating busy roads with construction going on, my …

Easter Eggs and Dairy Air, All About Glutes

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“I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground” – Hillsong I was talking with a friend recently and we realized we both look at egg dying with all the fear and trepidation of Bambi accidentally released into the Mountain Lion cage at the zoo when funding is down.  It’s one of those traditions that is just flat out a mess and, with teenage boys who make everything a joke, you can imagine what it was like in our house this year! Let’s put it this way, how many random things can you do with a boiled egg and 6 colors to make your brothers guffaw harder? Yeah, they tried them all! One of my sons has taken to saying in a goofy voice, “I am so sorry, Loretta.” Obnoxious and hilarious, both. In fact, as I type this blog post, my sons are belting out a dramatic version of the smooth as butter, “pickup” song “Take Your Time” by Sam Hunt. I’m totally fine with a boisterous dance party in my living room, …

How I Ate to Lose 50 Pounds

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The temptation for all of us is to put on a veneer, to present ourselves like everything is always perfect and we are shiny and flawless. However, this blog isn’t just about physical health. To get to the gritty issues that are involved in the health of the human heart, honesty is required. While I hope you will find my blog very encouraging to your personal fitness, it will also tell of my journey to be healthy before God in all areas. It’s a lifelong journey, isn’t it? “Sanctified” could really be defined as “made fully healthy by God.” On that note, 2014 was a hard year. Very. Did I add the word “very” yet? During one run this week, I heard God say, “You have been running away from pain. Now it’s time to run towards me.” It’s not that God wasn’t in my line of sight but that my focus has been heavily on the pain, which I believe is ok for a season but not a great place to camp out for a long …

Where it begins, December 2013…

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“…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” IS 40:31 A year ago, I found myself overweight, often feeling like, “the way I look and feel is not who I really am,” feeling like life strain and stress was ubiquitous and with seven beautiful kids and the body to show for it (Ok, so, some days I feel like we are remaking The Hunger Games but when I tuck them in at night, they are, after all, beautiful kids who haven’t killed each other). I would mentally hearken back to my fit, cheerleading days like Uncle Rico sadly reliving his football stardom on Napoleon Dynamite. Some people are advocates for the idea that if we eat properly (fresh, “Paleo” or close to nature type food) that we will go down to our proper size naturally. However, I can tell you, after eating that way for 7 years and not getting rid …