5 tips on Establishing a Morning Routine

It’s all the buzz now. Having a morning routine. Having a way to intentionally start your day and set yourself up for success. I am a firm believer in having a morning routine so you can get ahead of your day and spend some time by yourself, for yourself.

It may seem selfish to some, but this time of day actually helps most of us be LESS self-focused throughout the day. I personally spend time with God and in my Bible, and allowing God to fill up my heart and my cup allows me to better serve my babies, my husband, and my clients throughout the rest of the day. Then, I workout and move my body as a way to celebrate this body God has given me and take care of myself. Working out in the morning boosts my energy, releases anxiety, and helps me make better food choices throughout the day. All in all, I am kind of crazy about my morning routine and am in love with it, because I’ve seen the way it changes my mood, energy, and sets me up for a better day!

But how do you start a morning routine? What if doing something, anything, besides sleep, at 5am is a foreign concept to you? That’s ok! I’m here to help! Here are some of my tangible and simple tips for getting started with a morning routine.

Get enough sleep: I can’t stress this enough. You simply cannot get up at 5am if you haven’t had a decent night’s rest. You shouldn’t, actually, because lack of sleep can be just as detrimental to your health as soda or a bag of chips. So if you want to start getting up earlier, you have to start going to sleep earlier. Which means you may have to give up your Netflix show or that extra hour of scrolling through Instagram. Don’t worry though, once you get hooked onto your morning routine like I have, you won’t sabotage yourself with these things and you will get your butt to bed EXCITED to get up in the morning. Just you wait :)

Have a comforting beverage you look forward to: for me, I make either a cup of coffee or my pre-workout, which tastes like lemonade and is so delicious. Either drink gets me excited to get up in the morning, and I love to sip on something while I’m journaling or reading my bible!

Listen to some pump-up jams: some mornings, that’s worship music; and other mornings, it’s N*sync. But whatever pumps you up, you do you, and listen to that music! Music can be so energizing for us, so get excited, listen to something that lights you up, and enter your morning feeling happy and energetic. I personally have a playlist on Spotify for times like these where I need to pump myself up and get excited for life, so I highly suggest making your own playlist to help you out here, too!

Have your space ready for you: whether that means getting your Bible and journal out the night before, setting out your workout clothes, or having the coffee maker automated, getting as much ready for yourself ahead of time will help your morning go smoother. I love having my desk ready for me with my Bible, journal, and my workout clothes so that I can start my morning with all my tools at the ready!

Enlist some accountability! Reach out to a friend, mentor, parent, or spouse to hold you accountable to get up. Post your goals for yourself on your phone/alarm, or something inspiring (my phone alarm says “Love God, and Love Others), so when that alarm goes off you jump out of bed. Accountability can really help us in this area, so even if you need an extra layer from a coach/mentor (um hiiiii), utilize all the tools necessary to get yourself up and keep the promise you’ve made to yourself to have that time alone in the mornings.

If you have some goals for yourself as we enter into a new month to get up earlier and make your mornings more productive, I hope these tools and tips will help you in establishing your morning routine! And if you want to read some books on this area, I highly recommend “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod, and “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins.

Pregnancy and Body Image

It is freaking crazy to me how big my belly is getting. Being 32 weeks pregnant, it literally feels like there is a basketball in there. It makes me SO happy because it reassures me that baby girl is growing, and feeling her little kicks and rolls excite me every single time.

But a fresh outlook on body image is needed in pregnancy. I always knew that I'd be okay with the weight gain that comes along with pregnancy (and thank GOODNESS that I am finally gaining weight now; didn't start till the third trimester!) but even when you know you are gaining weight for the right reasons, it is hard sometimes to get used to your growing body and the escalating numbers on the scale.

I love my growing baby bump, it's my favorite part of pregnancy! I love that people notice and ask me about my baby, and I loveeeeeeeee the sweet lady at Panera who gave me free coffee and a cookie the other day in the name of "feeding the baby!" It's so fun to be growing and feeling the baby move. But it can also be taxing on your body image, especially if you are a gal like me who has struggled with body image and weight her whole life.

Pregnancy is such a delicate time when you are gaining weight and WANTING to gain weight. My doctors (both my OB and my high risk perinatologist) both want me eating lots of proteins and nourishing foods to support Baby Emma's growth. So that's what I've been doing! I am always one to listen to my doctors (expect when my doc diagnoses me with a gluten allergy and I still eat gluten....but that's another story for another time. Still working on that one!).

But I won't lie and say that I am totally cool with not being able to flip around in bed easily, go on a run when I'm stressed, being told how "huge" I am, and seeing those numbers creep on the scale. On top of that, with my history of binge eating, a LOT of my pregnancy symptoms are similar to my post-binge episodes such as heartburn, nausea, burping, and indigestion. It is so hard for me to experience the symptoms of a binge, but know deep down that I haven't binged! By the grace of God I have been binge-free throughout the pregnancy, but these symptoms can mess with your head! When I look down and see a big belly and am struggling with heartburn and nausea, I can't help but feel "guilty" even though I've done nothing wrong.

And isn't that just the way of the devil? To get us living in regret and guilt even when God has purified us and made us whole? It's terrible and I hate it. I am praying for God to renew my mind and take ownership of my thoughts. Because all I can say is pregnancy does funky things to your thoughts and moods.

All I know is that I am proud of every pound I've gained because I know these pounds are nourishing my sweet baby girl. And the heartburn and nausea and ickiness will pass, it's temporary and oh-so worth it. And I am excited to be looking pregnant because hellooo I get free cookies! And I know that I am doing my best to nourish my baby while giving myself grace for the occasional sweets and treats. I appreciate my body and love that God has given us women this gift of growing a child inside of us. I mean if you stop and think about it, it's pretty crazy! And no bad thoughts or negative body image can take that crazy miracle away from me. I have 8 more weeks (or maybe less depending on when she makes her debut!) of being THIS close to my baby girl and sharing my body with her. And I'm going to enjoy it!

My body has gone through many changes over the years, but hands down, this is the best change of all.

February Goals & Intentions

We are one month DOWN in 2017...isn't that nuts?! Life goes by so fast, and this year isn't going to be any different. Being pregnant, I feel like I am more conscious of each week that passes by as we get closer and closer to our due date. I'm excited because we can't wait to meet our little girl, but I'm also anxious! I'm such a planner and this is a situation where I just have to trust God and can't plan out much since there's really no telling when she's going to make her appearance or how life will look once Baby Girl enters our world! We are so excited to meet her and my heart just bursts when I think about finally seeing her face! It's been such an exciting time for hubby and I, and we keep praying that everything goes smoothly and that God continues to bless us with a healthy baby girl! 

Since it's the beginning of a new month, my habit is to set goals and intentions to give myself direction and focus for the month ahead! I have a lot of big goals and big dreams, and these small, monthly goals help me take the baby steps required to reach my bigger goals. I love goal setting and that feeling after you CRUSH a goal and can check off that box. I blame my type-A personality! We dietitians are all type-A...so it is what it is! After brainstorming, prayer, and reflection, here are my goals for February 2017! 

1. Workout 6x/week. I am loving being able to workout again during this pregnancy! My doctor told me that I can walk, dance, and do any low impact workouts that typical pregnant women would do. No running or sprinting obviously, and I am listening to my body, but I have just been so much happier and have less anxiety since I've begun to workout again! I am in week 3 of Country Heat, an awesome line dancing program I started, and have begun adding some of the Active Maternity workouts on Beachbody on Demand (BOD) into my routine. If you don't know what this is, BOD is basically like netflix for workouts! Beachbody streams their programs online and actually has an all-access pass right now that give you access to every single program Beachbody has ever made, plus the 3 new programs they are coming out with this year! BOD has given me SO much flexibility with my workouts! I've been able to follow along with the Country Heat program, plus add some BOD exclusives, such as the Active Maternity workout series! I am loving being able to workout, so my goal is to continue to workout 6x/week! 

2. Follow the 21 day fix container system. I've been following the 21 day fix container system to actually help me eat MORE during this pregnancy (I am following the highest calorie bracket because....pregnancy) and it's been helping me balance out my plate and eat more nourishing foods! I've had a lot of food aversions during this pregnancy, and following this meal plan has helped me eat more variety and actually get over some of the aversions I've been having. I am going to continue on with my meal plan, especially since my challenge group is starting tomorrow and the accountability will make things even easier! 

3. Figure out how to use our fancy camera. While we were on our honeymoon, my husband and I splurged and got ourselves a Canon SLR camera. We took pictures with it in Hawaii, and since then it has just been sitting in a drawer in our bedroom. I want to take my picture taking skills up a notch and start playing around with this camera this month! This goal has been a long time coming, but now that I've written it out publicly, I HAVE to follow through, right? So expect to see some higher-quality pictures soon, folks! 

4. Practice gratitude every day. This is something I KNOW I need more of in my life. Counting our complaints is so much easier than counting our blessings, isn't it? I have found that, with the complications we have with our pregnancy, getting used to a new job, and the typical stresses of everyday life, I've stopped feeling grateful and really thanking God for His blessings. But if you stop to think about it, God's blessings are always overflowing! We should be thanking Him daily for His grace, mercy, and provisions. Which is why I want to start practicing gratitude on a regular basis by keeping a journal next to my bed and jotting down three things I am thankful for each and every day. By doing this, my mind will focus on the good in my life, and not the countless worries and anxieties I could conjure up at a moment's notice! 

5. Track my spending. Ok guys, this one is a biggy. Considering my OCD personality and my love of tracking things, you would THINK I would have this concept under wraps. But, I don't. Each month, I start tracking my spending, only to stop by the 5th or 6th and then wonder where all the money went! Well, this month I am going to REALLY track every dollar spent and evaluate where I am spending my money, which in turn shows where my priorities lie. My hope is to be able to better budget my money and be a good steward of the blessings God has given me! 

If you'd like to join in with me on any of these goals, please comment below and let me know! I'd love to have the accountability and buddies to check in with! Goal setting and following through gives us such a sense of accomplishment and direction, so I hope that you will join along this month! And if these goals don't jive with you, set some of your own based on how you want your life to be! And above all, trust the Lord with all of your desires. We make plans, but God knows which path we should take and He will lead us in HIs way if we let Him, because His way is the best way! 

Happy February, y'all! 

Trust Yourself

Trusting yourself can be a struggle for a lot of us. But for me, when it comes to decision making, I'm pretty fast. I like making quick decisions because most of the time, I know what I want, and I seldom regret the decision I make. My husband jokes with me at how fast I am at decision making and how he takes more "time to think." Everyone is different, and that's just the way I've been wired.

Except when it comes to food. 

It took me a long time...YEARS in fact, to trust myself to know what to eat. 

Yes, I'm a  dietitian. Yes, I went to school for 7 years and have a Masters degree. Yes, I can help others formulate meal plans and help them make decisions that are best for them. Yes, my clients are successful and reach their goals with my advice. 

But man, OH MAN, sometimes, I wish someone would make these decisions for me. It's so hard to take care of ourselves, right? In the busyness of our world today, and the overwhelming information available to us constantly via Google, we can experience paralysis by analysis, and literally not know which decisions are the best for us. 

But, what I've learned over the past year, is that I can trust myself. You know why? Because I trust GOD with me. I'm flawed, broken, and human. I can be joyful and I can be sad. I can be heartbroken and I can be bursting with childlike excitement. But in all these forms, I trust God, because He made me and He knows me. And I trust Him with my life, EVEN my food choices. 

I believe God cares about how we treat ourselves, because our bodies are His to begin with. We are the temple of His Holy Spirit who dwells within us. God is in us, so how can we NOT trust ourselves?

I used to not trust myself around sweets. I thought "if I have one, I'll have them all." And sometimes, yes, "all" happens. Because chocolate is delicious. But I digress...I've learned that I can actually trust myself, because I trust God. I can stop at one brownie and enjoy it to the full, instead of numbing myself into a sugar coma with 4 or 5 o them. I can trust myself to know when I can treat myself with a healthy mindset, versus when I need to practice some self-control and say "no, thank you."

Freedom to me is trusting God and trusting myself to know what is best for my body, given a particular time and place. And it can take time to get to this point. But, practice makes perfect, and the more you tune in to what your body truly needs and truly wants, the better you'll be at making these decisions and finding your "sweet spot" of health. The spot where you feel healthy and vibrant, but not ruled by your food choices or what you "can" and "cannot" eat. Only then are you truly trusting the abilities and the brains that God gave you, and are ultimately trusting HIM to lead you along this journey. And always remember:

You don't have to be broken

I’ve had this post on my heart for a while, but I have just been SO scared to publish it. But it’s happening now, and all of the glory and honor goes to God. I hope that someone out there needs to hear that freedom IS possible. Because freedom in any part of our lives is where HE is.

Have you ever thought about whole vs. broken living? I lived as a broken person for most of my life. I played into a victim mentality that there should always be something wrong with me, always something to be afraid of, and always something to be inadequate in. I never knew how problematic that kind of thinking was until I reached adulthood, grew into my late 20’s (ahem…now) and found myself STILL struggling with the same, broken identity that I had created for myself. 

Food was always a love of mine. I would wake up asking my mom what was for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would snack constantly, since I was a very thin child and could basically eat whatever I wanted. Those were the days…

However, when hormones arrive, so does weight gain. And I gained quite a bit of weight during my high school years. Add in there some emotional ups and downs and an insecure girl who loves food? Hello coping mechanism! I fell into a deep restrict/binge cycle in my teen years, and it lasted longer than it ever should have. 

Fast forward to this past summer. I’m a newlywed, I’m a registered dietitian, I have fallen in love with my coaching business, and I’m living in a haze. Why? Because the binging is still my companion. The days of restriction are still ever-present. Food had taken over years and years of my life, and I found myself still living into that broken life that I created. I distinctly remember one night, venting to my sweet and patient husband about my food issues. He looked right at me and bluntly said, “Well it sounds like you just don’t like yourself very much. You must not think you are worth much.” And that hit me like a ton of bricks. 

He was right. He was soooOOOoooo right. I didn’t value myself, my health, or my worth at all. I didn’t see myself the way God sees me, as His daughter and His princess. And the worst part? I was SO self-absorbed, because I was only thinking about my failures, my shortcomings, my weight, my appearance, and MY food. 

The icing on the cake of this transformation happened this past November, while I was reading “Women, Food, and God” by Geneen Roth. In this book, a recovering binge eater was talking about her revelation. One day, she realized that she doesn’t have to be broken. It was a rude awakening. “I don’t have to be broken!” she said this over and over again, until it really sunk in. I read that sentence over and over again, until it sunk in to my mind as well. I remembered a verse in Romans 8 where Paul states:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37

God didn’t create me to be broken. Even after "all these things," He sent His Son to die for me so that I don’t have to be broken; so that I can be more than a conqueror. 

And with that, my whole reality shifted. I realized that I really don’t have to be broken. No one is making me live in this bondage except for me. I prayed, really REALLY hard, that God would help me trust Him with everything, even my weight and my food issues. Reading that I don’t have to be broken lit a fire under me. I repeated over and over that I am more than a conqueror, and I am made for more than this. I tucked this truth in my pocket and started on a journey I’d like to call nourished and FREE. It’s been 2 month since I started this journey, and I hardly recognize who I am anymore. I’ve never lived in this much freedom, while feeling healthy and nourished. I praise God that He opened my eyes and my heart and helped me release this struggle to Him! 

So what does life look like for me now? Well, a lot of nourishing food, I can tell you that! I have decided to eat what I feel like, and the foods that make me feel GOOD and VIBRANT. Lately, that’s been lot of plants, and not so much animal. And that’s ok. And if I want a steak, that’s ok too. Some meals are mostly carbs, and some meals are mostly vegetables. Most of the time I snack on fruits, nuts, vegetables, and hummus. And less of the time, a cookie or ice cream may be involved. 80-90% of the time, I’m eating a plant-based, healthy fat diet. And 10% of the time, I’m having sugary treats and sharing a pizza with my husband at 10pm. Life happens, and I’m rolling with it. I’ve learned a lot this past year of following portion controlled meal plan with cute colorful containers, and I really think that’s helped me let go of calorie counting, obsessing, and restricting. I learned how to balance and fuel my body, and now I can do that, live healthfully, and walk in freedom.

I finally trust myself, or rather, I trust God with ME. I know that He has my best interest at heart. I know that a healthy choice one day will be salad, and another day will be a burger, and that’s ok. I am ok. I am not broken, because I wasn’t created for brokenness. I’m a redeemed daughter of the King. I’m made for a healthy and vibrant life. I’m made to relax and have peace. I was made to be nourished and free. 

And so are you. Know that a life of bondage does not have to be your life. You can let go too, as scary as that sounds. You are worth so much more, and you are made for more than defeat. Food can be such an unspoken struggle for so many people, and especially women. There is food freedom that can be possible WHILE living a healthy life. Food freedom doesn't mean eating pounds of ice cream all day, or eating salads all day. It's learning how to nourish and fuel your body, but not let food control your every move. I am filled with hope that God will continue to redeem me, and I hope that you found some inspiration from this post to allow His presence to take over this area of your life too.

If you struggle, and this post hit a nerve, please feel free to email me at TveenRD@gmail.com! I'd love to hear your story and chat!

The Ups and Downs of Life: An Update

It's been a truth universally known (in my life...and P&P reference for you Jane Austen fans) that life seems to go fantastically for me when I am taking care of myself, and life seems to fall apart when I am not. It seems like a profound "duh" kind of realization, but I have always experienced this phenomenon, and it continues to be true in my life up till this day. My last post was about my amazing one-month Insanity results, and I was pretty much on the highest high. And after that, life seemed to take a downward spiral. It's been a rollercoaster really, and I'm learning to ride the ups and downs while trying to stay as positive as possible, and while trusting God through it all. 

To say that I've had food issues throughout my life would be an understatement. I mean, it's really why I became a dietitian in the first place; to help people have a healthy relationship with food because mine was far from healthy. As I've written before, I've been through extreme restriction and extreme overeating my entire life. I've binged my way through entire workout programs with zero results to show for it, and I've also been able to lose 15 lbs in two weeks by obsessively counting calories and chewing gum to curb my hunger. I've always had a love-hate relationship with food, and have spent years, not only as an adolescent, but even as an adult, trying to rectify this relationship. I've always wanted to use food for my good and not my detriment, which is something I believe I have slowly learned over the years.  

But we all have seasons of life, especially when we have a tendency to allow negative thought patterns and behaviors to take over. For the past 2 weeks, I have been fighting these negative thoughts, which have turned into unwanted behaviors. I've been feeling quite low, moody, and just plain DOWN. Blame it on hormones or on being a woman, or on turning 27 this past weekend (which was WAY harder than I anticipated lemme tell ya!) but I have just not been myself. And food has been my very best friend and worst enemy throughout these two weeks.

I've gained some weight back and I've undone some of my insanity progress. But at the same time, I've learned yet again how important it is to choose what I think about. To purposefully think about what is good and noble and thought-worthy as the Bible says. Because our thoughts can become habitual, which can manifest into actions, which in turn become habitual and very hard to break. 

It's a little scary to get this all out there, but in all honesty, I still struggle with food. I struggle to not let it consume and control me. I struggle to eat enough, but at the same time to not eat the entire bag of oreos and chips and cookies...in one hour (oh yes, it's happened). I have a Wetzel's pretzels problem and am not ashamed to admit it...because HELLO, cinnamon sugar. 'Nuff said. 

But, I am also a lover of vegetables. I am a workout fiend. I love to motivate and inspire others. I love to plan my meals. I LOVE the way healthy eating makes me feel. I love to take care of myself, because I know that life seems to just be smoother when I am striving to be the best version of myself. I know that this version of me, is the me that I want to be at all times. Which is why it is so hard for me when these dark seasons happen. These seasons can happen for all of us, but it is important to focus on the things in our lives that help us be grateful, that put hard times in perspective, that that will bring pure awesomeness into this life. 

In conclusion, I messed up. I gained some weight. I had a birthday, and lots of parties and treats. I had many sleepless nights. And one too many down-in-the -dumps moments. But, I'm picking myself back up, and not letting the fear take over. I'm holding on to God because He is my hope through it all. I want to face these issues with the strength that God has given me and not let them take over who I was really and truly meant to be, a woman after God's own heart, and a woman who inspires others.

I want to be real with you all, because I am not perfect, I'm human, and I'm on this journey with you. I know that God is using what I am going through to make me stronger and that HE alone will help me face my fears and heal from the inside out. 

If you have gone through the same things I have, I would love for you to reach out to me! Feel free to send me a message via the "contact me" tab or email me at TveenRD@gmail.com. 

Where are you found?

"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith..." Philippians 3:8-9

During one of my quiet times this week, these few verses got highlighted in my brain. I found myself asking myself, "where am I found?" over and over again throughout the week. It was a question that intrigued me, unsettled me, and caused me to rethink many aspects of my life and thoughts. Paul's words are cutting, convicting, and truly depict the biblical reality that the word of God is the sword of Spirit (Eph. 6:17). It makes us think and reevaluate the position we give Jesus in our lives. Paul makes his view very clear; he considers everything to be worthless compared to the value he places on knowing Christ, his Savior and Redeemer. Wow. Instead of just skimming past those verses, let them really sink in. Read them over again. Pray. Now read them one more time. 

I find myself being "found" in so many different parts of my life and grasping at anything and everything around me for identity, value, and peace. Whether it is being the best dietitian I can be, a loving new wifey, a worthy daughter, a selfless friend, and a "good Christian" (whatever that means), there are so many ways I can make myself feel that I am falling short as a person. I can measure and compare myself to others and find areas where I am not working hard enough, loving hard enough, or just plain BEING enough. But why am I finding my worth in these things? Why am I FOUND in these things? Paul sure wasn't. He was found in Christ through his faith, and calls us all to do the same. He calls us to count everything worthless compared to knowing Christ. 

Every time I've read these verses in the past, they've seemed so distant to me...so vague. I often wish someone would just flat out give me a checklist of how to fulfill so many things that we are called to do in the Bible and the type of people we are created to be in Christ. I wonder what my life would look like if I were truly found in Christ the way Paul was, instead of my being found in my career, looks, health, wealth, and every other idol we as humans create for ourselves. 

After journaling and praying about these verses, I realized that being found in Christ, for ME, would mean that the loss of any of those above things wouldn't matter, because I would be found in Him, I would KNOW HIM, and that joy and satisfaction would surpass any other worldly achievement I reached. It would mean more to me than a pay raise, a pat on the back, or another pound lost on the scale. Those things wouldn't match up to the value and worth of knowing Jesus Christ more and more every day. 

And how do I go about knowing Jesus more intimately? By really and truly dedicating time in my day to spend with Him. And not only time, but dedicating my mind, body, spirit, and every sense to HIM. Yes, I have a daily quiet time, but to be honest, I often forget what I read in the Bible or which short devotional I skimmed through before rushing off to work. My brain gets bombarded by so many other worries, stresses, and even joys, that I often put that quiet time I spent with Jesus on the back burner instead of keeping it at the forefront of my mind all day long. I go through the actions, read, pray, but my mind wanders off to my to-do list, to my worries, and to all the things that I could be doing instead. But God doesn't deserve that. 

My prayer and desire is that God brings to my mind all the things that He has taught me. I pray that I can find a way to remember and cherish the glimmers and gifts that He bestows me with. I want things to STICK, you know what I mean? I want to learn and absorb and find myself not being able to get enough of Jesus.

Lord, help me desire YOU more than anything else. Help me to be FOUND IN YOU, and YOU alone, no matter what distractions come my way. When I feel overwhelemd, overworked, and like I am not enough, I pray that I find You in the midst of those thoughts. Help me refocus on You, and to remember who YOU say that I am and not who the world or even I am telling myself that I am. Strengthen my brain and mind to absorb and remember all You teach me, and to be truly present in my time with You. Help me believe your truths, and may everything else count as "rubbish" compared to the surpassing value and worth of knowing You, Jesus. Amen. 

Changing Things UP!

Good morning everyone! It really feels like Monday today, even though it is Tuesday, and for that, I am grateful! This long weekend was just what I needed, to not only rest but also get a ton of stuff ready for my bridal shower coming up. I am getting married in 62 days and can't believe all the things that still need to get done. But I know that everything will happen in time, and in a little over two months, I will be in Hawaii with my hubby and we will be beginning a new phase of our lives together. I can't wait! So many things have changed about my food and fitness routine in the past couple weeks. I am really trying to discover what works best for me, my body, and my mind. I've dialed back the intensity of my workouts and have been doing a lot more light walking. I also ordered PiYo, which came in the mail yesterday! It was perfect because it arrived on a Monday, and the program calendar starts on a Monday with their Align fundamentals workout, so I did that yesterday.

I am looking forward to this program because I feel that it is exactly what my body needs at the moment; some hard core toning work without jumping up and down and killing my knees. I've had so much knee soreness and pain lately, even thought I haven't been running nearly as much. My cardio has been walking, elliptical, very SLOW and SHORT runs (like 5.0 mph for 10 minutes or so), walking, and more walking. Did I mention...walking? I've been walking outside, on the treadmill, and on my breaks from work. It's really helped keep me active and motivated with my steps (I bought a Fit Bit a few weeks back and love it!) and it's been easy on my knees. This is me taking a nice sunny walk last week on my 10 minute break at work!

Like I said, I bought a FitBit and it has been really fun to use! I love seeing how many steps I've taken and how active I've been. This morning's workout set me up pretty good, all before 7am! I did a 40 minute elliptical workout and did a slow 12 minute run. I plan on doing the PiYo lower body workout tonight when I get home from work!

Food wise, I've been letting myself have a little too many treats and sweets lately, which is ok in moderation, but not ok every day! I'm trying to move forward and have been keeping things pretty healthy the past few days. My fiancé and I did get Pinkberry this past weekend on Valentine's Day, but hey...we were celebrating!

As many of you know, I've been on a journey of no more calorie counting. I can't help but think that maybe I need that structure back in my life, especially with my wedding coming up and all the stress eating/not eating that tends to happen around this time! I've been playing around with the idea of keeping track of myself again, but I'm not too sure about it yet. But that's another post for another time...

Lastly, I bought this new journaling Bible that I am IN LOVE with. I am a huge margin writer, underliner, and highlighter when it comes to reading my Bible. I love that this Bible leaves room for me to write!

Life has been great lately. Things have been good, and I am looking forward to my wedding in just a couple short months! But things have also been stressful. Which is normal when you are going through any exciting time in your life. I've just learned that I can't rely on my own strength to get through. I definitely need Jesus and the people around me. Don't think you have to do things all on your own...we have a God who loves us and wants to strengthen us, as well as a God who puts people around us to help us through our stressful and exciting times!

Well, I am off to work and to conquer this busy day ahead of me. I plan on writing up some meal plans and recipes this week, so I will hopefully make the time for that soon! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Perseverance is HARD

Today was a hard hard day. But I am so glad it's over, and that God helped me push through.

It all started with a wonderful quiet time this morning! All the passages I read had to do with following God when he calls (from Abram to the disciples) as well as the concept of perseverance and to just keep going. I started the day praying that God stays with me and knowing that with Him, I can persevere and make it through anything.

BOY was that tested today!! I got to work, and it was just one thing after another. One mistake, one problem, one unhappy client, one frustrating counseling session, just one negative and challenging thing after the next. I found out about a mistake I made last week, about which I became very sensitive. I hate making mistakes in any area of my life, even though I am pretty good at it (hey I'm human). It was still hard to get through. All I wanted to do is clock out, come home, cry it out, and give up on the day.

But I had also had this awesome quiet time with the Lord this morning all about persevering, pushing through, and following Him no matter where He takes me. I was torn. Do I wallow in my miserable day and give up? Or do I hold on to the promises God revealed to me this morning? I kept reminding myself of what God had taught me. To push through the day. Even when the day was pulling me down.

And before I knew it, it was time to clock out. I was able to leave. I finished up my day, and even left work with a smile on my face. And it was ALL God. All His work in my heart, and Him reminding me of who He is and that He is with me. I am so glad I didn't just throw in the towel and run away from the day.

Sometimes, we have no choice but to keep doing the things. And by "the things," I mean the everyday things we have to do no matter how we are feeling. Like going to work, doing your work, helping and loving others, having lunch, driving, etc. We have to be strong. And the only way to get through the tough times is through Christ and His strength.

I encourage you all to just keep pressing on. Even when it seems impossible. My day was rough, but I know it must be nothing compared to what some people are going through. Nothing at all. But I do know that God promises to be with us no matter what. Let us persevere through the good and bad times, knowing all along that God is with us and for us, guiding us the whole way.

New Year, New Goals: 2015

Happy New Year everyone!!! It's January 1st, which is a dream come true for someone like me. I am the girl that loves Mondays, the beginning of a month or week, and the 1st day of anything! I woke up to one of my favorite verses this morning, which made me even more excited about the newness of this day and time of year: "For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬

I mean OBVIOUSLY God can do anything new at anytime He so chooses. He's GOD after all. But there is just something about the freshness and newness of a new year that gets me excited and motivated to grow and reflect on what my life has been over the past year, what aspects to keep, and what to transform into something better.

I am someone who loves making goals and resolutions. Whether I stick to them or not is a different story, and most of the time I do. But sometimes life gets in the way, and things get left behind. I still believe that making goals is essential to growth, even if you may not meet all of them.

I've realized lately that many times, the reason why I don't reach a goal is because my list looks a little something like this:

Too many things, too many scattered thoughts, and no direction!!! This year, I decided to do something different with my goals. I made a list of short term and long term goals. The short term is within the next 3 months, and the long term is throughout the year. This way, there is a time frame for my goals and they are a little more organized! So here they are...my 2015 goals!

Short term: less than 3 months

*Run my 10K in February in under 60 mins *Play piano at least 4 times/week *Plug into a ministry more consistently *Try keeping a paper planner/calendar *Finally start my secret project

Long term: all throughout the year

*Keep a consistent prayer journal and staying in God's Word *Read more books *Re-learn how to ride a bike (yes I forgot) *Feed my body healthy and whole foods and find freedom from my destructive habits *Be more available to people, pour into others * Go on a missions trip of some kind *Stop stressing and worrying so much! *Get married (can't forget that one!)

It's going to be such a big and exciting year, I just know it! God is always up to something, and I want to be used by Him and for Him for His purposes. I give all of these goals to Him and pray that His will be done!