Category: Fitness

Feeling Stuck

FeelingStuck

Rocky Foundation

For those of you who have been following me the last 6 months. I have been on a serious weight loss journey. I have changed every aspect of my lifestyle. I have never had to try so hard to lose weight. I was always a “skinny” girl. I could eat whatever I wanted. not workout and not even gain a pound. I was only 118 pounds but completely out of shape. My eating habits were poor, I was a fast food, soda addicted junkie and didn’t care because it didn’t show. Then, I began to have the diva’s and all of those bad habits caught up to me.

With my first daughter, I gained 95 pounds. I know that is unheard of, I think mothers of multiples don’t even gain that much weight. I wasn’t pregnant with several children I was only carrying one little 6 pound 12 ounce baby girl. Needless, to say the bag of size 4 jeans I packed to go home in did not even come up one of my thighs. I went home wearing my maternity pants. But I worked it off, I made it a full time job to lose the baby weight. I worked out 6 days a week for 3-4 hours a day and survived off of wheat grass and dew (just kidding). I really don’t recommend that weight loss plan but it worked and 9 months later I had lost all of the pregnancy weight and was comfortably zipping up my size 4 and back to my drive thru hopping.

Another Weight loss Round

Then came my next little diva. I played it smart this time at least I thought I did. I went to a nutritionist twice a week and worked out until I was 7 and a half months pregnant. Tallying in at a whopping 85 pounds weight gain when I went into the delivery room. Giving birth to my 9 pound, sweet little “Boo Bear.” Again, I went fast and furious into the weight loss but this time I breast fed so it made it a little easier. I had two little ones so that made working out a little harder. So I bought the newest (at the time) Beach body workout series and got my “Slim in 6” tail in gear. I couldn’t live off of wheat grass and dew this time because I was nursing so I did eat fairly healthy. It took a little longer to lose the weight because I didn’t have the ability to workout 6 days a week 3-4 hours a day and eat nothing so I was zipping up my size 4’s in about a year and half. (Still not a recommended weight loss plan). Maintained my figure by running but I still had horrible eating habits. Toxic after toxic processed meals in my body daily. I had also acquired a lethal sweet tooth and cupcakes had become a girls’ best friend.

105poundweightloss

Getting my Mojo Back

Then came diva number 3, six years later. This time around I was unable to exercise because I was severely sick in my first trimester. Unknowingly it was the result of being pregnant with twins. At 11 weeks (almost made it to my second trimester) I lost one of my twins and carried out the rest of my pregnancy in a depressed state. I was also bed ridden till I was 17 weeks and filled the void with any and every craving my heart desired. I did do a little better on the weight gain this time around, weighing in at a 75 pound weight gain (I know not better at all). I added 20 pound to that in the first two months of my little ones’ life and began a different weight loss journey.

There was no sprint to the finish line this time go round. I didn’t have time, energy or resources with three little divas’. As the number on the scale grew my determination decreased. I thought I would be content with living the rest of my life heavier (clinically obese at this point). The thing that really was disheartening that when my baby girls was born I had changed our entire families lifestyle to clean eating but I did not change my portions and I did not add to my activity so it was all in vain. It wasn’t until after my baby was one year old and a complete stranger asked me “when I was due” that I got a spark of determination to get my body back. This time I vowed that I would not go back to my toxic ways, I would not work myself to exhaustion and stress.

This weight loss was going to be the old fashioned way, great nutrition and a great workout routine. I am a very determined person so when I started on the journey I had a goal in mind. I hit the ground running losing 6 pounds in my first week. I think my body was just shocked that things were changing. I had continued the clean eating journey but I had to cut the portion sizes and the way I was eating. The workouts were something that I never did before. High, Intensity, Interval, Training had me huffing, puffing and sweating in as little as 20 minutes. I began taking brisk walks and really doing more efficient workout. Then I did a 30 day cleanse. Its not the type of cleanse that you are thinking. This cleanse allowed me to eat but just on a lower level. I did not consume alcohol or sugar for 30 days and I fasted 1 day a week for the four weeks. I also for the first time intentionally prayed everyday for 5-10 minutes for my body during this 30 days. I literally was getting all the toxins out of my mind, body and soul and my body was screaming the praises of all this goodness and I lost 10 pounds and 31 inches in a month. I had never felt better and I was ready to take this weight loss to the next level. Then it happened. I got stuck!

45poundweightloss

What does stuck mean?

What does stuck mean? When I came back to reality-not cleansing, still clean eating, still working out world. My body just didn’t budge. There were no more inch loss, no more weight loss, all the work none of the glory! At first, I thought I have reached a plateau that happens just push through. Then one month went by and only 2 pounds loss. Then the next month went by and no pounds no inches. Then I thought okay, maybe I am not doing what I was doing maybe I am consuming too many calories. So, I kept food diaries, added another workout day but nothing other than a new full time job; Managing my weight loss. Tracking everything I put in my mouth, increasing my weight and giving every workout every bit of energy I possibly can. But still nothing. A plateau that I thought would last for a week or so is now carrying on to four months. What do I do now? What have I done wrong?

Again, I brought it to God! Intentionally praying for 30 days. Instead of a weight loss freedom something different has been happening I have been assessing and checking my mental “baggage” or weight. I think I am heavier mentally than I am physically more so than I thought. My weight loss has not progressed but I know the last 30 days I have been growing stronger and stronger in the Lord. I know that this plateau-(which at this point I am not sure if you can call it that) is for a growth in other aspects of my life. In the last few months I have desperately wanted God to change my physical situations but it wasn’t until the last few days that I realized that God wants this situation to change me. Alot, of my problem is my body image- I have the image of a “skinny”girl body in my mind so when I look in the mirror its is honestly sometimes shocking what is looking back at me.

Isaiah5518

What am I doing wrong?

I was thinking the other day, “I wonder how mountain climbers get through the steepest part of the climb?” The part where you are like, “why did I decide to climb this high of a mountain? Or, is this the part I turn back and go the way I came? Or, if I would have known then what I know now would I have still climbed this mountain?” Can you imagine being on a mountain working really hard to get to a certain spot and looking up and realizing you’re still not at the top of that mountain? And you think you worked hard before? Well then you really need to dig in deep to finish. That’s where I am, digging in deep, trying to find the strength within myself to keep moving forward.

Then I woke up yesterday morning with the song by Chris Tomlin, “I will follow” in my head. The thing is I don’t often listen to that song. I usually listen to Spotify it was never in my playlist (until now). I opened up my daily devotional and the topic for the day was “releasing our destinations,” and the prayer was:

“Lord, where do you want me to be? What plans do You have for my family and loved ones? Let me be in the places and situations that You ordain. Oh Lord, my life is in Your hands. You have a purpose for everything, I rest in Your guidance and provision. Amen.”

None of these were coincidental but definitely God trying to get my attention. And then the definitive voice that I always hear just when I need it, told me to “Be still.” If you haven’t read my post before, when God tells me to “Be still” he wants me to reflect take a self assessment on how I am trying to do things my way and getting in His way. When I am trying to follow my own plan and not His; I feel stuck. But I won’t be there much longer or maybe a little longer who knows. I am not going to worry about what my role in this is any longer. I am going to go back to following His lead and try to stay there. The journey is just a lot easier and I am so much stronger when He has all my burdens. I guess this is one of those stay tuned…..

Have you ever felt stuck? How’d you get unstuck?

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Tags fitness, God, health, plateau, weight loss

Fitness Fitness and Health Self self-care Weightloss Journey

Old Habits Never Die

journey

We can change a old habit but it will never die. The definition of change is to become something different. I had a love-hate relationship with fitness. When I first met my husband, my husband (not at the time but soon to be) was a personal trainer and I was one of those very skinny fat people. A good metabolism and no children made a body good but I was very unhealthy. I ate so many bad things, I smoked (secretly from my then boyfriend who hated it), I drank socially, I hated working out but my husband inspired me to change some of my ways-smoking, physical inactivity. It was great! I began forming new habits I began to change and become something different. Just like any journey we take we start off somewhere and we end up somewhere completely different. But just because we are in that new place doesn’t erase where we came from. Habits are just like that, never dying always there but new ones can be formed that are better for you and what you want to continue.

What do we know?

I am sure you have heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit. Why is that? A habit is basically a pattern of behavior that gets “worn into our brain.” Everything we do (and think, for that matter) is governed by impulses firing across synapses, or spaces between certain cells that guide communication.

That is why sometime when you are driving home from work and you can seem on autopilot. For instance, say you add something to your schedule such as “pick up milk before I get home.” You mentally remind yourself before you leave your office yet, you drive straight home only to open the refrigerator and realize; “I forgot to pick up the milk before I came home.” We have all done something like that because we are in the habit of doing certain task one way and when we add something different we have to make a conscious effort to change that habit.

When any behavior or pattern is repeated enough, the synaptic pathways associated with that pattern get used to being accessed. As a result, it becomes easier for impulses to travel along those pathways, and the behavior seems “natural.” In other words, to the brain, drive straight home, is practically instinctive. One action triggers the next.

I am sure that you have tried other programs and they have told you “In three weeks this will become second nature” and you have been skeptical, first how can you make a drastic change in your life so quickly and second, how are you going to be able to stay on track for 3 weeks or 21 days. It is possible but it all depends on “how bad do you want it?”

So, is this kind of making sense to you? Let me give you some scientific background of how and why you need more than three weeks to create a lifetime habit?

autopilot

What don’t we know?

The pattern-enforcing synaptic pathways are able to be programmed. There is no real known origin of the 21 day rule, there is a book called “Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz, which was a self-help book that was published in the 1970s reprinted in 1989. Psycho-Cybernetics, stated that it takes 21 days to create or break a habit. The evidence gathered from that book was based on practical experiences and not clinical experiences. It has been used in a most programs since then. It has been proven that most people can adapt or change a bad habit in 21 days but as far as brain waves, and any other research to back up the claim there is no known origin.

We all know that is easier to pick up a habit then it is to break a habit. Especially, if you enjoy it or it relieves some form of stress or anxiety such as nail biting, smoking, over eating, etc. If you repeat a behavior often enough your synaptic pathways are going to become programmed. The human brain is an adaptive organ and adapts to its surroundings very easily. Does it actually take 21 days, who knows, sometimes it takes 15 days others it take 25 days but generally speaking by the 21^st day a habit becomes second nature. Everyone is different and every brain is different but a key to habit formation is dependent on the experience and the personality of the individual. If it goes against the grain it might take longer for you to adapt hence why you may “fall off the wagon.” It’s not because you didn’t program your brain you are not enjoying the experience which is why when trying to break a habit you need to find something that is pleasurable to you to replace it and allow new synaptic pathways to form.

Breaking a habit is a lot more complicated, because while parts of those worn-in pathways can weaken without use, they never go away [source: Rae-Dupree]. They can be reactivated with the slightest provocation [source: Delude]. If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking, you already know this. You can go a year without a cigarette, and then give in one time and BANG, the habit comes right back.

The best you can do, then, is to form a new, parallel pattern, like exercising when you feel stress, rather than indulge the old pattern, which triggers “cigarette” in response to stress. I also find that praying is comforting and stress relieving and as I reflecting in my Honor Your Temple Prayer Challenge is an optimal solution to help you break a bad habit. This is also, why “falling off the wagon” becomes so easy. You have already programmed yourself and unfortunately creating new and better habits is not a reset button it is more of a pause button on those habit that you no longer desire but don’t know how to break and re-record.

Let’s be real it is really going to probably take 60 days to truly break a habit. 21-30 days (Take into account personality differences) to change the habit and then another 30 days to reinforce that change and create a strong synaptic pathway that will be sustaining.

When I used to work in professional organizing I would work with my clients for a minimum of 60 days. I created a new habit timeline for them to follow that may help you form a new and better habit this year too.

Habittimeline

Week 5-8: Find an accountability partner, group, etc. someone to check in with weekly and tell you them of the success you have made. It’s easier to be held accountable once you have already made the change versus while you are trying to change. It is less discouraging if you have change or setbacks. Also, this is a personal change and you can’t let outside influences effect inside transformations. Continue this transformation. Continue to keep track and expand on it if possible. Sign up for cooking courses, 5k’s, competitions, or something to practice your new change with. Reward yourself at the end of each week with something of value to you. By Week 8 you should have two habits; one is the habit you’ve wished to transform; the other is a new habit. Once you achieve that keep in mind that “Old habits don’t die!”

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Tags bad habits, CHANGE, habits, new habits, overeating, resolution, smoking, stop overeating, stop smoking, transform, transformation, weight loss, weight loss journey

christian mom Faith & Self Care Faith Journey new christians Self

Outside of my Comfort Zone

Post author By De
Post date December 3, 2015
12 Comments on Outside of my Comfort Zone

The voice of the Lord twists the oaks ad strips the forest bare. An in his temple all cry, Glory! Psalms 29:9

Lacking the ability of direction

I have a horrible sense of direction. Always have not sure if it’s inherited but my mother does too. Get us together and we are the blind leading the blind. I learned when my daughter was in 2^nd grade that we all have certain genius’. And spatial genius-being good a directions and space, that is something that I lack.

So, for the last year I have felt lost. Like, I know I am going in some sort of direction but a little confused. I have been seeking God’s guidance and his response has been, “be still.” Well they tell you when you are lost to stay still till someone finds you, right? I am not the stay still type of person. I have been pursuing different directions trying to find the direction of this evolving new me for about 4 years, but still lost. Again, seeking God’s direction and again, His response “be still.” This time is different, I am tired of thinking I am heading in the right direction only to be getting further and further lost. I want to stay still, but how does one stay still?

How does one stay still?

Have you ever tried to stay still? I have stayed still in moments, each time progressively longer but never till I found an answer. Never committing fully or entirely grasping the concept of “staying still.” If someone put a gun to my head I could probably master it but honestly;

Who wants a gun held to their head?

I rather voluntarily submit. I am trying to be still before God forces me too. He has gently reminded me from time to time for some time now. I have decided that I really really want to obey.

The definition of be still is-not moving or making a sound; deep silence and calm; stillness; and quieten. I am someone who is constantly moving. I always having an idea that needs to be brought to fruition. I am loud, not calm (calmer now that I am older but still I wouldn’t characterize me as calm), constantly active and quieten-I had to look that one up and nope not that either. To sit still is literally torture to me which makes me think:

“Why does God want to torture me?”

Yet, I really feel that God wants me to be still, so what does that mean for me? I honestly have no clue what to do when you are still and my husband jokingly says,

“that means do nothing.”

So, I go to google because clearly someone has had to created steps to “doing nothing.”

Yea, no.

Next, I got to the source the ultimate instruction manual the Bible. What does the Bible say about being still?

Figuring out the steps

I am being still to honor and serve God therefore, once I achieve being still then I need to wait on God. Okay, waiting now that is something that I am very familiar with. I am not am an impatient person. So, not only does God want me to be still, but He also wants me to wait. Who ever said this being a Christian thing is easy- is a LIAR! So, I now take this journey down a path to strengthen my faith I find that God is working on three things in me- my ability to be obedient, my ability to be still and to be patient and wait on Him to come guide me where I need to go. Let’s tackle one thing at a time: be still.

In my google search there was not a Wiki-How on how to be still but there was a quote that resonated with me. “You can only see your reflection in still water.” Did you get the same “Aha” that I did? Praise God for shining a little light on the subject. Here I am lost trying to find my way trying to find my calling. I told a friend one time I felt like a Spaghetti noodle being flung on the wall trying to see if I stick. I have so many talents, passions, ideas but every time I go to God to see where to take them I get the “be still.” Then, this quote brought so much clarity. I can’t figure out how to use these talents, pursue my passion until I am still enough to see my reflection. God wasn’t trying to torture me at all He was trying to give me the direction that I have been praying about for years and my hard headed self was trying to figure it out myself. When He really was answering me. How many times do we do that? Ask God to answer our prayers and then ignore Him when He actually does? (You can put your hand down, now.)

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:14

He makes things so easy sometimes I feel like we are the ones who complicate it. So, I need to be still so that I can figure out and hear God better and start going in the direction of whatever purpose He has for me. Yep, easier said than done. So, actively trying to be still which for me is taking a step back from everything but raising my family. Daily devoting into the word, reading books, the Bible and just learning and growing in Him. For when I am actually still enough to see my reflection I want to be ready. I hopefully don’t have to wait too long.

Be Patient and Wait

This brings me to the next growing pain from God. I haven’t completely achieved being still and obedient. Although, I am honestly giving it all that I have growing that muscle daily but being patient and waiting is a lesson that I have learned before from God. Again, haven’t mastered it but I think He was preparing me for this phase of life so I have some understanding on how it is done. There are a few passages, highlighted, sticker-ed (Yes, I put stickers in my Bible) and heavily noted on waiting. My absolute favorite and another “Aha” is:

We wait in hope for the Lord;

He is our help and our shied.

In him our hearts rejoice,

For we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

Ever as we put our hope in you.

Psalms 34:20-22

4 Essentials to Waiting

WAIT. Although, we don’t want to we must wait on the Lord. He is only conspiring for our good and although it may seem like a long time for us it is only a moment for Him. His plan supersedes our plan and He wants more for us than we can even imagine all we have to do is wait for His provision. For your salvation I wait, O Lord. Genesis 49:18
HELP. If it really gets too hard to wait, too much to bear then we need to rely on Him but to be impatient with God and try to do things our own way means that we don’t trust in Him to provide. We are so used to instant gratification but doesn’t meant that is how things should be. God is our refuge our strength in ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
REJOICE. One of my favorite quotes is: When times are sweet give thanks and celebrate. When times are bitter give thanks and grow. We should always rejoice in the Lord, “For this is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24 It can always be worse but it is only a day, a moment, a season and blip in time that the Lord gives us, We should rejoice. So when waiting rejoice for where you are presently. Rejoice for where you will be in the future and rejoice and praise the Lord always for his provision. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
TRUST. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lead to your own understanding Proverbs 3:5 because honestly, you just won’t get it. He has a upper story a meaning and a purpose planned out. What we are looking at here and now is not the full picture. It is a narrow perspective. We have to have trust in Him that He is conspiring for us in all things (which He is). How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, on those who take refuge in you.

I know what I need to be doing and I kind of know how to do it. So, I am just going to take a seat before He makes me take a seat and let God do His thing. I will try to rejoice and not look at it as torture because He could ask me to do far greater and harder things than to just be still. (ie. Moses, Abraham, Gideon, David….just for example)
Has God ever asked you to do something out of your comfort zone?

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Tags being a christian, challenge, Christian, comfort zone, faith journey, help, rejoice, trust, wait

Faith Journey Online Bible Study

Ephesians Online Bible Study

Post author By De
Post date October 11, 2015

I value my time in the word and have been praying on how I can help mom’s find time to study too. When I first started doing bible studies, I was a new Christian and found comfort in book studies, as I grew in my relationship with Christ my thirst for knowledge did too. After indulging in studying Chapters of the bible. I created my very own study to help others with their quest to armor themselves with the Word of God.

I believe the best way to begin any study is through prayer; pray that God helps you to understand the information. That he opens your mind and your heart to His word and allow you to be a light for God to share it with others in the future.

Knowing the truth will protect you from being misled by others and will empower you to share God’s knowledge. Take your time with this study, however long it takes.

This study will have a study guide:

online discussion group,
weekly bible verse memory,
weekly curriculum and
printable of the study.

I am so excited to start this journey through Ephesians with you. I pray that it will be a blessing to you and fuels your faith! You will receive download to the printable book or access to the book. Access to our private online group and more information about when our next session is beginning. If you would like to be a part of this six week study, please join us and register for the upcoming study starting soon!

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Tags bible, bible study, ephesians online bible study, God, online bible study, womens online bible study

christian mom Faith Journey Fitness and Health Honor My Temple Prayer Challenge Self self-care Weightloss Journey

Changing My Story

Finding a better way

Behind every picture is a story; We all know that and looking at the last few years of my life pictures I definitely have one to tell. August 1, I woke up and decided that I had enough with my current health. I was eating well enough, but I still was over indulging on sugar, my portions were ridiculous and using my boredom as an excuse to nibble on snacks. I didn’t feel content in the body I was in, it didn’t match the image in my head. So, I decided to do something. I posted about how I found Beyond Fit Mom, and how I was making changes in my life. Well here I am 60 days later and I have totally created a new lifetime habit. I wanted to blog about this because there are a lot of mom’s who have shown the before and after but not a lot that shows the during. Its hard to relate to someone who has already found the results that you seek. I am here (at least for now) everyday doing the work to get the body that I will help me live a healthy lifestyle.

Before, I had my third daughter I was visually in good shape but I had horrible eating habits. I also worked out several hours a day, which was great when you have two school age children but when you have a new baby its not that simple. BFM, was essential in my life because it allowed my workouts to be efficient. I was about 60 pounds overweight and I have a goal to lose it by Christmas. I am very goal driven and it was the only way that I was going to get my life back in order. So, the first 30 days I did the workout followed the nutrition and lost a little less than 14 pounds, my husband was a great motivator and accountability partner. The second 30 days, my husband who is a school teacher and wouldn’t be there to cheer me on so after prayer, I had the God idea to Honor My Temple through a prayer challenge. I partnered with a Fitness Specialist and together we prayed and through social media involved others to help us honor our temple through prayer. It was life changing for me. When I went to God with my issues not only was I stronger and achieved more I grew my relationship in Christ too.

Cleansing my temple

Another, life changing experience I had this month was a 30 day cleanse. I have never cleansed before and after speaking with my friend I was convinced that a 30 day cleanse would be a great way to jump start this change in eating and exercising. I totally thought I was ready, I was not ready at all. The first two weeks, I had a wedding and 2 birthday parties to attend which I was pretty strong willed and did very well I didn’t eat any of the no no foods and only drank water the entire time. Now, I would like to say this was my own strong will but in all actuality it was through prayer that I was able to achieve this feat. Now, the last two weeks were probably the hardest. I was over this restricted lifestyle change, I was ready to indulge, fall is here and all the smells and food were enticing me to quit. It was only through my strength in the Lord that I was able to continue and not submit to temptation. It seems cheeky but I really did pray my way through and I had amazing results.

How did I get here?

In 18 days I lost 6 pounds and 24.75 inches all over my body. I lost all of this through eating correctly, working out 3 days a week and daily prayer. I want to emphasize there were no wraps, no magic pills, I ate non processed protein and produced and sweated three days a week for 20-30 minutes each day without fail. Even when I weighed 128 pound I did not feel this good. I have so much energy, my memory has improved, I just feel so much better about myself. The best part through this entire journey is that my faith and trust in God has multiplied and I am now living a completely aligned life. I have always sought balance and now I have achieved it and will probably continue down this road for a lifetime.

What have you done in your life to change your story?

My journey so far and still have 40 pounds to lose, please check back with me next month or follow my blog to see my continued progress.