I also want to share something else that is amazing...this week marks one month that I have been getting up and going to gym at 6am everyday! Well during the week, and then on the weekends I have been getting up and going around 7 or 8. Which is still great for me! This is simply because I am not a morning person. It is so hard for me to be motivated in the morning, but thanks to a little sleep (bedtime around 9 every night) and routine I have overcome a great obstacle! I came up with a plan to devote the month of March to only working out and getting into the groove of things, and then the month of April I would continue going to the gym and being active along with cutting portions and watching what I eat. It really has been easy, and I'm really proud of myself! :) I have only seen a few pounds lost on the scale, but that doesn't matter to me when I feel so much better and know that I'm doing the right thing for my body.
I would love to hear comments about good tips for the gym or something healthy you like to eat or do to stay on track. I like trying out new things and especially those given by people that have found them to be successful!
Another thing I have been doing is drinking a cup of green tea every morning after I eat breakfast. It's sometimes hard to remember to do this and sometimes it is so hot the last thing I want is hot tea, but it does help my stomach and makes me feel better! :) I am going to post a link below that lists out many benefits to drinking tea. My dad also shared many benefits with me and it was really him who planted the seed in my head to begin with. Thanks Dad! :)
Benefits of Drinking Tea
One of my good friends and I were talking back at the beginning of January, when I was home, about how 2011 would be the year for "total restoration". "Total restoration" meaning taking care of our bodies, minds, and souls. I am proud to say that I have been trying to do a better job and think for the most part I have succeeded. These are things that are imperative to a long healthy life and when you start them early they will become habits and hopefully passed down to your children. I am enclosing with a verse and a picture I took today on my walk to the gym. This makes it a little easier to get up and see every morning, and it is nice to have some quiet time, especially when you live in a house with three kids! :)
"Don’t you realize 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." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
I gave up caffeine for two years and tried to exercise for 30 min. a day as well as cutting out eating SNACKS and after 7pm...this helped me big time. Although, I have gone back to caffeine I can tell such a difference again... it is unreal the difference and the weight you can loose from giving this up. Women retain water so much more than men and that is a lot of the reason we struggle to loose weight more than they do, and the sodium in caffeinated drinks makes it even more difficult to loose that water weight!! Just a helpful thing that I have found that works for me!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Samantha! It really is amazing how much work goes into being fit and healthy. It can also get a little depressing when things don't change for awhile. I have really only been drinking water since being here in Panama. It is so much easier here because the family doesn't drink sweet tea like my family back home...that kills me! :) I am going to try to keep some good habits going when I get home too...that will be interesting!
ReplyDeleteNicole, don't even get me started on diet and fitness :) I will sneak in and become your trainer before you even know it!
ReplyDeletePlease do...:) I love all the stuff we used to share about diet and fitness stuff! We will def. be getting together during the summer! Miss you!
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