Never Too Late

Hi Followers~!

It’s been a while, I’ve been putting my hands in so many pots that I have slowed down on the post. I want to first off thank all of you who have spread the light of self love and motivated one another to get in shape whether it be mental or physical! It has been so beautiful to watch the positivity spread like wildfire throughout the news feeds on both here and Instagram. We are all responsible for one another. Where one is weak we should all band together to be strong. For those of you who may still be struggling with fully committing to an exercise or meal regimen just remember.. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE. Time flies by and before you know it three or four months have flown by. Imagine the changes that you could have made in your body in that amount of time. The key is taking it one day at a time. Don’t look each day for your end result to appear. Instead, keep doing the right thing day by day and watch your end result sneak up on you! I recently posted a side by side picture of myself 15 pounds heavier than where I am today. I had no idea on how much my body changed. The key to changing and keeping your sanity is taking it one step at a time. DO NOT allow yourself to get discouraged… DO NOT allow negative thoughts of short comings to overcome your confidence and desire to grow and change. Remember, your mind controls your body and it is YOU that controls your mind. You are stronger than you ever imagined…just keep pressing forward!
Love and light
-E

Don’t Give Up

Saying NO to Self Doubt and Discouragement

The spirit of doubt and discouragement has been running rampant through my ladies this past week and a half. Not only through my ladies, but also through me as well. At the start of anything we always seem to be fully energized and committed to the goal at hand. It’s just like the beginning of a marathon. You have all the energy and faith in the world at the beginning, to not only finish the race but finish strong. Once you are a certain amount of time in, and it starts being less fun and more uncomfortable, our faith in ourselves and reaching the finish line becomes more and more bleak. For whatever reason it is human nature to run from or avoid any uncomfortable feeling or situation even if it is completely necessary for our physical or emotional growth. Pain strengthens.I cannot think of any situation whether emotional or physical where I endured pain and was not more strong afterwards. When you are at the gym or on the track giving it your all, it’s going to hurt, it’s going to be uncomfortable, but you must push PAST the pain. The body you will see at the finish line, whether it is two months or six months from when you started will give you a sense of pride like no other.

Also, it is important for us to learn to tell that little “I can’t” parasite in our heads to just BE QUIET. You can and will say no to bad foods that stunt your fitness goals. You can and will say no to unhealthy relationships or people that stunt your personal growth. You can and will say no to the spirit of self doubt that says no matter how hard you try you wont attain the body or lifestyle that you desire. Some may see me and think that everyday I wake up believing I’m going to be great. That is not true. I wake up some mornings tired, sore, and overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a single mother. I have to really pray my way into the gym some days. I have to pray my way to eating right when I want to go sit somewhere and overdose on fried foods and sweets because they comfort me. Mental strength is just as important and physical strength in the quest to a healthier you. I feel like there is nothing that you can’t pray to God to. People seem afraid or embarrassed to go to Him in regards to their fitness goals. This is our temple, we have only one, there is absolutely nothing wrong with praying that He keeps you on path with taking care of yourself. He is needed in EVERY aspect of our lives, any area He is left out of is weakened. So stand up, hold your head up, push that plate of bad food away and tell yourself I can do this, not only because I believe I can, but because I have God standing next to me in this walk towards physical, spiritual, and emotional progression! Carpe Diem!

 

Young, gifted, and ………………Christian?

Let me start by saying I GET IT. Everything now seems to be done for a like, or a retweet. For some false sense of acceptance and gratification that social networking has provided to the narcissistic and misguided.

Christianity, however, is not one of those things. Dying completely to oneself and deciding to completely follow God is one of the most anti-social things one will ever commit to. Once, you do this you open up a whole new can of worms than conforming to the world brought on. Trust me, I GET IT. I’m living it every single day. I fully understand when I write or post something there are three types of responses, maybe four. The first is from the person that reads whatever I may post or write and likes it because it’s nice or uplifting, they may not necessarily get anything from it but they appreciate the gesture of positivity. Then there are those who may read and think “I wish she will just shut up” but they may like it anyway and discuss their distaste with others privately.  I am not naïve enough to believe every like or follow is pure hearted. I GET IT.  Let’s not forget those who simply scroll right on by, they don’t care what I’m saying and they have no desire to know. Then there are those who may never like a thing but they hear God speak to them through whatever situation I’m speaking on at the time. In return they seek to be closer to Him. I am doing this for those people.

I think that some have the misconception that I’m doing this for me, or to gain some sort of recognition of self. If anything I am losing friends more quickly than ever before. The same people that would run to the bars with me, or cheer on as I cursed someone out or tore them down with my words, have absolutely nothing to do with me now. They still have the image in my head of what I use to be. Some people will never believe that God can change you, because they still have not allowed Him to change them.

Fence straddlers is a more appropriate term. I was the QUEEN of straddling the fence. I would try to preach something I got from a lesson at church to people that I was out getting drunk acting a fool with. How could anyone take that serious? There I was right next to them doing the exact same thing they were doing, trying to teach about God. Laughable. Fence straddlers are the reason people reject God and church and it’s teachings. Seeing the deacons and choir members and ministry leaders in clubs is disheartening to people who may have considered turning their lives over to God.

I will never forget the evening I realized and accepted that I was a luke-warm Christian. I was at an associates house about to get ready to drink and everyone was asking me what type of man I wanted. Because see I have been single for a LONG time. I remember I replied “a preacher” He looked at me and said. “A preacher?”, you honestly think a preacher is going to notice you and you out here with all your behind hanging out of your shorts drinking like you drink? a real preacher doesn’t want that type of woman!” Not only was I embarrassed, I was enlightened. I began thinking what signal am I sending, is it one of Christianity and God’s love or is it one of the world?

Even after that I still did not submit, shortly after though God completely removed me from everything I knew and was comfortable with. In my solitude I have been able to look no where but up. I consider it a sort of spiritual boot camp per say. Sometimes He will take everything from you, so that you can focus completely on Him and what He wants from you. There is nothing easy about serving God. I am still human and have human desires. I want to go out and drink and date and have sex and live carefree. I cannot do those things anymore. I know I can’t because I don’t find pleasure in those things anymore like I use to. I still curse, not as much as I use to, but get me mad yes it will come out.

That’s the third point I want to bring to your attention. Following God completely and dying to self does not equal perfection. No one is perfect. I use to think, in my ignorance, that I was perfect as far as character went. Because I knew that I had a good heart, I felt that I was above those who did certain things that I did not do. God revealed all my ugliness to me before taking it out of me. It’s only in God are we cleansed. Even after cleansing we are not perfected. The goal, however is to not fall and sit inside of sin. The goal is to get back up and use the gifts given to us to spread the love of God. Some days I don’t feel like giving any of myself to anyone. I battle with the thought that “these people do not want to hear anything I have to say, look how they give all of their attention to this girl “twerking” but people who spread your word get no reaction.

That’s when He said to me “is this about you or is the about God?” Even if no one listens I have to spread the light. I do it expecting no one to listen, the plus comes when one or two do.

It’s so scary knowing that you are giving up being accepted. Really it’s more like being able to accept being rejected. People don’t want to listen to anything that’s against what’s popular. Especially now. In this day and age the devil runs rampant it’s proven in what we glamorize. Nevertheless, I will continue to post, I will continue to spread my story, not because I want to…but because I was CHOSEN to……my only hope is that the third type of person referenced above sees something I say or relates to something I have gone through and is able to turn away from the world. No you won’t be accepted, yes your motives will be misunderstood, yes you will lose “friends”, no they won’t want to hear or see anything you try to give, yes it will turn members of the opposite sex from you(no one wants to date a “Jesus Judy”) or if they do date you sometimes it’s only to be able to say they got you to do the very thing you said you wouldn’t because of your relationship with God. The devil likes to make a mockery of God and His followers. You have to give up things and people you may feel that you cannot live or do without. The return, however, is well worth it……. So when you see me, look past me and see Him.

 

Run it…..

Destiny Fulfilled

Before I begin…..No this isn’t a reference to one of my favorite Destiny’s Child albums.

I think it’s so important for us to continue to push through the trials and tribulations of life, until we have fulfilled our destiny. Each of us has been put on Earth for a special purpose. It’s solely up to us if we figure out what this purpose is. I believe in order to do so we have to tap into our spiritual selves. We have to be completely in tune with our Creator and seek Him in order to find ourselves. Some people spend their entire lives running from their purpose. They may have a constant inclination inside of the that there is something they should be doing and they choose to ignore it. They run from it by keeping themselves busy with nothing. A bunch of unfulfilling task that ultimately still leave them with a sense of emptiness or incompleteness. If you attend church I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard stories of these type of people. Then there are those who are so disconnected that they don’t even realize they should be chasing their destiny. Instead they chase acceptance from others, and seek short term self-fulfillment, or have their vision clouded by substance abuse. Substance abuse referring to either narcotics or alcohol. They float in and out of each day only seeking their next high or buzz. Before they know it 5 years have passed them by and they have absolutely nothing to show for it. I can relate to the latter because I once chose alcoholism over clarity and purpose. Floating through life completely jaded. Chasing nothing but acceptance from my peers and that mind numbing experience that the liquor would bring. Eventually, I guess, God got tired of me wasting it all away and I woke up one day in a completely different state with nothing but my car and one box of clothes. I’ve been chasing destiny ever since and it has not run from me……What or who will you give up to make sure your destiny is fulfilled? Peace and blessings…..

Stronger than Yesterday

Every day you try, is a day you are BETTER

Say NO to weekend binge eating……….

 

I know it’s hard….. you went the whole work week eating healthy(with maybe a cookie or candy slip) and exercising…and now you look up and it’s your best friend…. the weekend.

Here’s where trouble can come in. You may have a girl’s night planned for Friday night, a date for Saturday night, and then of course the usual Sunday feast the last day. One weekend of eating whatever I want and drinking like a fish won’t hurt right? WRONG. One weekend of bad eating habits can set you back one or two weeks worth of exercise. Think about it. You may be on the go during the day, stopping at whatever fast food restaurant your kids beg for, then at night you’re too tired to cook a healthy meal so you grab pizza or God forbid Chinese food and call it a night. Two and a half days of bad eating can set you back drastically in your fitness goals. 15 minutes of brisk walking on a treadmill burns only about 68 calories. That equals one large fry. Not including any other greasy deep fried goodness you may partake in for the weekend. Once you start adding calories up you will quickly see that you have set yourself back the past 10 days of working out and have to work your butt off the next week just trying to break even.

I try to set mental notes for myself during the weekend that I still have a physical goal to accomplish. Sometimes that means packing my own meals, or if for whatever reason that is not an option, having lots of fruit and salads while I’m on the go. That way I stay full but I’m not filling myself with bad calories. Most of the time I find myself going to a completely different place to eat on the weekends than my son, just to ensure I stick to my own goals and plans. It’s nothing worse that getting to the end of the following week and looking in the mirror and wondering…why am I still so bloated? That’s because you haven’t worked off that chicken fried steak with gravy you had the weekend before.

Also, it’s very very important for us to lay off the alcohol. I have made the personal decision to stop drinking all together. I perform better in the gym, and I feel better overall. Our bodies stores all those cocktails and beer as empty calories which transfers into belly fat and love handles. You may say, but guys drink all the time and still have abs, we are not guys. Unfortunately, in order to maintain that lean fit physique we have to work a little harder. That’s because our bodies naturally store fat easier. Yes, there are some women who can eat and drink whatever they want and remain thin, but the goal isn’t to be thin, it is to be healthy. At 140 pounds I could probably run circles around a woman at 115 pounds, it’s all in how healthy you are. And vice versa, I know some women 160 pounds and older than me that can run circles around me. It’s important that we don’t get caught up in what the scale says, but how our body performs and how we feel. Alcohol will have you feeling and looking horrible. Not only is it bad calories, too much drinking shows in your face eventually. Whether it’s skin problems or bags under the eyes from hangover nights. Think about how many 21 year olds we know with the faces of 30 or 40 year old women. Excessive drinking(or smoking) wears us down and takes away that youthful glow. Usually we don’t notice it on ourselves, but trust me, everyone else does. Be GOODto yourself.

On Sundays I try to maintain healthy eating habits by finding recipes for dinner that wont tip my fat intake off the board. One website I found that I really like is www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes. It has a whole section dedicated to easy filling dinner ideas.

So when you go on that date Saturday night, try to stick to your needed food groups, a grilled protein, some nice cooked veggies, and water. One cocktail or a glass of wine, if you must, but don’t go taste testing everything on the menu. Or even worse, taking shots(if it’s that type of date). Your date will be glad you remained sober enough to continue to act like a lady, and you will be glad the following week in the gym when you don’t pass out on the treadmill.  I’m sure you’ll sneak a piece of bread in. The good thing is that a few carbs aren’t as bad when everything else is following a healthy and clean eating regimen and you’re eating small portions of them.

With all this said………….HAPPY FRIDAY…..

 

I do believe we’re all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/harveyfier368569.html#KjouJXlePfJb55Hh.99

I do believe we’re all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/harveyfier368569.html#KjouJXlePfJb55Hh.99

I do believe we are all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting out good into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.- Harvey Fierstein

Yoga Ladies(and Gents) YOGA….

YOGA.  I use to question what health affects yoga would have for me. All it seemed like was a bunch of people in skimpy clothing bending their bodies in overtly sexual or gymnast positions simply stretching. It wasn’t until I actually got the opportunity to attend Yoga classes that I realized there was so much more to it than “stretching“.

I longed to attend a class and kept making mental notes to myself to go find a local gym and see how much they would cost. Luckily for me, however, my job offers free yoga classes from a qualified instructor twice a week. So I went out and bought all these nice yoga pants and shirts, excited to attend my first class on that following Wednesday………….

Boy was I in for a surprise! Not only did I stretch parts of my body that I had no idea still existed since my cheerleading days, I also found myself panting and sweating as if I were on the treadmill. This is because Yoga offers a full body workout that not only improves flexibility, also bone alignment, and overall strength.

Depending on the style of yoga you take part in, you can get ether an aerobic workout(the same as spending time on a treadmill or walking/running outside) or a restorative workout(relieving of pain and muscle stiffness).

I encourage you all if you can to implement yoga a couple of times a day into your workout routines, it is WELL WORTH IT!

Another thing that I love about yoga is it can be used to train your mind and spirit to calm. Breathing control and positive thinking mantras are also infused into the yoga routine in the class I attend. Great for a stressful workday. Once you have attended class long enough you can practice wherever you are because your body will start to remember how to properly do each pose. What’s better than an equipment free anytime/any place workout!