So, I recently logged a 370+ minute week of exercise, I’ve been watching my diet carefully, and I’ve been feeling lean-ish, and looking forward to the jeans fitting better. About a week and a half ago I tried them on…NO change in fit! Yesterday I had on size six grey jeans that felt tight and uncomfortable,and they used to be loose! I’m hoping nobody peeks in here because this is kind of an embarrassing rant and I feel petty, but I am truly frustrated with what the heck is going on in my 50-yr. old body . I was reading from Denise Austin’s ‘tummy’ book last night and evidentally I need to drop even MORE calories, exercise MORE, and never be stressed if I don’t want to take on a middle-age pooch. Arrgh. OK I am up to the challenge. I’m supposed to get like ten servings a day of fruits and vegetables. All right, there is my daily tomato, more edamame, an apple, a clementine, greens, hmmm, I should add peppers to the mix. frozen blueberries. I can do this. Dark chocolate…a little ONLY on Sunday. There! It’s in print. Can’t take it back . And now I’m pretty surely convinced, though it breaks my heart, that smoked almonds are a no-no. Sodium city and a real bloater. Ooooh, don’t eat any more bloaters! Get creative with some good lean proteins. I am so on my way back to a size 4 jean!!!
NOW then, as far as exercise, I believe that if I am serious about my goals, one hour 6x week is what I will do, with the usual mix of strength, cardio , yoga , pilates from my DVD’s. I will maintain that my investment in the DVD’s over the years has paid off multiple times! (-: Recently I had a $10 gift card plus $15 borders bucks earned from e-rewards. (LOVE e-rewards!) Anyway, I stopped by the Kercheval store and got Jackie Warner’s Power Circuit Training and Exhale Core Fusion. Yesterday I did the Jackie W. one and WOW it was tough and fast paced but a truly thorough full-body strength workout in 40 minutes. Tough, but sooo good. I felt very proud of myself after doing it. I am looking forward to doing the exhale workout. I got a taste of the kind of moves they do here from Kathy Smith’s Total body lift….intense small movements with big results.
This morning I was up at five and had a wonderful time of reading God’s Word. I read Psalms 51-55 and I am memorizing Psalm 51:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ;
you teach [b] me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
I have been discouraged lately and have been overwhelmed by my own failings and those of others. God gives me such hope. Knowing of His unfailing love and his desire to put a new spirit in me encourages me so much. There was so MUCH to gain from looking at these psalms . I felt I could study them for days and days and still find more to learn, more to feed my soul.
My prayer is Ps. 51:10-12. I was struck how, once we pray for God to create a right spirit in us, then he’ll use us to teach others. I need to be prepared to lead and teach my kids. Amen.
