Just when you think you can't...

Since my last blog, I decided to kick it up a notch. I have become a bit lazy in my workouts...doing my time just to say I did. This week I started kicking my own tail. I started sweating again. On Tuesday, I had a busy morning so I didn't get the chance to workout. I decided I would work out while watching the episode of Biggest Loser. So I hopped on that dreaded treadmill. I'm not really sure what my intentions were, but I ended up jogging. I sort of adapted the mantra, "Enough of this already, it's time to WORK OUT" and increased the speed to 4.5...the 5.0. At some point I decided that I was going to jog for two miles. I have never just jogged ANY miles straight through...I've always walked, then jogged. I told myself there would be no walking this time. I did have to stop periodically to stretch my calves (does that tightness when running EVER go away?) and take a breather, but I was right back to jogging. At one point, I broke down emotionally. I wanted to jog those two miles so badly, but it just seemed like it wasn't going to happen...I just didn't have it in me. I know this seems silly, but I started to cry! And I cried out to God. "This is so hard", I told him. All the while, my mind was screaming, "You'll never run two miles. You're not strong enough. Why did you even try?" I REALLY wanted to give up. But I asked the Lord for strength and stepped back on that treadmill with renewed strength. I caught a glimpse of the distance I had already jogged...1.36 miles! I had already gone over a mile...only a little more than 1/2 mile left to go! This was a breakthrough point to me. And I finished that half mile with a vengeance. When I was done, I could say, "I DID IT!" I was bursting with joy and an amazing sense of accomplishement! I literally almost screamed it out loud...but the kids were in bed and I didn't want to freak out the hubby! lol It's amazing what our bodies can do...usually way more than we think we are capable of doing! It's the same thing with our spiritual lives. Sometimes I get glimpses of what God is calling me to do and I have to admit it's a bit scary! I think to myself that I could never do that! But just as God was there to give me the strength I needed on that treadmill, He will give me the strength to do this too! After all, that's what he created ME to do...of course He will give me the tools I need to do it! I just need to call on Him during those moments of weakness. Then He will lovingly take my hand and help me back on this treadmill we call LIFE to do yet another mile.

Week 7 Blahs

Well, I've made it to Week 7 of this journey and I've officially made it to the BLAHS. Workout? BLAH. Eat healthy? BLAH I feel BLAH. Granted, it's Monday. Granted, it's a school holiday, so I have three kids at home who have been constantly fighting. I can think of 15 other things that I would love to do instead of workout and constantly monitor what goes into my body. Sometimes this is just so hard! Yet, I WILL persevere.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to read. I will sometimes be reading 2 or 3 books simultaneously! I recently put a lot of books on hold with the local library and of course, 99% of them came in at the same time. So I currently have a mountain of books on my to-read list. A few of them are about getting out of debt. I just finished a book by Ellie Kay called "1/2 Price Living - Secrets to Living Well on One Income". Little did I know that this author is a Christian, and the end of this book, she has a chapter titled, "How To Finish Great No Matter Where You Start." It lists other aspects of our life in which we can apply good stewardship...and of course, one is our physical bodies. She said something that really stuck out to me and I would like to share it with you. She writes, "Physical well-being is, in some ways, a reflection of a person's spiritual status. If the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, it ought to be well cared for. By exercising, eating healthy foods, and managing stress, a woman is better able to serve others and meet their spiritual needs." WOW. I guess I sort of knew this, but I've never heard it put this way before. One of my goals in this journey is to become more spiritually fit and to also find (and eventually fulfill!) the purpose that God has for ME and my life. God can't use me to my fullest potential if I'm tired, grumpy, and lacking confidence. I have been a spiritual wimp. I can't hear God calling my name because I have been so focused on ME and how crappy I feel about myself. And I also can't guage my progress on what that darn scale in my bathroom closet is saying. My progress goes far beyond a number. Right now, my progress shows that I have worked out for 6 weeks 5 times a week (I went on a hiatus over the Christmas holiday). The progress shows that I have resisted giving up week after week for 7 weeks. The progress also shows that I am starting to see the good in myself again. I'm starting to have an inkling as to what God has gifted me to do with my life. And I'm excited about it instead of feeling like that dream is so far out of my reach or that I would never be good enough! I am also starting to visualize a healthier, more fit ME! I have my eyes on the prize(s) so to speak. I am believing in myself again. And as Martha would say, "That's a good thing!"

Week 6 and 4.8 lbs lost!

I have gone from a bit discouraged to encouraged in 0.3 seconds flat. This whole weight loss thing boggles my mind sometimes. At first I'm super encouraged and work out hard and lose weight, then the weight sort of stops coming off and I get discouraged. I am the type of person who wants to see results NOW and when I don't see them, I start to lose hope. Compared to all of my other attempts to lose weight, this one is different...I am NOT going to give up. Since the new year I've felt a bit down because I seemed to be stuck at 182. The old me would have given up pronto, telling myself that I was never going to be skinny anyways, so why try. But I've kept excercising 5 times a week nontheless. I was so bored with the treadmill, but this week have been trying different workout dvds to add variety. Looking back, I'm proud of how long I've stuck with this lifestlye change! These past couple of week have helped me to see that I had lost faith. Faith in myself that I could do it, faith in the future me and what I would become, and faith in God that He would grant me the strength I need to get through each day. I was so focused on seeing those results on the outside, but what really needed changed was the inside. Today I feel renewed. I KNOW that I can do this. It may not happen next month or the month after that, but I know at some point I WILL be fit and healthy. The old me just wanted to lose weight, but the new me still wants to lose weight, but the main goal is to live a healthy vibrant life. I want to be PRESENT in my life....not taking a backseat and watching my friends and family members enjoy theirs. And most importantly I want to live a life of purpose...to find God's purpose for Jen Snyder and live it up! I also do not want to end up where my grandparents are today. I have grown up watching them battle one health problem after another...and most of which could be eliminated if they would have taken better care of themselves. I feel cheated that I didn't get to enjoy much time with them because they were always sick or tired. And now their health problems have progressed so far that it probably is too late. I don't want to be like them when I am in my 70's. I watch the Biggest Loser faithfully and just yesterday it showed a women, who was probably in her 60's, and she was on 9 different medications. She was voted off the ranch after her 2nd week there, and when they did a follow up on how she is currently doing, she is down to only 1 medication a day. And she has only lost 40 or so pounds! It amazes me that most health issues could be resolved by simply losing weight. I wish more people would realize this!

Ok, I guess I'm getting sort of deep, huh? lol Time to snap out of it and get back to the quirky me. I mentioned that I've been doing different workout dvds that I've gotten from the library and thought I'd give you a little review on them. Yesterday I did Valerie Bertinelli's Losing It and Keeping Fit workout and I LOVED IT! It was surprisingly good. It's mainly strength training but incorporates a lot of squats and lunges. By the time I was done with the 40 min workout, my muscles were already feeling really tired. The dvd contains a 20 min, 40 min, and ab workout...and they are all great! The ab workout is a sequence of crunches that work your entire abs by simply changing the postition of your legs. I think I am going to add this one to my personal library!

Now for the funny part. When I put these dvds on hold at the library, I was trying to get creative with what equipment I have....dumbbells, a treadmill, a mini-trampoline, and a step. So I put Kathy Smith's Buns and Thighs Step workout on hold. I did it this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see Kathy and her crew in leotards (minus the leg warmers), tube socks, and high-top Reeboks...compete with SCRUNCHIES! I almost shivered and turned it off, but continued with it for 30 mins. It actually was a really good workout, but I can't bare the thought of doing it again. lol I think it might be a good idea to check out the publishing dates on workouts from now on instead of just assuming that since they are on dvd that they are current! :)