Little kids and Ducks...and a Mama who needs to keep moving!

I didn't post yesterday because I realized it made a whole lot more sense to let you know what we actually got done rather than what we were hoping to.  I'm definitely the mother of one of those families whose best laid plans rarely fall in line with reality.  So here is what we did yesterday to feed our souls and move our bodies...

Bible Reading:  Genesis 7-12

Character Focus:  Proverbs 2 (emphasis on faithfulness)

Memory Verse:  Psalms 1: 1-3 (this will be the same all week)

Fitness:  The 3 oldest boys wanted to go to the Y to use the weights and equipment and play basketball.  So the girls, little boys and I dropped them off and headed to the park.  It has some really neat exercise equipment and the kids had a great time using it...

We decided on getting in 3 miles of walking so we left the equipment behind and started our laps around the park.  We let the little guys walk some but then allowed them to retreat to the stroller after awhile.

Ducks were a good excuse to take a breather...

We stayed at the park for nearly 2 hours until it was time to go fetch our big boys.  It was a beautiful (hot) day...pay no attention to the little girl who started out in long sleeves and long pants!...and we all arrived back home feeling good about our efforts and time spent together.

Maybe you don't have a park with cool exercise equipment or a walking path around a pretty setting.  Just figure out what you do have and make good use of it.  Exercise doesn't have to always even look like exercise...just get your body moving.  And take your kids with you when you can!

Family AND Fitness

I've been on and off the fitness wagon, using my kids as an excuse every time I've hopped off.  I simply can't afford to be making excuses.  But I also can't allow fitness to creep in and steal my time with the Lord.  There seems to be only one solution:  get the family involved.

So that is the plan and it starts today.  I'm determined to get back into running and that is something I will occasionally do on my own or with just my oldest son.  But aside from that, I have every intention of getting my family to move...both through the Word  and physical activity.

We are beginning a 6 month Bible reading plan today.  This is faster paced but is an excellent way to familiarize with the books of the Bible to aide in deeper study later.  We are also going to be focusing more on Scripture memorization.

Here is the plan for today:

Bible Reading:  Genesis 1-6

Character Focus in Family Worship:  Faithfulness (we'll be reading a chapter of Proverbs each day and discussing)

Memory Verse:  Psalm 1: 1-3

Fitness Plan:  Run 3 miles (with my 15yo son as my partner)

  Everyone>  {You can google any of the exercises below that you aren't familiar with}

                      30 pushups, divided into sets of 10
                      30 crunches, divided into 2 sets of 15
                      10 burpees
                      1 minute of "booty" kicks
                      1 minute of mountain climbers
                      Evening walk of at least two miles, toddlers to walk/ride
 

Slacker mom saved by husband and teenage son

I have good intentions, really I do.  And I have lots of excuses, too, in case you were wondering.  I want to eat well and drink plenty of water and stay on top of my workouts.  And I want to be able to do all that, even while maintaining that prime slot of time for the Lord each morning.

But the truth is, I am tired.  My body has been through the ringer over the past two years and I am mostly in denial about the fact that this is a slow process.  Most mornings it's a challenge just to get out of bed.  Last week, the doctors ruled out cancer.  That's a big plus the way I see things.  With a treatment plan well under way for what they didn't rule out, it's time to take myself in hand and get healthy again.

First things first.  I'm a Coke addict.  It's the legal kind of Coke, though I'm not sure it should be.  That stuff is pure poison in a pretty red-labeled bottle.

Enter my husband.  He's typically such a nice guy who spoils me rotten and dotes on me like a princess.  So there was absolutely no warning when he went all psycho on me and emptied the house of my Coke stash.  I mean, seriously, I wasn't drinking the stuff.  I hadn't touched it in almost two weeks.  But it brought me such comfort to know it was there if I wanted it.  Like an old friend you don't speak to for months and then you just pick right up where you left off.

Well, apparently that was exactly the kind of friendship my husband was trying to break-up.  I caught him sneaking off the other morning at 4am for his shift at the station with my precious Coke in hand.

"I'm removing temptation for you"  he said.

"I want to support you in this" he said.

I said, "I don't want support.  I want my Coke."  He smiled and walked to his car.

Drat.

So with nearly two weeks of no Coke under my belt, I'm passed the headaches and crazy withdrawal.  And I knew it was time to step up the workouts.  I made a goal to walk 30 minutes 5 days a week in the month of June.  Well, it's not even June yet but...enter my son.

He's passed me in inches, determination and effort.  He puts me to shame pretty much every single day yet I still love him.  Until, that is, he tells me he's going to start running with me and I see that glint in his eye.  Because he's a machine who never seems to tire and who seems to thrive on torturing his legs and lungs.  And mine.

I've been down this road before, running with this maniac.  So when he showed up in my room at dawn this morning, I knew there was nothing to do but lace up my shoes and strap on my smile.  I thought maybe if I smiled he'd be nicer to me.  Wrong.

Anyway, I am back now having survived 3 miles of interval running torture.  Actually, if I'm being perfectly honest, it wasn't that bad.  He let me walk the monster hill that called out threats to me as I began to make my ascent.  I'm smart enough to know when to back down and it seemed wise to proceed with caution so as not to make it (or my poor lungs) angrier.

Three miles in thirty minutes only to arrive home to a still sleeping house.  My drill-sargaent son turned back into his sweet self, and we enjoyed a time of spiritual refreshing as we each met with the Lord from our own couches in the cozy living room.

Not a bad start to the day.  How about you?  What are you up to today?

Finding Time to Exercise When You're Barely Hanging On

A common struggle I hear about {and experience myself, even} is how to squeeze it all in.  How do you make time to grow your relationship with Christ, meet the needs of your family and the demands of keeping a home AND exercise?  Seriously, there are only so many hours in a day and not all of them find you with boundless energy.  The key is to prioritize.  And then take a fresh look at your schedule.

I function best when I rise early and seek the Lord first.  If I hurry past that, my day just seems off and difficult to get back on track.  That is my number one priority and I guard the time carefully.  One of the things I do in my quiet time is to keep a prayer journal.  In it, I record prayer requests for others as well as my own family.  This is a wonderful way to be diligent about intercessory prayer but also "organized" about my own prayer needs.  And you can bet I have plenty of scribblings in there asking for guidance to find balance in my very busy days.  I jot down any ideas He inspires me with for making the best use of my time.

Housework doesn't take a huge part of my day because my children have been trained to pitch in and help.  This frees me to spend more time simply being with my kids.  And it also allows for a bit of flexibility to get some physical activity in.  Some days are filled with yard work, which is both cardiovascular and strengthening.  Other days find us at the park where a few laps add up to several miles of walking.  Throw in that double jogger I push (and some of the hills over there) and I've got myself an excellent workout while enjoying the fresh air and my family.

I think sometimes we get hung up on the idea that we have to be stuck in some room sweating it out in misery.  I have a few workout DVD series that I love (you can find some here) and don't mind sweating away to.  But other times my exercise is simply intentional movement. 

Don't get me wrong, on those days when you can fit in 30 minutes or an hour for a run or a DVD, plan it and DO IT!  But if your days are so packed simply trying to keep your head above water, don't be discouraged out of doing anything at all.  Look for creative ways to squeeze it in.  Challenge the kids to a push-up contest and drop down and pump out as many as you can before they lose interest.  Let your husband know you're pretty sure your abs can take more crunches than his can and see if he doesn't take the bait!

Make a fitness plan and be determined to stick with it.  But on those days when you're ready to wave the white flag of surrender, dare to look at exercise a little differently.  And defy defeat by finding a way to get your heart pumping!

Changes in May!

On April 1st, I launched Redeemed Health and Fitness with the subsequent Facebook page.  Well, it's now exactly one month later and I've realized I need to make a few changes already!

The biggest thing is that I need to close down the Facebook page I created specifically for this blog.  Many of you know, I operate another blog at Walking Redeemed that also has an active page from which I post daily.  I have decided to maintain the two separate blogs but to merge the FB pages.  I have a busy life filled with 7 homeschooled kids and an awesome husband...I simply do not have the time to spare to adequately keep up with multiple FB pages.

So if you have not already, you can go HERE and choose to follow from the page where you'll find posts and links related to health & fitness as well as various topics pertaining to the life of a Christian woman.  You are also welcome to join in the "closed" accountability group which will remain open and active and is a health and wellness support group for women!  There are many beautiful and encouraging women there to cheer you along your journey!!

Otherwise, you can continue to expect posts from me here on most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.    I am thoroughly enjoying all your support and accountability and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the month of May!

Establishing goals and priorities for May

The time is NOW...

How many times have you determined to get fit and healthy only to be sidelined almost before you got started?  Discouragement, lack of self-control and poor time management are a few things that commonly trip us up.  We make a plan and jump in with both feet only to have them come sliding out from under us!  It's time to change this trend!

Last month, we launched this site and while I'd love to say it was simply to inspire you on your journey toward more vibrant health, I'd be lying if I did.  The reality is, I myself need the inspiration.  I've jumped on the wagon only to fall off far too many times.  I've poured myself into my family with abandon to later realize I'm no good to anyone if I'm slowly killing myself by neglect.   

Too many late nights followed by early mornings.  Too many responsibilities and commitments without the time to fulfill them adequately.  Too many good intentions turned sour because I was worn out, dragged down and beat up.  My greatest enemy is ME.

May is my month.  I'm scooting over and letting Christ at the helm.  He calls my body His temple.  Doubtless He wants to help me properly care for it.  He calls me beautiful.  Surely He will help me to embrace that beauty.  

I'm selecting a new challenge.  Well, for the most part at least.  I still need to focus on cleansing my poor body with plenty of pure water.  I am reaaaalllly bad at that!  

Here is my updated and revised challenge for the month of May:

1. Drink 8-12 (8 oz) glasses of water daily.
2. Log walk/run miles with a goal of at least 25 per week.
3. Continue with my Bible reading plan and be faithful to it every single day.

What are your goals for next month?  Have you checked out the fully customizable Monthly Challenge yet?  Are you interested in joining the *closed* accountability group on Facebook?  (This is different than the regular FB page.)  There you will find a plethora of support and encouragement from other ladies who are striving for the same things you are.  It's open to women of all ages and fitness levels.  If you are interested in joining go here and "ask to join".  That just lets me know you are wanting in and I'll get you added as soon as possible!

Are you lost for how to get started or interested in finding tools and programs to get you going?  If so, you can visit the Resource Shop.  This page is made up of resources that I am familiar with and have had at least some experience with.  {Disclosure:  This page contains affiliate links that you are welcome to shop through.  But please be aware that you are under no obligation to use any of them!}  If you checked the shop out last month you would have been directed to the Beachbody website.  That is no longer the case. 

If you have any questions or need support in any way, please feel free to ask!  You can leave a question in the comments or send an email to (walkingredeemed @ gmail.com) and I will get back with you as soon as I can.  

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It's a Process...Change Takes Time

Don't beat yourself up if you aren't seeing the changes you had hoped for by now.  You're winning the battle every single day when you strap on those shoes and get moving.  When your life threatens to overwhelm you and all you can find time for are squats in the bathroom while you wait for the shower water to heat up...you are still on the winning side.

Because the battle isn't just about results.  It's about the process.  The person you choose to be as you journey toward your goals.  Are you letting yourself get so caught up in losing weight that you're failing to remember it's really about improved health and vitality?  You can be at your ideal weight and still be sickly.

But most importantly, keep your focus on Christ.  That relationship must always come first!  He is the one who will impart the sustaining power to keep you putting one foot in front of the other, especially on days when it's the last thing you want to do.  He is the one who wages war right alongside you against failing health and excess weight.

Take heart.  Take a chance.  But remember, change takes time!!