The Tongue is One Strong Muscle

My husband Justin and I are very aware of the importance of physical health and the role nutrition plays. We work to fuel our body and our workouts with good foods, but I believe some times we forget a very important aspect of health - mental health. I believe each and every day the majority of us determine our own mental health. You can get out of bed grumbling because it's early or because you don't want to go to work, or you can get up rejoicing in the fact that God has created another day and is ready to present you with opportunities to touch people's lives. It's all in your mindset.

Don't get me wrong, being positive does not mean ignoring your circumstances. There are many mornings I would rather stay in bed and not have to hear my alarm clock, but it's important to quickly replace those thoughts before they turn into words. I read a great saying this week - "Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your character and your character determines you destiny." So you have to watch more than your words, you  have to watch your thoughts.

The bible talks a great deal about the power of our words. It tells us life and death are in the power of your tongue (Proverbs 18:21). When Jesus talked about having faith that moves mountains in Luke 11, he said we could have whatsoever we say. Faith isn't ignoring your circumstances - you just know and confess that God is bigger than anything your facing and that you know what you are facing isn't going to last forever.

Justin and I have really put an emphasis on this in one area. We want children, but it hasn't come as easily as we would like. We have had lots of opportunities to speak doubt and frustration about the situation, but we have really watched each other to make sure that doesn't happen. We have by no means been perfect, but we have tried to make sure that we don't dwell on those negative statements; we quickly switch back and thank God for our healthy babies. We talk about them like they are here and call them by name. There is not a doubt in my mind we'll have children. We don't deny the struggle, but we know that God hears our prayers and has promised to give us the desires of our hearts.

Maybe you need a mental check of your own. Watch your thoughts and words over the next few days (or seven like we're doing). Are you speaking life into your life and the lives of those around you, or are you being negative? Every time you open your mouth, remember, you have the opportunity to either speak life or death into that situation. I guess that's why they says if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Mental & Physical Nutrition Challenge Day 1 Update:

As with many things, day one was fairly smooth. Motivation was high! I had opportunities to get frustrated and be negative; but I made myself stop, and I quickly replaced those negative thoughts. On the food side, the hardest part was just not eating between meals/snacks. Eating Zone meals and snacks was easy, but I found myself wanting to grab a handful of cashews or a little bit of cereal in between meals/snacks. It was very hard not to nibble while I cooked dinner, but I didn't give in. I don't want to have to start over!

Dinner tonight was excellent! This is my version of taco salad (I don't do lettuce) - ground beef, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and black olives. I measured out everything according to the Zone and then dug in! As long as I don't verbalize a negative thought the rest of the evening, day one is in the books. Just six days to go!

This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16:  
     "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
     Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
     Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
     You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of 
          the womb.
     You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. 
     Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!

The Importance of Nutrition: Physical & Mental

"You are what you eat."


Does that thought scare you? It kind of does me; although, it doesn't scare me as much as it used to. I have made progress and now eat healthier than I ever have in my life. It has been a long, slow and some times frustrating journey. I'm not where I want to be, but I've made progress. I think that it the thought process we as CrossFitters should all have. Fitness is a life-long journey. I don't have to be able to do a kipping pullup, a muscle up or a 200-pound backsquat today, but I am working toward those goals. Just like with my nutrition, I don't have to be perfect or have the exact perfect balance everyday of carbs, protein and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. I just have to make sure I am working down that path. Just like my performance in the gym can always be better, so can my diet. This is a very difficult concept for me because ...

"You are your own worst critic."


... I can beat myself up with the best of them. You can ask my husband. If the WOD was 'Beat yourself up for time', I'd be the fittest woman on earth. It's easy for me to encourage other people, celebrate their small victories and tell them not to get discouraged, but I am awful at practicing what I preach. That is why Justin (my husband) and I are embarking on a seven-day physical and mental challenge. Our diet is the physical side. For seven days beginning Monday, June 25, Justin and I will eat strict Zone, focusing on strictly measuring our meals and getting our carbs from fruits and vegetables. That part will be challenging, but the hardest part for me will be the mental challenge. For seven days, we will work to consume only positive words and thoughts. I will not tell myself that I can't do something or that I am not good at something. I will work to replace those thoughts with positive ones, such as "I can do this," "I will give this everything I've got," and "I am getting stronger and better." I will not compare myself to other people or be negative. If I have a negative thought, I must immediately replace it with a positive one. If I verbalize a negative thought, the challenge immediately starts over; and if the mental part starts over, so does the physical part. If I want to have a sugar cheat, I better be positive!! I will keep all of you posted, and I promise to be honest.

I understand the importance of nutrition. Nutrition is the basis of our training. According to Coach Greg Glassman's pyramid, if your nutrition isn't sound, your metabolic conditioning, weightlifting, gymnastics and sport will all suffer as well. That means you can't ignore nutrition and just focus on training; they go hand-in-hand. Like I said at the beginning, what we do as CrossFitters is a life-long journey; so even if your nutrition isn't going to be perfect, start making positive changes. Get headed in the right direction. You will start to notice a difference in your performance and in the way you feel. Take a challenge of your own. Eat better for a week or two and see how you feel. I know I've rambled (I could keep going, believe me), but this is a subject I am getting more and more passionate about, but I haven't arrived myself. We can all work on getting there together!

This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16:  
     "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
     Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
     Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
     You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of 
          the womb.
     You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. 
     Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!

That First Step

I'm baaaack. Sorry about the short hiatus, but we were moving from Rogersville to Branson. We're starting to get settled, and it is so nice to live so close to the gym. It was a hectic couple of days, but it didn't have to be. When the gym began to come together, Justin and I began praying that somehow we would be able to move to Branson. We knew it would take a miracle from God to help get out of our house in Branson. One morning during praise and worship at church, I really felt God tell me, "Get ready to move." After church I excitedly told Justin what had happened, but we never did any packing. Our disobedience cost me sleep and both of us a lot of stress.

We were believing God for a miracle, and he was trying to help us out and make our lives easier; but we chose not to act. How many times in our lives have we been believing God for something and really felt that we should take a step of faith, but never did anything? Had Justin and I just obeyed, life would have been a lot simpler. It really is amazing that we ask God for so many things, but we are so hesitant to take one small step. If we believe, God will do the hard part, but we have to be willing to step out in faith.

So, my challenge this week doesn't have anything to do with food or exercise directly. I challenge you to believe God to help you with every area in your life, big and small. That is followed up by a challenge to be willing to step out in faith, knowing God is faithful and will not leave you hanging. Maybe this challenge does have to do with diet and exercise. Maybe you are believing God to help you eat better and workout more regularly or to lose weight. God won't do thrusters for you, but he definitely wants to help you through the workout and bless your results. It's so comforting to know, you don't have to do anything alone - but you do have to be willing to do something.

This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16:  
     "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
     Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
     Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
     You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of 
          the womb.
     You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. 
     Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!

If it's easy, is it worth it?

So ... I had read that the first three days on the Zone diet would be the worst of my life. Thankfully, I can report my first three days haven't been that bad. I've had a few moments of hunger, but the hardest part has been not nibbling in between meals and snacks. I grew up on a dairy farm, which is why I believe I am a grazer. Those cows looked so happy just eating all day! Anyway, I am trying to be patient because I know it takes time to see results from nutrition and exercise.

Because I am a grazer, I tend to think about food all day long. Since I am trying to only eat at certain times, I have to continually remind myself why I don't eat all day long. I tell myself I want to be healthy for my husband and our future children; I tell myself it is important to me to turn in solid performances in the gym and nutrition plays a huge role in that. Lately I've been reminding myself that it is easier to just eat whatever I want and that sometimes the easiest way isn't the best. I have dealt with body image issues my entire life, and I am finally getting to a point where I am happy with my body. Am I satisfied with my body? No. I want to get stronger and increase my metabolic conditioning (met con for all you CrossFitters who want to learn the slang). Am I proud of the way I look? You're darn right I am! I have worked hard to earn the body I have now. I have taken responsiblity for my own appearance and health, and I am proud of that. If it was easy, everyone would look like Stacie Tovar (check her out below). But it's not easy, and I am proud of my hard work.

That is what I try to remind myself every time I see a commercial for cake or drive by a fast-food place and smell the wonderful fat that my french fries would be cooked in. Which is more important, temporary pleasure or long-term results? Don't get me wrong, some times temporary pleasure is more important, but I am trying to make those moments fewer and further between. I honestly believe it all comes down to mindset. If you're long-term health is a priority (and I believe it should be), always take a breath and ask yourself how important this food really is. If it's important, I am all about cheats, go ahead and enjoy it; but I think you'll find, you will want to turn it down and you'll thank yourself later. The bible tells us our body is not our own and that it is the temple of the Holy Ghost. We've been given a huge responsibility to take care of our bodies because they do belong to God. Hopefully, you'll treat your body well and honor God in doing so.

This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16:  
     "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
     Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
     Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
     You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of 
          the womb.
     You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. 
     Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!

Starting Over

So, I didn't realize it had been about a year since I had posted anything. I am now back and vow to be more committed to the blog. I want to share my struggles and triuimphs and everything in between in hopes to encourage those who read this. I want everyone to realize that they are not alone in anything. God promised that he would never leave us or forsake us, and I believe that includes the most mundane aspects of our every day lives. A big part of my life now if CrossFit Branson (CFB) and the challenge of being a trainer. I will be sharing tips and feelings about working out and nutrition. I hope this blog will be helpful, and I will always do my best to answer any questions any of you have.

Over the weekend, I read several articles about the advantages of the CrossFit Zone Diet, so I have decided to give it a shot. For the next four weeks, I am going to be as strict as possible in following the Zone diet and just see what kinds of results I get. Basically, the Zone features a menu where each meal is made up of protein, carbs and fats (yes, fat can be good!). I won't go into a lot of detail here, but if you want to read more, click here.

I am working on changing my attitude towards food. I grew up in a home where we ate constantly. My mom and both grandmas are incredible cooks, and I absolutely love food. I have found that if I am happy, I want food. If I am sad, I want food. If I a stressed, I want food. If I am award, well, you get the idea. I want to begin to look at food more as fuel for my body instead of an emotional thing. I am excited to see how my performance in the gym is affected and how I feel physically. I am hoping for more energy and hopefully increased strength - that's where a lot of hard work at CFB will come into play. I'll keep you posted on how it all goes!!

This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16: 
     "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
     Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
     Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
     You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of
          the womb.
     You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
     Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!
    

Who Am I?

This is a question I've been wrestling with recently, but it's been brewing since the end of August. That's when I left my job at KSPR so that I could actually see my husband and be a better wife and mom to my two step-daughters. I always told myself my job wouldn't be my identity; it would be part of who I was but not completely who I was. Well, I may not have done a very good job. For nearly six years, a big part of my identity was that I was a sports reporter then sports director. I felt like I had a purpose and I kinda knew who I was.

Now, I'm not so sure. I don't regret leaving - at all. My husband and my family will tell you I'm much, much happier since I left. Plus, we've learned to depend on God a lot more and not our paychecks or our own ability. There are definitely a ton of good things that have come, but lately I've started to feel like a stranger. I don't completely feel like I have something that's mine. Does that make me selfish? When I was working, I had my job and the material I put on tv. Then I would come home and my husband and I would talk about it. Now, I don't feel like I have anything. I do things around the house, but on a limited budget I'm limited in what I can do.

God has really been dealing with me about Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." That basically tells me to turn all the control over to God and let him lead me. That's really hard. The natural tendency is to try and figure things out in your head, but that's disobeying what he has said. I'm trying not to sit and figure out all the things I could be doing. I'm trying to pray and let him lead me.

I know he has plans for me. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5); and "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." The plans are clearly there and have been my whole life. I believe God has called me to big things, but now for the hard part - waiting for him to direct my path and show me what those plans are.

Dream a Little Dream for Me

It's funny. God will lead us to do something, we do it our way and then he finds a way to kind of steer us in his direction. Just after the first of the year, I felt like God was telling me to write a blog about daily things we face and how to deal with those things according to the bible. It took me a little bit, but I finally started. I only made three posts before I felt like I ran out of things to write about. Last week I was perusing Facebook when I came across a post from a woman I respect that was a link to her blog. I read it, and it was like God had shown me that to help steer me in a different direction. I definitely encourage you to read the blog at http://www.julimize.com/ - it is wonderful. So, there will be more posts from now on about more day-to-day things I think and deal with; and I'm sure I'm not the only one going through these things.

I love to daydream; I've always had a very active imagination. Lately I've found myself dreaming about what I want to be when I grow up. I know that sounds strange for an adult to say that, but it feels like it's true. When I was 17 I decided I wanted to be a sports journalist - that's all I've ever wanted to be. After God blessed me with an amazing husband and two beautiful step-daughters my career dreams began to change. It wasn't feasible to be working until 11 o'clock at night. Psalm 37:4 says delight yourself in the Lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart. I believe this works two ways - 1)if you want something and ask for it, God will answer your prayer and 2)God puts those desires in your heart.

I believe my daydreaming is a way God can lead me. There are some dreams I now have that a few years ago I would have laughed at. I'm not sure what direction God is taking me in, but I believe at least some of those dreams are a way of leading me. Right now my biggest dream is to own my own bakery. I would love to spend my day baking breads, cookies and cakes. I'm not a pastry chef (although I would love to be able to go back to school to be one!), but maybe I'm going to be able to use my love of baking to minister to people. I don't really know, but I can't wait to find out what path God has for me.

Since leaving KSPR in August, I don't really feel like I have much of a sense of what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, but I know God has plans for me. And the best part is, I don't have to figure it out! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me not to lean on my own understanding, but to acknowledge the Lord and he'll direct my paths. I just have to trust in him and let him lead me. And, I just get to keep on dreaming!!