Instrument of Joy

Do you have a hobby or something you love to do? My hobby has always been music and it has brought me a lot of fulfillment in life….tonight, I am going to ring in the New Year with my favorite group of people and my favorite instrument…doing something I love. Playing in my recovery praise and worship band.  I am including a picture of my “Barbie Bass” as I call it. This thing has been a sheer delight and has been quite a conversation piece!  I’ve heard it said you should ring in a New Year doing your favorite thing and that is exactly what I am going to do!

This past year has been chock full of blessings for me and new lessons learned. I continued to progress in my recovery and my relationship with God. I had both happy and sad times. I had to grieve some relationships from people who were not good for me. I had victory in making a lifestyle change that made me 25 lbs. thinner and a whole lot more confident.

God opened up the door for me to move to a new department in my company. Something I had long waited for. He also provided me the opportunity to play in the worship band in my church. After having been a bar singer, now I am privileged to be able to join in leading worship! How is this possible? It’s all God. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!!! I am extremely grateful for the changes the last year has brought.

I am excited to see what God has in store for me in 2010! Happy New Year to everyone and may all your dreams come true!

10 Steps to Single Digit Jeans

1.  GET MAD!!!

In order to tackle this problem you need motivation from whatever source you can muster. And let’s face it….anger generates it! A little anger can go a long way towards motivating you! When I decided I was fed up with my size, I got mad!! I mean I declared WAR on FAT!! I made up my mind!! I started looking at food in a different way….when I would see fattening food, I would see it as the very evil that kept me from the fabulous bod I longed for! I saw that it kept me from feeling good about me and therefore was a barrier to my happiness. I saw that it was SO NOT WORTH IT! This is how I talked myself out of food that tempted me and that I knew would prevent me from reaching my goals.

2.  MAKE A DECISION!!!

Once you get mad, you need to make the DECISION to take action. This decision means that you are going to make your health, self esteem, and fitness a priority. When you make this decision, you will instantly gain some self esteem and self respect. Because you have moved from the ranks of just talking about it, to deciding to DO IT!! This self respect will provide you with MORE motivation to start your health/fitness plan. When you take ACTION, you will be standing up for yourself and what you want and that is important. It does something to your psyche. These good feelings will in turn, motivate you more.

3.  ASK FOR HELP

God made you and He made your body and He desires for you to take good care of that body…”Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” I Corin. 6:19-20. Who better than God can help you stick with your plan of taking better care of yourself? Ask Him!

4.  HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE!

Get rid of the word “can’t” from your vocabulary. That word stinks!! And it robs you of anything good you might want to do with your life. Repeat this scripture 10 times daily!! “I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13

5.  START SLOW…

This is not a “kill yourself in the first week” kind of thing. In fact, if you do too much too soon, you will get sore and discouraged. Take baby steps at first unless you are the GI Jane type. Look at it long term. This is a lifestyle change and it will become that but you must prepare your mind to realize that it will not happen overnight. Longevity and consistency are key here. Give yourself that pep talk everyday…..of how great you are going to look and feel. Visualize the figure you want and see yourself that size!!

6.  DECIDE WHAT TO DO AND WHEN TO DO IT IN THE DAY

I prefer the lunch hour for two great reasons. It deters me from being tempted to “eat out” and I get my workout done during the workday so when I get home, I am through! If you have children, this might work best for you. On weekends, I workout whenever I want to. Whatever you decide to do, plan it into your day like a meal, a shower, or your work. It is simply something you have to do during your day.  Pick an activity you like to do.  If you don't know what you like, try something.


7.  SET YOUR SIGHTS ON A GOAL

Set realistic and reasonable goals for yourself like….(I’m going to go from a size 14 to a size 12 within two months)…..or….(I’m going to lose 5 lbs. in one month). Or, (I’m going to do 20-30 minutes of cardio at least 5 days a week). What is your dream weight that you would like to be? How long do you think it will take you to get there?

8.  DON’T TELL ANYONE YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL!

Don’t make a New Year’s resolution for losing weight! You don’t need the added pressure of shouting to the world what you are going to do. You only need to convince and prove this to one person. YOURSELF!!! LOVE yourself enough to DO THIS for yourself!! Then, when the weight starts coming off, believe me, people will NOTICE!! 

9.  COME UP WITH AN EATING PLAN YOU CAN LIVE WITH

No starving allowed as this will only discourage you, and you will in turn pig out. I started out with the following eating plan and have stuck to it for the most part. Now, I can deviate whenever I want. In the beginning, I would stick to the plan. This is my plan and it works. I didn’t get it out of any diet book. I just picked things I liked to eat that were low cal and went from there.

Breakfast: Quaker Oatmeal for Weight Control (it is labeled as such). Tip: microwave after adding a good bit of water. This makes the oatmeal swell and gives a larger portion.

Lunch: One packet Starkist marinated tuna (I like hickory smoked) with some low-fat wheat thin crackers. Then eat a big bowl of any kind of fresh fruit you like or a mixture of it (strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, grapes, cherries, banana, melons).

Dinner: Eat some protein (chicken or fish or eggs) and some vegetables. If you have a sweet tooth, eat some more fruit. Or even just eat a bowl of cereal. I probably am not eating as many vegetables right now as I should, but I still got good results.


10.  GET YOURSELF SOME GOOD WORKOUT SHOES/CLOTHES:

A great pair of walking and/or jogging shoes will help insure success. (I like Asics and Reeboks). You need to be comfortable. A good sports bra, sweats, etc. is nice also. If you can only afford one thing, get the shoes. The rest is optional.

NOW GO GET ‘EM!!!



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Is This You?

Here it is, right after Christmas and you have thoroughly enjoyed the delights of the holiday and have gained at least 5 lbs. or more. Perhaps you were overweight to start with. You stand and look into your closet, disgusted. You try on a pair of dress pants and realize they no longer fit. You wish you could lose the extra weight but you haven’t been able to do it. You long to be in those extra skinny jeans again. You wonder are you past the age of ever looking and feeling good again. You lack motivation and you have low self esteem. You just don’t feel good about yourself! And that, my friend, affects everything else in your life including your job, relationships, health, attitude, and how others view you! Whenever working out comes up, you have a list of excuses like….


“I don’t have time” (If you have time to eat lunch, you have time.)

“I don’t have any energy to workout” (well guess what? If you don’t start working out, you will have less and less energy).

“I’m embarrassed to go into a workout room. Everyone in there is in such good shape.”  (I’d like to remind you that everyone who is in such good shape now, first walked into that room fat and flabby!  Stop comparing yourself to other people! You are YOU and there is only one of you.  So your fitness has nothing to do with the fitness of others. Why not decide to be the best YOU that you can be!

“Everyone will laugh at me” (I can assure you no one will laugh and probably won't even notice you because they are too engrossed in their own junk and their own need to lose weight).

“I don’t have anyone to work out with” (ever ask yourself who “anyone” is and what do they have to do with YOUR fitness goals?)  Does “anyone” have to squeeze themselves into your jeans?

“What if I get bored?” (if you start to feel fantastic about yourself, you won’t care if you are bored!)

“I’ll start next month” (If you won’t start today, you won’t start next month. Don’t fool yourself.)

“I have arthritis or other health issues” (Barring any severe health issues, can you walk?  Walking is a great place to start.

I’m only sharing my thoughts on this because one year ago, I was in the same boat. Just feeling fat, out of shape, and disgusted with myself. That self disgust radiated throughout my entire life! Now, 10 months later, I am 25 lbs. thinner, can wear all the skinny clothes I want and feel great in general!! And I lost the 25 lbs. within 6 months. Now, I’m just maintaining my ideal weight. In my next post, I will share some tips on how to get started….

Ingredients for a Fabulous Life

This is my recipe for a fabulous life.  The recipe may vary somewhat from person to person but the main ingredients are the same.

2 cups God                                                       
1 cup self love                                                   
1/2 cup healthy relationships                              
1/2 cup rewarding career and/or hobby             
1/2 cup outlet for helping others (mentoring)        
2 tsp. healthy diet     
1/2 cup regular exercise
1/2 cup money management skills
1 cup wisdom
1/2 cup peace (see first ingredient)
2 tsp. humility                            
1 can laughter frosting
1 tsp. balance

Grease pan with balance and set aside.  Mix together God and self love and beat til creamy.  While stirring, slowly fold in healthy relationships, rewarding career/hobby, outlet for helping others, healthy diet, exercise, and money management skills.  Mix well.  Next, season with wisdom, peace, and humility.

Pour into cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool and add the frosting of laughter....then have a slice of a fabulous life!!

Merry Christmas to Me!

It's Christmas Day and I opted to stay home this year for Christmas and enjoy the simple things the Season brings instead of stressing, overspending, and traveling.  Although I have missed seeing my family today, what a great idea this has been.  I have been able to slow down and relish every moment of what this Season means for me....a brand new life.  A life that only God can provide.  And the peace and joy that comes with it.

My heart welled up with emotion last night as I sat in my first ever Christmas Eve service at the wonderful church I am privileged to be a member of.  Thinking of the star and the babe in a manger...the babe who now sits on the throne ALL POWERFUL!!  The baby Prince of Peace.  The holy one who has displayed His power so richly in my life.  But only after I called out to Him.  You see He is a gentleman, this Prince of Peace.  He will not force himself on you.

I am thankful beyond words...for the gifts of the Season and for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am so rich sitting here in my little home.  Cozy and warm with a pot roast and some chocolate chip cookies (I have deviated from my healthy diet for the holiday).  Free of my past life of addiction to alcohol and bondage to dysfunctional relationships.  My precious little K-9 friends keep me company and are ever ready for snuggles and kisses.  I have an adorable little house.  And I can pay my bills.  Not to mention my health!  I could go on and on....friends, family, and the fact I am blessed with a great job.

It is indeed a very Merry Christmas and I am happy to be me.....