Fit, Fabulous, 40's, Friday

Happy FRIDAY!!

"3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Romans 5:3-5 (NET)

On Wednesday night at our Cross Fitness Class,

I shared this verse.

Sufferings, challenges, trials, the yucky stuff of life.

We all  have them, and if you don't, praise God -  and then just wait a few days.

 When God says here that we rejoice in sufferings, 

He is acknowledging that 

suffering WILL happen,

problems WILL occur,

challenges WILL stop us in our tracks,

but there is a bigger picture, here.

As we go through suffering,

problems and challenges, remember a couple of things:

1) we are never alone facing it

2)God is doing something deeper in us as we go through the suffering,

deal with the problem and wrestle with our challenges.

He is doing some heart and soul work-

He is strengthening us for bigger battles.

Sure, you can totally AVOID going through, dealing and wrestling,

but it's as though God continues to have us go into the same battle over and over until we work THROUGH it. Can I hear an, "Amen"?

So, the answer is to walk through them.

Yes, easy for me to say and put out there -

but I know it to be true.

As we struggle, suffer, wrestle and deal with problems and trials,

God is using these situations to build character, 

make us stronger.

This totally applies to our physical bodies, as well.

As we challenge our bodies to work hard, say "no" to foods when we are not hungry,

push ourselves to exercise, go that extra mile,

say "yes" to what we know is best for our bodies, 

we are building strength physically as well as mentally and spiritually.

During one of the darkest times of my life, when my girlfriend, father and a mentor passed away within 6 months of each other,

I chose NOT to battle.

I chose to do what was easier- have a pity party, isolate myself and get mad at God.

My head knew what I should be doing-fighting through it

but my heart was so broken and I felt so defeated, I had no energy to battle.

All the while, God was waiting...

and waiting....

and waiting....

It took a series of unfortunate events that landed me flat on the floor-

ashamed, guilty and defeated.
Yup, I am so totally human, and grateful that I came to my senses.

I realized where I was- in the pit and although I felt as though no one would "help me get out", I put myself there and CHOSE to stay there.

So, I decided to take responsibility and had faith that I could turn things around.
I put on my Big-Girl panties on, wiped my tears, put my boxing gloves on to have another go at it-

I knew I had to run back into His arms and when I did,

I was overwhelmed with forgiveness and unconditional love. Not just from God, but from those closest to me that I hurt.

I realized that God was doing something in me and through me, and He grew me spiritually as I spent time with Him, 

praying, 

listening and 

reading His word.

The struggle produced strength to endure more, it built my character, humbled me and gives me hope that I am loved even though I am still so very far from being perfect.

What struggle are you going through?

Facing a trial that seems overwhelming?

Feel like you just can't push anymore?

Feel defeated?  

I have a solution: Trust God. How?

Pray- talk or yell out to God.

Read- His word, the Bible. 

Listen- the hardest part for me, to BE still, sit and call upon the Lord.
Journal....record what comes up....what did He say in the quietness?

The older I get the more I realize that God has and IS EVERYTHING we need, 
if we just 
ask, seek, listen, and then do - 
or sometimes, don't do! Ha ha!

He loves you and me so very much that He wants us to grow to become more like Him and we all know that He carried the biggest burden for us- our sin, out of His love for us.

You are not suffering, battling or wrestling alone. 

You have the One who is with you, who is never changing, who has always loved you and loves you now.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my friend reading this. I pray Father, that you would shed some light in their darkness, share some joy in their pain, and Father, give them some HOPE in this time of struggle. I pray for endurance and the character to do what is right, and I pray for confirmation for my friend, that they are on the right path to becoming victorious over this battle. And if it does continue, Lord, that  they would continue to lean into You for the strength they need, the encouragement they need and the power of the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work in them.

I love you, Lord, and thank you for this reader and what she/he is going through and how you are doing a good work in them.

In Jesus' name I pray, 

Amen

How can I pray for your struggle?

Have you ever battled and have seen God's hand in it?

What is a challenge in your life right now?

Be blessed,

Happy First Day of School!

Hi there!

I know, you thought (hoped) I was never going to post again, right?

HA!

Gotcha!

It was a long and wonderful summer filled with lazy days and a lot of laughter!

But of course, 

time marches on and here we are-

Back 2 School!

For Team Hertogh, 

today is the first day of school for the 2013-2014 school year.

Here are my 3 Blessings!

Just yesterday they were like this...

well, more than one day- many years!

(wipe tear)

Most of the population begins the New Year on January 1st,

but for me,

after 11 years of teaching, 

(that does not include 2 years of being a Teacher's Aide, 1 year of Student Teaching

and 7 years of Substitute teaching)

MY year always begins NOW!

I set goals for the year,

think about what the kids are going to learn and accomplish this year,

and prayerfully consider what Jesus wants me to pursue,

focus on and walk towards.

It doesn't always turn out the way I planned-

in fact, it usually doesn't,

so I lay expectations down and surrender what I think so I can hear what He thinks.

ONE thing we can do for our children EVERYday is to pray for them, 

each child-specifically.

(their friendships, academics, self-talk, covering for protection of what they hear,

who they let into their lives, mental and spiritual protection)

If it sounds overwhelming- 

yet as a parent,

our children are our FIRST ministry from God.

And whether your children are babies or adults,

you can and should feel privileged to continue praying for them.

As I pray for them today, I am also praying for their futures-

their jobs, ministry, relationships 

and

thanking God in advance for all that He IS doing and WILL be doing.

My prayer for YOU today-

that you would spend MORE time with God this year-

in HIS word,

sitting with HIM,

chatting or going deep with HIM,

and listening to HIM,

and for Pete's sake,

SLOW the heck down!!

This devotional from HomeWord was really good about slowing down-

also,

Doug Fields, one of my favorite Teachers/Speakers

wrote another good one regarding families Here

called, "Busyness Doesn't Satisfy".

We move too fast and focus on so many things that will not be important in 

5, 10 or 20 years.

One thing I know for sure-

OUR children are out there-

and without prayer,

there is no protection or covering.

Can bad things still happen?

Absolutely,

but I know our prayers are heard by God.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:

1. Journal your prayers to God (as if writing Him a letter)

2. Go through one of the books of the Bible (Psalms, Proverbs)

*read a sentence or paragraph and ask yourself what God is trying to say to you*

3. Purchase a Devotional such as Jesus Calling- read and write out your reflection or pray,

Stormie Omartian also has many great books on praying for your family. 

4. With all this technology- you can Google "prayer" to find blogs discussing prayer

5.Ask someone in your church for some help in this area ( an older attender or friend)

6. Use the Acronym, "ACTS" to get started.

(A-Acknowledge God for who He is

C-Confession of our sin

T-Thanksgiving for all He is doing and has done and will do

S-Supplication- where we come humbly to HIm with all of our requests through prayer

6.You can also find a local prayer group like Moms In Prayer,

 (used to be called Moms In Touch)

or start your own!

7. Allocate time EVERY day to pray -priorities are put in the calendar!

(something is ALWAYS better than nothing! Start with 5-10 min)

8. Don't guilt yourself into doing it- this is precious time spent with Jesus,

I look forward to being filled and fed by His Spirit,

but it was not always like this, do it and you will see fruit!

Though we will go through difficult and challenging times,

knowing that there is a purpose and opportunity for growth during those times and knowing that

We have God covering us, Jesus beside us 

and the Holy Spirit within us,

gives us an assurance and a peace that we cannot explain.

Dear Lord,

THANK YOU for this beautiful day!

Thank you, 

that I can come to you with all of my concerns, wishes and worries

and ask that you carry them for me!

I ask Lord, 

that you would do the same for my friend reading this today-

that my friend would be filled by a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Phil 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I pray that my friend would have a JOY that only YOU can give through your Spirit!

I pray that this school year would be incredible for our children,

knowing that YOU have their lives and futures under control!

I also pray that this year would be a year that we all grow closer to you-

that we would lean into you for ALL of our needs-

physical, emotional, relational and spiritual

because you, Father,

are the Provider of all.

I love you Lord, and the friend reading this.

Please bless my friend and bless all who pass through this post!

Remember,

it's NEVER TOO LATE to start praying for your children,

to start all over, 

or

to try something new!

Do you pray?

If so, how do you pray?

What is your process?

PLEASE share!!

HOW can I pray for you?

Love & Blessings-

Motivational Monday

Just Because We CAN Do Something Doesn't Mean We Should....

I have been having the BEST time this summer, 
how about you?

 I wanted to share with you about my new opportunity to serve my church.

I was asked to teach a Cross Fitness class on our church campus every Wednesday night and 

I am absolutely having a blast! 

Since my usual speaking/teaching ministry during the year is through the school year, 

and my summer is free, I thought I would say "Yes" to this.

The first night was great- there were about 12 or so people who showed up and then the following week, it was about the same.

This week we had a large group, very mixed, FUN group!

Thank you all for coming!

Here are some pics-

Fitness seems to be the new buzzword and people are becoming so much more aware of their health!

Many of us are getting fit in the area by taking some of the classes at Saddleback,

shoot, they offer something everyday- 

Yoga on Mondays and Wednesday mornings,
 Zumba on Tuesday nights, 
MY CLASS "The Cross Fitness" class on Wednesday nights, 
Cardio Kick-boxing on Thursday nights 
and I''m not sure what is on Fridays, 
but on Saturday mornings there is another Boot Camp taught by Tony Lattimore- 

ALL FOR FREEEEEEEE!!!

Anyhow, this week I was thinking about The Cross Fitness Class and how hard we all worked,
 and that if we only work out and don't change our eating, 

we may get stronger and have more endurance,
 but it is the food that is the BIG game changer.

I've also had a couple of the gals ask me about food /snacks and there are so many ideas in my head about where to start, that I decided to make a list of flat out "NO's".

Absolute NO's.....

If you want to change your body, you will have to change what you feed it- 

To change what you feed it, 
your desire to change must outweigh your desire to stay the same, 

or the desire for comfort-

I get it- 

we eat what we like, 

but IF you want to make some changes and to want lose some of the reason you may have high blood pressure, or shortness of breath, or get taken off some of that medication, or you just want to lose some body fat, you have got to make a decision that you are going to say "NO!"
You will have to say, "NO"  to some of the things you used to say "yes" to.

And the funny thing- 

 I wonder why there has to be a LAW to have people wear a seat belt.

Why wouldn't you if you know it would potentially save your life if you were in an accident?

Why would you smoke if you know it causes lung cancer not only in you, 

but in anyone that breathes your smoke?

Why do I eat fried food when the oil and fat outweigh any benefit to eating that food?

Because WE want to, and we CAN, and we have NO reason NOT to.....

No one is going to stop you from buying that "ka-ka", 

it is all about money.

You eat poorly, you keep the fast food restaurants, doctors and pharmacies in business.

I hope this makes you mad,

mad enough to do something about it-

I got that mad.

I care about my body, my children's bodies, my husband's body, 
so I decided to make some adjustments to what I provide in my home. 

 I am responsible for 99% of what my family eats and so are you- so think about that.....

if your child is overweight,

 think about what is in your cupboards. 

What YOU have put in YOUR cupboards and YOUR family are feeding themselves with....
There is a battle going on!

Enough of my mini-rant-  

Top 10 Edibles You Should Say "NO" To:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup - this is bad stuff
2. Fried Foods- they make them taste good with all the bad stuff
3. Sugar-white sugar is so bad- all candy, etc.
4. Corn- yes- look into it- corn turns into some kind of poison in your body!
5. Soda- ALL soda, diet, too.
6.White Flour- anything that has flour in it!( breads, cakes, pastries, donuts, crackers)
7. Hydrogenated oil- use coconut oil
8. Margarine 
9.Fatty beef- go for lean turkey or chicken
10. Ice Cream- change it for a Skinny Cow or Non-fat chocolate pudding w/whipped cream!
11. Potato chips (or corn chips)- too much salt, and yes, I DO know how good these bad boys taste!

12. GMO's - genetically manufactured organisms, it even sounds gross. Yes, they are added into so many foods that what we are eating today is drastically different than the food we used to eat.

Here are some things you should say "YES" To:

1. Blueberries- ALL berries!!
2. ALL green leafies- letttuce, romaine, kale,  not too much dressing but enough to make them edible!
3.Salmon/tuna
4. Nuts (almonds & walnuts are the best) in moderation
5. Water, lots and lots- add lemon, orange to add to the enjoyment!
6. Chia seed or Flax seed 
7. Wheat flour
8. Brown rice or even better, Quinoa - soooo good!
9.Protein Bars- always have one in your purse of bag in case of an emergency
10. Greek Yogurt- yum! It has protein in it, too!
11. Oatmeal- I eat this with Chia/blueberries EVERY morning!
12. Protein shakes- I drink a shake every morning and after every workout! (feeds your muscles!)
13. Pop chips, Rice chips as an alternative to potato chips/corn chips

I'm doing a study on Nehemiah and in the chapter we are studying, Nehemiah had a job that provided food and drink that the King was accessible to - but because his people were having to suffer so the King could have all he had, 

Nehemiah decided he wouldn't eat the food the King ate or drink what the King drank. 

He would eat what his people were eating.

Just because he COULD indulge didn't mean he HAD TO.

We eat so much that we don't NEED- I'll be the first to admit it.

A box of Hot Tamales is $1.00, not a lot of money for something that gives me pleasure. 

But as  got to thinking about that- I realized that the pleasure I receive is temporary- 

it provides me with no real nutritional value and cost me a dollar. 

Do I NEED my Hot Tamales? 

Maybe once a month I can justify it (during that time), but really, no, I don't.  

So I reaaaaaallllly try to only eat them when someone gives them to me, 

which is usually a gift.

So what about you? 

What do you think you might need to say "NO" to today- 

just one item on this list will get you started.

 Stick with that for a week and see what happens.

Then add another- this is a list that my family sticks to pretty good,

 but I am by all means NOT a legalist when it comes to life. 

When we are at a party, the kids can drink soda, but it is not an everyday thing- 

fried foods maybe once every two weeks, if that.

If I can do it- so can you.

I grew up in a home where there were chips in the cupboard and snacks all around!

I've had to change what I put into my cupboards so that I can change what goes into the mouths of the people I love!

Here is my prayer for you:

Father God,

Thank you for this reader and friend!

Thank you for his/her body, mind and spirit.

Lord, 

we come to you today to ask for your wisdom, for your power and your spirit of discipline that you freely share with us when we believe.

I ask that this reader would feel convicted today to "give up" something that he/she has been eating 

that is not edifying to the body you have given him/her.

I pray that your Sprit would move him/her to release the selfish desire to fill him/herself with something that is not healthy or beneficial to his/her body,

but would choose to feed his/her body with

only foods that are nutritious and beneficial to his/her body.

I ask this in Jesus' Holy name!

Amen!

Think about it-

What will you give up this week?

What can you really live without?

Is God prompting you to give up something you don't need?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Have a blessed day!

Fit, Fabulous, 40's, Friday

YAY!

Good morning!

Hope you are as excited as I am today!

Yesterday the topic of "Change" and "Being Uncomfortable" came up at least 3 times, 

and all

in regards to exercise and fitness.

This beautiful blonde in my bible study asked what kinds of workouts I did. 

She noticed my arms and thought that I looked fit.

Now, I'm going to let you in on a secret-

every week that I saw her, I thought,

"She's so pretty and lean."

She runs.

She runs with a few of the gals that I know-

I used to call them the "Skinny blonde girls" at the gym,

because everyone gets a nickname there,

 right?

(I'm not proud that I do that, but it is the way I recognize the regulars at the gym

and in my mind, I am secretly saying "hello" to them.

Here are just a few of mine,

"Thunder Thighs"-a man, believe it or not!

The Hispanic Running Man

The Hat Girl

The Future Fitness Competitor...

I can only imagine what people are labeling me- 

The Loud Asian Girl/Lady

The Girl that Laughs Loud)

Getting back to the question that the pretty blonde asked me,

"What do you do?"

(I've been asked that quite a few times before- at the market (Tara),  Target, the gym, etc)

Before I could respond, she said,

"You lift weights, huh?"

I said,

"Yes, I do! I do cardio, too and have been focusing on it more because summer is coming".

So, what does that have to do with change?

I am really making an effort to change up my routine.

I think I may be in a rut.

 

Are you?

I like the idea of knowing what I"m doing each day of the week,

which body part I'm working, cardio, etc.

It's predictable.

Safe.

I KNOW it and I like it that way!

However,

my body is not responding to my work out the way it did years ago.

In fact, 

I put on a few L.B.s

and THAT, I don't like.

Oh, and summer, bathing suits, shorts...skin...

so,

I'm forcing myself to rev up the cardio and yes, I'm changing my workout a bit.

I want it more than the fear of being uncomfortable...

Whenever there is change you can expect some uncomfortableness. 

Is that even a word?

And yes,

So here I am,

making some changes.

Jillian Michaels says, "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable".

So,

I've been running more and believe it or not,

I'm changing up my routine.

Here are five ways you can change your routine:

1. Reverse the order of your routine

Your body gets used to the same routine, same order, same weight, etc. 

Go backwards!

2. Add one new machine or exercise to what you already do

ASK someone (who seems legit, errr, knowledgable, a trainer or google) for a new exercise to add to what you are already working on.

3. Focus on FORM over FUNCTION

Do your routine super slow, focusing on the muscle,

technique, technique, technique!

4. Workout with someone

Working out with someone is great to change things up, 

you will get new ideas and inspiration.

5.Double your cardio or try a new machine

I am an advocate for cardio!

Go for a run OUTside, or do some sprints in the gym, or high legs or Killers-

 If you are working hard through your weight workout, 

you will keep your heart rate up, but there are very few who do-

(because of chatting, not going heavy enough, etc)

So,

DO CARDIO-

it is good for you!

6. **Here is an extra one-**

TRY a new class!

I just started teaching a Fit Camp @ Saddleback Church on Wednesday nights for FREEEEEEE-

the church also has Zumba on Tuesday nights and Cardio Kickboxing on Thursday nights

 (if you are local)as part of the Daniel Plan!

Come on out!!

What do you want to try this next week?

How will you change your routine?

Maybe you need to start one?

Need suggestions? Email me!

Just GET MOVING!!

Have a blessed day!