Back in Stride Again

(photo credit: augustaga.gov)

Hello Fellow Champion!

Does the holiday season tend to get you off your game? It happens to me almost every year. As you can probably tell by the dates on my last few posts, I've been M.I.A. for a couple of weeks.

That's how it goes with me. I'll be making great strides, firing on all cylinders - mind, soul, and body. Then as soon as Thanksgiving comes around, I tend to get distracted with all the sights and smells and sounds of the holiday season. And then the bottom falls out. I start eating waaaay to many sweets and getting off-focus and off-task.

But this year, I've made some improvements, I must say.

I set two primary goals. That's right, only TWO. Why? Because I'm old enough now to realize the importance of not biting of more then I know I can chew.

First up, my fitness. When our eldest went off to college at the end of August, I committed to doing a 30-minute workout, Monday through Friday, every week, and with only a couple of missed days due to illness, I've stayed on track. My handsome hubby is a BIG part of the reason for this because he keeps me accountable to what he knows is important to me. (Love you, Babe!)

Second, my writing. I've been writing for years, mostly for other people. But a couple of years ago, I committed to making more time to write for myself. I had a lot of creative ideas floating around in my head, including an amazing novel (which I intend to publish in early 2016), but I wasn't doing much with them. Then one day, I rediscovered the power of the plan. Plans are the road map for your good intentions. Without one, they simply have no where to go. 

My goal is to broaden my blog's exposure to like-minded women. So the first step in my grand plan was to become consisting in posting something relevant to The D-Vine once a week. Now granted, I'm still tweaking and fine-tuning this one, but I give myself a high-five for improved effort. To top it all off, I recently had a friend who was so inspired by seeing my consistent blog posts on Facebook, he reached out to ask how he could start his own blog. Imagine that... and I'm not even blogging at top form - YET! 

The moral of today's post: ENJOY THE SEASON, BUT DON'T LOSE THE REASON.

Yes, this is the time of year that we celebrate the birth of our Great Redeemer, Jesus Christ, but that's the whole point. He came to help you redeem what was lost in the garden - your faith, your strength, your stride.

So what if you dropped the ball for the umpteenth time? That's what grace is for. Take hold of it again and get back in focus. You don't need January 1st for that. You can start right now!

Until next week...

Hugs & Happy Holidays!

P. S. I've got a hot new blog series coming out in January 2016 called ME-23. You're gonna LOVE it! It's a new twist on an old classic that is just what the doctor ordered if you're tired of living a lukewarm life. Stay tuned!

Staying the Course

Okay. So last week, I let you in on my non-scale victories. I still feel very accomplished about those. One reason is because I'm seeing the results of consistency in the area of exercise. I'm almost at three full weeks of five 30-minute workouts/week. That's huge for me!

Now my weight... That's another matter.

I'm at 259.8 lbs and have been holding there for about two weeks. I haven't decreased, but more importantly, I haven't increased. I know that my commitment to working out consistently is to be credited for me not actually gaining more weight.

I have to admit, when I peered down at the number on my scale, I was tempted to beat myself up about it. But then I remembered that it's not about perfection, it's about progress. The path I've chosen is to master one fitness area at a time. So once I'm satisfied that my exercise is steady, then I'll focus more on my eating habits.

Because I'm doing it this way, the extra pounds won't fade as quickly, but that's okay. I feel better just knowing that I'm building better habits by taking it one step at a time. Plus, I'm feeling stronger and sleeping better than I have in months and I'm very happy about that!

Here's my encouragement to you this week:

If you're getting discouraged because either you don't see any progress at all or just not enough, don't check out! Staying the course can sometimes seem fruitless while you're doing it, but one thing is for sure. If you stick to the plan God has given you, YOU WILL WIN! Remember, the blessing is not in the steps you take; it's in your obedience to keep taking them.

"And I'm sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Philippians 1:6 ESV 

Until next week, stay on the path, my victorious sisters!

Milestones of My Month

Hey Ladies!

Here's the update on my fitness journey so far. In this week's post, I decided to share my "non-scale" progress. Don't worry. I will get back to the numbers next month. But as I thought about how often we strain so much at the details that we miss the beauty of the big picture along the way, I feel like this is right on time.

So here goes...

Milestone #1 - Returned to Self-Care

Check out that eyebrow action!

Keeping the promise of accountability that I made in my previous post, Making Yourself Matter, I'm posting this pic as a means of sharing a simple but meaningful personal milestone. I've returned to what used to be a regular practice of self-care for me: getting my eyebrows waxed. I went to the salon on a day that I would have normally found excuses as to why I was too busy to stop by. I not only got my eyebrows done, but I treated myself to a lip wax too. It took just a few minutes of my time, but boy did I feel exquisite after it was done!

Milestone #2 - Consistency

This is one of the images I have on my Spark People goal vision board. I'm celebrating the milestone of 1 1/2 weeks of 5 day/30 minute workouts. One day at a time, I'm reaching my goal of forming a solid habit of consistent exercise and I couldn't be happier with my progress! I'm getting up an hour earlier and getting it in BEFORE I start my day. This way, I don't get sidetracked from my plan. It's working like a charm! I'm feeling stronger and more confident than I have in a while. My hubby says he's super proud of me too! :)

Milestone #3 - Release

I've made a conscious choice not to sweat the small stuff. The more I let go of the inconsequential things (i.e., what I look like in the mirror, other people's opinions, etc.), the lighter and brighter I've become, and not just physically either. I've changed my perspective about myself and my potential by framing my mind around what God has said about me. 

"Body and soul, I am marvelously made!" 

Psalm 139:14 (MSG)

This has made a world of difference. Now I simply use the scale as a way of staying on track, not as a way of keeping score. Yay, me!!!

I hope my sharing encourages you to look outside the normal scope of what you view as progress and start measuring more milestones than mistakes. Take it one day at a time and inch by inch, you'll thrive.

Share the milestones you've made so far in my comment section. (Does NOT have to be fitness-related). I'd love to celebrate with you!

Don't Let a Setback Send You Back

Hi There Victorious Sisters!

In this, my latest update on my fitness journey, I talk about the progress I've made so far since BEGINNING AGAIN. Also, I briefly talk about setbacks and what to do when you encounter one. If you're pressing your way toward a change you need to make in your life, expect that there will definitely be times when you may miss the mark. Listen to what happened to me...

Are you on the journey towards a better YOU? Leave me a comment and share your ups, downs, and lessons learned along the way. We'll all get better together!

Beginning Again

Well, I'm back on the trail to better health and fitness. To kick off my NEW beginning today, I was inspired to post this short video. It's a means of accountability for me as I set my efforts and intentions toward achieving my goal weight of 135 pounds before my 50th birthday on November 21, 2016. I've got 17 months to get it done. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I'll get there!

If you've got some "extra baggage" of your own, be it pounds, negativity, bad habits, etc., I invite you to join me on the journey toward being our BEST selves.