Fitness Fridays: Smart Ways to Exercise

Welcome to my new journal on fitness! I will post it on Fridays. (I liked the alliteration of Fitness Fridays. If you know Bro. Graham, my home pastor, then you aren't surprised that I alliterate!) I also like the fact that I can report on my activities from the previous week by posting on Friday. This is one of my methods of accountability.
First of all, I praise the Lord that I have no serious medical condition that prevents me from engaging in nearly all types of physical activity. If you do have health concerns, but would like to be more physically fit, then please talk to your doctor. There are ways of getting fit without damaging your health. I have allergy induced asthma, and it often flairs up because of the cool morning air or from exercise. I remedy this by taking a shot of my rescue inhaler right before I begin my exercise. I don't do this every time, only when I am feeling tight in my chest. Also, I'm not prescribing this for you, this is just what I do. I am not a doctor! Please talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. Okay, now that my disclaimer is out of the way I can move on.
Today I wanted to tell you about a new workout that I have started. I purchased the Bell Express 15 workout kit from Gabrielle Reece, the volleyball player, at http://www.gotogabby.com/ and I highly recommend it. You receive everything you need for the workout at once, so there are no excuses. There are several DVDs to choose from. I chose the "30 Day Challenge". That DVD has three workouts: strength, core, and cardio. The kit includes a stability ball and pump, 2-4lb. weights, and a pedometer! It's great. Each workout is only 15 minutes. Come on, who doesn't have 15 minutes for their health?? We all do! The workouts are not intense. In fact, the trainer in the workouts tells you to work as hard as you can. On gotogabby.com, he recommends using the RPE scale. This stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion. If you don't feel the workout at all, your exertion is too low. If you can't say a complete sentence, then it is too high. If you push yourself, you will feel even a 15 minute workout. I have done it four days this week, and on the fifth day I did another workout. I really love it. You can choose to do the 15 minute workout only, or you can do the workout with a warm up before and a cool down after. If you do the entire thing, it is only 24 minutes total.
Now, you may not enjoy DVDs or video workouts. I do. I enjoy feeling like someone is working out along with me. I also have a treadmill. It's nice for when I need to do something different, or just want to walk and not think about choreography! ;] Whatever your favorite activity is, then do it. Gabrielle Reece (on gotogabby.com) recommends that you schedule your workouts daily just like any other appointment, and then show up! I've done this just this past week and it has helped me. I also enlisted my daughter and husband as my "workout partners". Terry and I rise at the same time. He goes for a 30 minute walk, and I do a video. (we can't both leave the house). Lauren and I try to take a walk in the afternoons. On days when he would like to roll over and go back to sleep, I say "Come and let's go get fit!" On days when I want to forget it, he says the same to me. So far, it has been really helpful. I'll keep you posted though. I hope I can last. I've heard it said that if you do something everyday for six weeks, then it becomes a habit. Okay, one down, five to go!
I also want to mention that I am not trying to lose a lot of weight or get into a size__ . I simply want to be strong and fit. Running or aerobics is good for the heart, but we also need to build our muscles by lifting weights. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it is always moving in our bodies, whereas fat just sits there. Therefore, when you have more muscle than fat, you will have a higher metabolism. This means you will burn more calories doing things like sitting and sleeping! Why? Because the muscle is always moving. Also, while the numbers on the scale may stay the same or barely move, your clothes will be looser because you will be losing inches! Muscle takes up less space than fat. All in all, lifting weights is a good idea. Using 2-5lbs is a perfect. (If you have your doctor's permission, of course.)

I must close by telling you that my favorite muscle to exercise would be...any guesses? You got it! My jaw muscle!! ;] I love to talk! (Big smile!)

Happy Friday everyone, and I hope you have a great workout!

Coming Next Friday: The pros and cons of Weight Watchers, as told by a former member...ME!

Something Brand New!

Hello friends and neighbors! I just wanted to tell you about the new blog that my friend Amanda has started. Amanda and her husband, Jeremy, are on deputation preparing to be missionaries to Brazil, South America. They also have three adorable boys! Our church began supporting them in January. I know you will enjoy her photos and her news of their travels to different churches. I appreciate all of our missionaries so much. It takes a lot of character and a close walk with the Lord to go out by faith, not just to a church somewhere in the US, but to a foreign field.

I hope you can stop by and say hello to her at www.tylerfamilytales.blogspot.com She is a very godly lady and I am blessed to call her my friend.

Thanks for visiting my little blogspot! Have a wonderful day!

A Letter From My Heavenly Father

I was thinking this morning about what a wonderful blessing it is to be saved. To know for sure that as soon as I close my eyes in death, I will open them in Heaven, is a very calming thought. I hate that so many in today's world do not know there is God who loved them so much, that He gave us His only Son, Jesus, to die for their sins. I want the whole world to hear about Him!
An even more saddening thought is that there are so many saved ladies who do not know how much God loves them. They have accepted Christ as their Saviour, but they have not walked with Him day by day. They do not feel His loving embrace each morning, they do not use His strong shoulder to lean on in the evening. It is a sad thing. Do you spend time each day reading God's love letter to you? Oh, believe me, there are days that I fail in this area! I have so many areas in which I need to grow. I do know that the Lord wants to hear from us, and talk to us.
He is waiting each day, in the shadows -for He never forces Himself upon us - for us to say hello and spend some time talking with Him, and crying to Him. I was thinking today that if the Lord could write us a personal letter, what would He say? I have no idea! After all, the Lord of the universe is perfect, and I am not. But maybe He would say something like this:

Dear Daughter,
Good morning! I hope you enjoyed the rest I gave you last night. I watched over you carefully. When you tossed and turned in despair over your burdens, I was waiting there, for you to call out to me. But you continued to toss and turn. I saw when sleep finally came to your wearied body.When you awoke in the night with your little ones, I was there beside you. I saw how you gently rocked your sweet baby. I thought about how I love it when you allow my peace to rock you to sleep.
I was hoping you might come to our place - our spot - this morning and have some coffee while you read My Word. I was disappointed when I saw you dash around the house and begin your day without me. I have so many things to tell you! I want you to know that I love you, I didn't just redeem your soul and forget about you, oh no! I have a blueprint for your life - for each day of it - if you'd only talk to me. I know you're struggling with your children, trying to rein in their wills, make them obey, and show love for them. I'd like to help you with that...but you haven't come to me. I know your facing financial pressures, and I have the answer for you, if you'd tell me about it. I'd like to hear your prayers. Yes, I know your burdens already, but I want to hear your voice. I miss you.
You have some areas in your life that you need to grow in. I have some corrections for you to make, but I will not chasten you and leave you. I will give you the strength and power to change!
If you only you would come to me. I love you more than any human ever could. I know you love me, but I wonder how much you love me, since I never hear from you.

Whenever you come to me, my sweet daughter, I will be here, waiting for you.

Love,
Your Heavenly Father

I'm so thankful for a loving and long-suffering Saviour! He is so good to me!

A Sister Is Forever ~

Happy Birthday, Melanie!!

Walter, Melanie, Stephen and me

Many friends may come and go, but a sister is forever. In honor of my sister's birthday today, I'd like to tell you a little about her. I often tell people that my sister is extremely good. And that defines her perfectly. I often desire to please myself, Melanie desires to please others. I often seek my own benefit along the way of life, Melanie seeks the benefit of others. If you need a babysitter, you can call upon her (but please don't...she's really busy these days). If someone is ill and needs a meal, she will be there. She sews. She cooks well. She sings. She plays the piano. She will gladly help you prepare a meal, or clean up after a meal. She will volunteer to pick up the dry cleaning or go to Wal-Mart for the one ingredient that you forgot to buy for supper. She homeschools, she is a soul winner, she teaches Sunday school, she is the mother to three active boys, she works in 4H, she's on her homeschool co-op board. Oh! She also recently organized the Master Club regional competition for her church, Gospel Light Baptist Church. That was no easy task. Her church runs around 3,000 people. She is amazing.
Somehow in the midst of this busy schedule, she still finds time to talk on the phone - for an hour or more at a time - to her sister in Texas. (That would be me! ;])

Besides "good", another word to describe her would be "Christlike". Yes, that's the right word. Melanie tries very hard to be like Christ.

Melanie, you have always been able to love everyone. It seems to come naturally to you, whereas I have to work so hard at loving people. I hope that today you will be the one who gets waited on hand and foot. I hope you can relax and enjoy today. It is your day.

Thank you for being the world's best sister. You have been, and still are, a wonderful example of Christ for me to follow.

I love you.

Just Embrace It!

Genesis 3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

I know many people who play the "blame game" quite frequently. My children are champions of this particular game. They love to blame "each other" for the wrong committed. They love to blame the ever popular "I forgot" or "I didn't hear you" for their wrongs. I know many adults who blame "the church people" as their reason for quitting church, or another popular one (but an oldie) is "The Pastor", or you can fill in his name. I've found we can always blame the pastor for something. "The Pastor didn't tell me to do that." "The Pastor was so angry when he preached that sermon that it offended me." "The Pastor is too young or too old to listen to. He doesn't understand us!"

I had thought that this was just the way it was in the world in which we live. We live in a day and time where people just don't fear God. We can all find excuses for not doing whatever the Holy Spirit is nudging us to do. And by the way, if we are not feeling the Holy Spirit's nudging to do something, then why make excuses? We must be feeling some pressure that we should do something or should stop doing something, or we wouldn't be fighting it by way of excuses. Oh, wait! Let's not call them excuses, let's call them reasons. Whatever name we give them, they are not unique to our day and time as I recently noticed in the above passage of Scripture.

We can see how Adam and Eve blame someone else for their own disobedience. Why didn't one of them say "Yes. I did it. I ate the fruit and disobeyed You, Lord." I suppose it was the first evidence of their new sin nature. We have inherited our "excuse making" habits from way back: Adam and Eve. They too played the "blame game", just like my kids do, and yes, just like I do from time to time. Truth is, this game is as old as time itself! From the original sin to today, we have people blaming someone else for their problems and for their sin. One such person I see everytime I look in the mirror!

When I was a teenager, I worked on a bus that picked up kiddos for Sunday school. My bus driver, Jenceson Payte, used the phrase "embrace it" a lot. He loved to tease me about how much I talked. I used to get all flustered and embarrassed and try to make excuses for my verbosity. He would look at me with a big smile, shrug and say "Hey, Valerie, you're a talker, just embrace it." After that statement, I could only grin and, for once, sit quietly. He was right! I'm pretty good at making excuses too! He was telling me to just accept the truth about myself and quit making excuses for it! It's a good philosophy. In order to come to Christ for salvation, we have to admit - or embrace - the fact that we are sinners. We have to claim it before we can change it. It's true of everything. If we don't see a problem, then we won't fix it.

So, the next time someone says "Why didn't you help us set up for the worker's banquet last night?" (or whatever) you can smile and say "I didn't feel like it. I stayed home and watched TV instead." or, you could just lay aside your excuses and go help out. Whatever you decide to do, just embrace it and be happy! It's so much easier than trying to think of excuses.

Kindergarten Homeschooling Helps

I have been home schooling my children for the past four years. Lauren is in the third grade this year, and Mitch is in Kindergarten. I learned so much while teaching Lauren. I made some mental and written notes while teaching her that have come in very handy for teaching the same material to Mitchell.

Here are some of the things I learned while teaching my kids. These ideas are not just for home schooling parents; any mother can help her child get a step ahead, or work on a difficult concept using some of these nifty tools.

I found that using a clock that had "moving hands" was so important in teaching time. As the minute hand turns on this clock, the hour hand moves accordingly. Therefore, it simulates the movement of a real clock. I cannot tell you how easy this clock has made my life! :o) It only cost me $6.00 at a teacher supply store. (If you have a teacher supply store in your area DO go check it out! Ours is called Teacher Heaven, and that is exactly what it is!)

Abeka's home school curriculum includes ready made lesson plans (Let's all give Abeka a great big thank you for that!) In these plans, they tell you to use a flannel board and felt pieces to demonstrate various concepts. I ordered the felt objects for counting from Abeka during Lauren's Kindergarten year and they were very handy! We used them for counting, teaching patterns, story problems, and just plain old fun! If possible, try to make use of a flannel board and either purchased or home made felt pieces. Kids love 'em.

Abeka also encourages the purchase of felt numbers, but I made my own. I bought ready-cut letters at Teacher Heaven and cut some strips of felt. I then glued the pieces of felt onto the back of the numbers from my ready-cut letters packet and voila! These are used in conjunction with the felt objects. For example, you might place four flowers, three trees, five birds, etc. on the board. The student then counts the objects and places the correct number (with felt on the back) beside the corresponding number of objects.

This small marker board is ideal for demonstrating the correct formation of letters and numbers. One side is blank, and the other side is lined. Instead of standing at a board, the student can write on this board much like they will a piece of paper. Unfortunately, these were not around when Laure was in Kindergarten. They have been so nice to have! I highly recommend these! This one cost me about $7 at Wal-Mart.

If you are thinking about homeschooling, here are some great resources to get you started:

Slow and Steady Get Me Ready

So, You're Thinking about Home Schooling?

Help for the Harried Home Schooler

Educating the Whole Hearted Child

Things We Wish We'd Known

I also highly recommend Abeka, but I realize there are many good homeschooling options available these days! I'm sure they are all good. We use the Abeka DVD school, as well as the traditional "Mom taught" school.

Again, whether you home school or not, I hope you can use these ideas for your kids, grandkids, Sunday school kids, etc. Also, if you have any great teaching ideas, I'd love to hear from you! Please email me, or comment here. This was just something I thought I'd share.

Have a fabulous Friday, everyone!!

Oh Boy...

Well, readers, it has been a very bad Monday and Tuesday. I apologize for being unavailable the past two days. I have been *very* ill. On Monday morning, I awoke at my usual 5:15AM to get started on my day and felt very sick to my stomach. I got up, thought to myself, "I'll splash some water in my face and then I'll feel better". This did not work. I stayed in bed very late and around 8:30AM began to be very sick. I have had a high fever and everything else that goes with a stomach virus. Praise the Lord for a husband who has a flexible schedule, and who is willing to pinch hit when necessary. What a blessing!
I now feel so much better, but am very weak. This hit me completely out of the blue. None of my kids have been ill, and I pray they don't start now! I don't know anyone who has been this sick.
Oh, well, and Oh boy...what a way to start the week!
Please keep me and my family in your prayers. I hope this starts and stops with me!