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  

Tribe Writers 

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,

  "Things That Inspire Me to Stay Strong", 

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?

Friendship Friday!

Thank God for Friendship!!

God created us to be in relationships with others 

and with Him.

 We visited our friends Gordon and Lynn this last week in Paso Robles.

Here is Gordon while we visited Cayucos Beach.

This is Lynn, his wife and I.

We have know Gordon and Lynn for about 10 years. 

We lived next door to them for about 4 years and became good friends.

Their children are about my age 

and 

their grandchildren are about the same age as my children.

When we first moved next door to them,

Gordon wasn't the most approachable.

He'd sit in his garage, with a cigarette and a cup of coffee and 
watch the neighbors come and go.

One day, as my little ones got out of the car, they ran over to him as he was sitting there.

I thought, "Uh oh- gulp".
I wasn't quite ready to meet our new neighbor.

As I approached his garage, with my kids playing with anything they could find in there, 

he got up from his chair and walked into the house.

"Come on, you guys", 

I said to the kids, so we could get out of there before he was angered or upset.

But before I could gather the two little ones,

Gordon walked out with one hand in a fist.

He wasn't smiling, 
but I was.

(nervously)

"Oh my gosh. Am I in trouble!",

I thought.

He came closer and opened his large hand towards me

and in it...

were 4 gummy bears!

He asked me if he could give them to the kids 

and

we have been great friends ever since.

I speak on "Friendship"occasionally, and I talk about Gordon and Lynn,

but mostly Gordon.

It would have been easy to keep waving and walking,

never stopping to chat,

engage,

or

exchange a word of two,

as

that's what most of us do.

What would a 60-something, retired, wood-floor-laying man

want

with a

30-something, retired-teacher, new-mom-of-two?

Friendship!

We LOVE this couple and their families 

and make an effort to visit them every year.

They have shared their wisdom, guidance, support, love, honesty, 

fun & a lot of laughs!

Proverbs 17:17 

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (NIV)

It would have been easy for me to have not risked 

and

kept my distance, 

but I am 

SO GLAD

that I didn't.

I count each one of my friendships as blessings-
every single one of them.

What about you?

Is there a friendship in your life that came as a surprise to you?

Have a FUNtastic Friday!

"

SPARK Ministry

SPARK MINISTRY RETREAT

Last weekend I was a part of an amazing ministry- SPARK Ministry.

Serving

People

And

Reflecting

Kindness

I heard about this ministry in September through a friend I was working with in Dallas.

She told me that she, and a large group of women from her church, were coming out to California to serve women in a Homeless Shelter. The shelter is located about an hour north of where I live so I told her I would love to drive up and help out how I could.

After all, THEY were flying out from Texas and I live here, so why couldn't I help?

I had no idea what I was in for!

This weekend was POWER-FULL!

I must admit I was scared...

I've never done this before....I didn't know what to expect...HOW could I help?...how could I possibly minister to these women (they had been through so much)...I won't know the rest of the group...what if I do something wrong?

As I drove up the dirt hill, I drove past dumpsters, old cars and some old looking garages and bungalows...SCARY!

I came around a corner and saw a gate. As I drove up to the gate, I could see just past it into a nice driveway which passed a building where a few women were sitting in front of. The guard let me in and I must say I was surprised.

The grounds were BEAUTIFUL...peaceful and lush.

This was a safe-haven for women and some children to live in safety.

The Shelter not only provides physical shelter from abusive spouses, but provides emotional shelter where women can heal from the emotional scars as well as recovery from substance abuse and/or prostitution.

The Shelter itself is a Ministry...what a blessing not just for the women...but for their children.

The weekend was filled with small group time, to build relationships through discussion, crafts, food, laughter and fun.

SPARK Ministry comes in and makes these women feel loved...unconditionally loved, where every woman there is on the same level. We ALL wore the same shirts during the weekend.

The SPARK volunteers, staff and residents all worked and played together.

There was a day of pampering on a ranch in Wrightwood...we played relay games and later made S'Mores.

Our final day was amazing- we made Sunday brunch, had a lesson on The Lord's Prayer and then covered our Buddy with prayer verbally, then covered them with a Prayer Blanket that they could keep.

Not a dry eye in the house...

What a blessing and honor to serve with these ladies from SPARK Ministy.

Thank you to MOLLY, who founded the ministry a few years ago.

And a big THANK YOU to my dear friends who sponsored a "Sister" in the shelter so that she could get the shirts, food and gifts!

Charlotte adopted Sara

Bonnie adopted Jessica (staffer)

Rena adopted La Tonja (staffer)

Sharon adopted Laura (staffer)

Nancy adopted Sheri

Susan adopted Sherry

Rhonda adopted Takeisha

Lorna adopted Jackie (staffer)

YOU LADIES made this weekend special for these women!!! THANK YOU again, for your support and prayers!!

You're joining me next time SPARK comes to California!