Friday, January 25, 2013

Fit, Fabulous 40's Friday!


Today, I thought I would share a little about what I eat, 
and the journey I have been on and continue to be on, regarding nutrition.

I am NOT a nutritionist. 
I am an encourager, your personal cheer-leader and coach, 
and I'm just sharing what has worked for me, 
hoping that it will give you some sort of comfort knowing that most fit people 
really work at it.

I look at becoming "fit"similar to working towards a degree, or certification.
It is a process of consistently taking baby steps.




Remember "What About Bob?"
Bill Murray was great in this movie portraying someone with a ton of issues- 
he's neurotic.
I loved this movie because ALL of us have some issues
and 
we can empathize with Bob.
( I do have a few....hundred)

I think most of us really want to work on
"our stuff",
sometimes we just aren't sure how.


You must work towards becoming fit or healthy.
 Little by little, chipping away day by day, week by week, year by year.
It came slowly for me,
as I shared here,
but it came!

I had to start looking at how I was using food.
Not just for nourishment,
but for friendship, when I was feeling lonely or bored,
for comfort, when I was nervous,
and for protection, when I was fearful.


I also ate whatever I wanted, when I wanted,
and let's face it,
bad carbs taste the best!

The cool thing about my relationship w/ Jesus,
is that instead of going to food for comfort,
I can go to God.

2 Corinthians 1:3
 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort"


Baby Steps:
Let's start with three Simple Things

1. Correct Portions
How much?

2. BETTER choices.


3. Eat a portion of PROTEIN and a portion of CARBS at every meal/snack.
Eat ever 2-3 hours.



Start today-
I already wrote about your food journal here,
BE AWARE of what you are eating,
BE ACCOUNTABLE to yourself,
and
BE AWESOME!!!

Are you a pretty good eater?
What are some ways you want to improve your nutrition this year?


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Happy Birthday, Dad!


Yesterday would have been Dad's 80th Birthday.
Oh, you don't know Moe?
Moe was my dad who passed away almost 3 years ago.
If you go back to read the link, it was my very first experience blogging.
Pretty raw and emotional.

I hesitated to write about Dad yesterday, being MLK Day, and all.
But, it was his birthday, and we always celebrated it.
Happy Birthday, Dad - miss you. 
A lot.

Funny story:
When I was a 5th Grader at Montebello Intermediate School, 
I actually competed in the Annual Speech Contest and won. 
I said Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.  
Seriously!
Pretty funny, if you think about it.
Ten year old, chubby Japanese girl saying that speech.
I won.
Imagine that.
Makes me laugh when I think about it.

I hated public speaking, though. 
I wonder WHY I competed.
In fact, I had a lot of trophies and medals from competing in a lot of things.
Spelling Contests, Speech Contests, Handwriting Contests, Basketball Tournaments,
you name it, I competed in it. 
And I usually came out with some treasure.

I had to prove I was successful, I had to prove my worth.

The RESULT was more valuable than the PROCESS.
Dad passed 3 years ago.
I said a MLK speech 37ish years ago.
Have I changed? 
If change were miles, then I have gone around the world 2 or 3 times.
(at least- and really, really slowly)
In my "old age" I have learned that the PROCESS is more valuable than the RESULT.

"When you embrace, engage and enjoy in the PROCESS your results will be magnificent!"
(Janet Hertogh)

I believe that this holds true in parenting, relationships, anything creative, fitness, 
and life in general.

Kind of a scattered post- just my thoughts on this beautiful morning.
Feeling very blessed to have had my dad, still have my mom and crazy family.

How have you changed in the last 3 years, in the last 37? 
(if you are even that old!)

What are you feeling blessed for today?

Do everything you do today,
with LOVE!



Friday, January 18, 2013

Fit, Fabulous 4O's Friday!

Becoming Emotionally Fit:
        

This has been a struggle for me,
feeling beautiful,
that is.
Growing up, I never looked like the girls on TV or in the magazines, 
and the ones on TV or in the magazines all had blonde or light brown hair 
and they were all thin and had long legs.
I always wanted blonde hair.
Somehow, an asian with blonde hair was just so wrong in so many ways!

It has taken me a long, long time to really "get" that I am unique,
one-of-a-kind,
masterpiece.

How about you?

If I were to ask you right now "Are you beautiful/handsome?" what would you say?
Rather, what would your inner voice say?

Well, she/he is a liar!
I know what your voice is saying because mine says the same thing,
(NO!)
even though I actually DO think I am unique, one-of-a-kind and special gal.

What is it with us?
(women, especially)
Why is is so darn difficult to embrace our beauty?

In the Asian culture,
when growing up, my parents just wanted us to fit in.
We would never want to "stand out" in a crowd for any reason.
And beauty showed itself by being more of a timid and shy young lady-

I tried for a long time to embody this picture...


but I'm really more like this.
Seriously!

For many years I wondered what was wrong with me.
I never felt like I fit into my family.
Having a Sanguine personality in a Choleric culture did not rock.
Growing up,
I was never the "Smart One" like my big brother
or
the "Strong One" like my younger sister-
I was the "Loud One". 

No one told me this: 

Not only that, my mother never liked the bright colors I liked to wear,
how I would yell out the window if I thought I saw a friend walking down the street,
and she never approved of the RED Miata convertible I bought.
"It's soooooo red", she would say in disapproval.

I had some confidence in school because I was popular and outgoing,
and  I always had a boyfriend,
so
my confidence came from those things.


I went to college, got a teaching job and then my confidence came from my work.
I got married, then my confidence came from my husband.
I had my first child and left my job, my income, and most of my friends,
and
 what I thought my main purpose was-
consequently,
I lost the bulk of the confidence that I had.....

then I met Jesus.

HE gave me REAL CONFIDENCE.
Confidence in knowing I am loved...no matter how I look, how much I weigh,
 how much money I make, what kind of car I drive,
I. am. Loved.

And,
so. are. YOU.

Jesus-
He is not about whether you go to church or not,
He is not about what your background is or was,
He is not about where you live,
what you drive
what size or shape you are
or
how you look.

He is about LOVE.
He is LOVE.

As I opened my heart to feel His love,
and allowed it in,

I grew in confidence.
I grew in a lot of other areas, too.

I love being fit and healthy
but I'm fabulous
because I have confidence in a Savior,
the one true God.
Jesus.

"Your confidence is in Christ and Christ alone!"
Philippians 3:3


How is your confidence?


Have a wonderful weekend!



Monday, January 14, 2013

That was Quick!


Done so soon?

It's been two weeks of holding fast to my "resolutions" yet this morning I was on auto-pilot.
Eyes opened, realized I was up late, jumped out of bed, changed, fixed the children breakfast, pulled out their sandwiches from the fridge, cut up some fruit for their lunch, let the dog out to poop, kissed the boys goodbye, drove my  high schooler to school 
and
 on my way home I  suddenly realized that I had already forgotten about my goals and my resolutions.
One I made was to write  e v e r y d a y  after I read this article by Jeff Goins.

I'll admit that I know why this morning didn't start out how I wanted it to-
I didn't prepare last night. 
I didn't set the dang alarm to get me up early to have some quiet time with God and to write.
 :-(
I messed up.
Yup, that quick. Snap!

 I began thinking about how I could still do those things,
that I could go to the gym first, 
do my devotional
then write, if I had time.

Just then, a green Honda drove by me. 
I noticed the license plate of the car and the older blonde driving it. 
The license plate had this on in it, " CRE8 APG".

When I read it, ( I LOVE these kinds of things) I said to myself,
 "Create a page,
just
ONE page..."

For all I know, she could have meant entirely something else, 
but I believe that was the message...
from God....
to me.

But why did I need that reinforcement?
I need to write everyday because I know it will help me with this craft.
I'm pretty disciplined, 
but I'll admit that writing was slowly falling d
                                                                                           o
                                                                                               w
                                                                                                    n 

my list of priorities for today.

Epic fail......





I did not give up on the entire rest of the day!

So, I did what every woman who has to regroup does,

I put my Big Girl Panties on
and
 I got back up!

Thank you, God for that message.
It was a promise I made for myself that You want me to keep.

"Keep on beginning and failing.
Each time you fail, start all over again,
and you will grown stronger until you have accomplished a purpose-
not the one you began with perhaps,
but one you'll be glad to remember."
Ben Stein


What about you?
Have you given up on any of your resolutions already? 
( I'm not judging...)

Give yourself some grace and forgiveness 
(God does,so why are we often so hard on ourselves?)
and start all over again,
and again,
and again
and 
again.

Isaiah 43:19 says:


"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

So, here it is,
my one page.

When failure knocks you over today,
put on your BIG GIRL panties 
or your
BIG BOY undies
and
get back up!!!





Friday, January 11, 2013

Fit, Fabulous 40's Friday!




















A New Year, a NEW YOU!

If you haven't worked out in a few years, months, or even a few weeks or days, 
sometimes the most difficult part is just starting!

Starting something new or different can be challenging for most,
exciting for some, 
but
it is determined by your perspective.


“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want.
You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. 
We can make the best or the worst of it. 
I hope you make the best of it. 
And I hope you see things that startle you. 
I hope you feel things you never felt before. 
I hope you meet people with a different point of view. 
I hope you live a life you’re proud of. 
If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 



It's NEVER too late to change...


I don't like change, I'll admit it. I like to learn something, get good at it, then keep doing it.
I love weight training and have seen amazing results, but I know that it is good to change your routine. This may be as little as changing the order that you usually perform your exercises, 
or it may mean increasing weight or reps.



It's also great to try different classes and types of exercises.

Let's make some mistakes together this year!

 Let's do some things we have never done before!


Instead of only walking, add some skipping or jogging or sprints!
Instead of going to the same class at the same time to see the same people, 
try a different class at a different time!
Instead of making exercise the LAST thing on your list, 
make it the FIRST thing so that you are finished 
by 11:00 a.m!

And here's the thing,
this doesn't only apply to fitness.

This applies to other areas of our lives that we need to focus on.
Maybe you need to be better at listening to others.
Maybe you need to be better at being flexible!
Maybe you need to be better at dealing with anger.
Maybe you need to be better at ......you fill in the blank!

I believe that God made us in His image and we, as humans, mess things up.
we over eat and/or eat the wrong things, 
we can make wrong choices for wrong reasons,
we can do things impulsively that we maybe should not have done.

This is not just about fitness,
this is about life.
My life,
Your life.


I like competition, 
but when it comes to being me,
I need not compete
except 
with myself.

This goes for YOU, too.

The goal is to be a BETTER me
and a better YOU-
every. darn. day.


Let's strive for being the person we wanted to be last year - 
THIS year.

What are you working on being better at this year?


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Living The Best of Your Life!



I am so grateful for each new day!

I've been pretty good so far regarding taking small steps each day
towards my goals for the year.

But one question for you -

are the goals that you have set for yourself going to add positively to your life, 
for the rest of your life?

After going to church this weekend,
there was talk about resolutions-
actually

One of my favorite words ever:
transformation.


One of my very favorite verses:

Romans 12:1-2

New Living Translation (NLT)

A Living Sacrifice to God

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,
[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all 
he has done for you. 
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. 
This is truly the way to worship him.[b]
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,
but let God transform you into a new person by 
changing the way you think. 
Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, 
which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Instead of making resolutions for 
this year,
what about making
resolutions that will add to the 
rest of your life?

For some reason, 
I was able to see this differently this year.

 My vision 

E     X     P     A     N     D     E    D. 


As I made my resolutions/goals,
I was able to see how each one of them will benefit my
growth, change 
and 
transformation
to the person God wants me to be.

I am able to see my life in a 
life long
perspective
vs.
year to year.

Here are a couple of my goals and how I'm looking at the lifelong benefits:

 I yearn to grow in the Lord and learn more about and absorb his word and we (as a family)
will be memorizing more verses.
We will be starting with Ann Voskamp's memory practice sheets for 

I desire to stay fit and increase my running times/speed,
so I'm training for the Huntington Beach 1/2 Marathon 
                                                       and will do the OC 1/2 Marathon.

My goal to write a book....
someday,
(with this guy's guidance)
which will be the result of writing everyday of this year
if I could just win this battle:
I've got to write..
one word or 500, 
or something in the middle!
(I think I had previously posted 500 
which is a lot more than I thought it was!)
and realistically, 
I could do at least one word every day,
right?
:-)

I will focus on loving people
not things,
prioritizing my family and friends.

I've actually purchased note cards and will send at least one card out a week.
Send me your address and I'll write you 
a
hand-written note!



I even signed up for this!
Imagine receiving a letter through snail mail!
Imagine!


What IF God could really transform you this year?


He can
if 
you
let 
Him.

Let him.

Have the best day ever!



Friday, January 4, 2013

Fit, Fabulous 40's Friday!

Friday already?
I don't know about you, but when I'm on vacation, I never know what day it is!

I've got some big plans for 2013, how about you?

I've just signed up for this amazing course by Jeff Goins, called  
and was reading some of his fabulous resources when I noticed the time, 
12:11 am and the day, 
Friday
January 4th.

I immediately thought about my "Fitness Friday"(which I have been slacking on)
 and then remembered being surprised by the amount of NEW followers to my 
Pinterest page 
(check it out)
that I titled,
which meant that people are wanting some " Pinspiration"
 regarding fitness for the New Year!

Then, while on Facebook tonight,
I had a semi-conversation on my New Year's Eve pic regarding my arms.
I'm not super buffed, even though one of my friends calls me, "Buff Girl".
I just work hard to stay fit. 
And it is, 
hard work to stay fit!


I've shared my arms workout many, many times, but there is a catch.
You've got to do it....and keep doing it,
for a long,
long time!
  

Persistence...
And by the way, 
you've also got to work out the other parts of your body 
while you are working towards those arms!
But, there will be benefits!

I wish it were easy and quick, 
but nothing worth working for comes easy.
BUT,
 I KNOW 
it is possible- 
I'm just like you.

Really, I am.
And, I KNOW 
that if I can do it, 
you can do it, too!




Here are some things I would suggest before starting any health and nutrition plan:

1. Make sure you are healthy.
 When was the last time you got a thorough physical?
 Don't remember?
 GET ONE!
You will find out where  you are- and what you might have to work on- heart, fat, muscle, strength

2. Realize WHY you want to work out?
What will get you there even when you do not want to go?
I'll be honest. I am vain.
I want to look the best I can possibly look right now.
I want to be happy with who I see in the mirror.
Maybe for you, it's getting off medication, or wanting to feel better, or have more energy?
(do you really think I enjoyed waking up at 4:40 a.m. to get to the gym and shower before work? )

3. What foods do I need to stop placing into my mouth?
YOU feed yourself- not good or bad- just take responsibility and then decide to stop eating one type of food that you shouldn't be- take one food away for a week, then the next week stop eating something else, etc.  You can just tell yourself, "I don't eat that anymore" or "I'm not eating it until I lose "x" amount of weight"
I used to put my Hot Tamales in the freezer, so I knew they were there, but I was simply making a choice to save them for later.

4. Get Support
Who will be your cheerleader outside of ME?
I will cheer you on, for sure, but who else? Who will hold you accountable, encourage you, etc. Research has shown that you will get better results if you are accountable to someone.
Tell a good friend that you want to work on your health this year and I'm sure he/she will support you.

5. Learn how to eat - read/ ask/ research!
Fact: fit/lean people eat differently than overweight, obese people.
I'd be happy to help you- this website can help and there are many more out there!
We learned how/what to eat growing up, and I'll admit that I had to "clean my plate" because "there were starving children in China". I can still clean my plate, but I don't have to  have a man-sized serving!
You can also go here for some ideas/recipes....baby steps!



6. Learn about exercise and fitness- read/ask/research!
I'd be happy to help you here, too! Seriously, just ask!
I also get workout ideas from   :http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/





What I do is fairly simple, 
I've just kept doing it for a long, long time.

I've also had others help me here and there.
An old friend, gave me my arm workout ( called 21's )
 which came from Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding book!

I had other friends at the gym give me tips here and there that have helped.
I've also read, researched and asked others what they do!



Here is the truth- 
YOU have to decide that YOU are going to change  
your mentality regarding your body 
before your body is going to change. 
It will NOT happen in one day, 
one week 
or 
even one month. 

You have got to be in this for life-
you may be saving YOURS!

Remember,
to just keep going!

What is the most difficult part to starting a new health plan for YOU?

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

Goodbye 2012-
Hello 2013!


Imagine that-
a new blank page.

Ahhhhh,
whatever happened in 2012 is gone.

Still remembered, 
but gone.

I love the thought of a new year.

Yes, I usually do this every year :



and I've done it already with 2013 in mind, 
but this year will be different.

How?

Well, I think goals are important,
however,
I believe what is MORE important
is the process and journey that we are in and on to achieve our goals.

I believe that giving God the glory for each and every goal set and achieved 
is 
what's important.

I believe that as we strive to deepen our relationship with God,
we change,
we become stronger,
more able,
through 
HIS strength
and
HIS power.

By our surrender to HIS strength and power,
we are allowed access to it.

My #1 goal for 2013 is to grow in a much deeper, 
closer, 
more intimate relationship with God.

When I do that first,
then I truly believe that my goals will 
be achieved with much more 
JOY 
this year.


My list of goals:


#1: Growing in a deeper relationship with God
through daily prayer/meditation,
memorizing a verse each week




# 2 : Continue to prioritize my relationships w/my spouse
and children through quality time w/each member, each week. 




#3 : Write daily
500+ words a day
(gotta start somewhere)




#4 : 2 or more 1/2 Marathons,
beating my own times.




#5 : Maintain my fitness routine
through 5 days @week workouts

#6 : Count my blessings each and every day!



What are your goals and priorities for 2013?
Don't have any?
Still thinking about them?

Want to join me and my friend, Mary DeMuth and 
work on a 
for
 2013?


How can I pray for you?