Living life and loving it!!!

I have a chalkboard key/hat-rack hanging in my kitchen. On it, we write messages. Sometimes silly, sometimes meaningful, often funny. This  month it looks like this...

That got Kevin and me thinking...what ARE we thankful for? 

An obvious answer for both of us was each other. Another, of course, was the Gospel in our lives. But those answers got me thinking even more. WHY????

Why am I thankful for Kevin? He's my best friend. He "sees" me - warts and all - and for some strange reason, loves me anyways. He "gets" me...(that should probably scare him a little haha). He's SUCH a good man, and always wants to do what's right. I could go on and on and on and on... Oh, and he's SOOOOO handsome!!! ♥♥♥♥

The Gospel??  Quite simply, it makes me happy. Everything I value most (especially Kevin and our children) are mine for eternity because of the Gospel.

I'm grateful for challenges. Those that come in life and those I issue to myself. They all teach me so much!

Recently, I issued myself a couple of challenges that are truly teaching me new things, and making me find joy in this journey.

One was to dive back into reading the Book of Mormon when President Monson issued his challenge last April. Everyday when I read, I find my love for and testimony of this great book increasing.

Another was to accept the challenge by President Russell M. Nelson to study the Topical Guide entries in the scriptures under the heading "Jesus Christ".  I also decided to keep a scripture-study journal of my efforts. I've never studied the scriptures this way before. It's interesting, and I'm finding new insights that I hadn't thought of previously. My testimony that Jesus is my Savior grows each time I open the Topical Guide and start to study. I am loving how much I'm learning!

I have also decided that my journey towards physical health and fitness needed to be more of a priority. That led me to choose not to let other things get in the way of following my meal/exercise plan. What a difference that decision has made.

In the last month I've set some weekly goals or myself and met every one of them! I've pushed myself and been very disciplined about working out and eating healthy. The results are encouraging to say the least!!!  I've lost 18 pounds in the last four weeks!!!!  Just in the last two weeks, I've lost 9 pounds of fat, and put on 2 pounds of muscle!!!  I feel so much better and I am really enjoying myself. Who'd have ever thought I'd actually enjoy exercising?????  Certainly not me.

So, in answer to my chalkboard question....What AM I thankful for????

I'm thankful for this life and the opportunity to live it. To choose for myself the path I need to take. To choose to find joy in my journey through pushing myself to be the best "me" I can - spiritually and physically. To live this life with the love of my life - with all the ups and downs, funny and sad, stressful and happy things that come our way. 

I'm thankful that I get to choose to live a life of gratitude and joy!

Happy Thankful-month!!!!

What are YOU thankful for??????

Fitness...Faith...and Father...

Over the years, I've struggled with my weight. Part of it is genetic, part of it is medical, and part of it has been a lack of control over my appetite and food choices. Four years ago, I began a journey to become physically healthy, fit, and strong. It hasn't been an easy road to follow. For one thing, at times it seemed as if my own body was trying to sabotage my efforts.

Every time I would make progress, I got sick (sarcoidosis for one, meningitis to mention another) OR I would get injured (torn/detached rotator-cuff that required surgery, plantar-fasciitis which required weeks of physical therapy, and repeated painful bouts of gout among other things)...see what I mean? It became very discouraging.

Then there was life itself...graduations, weddings, trips, trauma, drama, and upheaval...all seemed determined to keep me at my unwanted weight and physical condition. It was at times overwhelming and I wanted to quit! I can hear my Dad's voice in my head..."I didn't raise a quitter!"  And he would be right, he didn't!

This is where Father comes into play...Heavenly Father, that is. Because I didn't embark on this journey alone. From the very beginning, three very important men were there every step of the way. Kevin, who is on his own physical fitness journey and succeeding beautifully; encourages me daily, and celebrates my smallest success.  Jerry Shannon, who is our personal trainer and nutritionist - our loudest cheerleader - and a firm believer in our ability to succeed. Finally, but certainly NOT least of all; is our Heavenly Father. I entered into this journey with prayer. I can honestly say that I've prayed every step of the way.

It may sound odd to make this physical transformation into a spiritual journey as well, but I firmly believe that Heavenly Father wants me to be my very best self - in every way possible. For one thing, how can I go out and serve Him if I'm not physically able to do so?  I believe that Father is willing to help us as much as we need, if we will let Him in enough. I don't believe there is any aspect of our lives that is too small or seemingly insignificant not to warrant His attention and help - again, if WE let Him in. That being said, I'm NOT saying that we give up and expect Him to do everything for us. I mean, He's not going to wave a heavenly-wand and make me look like a super-model. lol  I believe we need to include Him in our efforts. I believe that if we go out and do our best, we can and should be able to turn to Him and allow Him to help with the rest.

Today, would be a good example of this. I woke up with a nasty headache. You know, the kind that makes you want to crawl back into bed and not get out again? Unfortunately, I had people depending on me for transportation today, so staying in bed was out of the question. Still, having a headache of those proportions really made me NOT want to go to the gym. I managed to whine and talk my way out of it until 2:00 pm. Missing ONE day wouldn't hurt, would it????  Except that I've set a personal goal to make it everyday - and have been determined to stick to my exercise and meal-plan - and I get measured and weighed on Friday, and I'd REALLY like to see improvement....other than that, no big deal! lol

All day long, excuses and whining kept me out of the gym. Until I finally realized that my will-power wasn't going to be enough on its own and I sent up a plea to Heaven, for help. After my last transportation duty for the afternoon, I aimed the car up the hill to the gym. I dragged myself - mentally kicking and screaming (gee, wish THAT energy would have leaked into my will-power to get me there earlier...ha ha) onto the treadmill, and got started. About 10 minutes in, my back hurt, my legs hurt, and my lungs were protesting. I prayed that I'd be able to keep going...Time to increase my speed...20 minutes into my cardio, I was sure I was going to die...no drama here! Still praying, I increased the incline and kept moving... Finally, the timer rolled over to 30 minutes and I was done!!!

I can honestly say that I felt Heaven's help getting through this today! It may seem like a trivial thing, but it's vital to me that I achieve my health and fitness goals, so I believe it's important to Him. I have faith that if I do my part, He will help me when I can't do it on my own.

In a talk entitled "Fourth Floor, Last Door", in the last General Women's Conference, President Deiter F. Uchtdorf said:

"Faith means that we trust not only in God's wisdom but that we trust also in His love. It means trusting that God loves us perfectly, that everything He does - every blessing He gives and every blessing He, for a time, withholds - is for our eternal happiness. With this kind of faith though we may not understand why certain things happen or why certain prayers go unanswered, we can know that in the end everything will make sense. 'All things (will) work together for good to them that love God'.

All will be made right. All will be well.

We can be certain that answers will come, and we may be confident that we will not only be content with the answers but we will be overwhelmed by the grace, mercy, generosity, and love of our Heavenly Father for us, His children."

I don't always understand why things happen the way they do, or why some things have to be so hard. However, I do know that I have a loving Father-in-Heaven who wants me to be happy and wants me to succeed. Knowing that - absolutely, without a doubt - gives me the faith to turn to Him and trust Him to help me. When this weight-loss/fitness journey is complete, my faith will be bigger, but the rest of me will be smaller. I call that a win, whichever way you look at it. At that point, climbing to the "Fourth floor, last door" will be easy as pie!!! lol

It's for me!

I've had some interesting experiences, thoughts, feelings, etc. about my fitness goals and progress, lately. 

Yesterday was measuring day at the gym. My trainer, Jerry Shannon, was SO proud of my progress. Especially after my diagnosis with Sarcoidosis has kept me from doing as much as I have wanted. The numbers for this measuring day were up six pounds of muscle and down 9.2 pounds of fat! I was SO excited!  I've been at this for two years. For the first year and a half, the scale didn't move...I mean, AT ALL!!!  That was because I was losing and gaining equal amounts of fat and muscle. From the beginning, Jerry has said, "The scale is NOT your friend!" He was right.  It took a lot of mental gymnastics to keep myself from getting discouraged when the scale wouldn't move.

In the last six months however, the scale has been starting a downward slide that makes me really happy. I'm losing more and more fat as I gain muscle. Gaining more muscle actually helps you burn fat - go figure. lol

Today something wonderful happened at the gym AGAIN!!  This time, I was on my own, doing my leg-workout. OUCH!!! By the way...it really hurts! But it's a GOOD hurt, lol. Two women whom I have seen at the gym since I've been there, but not really gotten to know; came up to talk to me. They said they've been watching my progress and really noticed a difference when I came in today. They complimented me on how much better I looked and encouraged me to keep it up. They certainly gave my morning a lift!

On the flip side of this, there have been people in my life who have doubted my resilience and determination. They've said hurtful things and told me that when I talk/post/blog about this, it's a little annoying. While such comments hurt my feelings, they don't deter me from my goals, thank goodness.

I am not one who seeks the spotlight. I am - or have been - very shy throughout my life. Kevin has helped me overcome that a bit. But on my own, I am a sit-at-the-back-of-class-and-don't-speak-up kind of person.  I felt a little awkward when these two wonderful ladies talked to me, today - even as I felt lifted by their encouragement. As I went through the rest of my time at the gym, I had some thoughts about all this.

Over the years, as I've fought my weight issues, I've tried SO many different things....for a myriad of reasons. To get my mom off my back, to try and get pregnant, to please Kevin, to avoid health issues, etc.  This time, I am doing this for me. The nutrition-program that Jerry devised coupled with the exercise routine that is tailored for me combine in a complete wellness program that has me feeling better, stronger and more energized than I have in my entire life!!!! Even If I never lost another inch, I wouldn't stop doing this - because it WORKS and because I feel GREAT!!! 

As I thought of all of this, along with my discomfort from getting attention; another thought occurred to me. I would stand on a stage in front of any number of people and tell my story - in the spotlight, so to speak - if it meant that I could help even one other person find what I've found and feel as much better as I do!  This process has given me hope. Because I've learned to do hard things (including this), I'm finding that I have the courage to try new things. My entire life is changing because I'm learning to believe in myself and have the courage to spread my wings.

So let the doubters doubt and the haters hate (as my son-in-law said to me the other day). This bird is gonna fly! ...And if along the way I can inspire or encourage others in their flight, I'm more than happy to do it!

Thanks to all who have encouraged, supported, and cheered me on! You're helping more than you know!