Challenge

Well, after a lot of thought and some financial maneuvering, I decided to challenge myself.  Yesterday, I signed up for Curves – you know the workout for women.  I’ve seen the franchise literally all over the USA, and since we travel a lot, it seemed like a good option for me.  I can go  for 30 minutes three times a week, and lose those extra pounds that I’m always griping about.  It was hard to admit that I can’t really do this on my own – I’m too weak.  I need some accountability. 

 

I’ve tried having a accountability partner before with weight loss, but none of my friends are mean enough.  They all say things like, “Well, it won’t hurt to have a little cake and ice cream.  Besides you deserve it.” What?  I deserve to look like a blimp on two legs?  Ok… on second thought, maybe my friends aren’t so nice after all! :)  I guess they don’t really want to say, “You stupid girl – don’t you know that triple death chocolate brownie you are eating is going to haunt you for the rest of your life?”  Yeah, I know, but they won’t say it, and I don’t really want to admit it.   So to console myself, I have another triple death chocolate brownie with a little ice cream to wash it down.

 

I have to break the cycle.  I have begun what I pray will be a breakthrough in my diet and way of life.  I could use the exercise – really who doesn’t need a little more exercise?  I am also hoping to meet some ladies in the area and use this as an opportunity to share the gospel.  This whole struggle with weight is a very personal, painful, and candid confession.  Please pray that I will stick with the challenge, and that there will be positive benefits in my life as a result of this step. 

 

I am asking you to keep me accountable.  I could use some encouragement, and I will try to update on any positive progress that I make during the next several months.  Those of you who need to step up and take the challenge to get fit, I am encouraging you now.  There’s no time like the present!  If you click here, you can sign up for a free week at Curves!

Step on the Scale

Okay – I admit it.  One of my eternal resolutions, at least for the last several years, is to shed a few (well, probably more than a few) pounds.  I have tried several diets, some with more success than others, but all to no avail in the end.  It can be really discouraging to struggle with weight for extended periods of time—especially when you know that if you really applied yourself, you could actually lose that unwanted flab. 

 

I have recently begun to chip away at the excess poundage by eating smaller portions and a bit of daily exercise – walking, a few squats and crunches – you know.  As I was thinking about the process of how I got to where I am physically, I could break it down into little choices every day.  Snacking between meals, eating a little too much here and there, eating late at night.  It all adds up over time, and as the body stores the fat, it becomes harder to eliminate it.

 

There is a verse that has always made me smile.  It says, “The liberal soul shall be made fat.”   As I thought about that, it occurred to me that God was putting that in a positive light.  How does one get a fat soul?  It doesn’t happen overnight.  It comes from feeding on the Word of God regularly, from “snacking” between those meals, from taking an extra bite here and there, eating a little bit from my husband’s plate, feasting on rich things late at night, etc.  I think you get the point.  All those little extra bites of God’s Word turn into nourishment for the soul.  It stores up in your heart and, during the lean times of your life, your soul can still feed on those stored up riches.

 

While I am determined to rid myself of the excess pounds I have put on over the last several years, I also want to become fat spiritually.  As I hope to see my bathroom scale moving down, I want to see my spiritual scale going up.  How are you?  Are you starving yourself spiritually, or are you on your way to being truly fat?  Take a little time to have some extra spiritual nourishment this week, and let it enrich your life!