Short Challenge

So, we leave for our 20th wedding anniversary trip to Spain in 11 days.

Once dias.  (pronounced, "Own say" and "dee oz")

Uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez, once...

20 years ago on my honeymoon I was so friggin' insecure about my body I was self-conscious in my bathing suit...and not in my bathing suit, but that other "suit" that starts with a "b."  Now, 20 years later, I love me.  It's been a journey, for sure, but I'm so much more comfortable in my own skin and confident in the woman God created me to be.  All that being said, I still want to be one sassy hot woman for my man in Espana...and for me!

Soooo, I selfishly want a support group, and would be MORE THAN EXCITED to also cheer you on.

It's simple.  Nothing extreme or long, and yes, we are approaching a weekend and have one more before we leave the morning of the 12th, but this is what I'm thinking:

• Starting August 1st, Move every. single. day.  Doesn't have to be long, just walk, bike, swim, Zumba, run, whatever, just move our bodies.
• Drink only water.
• Eat boat loads of COLORFUL veggies and lean proteins and good fats 90% of the time.
• Eat one to two pieces (servings) of fruit before 2pm.
• Lift heavy things or do resistance training 3-4x in those 11 days.  I'll be doing weights and squats and lunges, push-ups and pull-ups...
• Do Yoga or some really great stretching at least 2-3x in those 11 days...I have the P90X Yoga and a Rodney Yee one hour video...
• Journal how we feel, leave comments here (I'll post on weekdays for accountability's sake), ask questions, cheer one another on...or we can make a Facebook page, instead, let me know, too, called "Operation Hot Naked" I mean, "Operation Hot Spain"...even if you aren't going to Spain with me and Jason, and all...Or it could be called, "Clean Streak" or something catchier...thoughts?  It's only 11 days...

What does the 90% mean?  That means, 6 out of 7 days, love our bodies in a way that our food choices have to do with giving our bodies a source of energy and strength rather than "rewarding it" or "comforting it" with food that has multiple ingredients or comes from a box or bag...and on the one day of the 7, eat one or two meals where we just don't worry about it.  We can feast, but listen to our bodies and see how we feel after a whole week of eating well.  

So, I'm NOT a mathematician, but basically in the next 11 days, 3-4 of our meals would be "free" and this usually works best for me, at least, on weekends, and includes a little wine and chocolate, obviously.  

*I was already doing this challenge with my sweet friend who is going on her anniversary trip to Alaska at the end of August, but with it right around the corner, I'm all about team and cheering one another on...and selfishly leaning on YOU so I can stay strong!!!  

Anybody?  It's short!  It's doable.  AND IT WON'T HURT YOU!

Wanna????

Gun Show

There's a gun show in town today.  

But yesterday, there were no guns.  No.  They were bat wings, Grandma-ish.  "Squishy, squishy," as Emily used to affectionately say.  

Nothing has changed since yesterday, to the eye, but I'm trying to love my arms...and by "love" them I mean, tough love, like Jillian Michaels, Tony Horton, boat loads of push-ups, dips, curls, type of love.  Not unconditional, accept-you-as-you-are love.

It's ridiculous, really.

It's a #FirstWorldProblem to have weight TO LOSE.

Let me repeat that statement:  It's a #FirstWorldProblem to have weight TO LOSE.

This isn't something with which women who walk 6 miles a day to gather water for their families will ever struggle.

And yet, there are moments, here and there, though fewer and farther between, where I wish my arms were just lean, already!

And I know.  I know, okay!  I am reading Voskamp's 1000 Gifts, and I know, blasted.

1.  Thank You, Lord, for arms, in general!  I lift them high and praise Your name!

I do not think about it all the time.  My thoughts, actually are getting better as I habitually practice the art of renewing my mind with God's word on a regular basis.  When I set two alarms for 5:30 am, there are no excuses...

That Guy sure has some great things to say, I tell ya.  He's super smart.  Like, way smarter than Einstein, even.  Like this, for example:

     "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion.  There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.  Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God.  And you count far more to him than birds.
     "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller (or leaner arms) by so much as an inch?  All this time and money wasted on fashion - do you think it makes that much difference?  Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers.  They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?  The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
     "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers - most of which are never even seen - don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?  What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.  People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.  Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.  Don't worry about missing out.  You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."   - The Message, Matthew 6:25-33
(green parenthesis mine...)

30 years of mental un-doing is tough work.  It takes prayer, time literally changing my brain, and physical time.  It's the time part I'm learning...

And so, I am practicing thankfulness, gratitude, joy, and rest in knowing He made me, He loves me, He cares for me even more than the magnificent wildflowers that are covering the countryside in Colorado at this very moment...the ones Ryan and I see on our bike rides...because I have arms that are able to grip handle bars...and I have legs strong enough to pedal.  

And it's up to me to praise Him, to walk out of the gun show and focus on the Great and Glorious God.

Yogamama

So, last week marked an all time high in my stress levels. 

I've been building a website for my non-profit organization, cleaning up details on the business plan, recruiting volunteers who will in turn recruit more volunteers, shooting out emails to women around the country to ask for prayer over the whole picture, etc. etc.

So, anyway, I'm really excited for what I know God is doing in the hearts of women around the world.  I've never felt more alive and it's SO FRIGGIN' AWESOME to see a dream God placed in my heart over 10 years soon come to life.  This is the part that makes the stress worth it...

...but that's just the thing.  I don't have to have stress.  It's not a necessity just because I'm as busy as the next guy, trying to fit more into a day than actually possible. 

So, recently I've been doing some research on stress.  You see, I have gained 10 lbs over the last 2 months.  I currently have a fancy cold sore on my lip (damn herpes!  should NOT have kissed that one boy with the cooties way back when...).  The fact that my house is in disarray is actually bothering me (this is not usually the case...) and, the biggest, HUGEST factor:  I had the worst hip flare up in my history, but this came while I was eating cleaner than clean...at least so I thought.

As far as my hip, when I was probably Ryan's age, 1 1/2, I wore Forrest Gump leg braces while I slept.  Apparently my legs turned out when I was born...I could, like, turn my feet over to touch the ground.  I'm still "flexible" if you will, but the braces helped.  So, anyway, as long as I can remember, though, my right hip pops, probably as a result?  It was cool in Junior High to freak people out, but really, at 40, how cool is that?

It's just NOT.

So, usually it's fine.  But, once in a while, it feels like there is fire in my hip and I literally never gave it a thought that it could be related to diet or the kind of exercise I do. 

I'm NOT a runner.  Do you see lions or a creepy guy behind me?  Oh, me neither, so I really see no need for ME to run. 

If you run, sweet.  Run, you, Run!  Go!  Go!  GOOOOOOO!

But, I do work out pretty hard.  I enjoy the sweat and the extent to which I can push my body, that is why I choose workouts like P90X, Jillian Michaels, marathon walking, and lifting.  Over the years I have tried Yoga, Pilates, stretching, and even self-defense.  I like them all, but as far as sweat, only self-defense produced that as I threw a guy over my shoulder, kicked him in the balls, or gave him an elbow to the face, or something like that.

And then I turned 40 and didn't know how to handle some of my regular old daily stress.  And I had a hip flare up.  And I sounded like Great Aunt Ethel giving the low-down on her ailing geriatric bodily functions...

...and I decided I needed something that would help me on that road to loving myself I mentioned a few posts ago...

...and for me, it means I have to slow down, be mindful of what I'm doing, who I'm spending time with, what I'm spending my time on, laughing on purpose, sitting quietly as I enjoy a meal instead of wolfing it on the run or grazing (even on healthy stuff) all throughout the day (grazing or not giving your digestive tract a break isn't good on the system), listening to my body when it feels "off", sleeping more, breathing, saying "No" BEFORE my boundaries are crossed, and, as I've found out in the last week, working out in a way that is healing for my body instead of increasing the impact on my 40 year old joints.

Now, granted, I've done the P90X 90 minute Yoga routine, so the "X" may not sound like it's a "slow-down" but I tell you what!  HOLY SCHNIKEYS!  I FEEL AMAZING!  I realized a few of the food culprits that were on my Blood Type O "Avoid" list and took those out.  That made a HUGE difference!  The list actually stated those particular foods in "O's" produce inflammation and arthritic responses.  Yeah.  I had been eating cauliflower "rice" and Nightshades almost every day for a week.

So, taking those out doing Yoga has literally turned me 180 degrees in less than one week. 

Now, some Christians don't think doing Yoga is okay.  Fine.  Go RUN!  But not doing Yoga because it was birthed in Indian Hindu culture over 5000 years ago and you don't understand the names of the positions because they are originally in Sanskrit language is like not doing Aerobics, Running, or any other form of exercise because it originated in the Middle East, a predominantly Muslim or Babylonian/Pagan region of the world where God created the Garden when there was only one language on Earth, a language we don't even know still exists since the tower of Babel and all...

I'll write more about Yoga another time, but the point is, I am sore in a good way, I had no idea my body could do some of the things I've done in the last week, I am virtually stress-free though my busyness has not changed, I've sat down and enjoyed each meal since Sunday evening, done Yoga twice, walked more slowly on the treadmill, and even got my creative juices flowing as I made some jewelry for my Bebe&Boo business.

AND MY HIP IS TOTALLY AWESOME...and I've lost 3 lbs. 

So, I think I'm onto something. 

And that something is:  in order to love myself as I love my neighbor, the way Jesus instructed me, I need to "date" myself, get to know me, find out what my body likes and what things turn me off.  It's quite a journey, but I'm enjoying the ride.

Time vs. Goals

So, I had a thought this morning...it occurred to me that even though I've had a goal or number in mind to reach over the years, I have functioned more within time frames, or dates of completion.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to explain my thought process, but let me try...

For sake of example, officially P90X is a 90 day program.  What you end the program with after 90 days is the result of the workout and discipline, but what if it's not your goal weight?  Of course, if you stuck with it, you'll be happy with the results regardless if you reached your goal because it's a great program, and if you didn't, you'd sign up for another round until you did.

For me, I think no, I know, I've been looking at certain dates or frames of time in order to accomplish my goal so when that date or event rolls around and I didn't lose those specific pounds or whatever, I get discouraged...and then I usually temporarily give up and self-sabotage.

Is this even making sense?

This is all the more reason why I need to get a lifestyle plan that works for me! 

Also, the way my mind works, I need to set small, attainable goals that are not time-sensitive or time-restrictive, and work towards those.  It's really semantics.  It might take 3 weeks to lose 10 lbs, for example.  And, it's possible that you could lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks.  Same thing, but maybe thinking about it differently?  Glass half-full/half-empty type of thing?  However, if your goal is to lose 10 lbs and it takes 4 weeks or 7 weeks, your goal is still the same, it's not a race against time, it's a journey towards a final outcome or result.

Man, this is freeing for my head to write this out! 

Maybe you've known this all along, but for me, it's been more about a race against the clock...not my biological clock but clocks like: beach vacation coming up in 4 wks, summer break/have to take kids to pool in 6 wks, shorts season approaching in 3 wks.  Does anyone know what the freak I am talking about, here?!

Speaking of biological clocks, I turn 40 in two months.  I'm really excited about it!  I think it's kind of cool, like coming of age, finally being a grown-up :)  Anyway, I was telling myself in my head that I wanted to be steady at 132 lbs by January 8th, mine and Elvis' birthday.

BUT INSTEAD!!!!  I am setting a goal of 132 lbs.  Today I am not there but I was just a month ago.  I had a couple of rough weeks with food between then and now.  But, all my new jeans fit nicely at 132 (and I can't afford to go buy the next size up and I got rid of all my old ones...so...) and I'm not totally flat chested like I was when I was down at 128 or even 130...I like a little bosom on me :) so 132 works for me.  Anyway, when January 8th rolls around, I will weigh myself that day because it's part of my morning routine, but if I haven't reached my goal by then it won't throw me off, because my goal is not on a time frame, it doesn't have a deadline, but it's still motivating nonetheless.

You may be thoroughly confused, but I'm glad I figured this out!  Another step towards freedom!

(FYI, I posted a fall breakfast recipe under the recipe tab...check it!)