Posts (page 2)

Starting January 5th I will be taking yoga, pilates and continuing my walking (weather permitting - oh wait I have a treadmill, never mind).  My goal is 155 and steady by April 30 - my 45th birthday!!!!!  Divine means supremely good and God-like.....that's my goal!!!  I am joining Oprah and having "my best life"!!!

Oprah's Best Life Series Schedule:

YOUR WEIGHT
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 5
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 5*
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 12, 9 p.m./8c
Have you fallen off the fitness wagon? Bob Greene will help you get back on it.

YOUR HEALTH
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 6
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 6*
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 13, 9 p.m./8c
Dr. Oz has a smart and easy wellness plan to take care of your one and only body.

YOUR SPIRITUALITY
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 7
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 7*
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 14, 9 p.m./8c
Elizabeth Lesser, the Rev. Ed Bacon and the Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith explore ways to find deeper meaning in life.

YOUR MONEY
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 8
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 8*
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 15, 9 p.m./8c
Suze Orman shows you how to get a fresh start on your finances.

Your SEX LIFE
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 9
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 9*
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 16, 9 p.m./8c
Dr. Laura Berman offers advice about increasing intimacy and passion.

Once again -- thank you Oprah.  If you are struggling with weight loss, please pick up a copy of her latest O magazine.  There are several wonderful articles in it and I am totally excited to get back on track. I have set some new goals!!

1. It is not just about "weight" - my goal is to be my happiest, healthiest self.

2. I do have a goal weight of 155 which includes some strength training (muscles!!) and then onto maintenance.

3. My new goal date is April 30, 2009 which will be my 45th birthday.  Good plan.

I am accepting that this time of year can be a total let down.  We have all these nostalgic thoughts, ideas and plans.  We want Christmas to be perfect.  Then we plunge into the future with all new thoughts, ideas and plans.  These things can really blow your mind!!

Here is a devotional from the UCC:

This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

For many, this season is laced with nostalgia. We might glamorize the old days, perhaps being, in John Irving's phrase, "nostalgic for a time that never was." Or, it might be more like it was for my father, who, this time every year, would evidence the affects of a potent mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. In either case, nostalgia is always suspect from a Christian point of view. That's because we affirm that the good old days--even when they really were good--are nothing compared to what God has in store for us. Even the triumphs and joys of the past will be surpassed by what is to come. That is the understanding that allows the Apostle Paulto testify:  "This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead." The Christian gospel, though rooted in history, is always forward-leaning. We lean like plants lean toward a window, even though they may never have seen the sun. We lean, with longing hearts, toward God's vision of the kingdom to come. "Thy kingdom come," we pray. It is not here yet. That's why it is still a prayer. But, thank God, sometimes we are given a foretaste. And that is just what this season can offer sometimes--a blessed foretaste of what is to come.

Prayer

O God, help me to lean toward the future with expectant longing for what you have in store for me and for all creation. Amen.

Well, between that and Oprah I think tomorrow is going to be grand, and the next day and the next day.....

I was recently reminded that I never blogged about the Renovations Salon & Day Spa Walk for the Cure and Awareness....it was a beautiful event!!  We raised $2000 for the cause.  We had a wonderful day.  There was a total threat of rain but it never happened we had blue skies and warm weather.  It was AWESOME!!!

I walked the whole ten miles!!! I wasn't even very sore afterwards.  Those are the benefits I enjoy most about my weight loss.  I am able to do things that I haven't been able to do in years! 

Currently, I am back to walking 2 miles a day even though it is freezing outside.  I still have a weight goal of 140 although with my winter hormone's kicking in, it seems like an impossibility!!!  However, I know better!!!

Australia Hillsongs - All Things Are Possible

Almighty God my redeemer
My hiding place my safe refuge, no other name like Jesus
No power can stand against You.

My feet are planted on this rock
And I will not be shaken
My hope it comes from You alone
My Lord and my salvation

Your praise is always on my lips
Your word is living in my heart
And I will praise You with a new song, My soul will bless You Lord

You fill my life with greater joy
Yes I delight myself in You
And I will praise You with a new song, My soul will bless You, Lord

When I am weak, you make me strong
When I'm poor, I know I'm rich for in the power of Your name
All things are possible
All things are possible
All things are possible
All things are possible

Stefan is home safe.  No work in Texas really and I am glad!!  We joined ERUCC yesterday which is awesome and now we are awaiting Thanksgiving and a weekend away in Rehoboth Beach to visit my Dad.

Back on track with diet but not with exercise.  I really want the gym to open in Thurmont.  Ugh!!!  I need a work out partner and Stefan promises!!!

We are having a healthy Thanksgiving feast - recipes I found in Diabetic magazine.  Cool beans!

Firehouse
Love Of A Lifetime lyrics

I guess the time was right for us to say,
We'd take our time and live our lives together day by day.
Make a wish and send it on a prayer.
We know our dreams can all come true if loving we can share.
With you I'll never wonder, will you be there for me
With you I'll never wonder, you're the right one for me.

I finally found a love of a lifetime.
A love to last my whole life through.
I finally found a love of a lifetime.
Forever in my heart, I finally found a love of a lifetime.

With every kiss our love is like brand new,
And every star up in the sky was made for me and you.
Still we both know that the road is long.
We know that we will be together because our love is strong.

I finally found a love of a lifetime.
A love to last my whole life through.
I finally found a love of a lifetime.
Forever in my heart,
I finally found a love of a lifetime.

I finally found a love of a lifetime.
A love to last my whole life through.
I finally found a love of a lifetime.
Forever in my heart I finally found a love of a lifetime.
Love of lifetime.
I finally found a love.
Forever in my heart I finally found a love of a lifetime.

Stefan has left for Texas.  He left at 5am...it is now 5:26am and I am already "voxing" which I like hardly ever do.  Doesn't it seem like there is always "something going on"?  How much of our stress is actually ours?  How much is God given? 

We CANNOT bear it, and Jesus knows this. Only Jesus can bear the suffering sufficient to redeem the world. And although we are called to unite our sufferings to His, it does not mean that we can bear what He did. St. Justin Martyr had to say about this topic:

Paul himself spoke of boasting of only his weakness, for that is where God is revealed.  That is why Paul said, "When I am weak, then I am strong." That is when we turn to God for help, strength, and guidance. Sometimes, it means we draw upon the strengths of people He brings into our lives.  He often gives us things we cannot handle on our own with our own strength.   Since God has an interest in our growth, He often challenges us beyond our immediate abilities.  If we choose not to grow, we falter. If we reach our goal, we prosper.

Make no mistake...God does indeed give us crosses we cannot carry, and He does this so that His glory will be apparent.  His glory is our joy and hope.

GLORY AND JOY
Jami Smith

Father let your will be done
God speak it through your son
Holy spirit make it breathe
Breathe your life into me

It is for freedom that you have set us free
And it is in freedom we sing

You are our hope and glory
Lover of the unworthy
Giving joy to this desperate heart in me

Thank you Abba Father
We are your sons and daughters
Rejoicing in you forever
You are our glory and joy

In you all things are made new
Old lies cast away for truth
The lame can walk the blind can see
Breathe your life into me

This is the promise we have from God, that joy will come!!  So patiently endure the night, and wait for the joy to come!

...It's time to be a big girl now and big girls don't cry

A Natural Woman
Carole King

Looking out on the morning rain
I used to feel uninspired
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind
But your love was the key to peace my mind

Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

When my soul was in the lost-and-found
You came along to claim it
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Till your kiss helped me name it
Now I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for
Cause if I make you happy I don't need no more

Oh, baby, what you've done to me
You make me feel so good inside
And I just want to be close to you
You make me feel so alive

Stefan leaves for Texas in the morning and will be gone all week.  This is the first time we will be away from each other for more than 48 hours since we got married.  I am excited for his adventure and happy I can get caught up on girl movies but I will miss him so much.

I plan on "getting back on the program" while he is away since I will not need to focus on dinner...back to exercise, etc., and FINALLY getting this last 20 (well now I guess 26) pounds off by Christmas!!!

On another note we went to see an old friend Harry Traynham and his band last week with Amy and Steve.  He is awesome -- PLEASE go check them out if you can!!!

It's Fall - that time of year when it starts to get dark early and the days get cooler.  Something else happens as well - we start eating more!!

People show a marked seasonal rhythm with increased total caloric consumption, especially from carbohydrates, in the Fall, associated with an increase in meal size and a greater rate of eating. 

According to John de Castro, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, "We have a tendency to eat about 200 calories more per day during the fall." What does that translate to in terms of potential weight gain? As much as three to four pounds a year. "We tend to blame much of this 'fall' weight gain on the holidays; however, there are other causes," says de Castro, who excluded the holiday periods from his research.

Why do we eat more in the fall? More than likely, it's biological--putting on weight in preparation for the potential winter famine our ancestors faced. "It all makes sense - the fall harvest, storing up for the long winter months," explains de Castro. Historically, we have a tendency to eat when food is plentiful, because we never knew when our next meal was going to be available.

Kurt Krauchi, a scientist at the Psychiatric University Clinic in Basel, Switzerland, studied patients with seasonal affective disorder (a type of mood disorder that is caused by lack of light). He found that they ate more carbohydrates, particularly sweets but also starch-rich foods, during their depression in winter, and that their intake could be reduced with light therapy.

"There seems to be a relationship between light and depression, which leads to consumption of additional carbohydrates," says Krauchi. De Castro, however, found an increase in fall eating independent of decreased light and/or depression.

Perhaps we eat more simply because bathing suit season is over, and we can start hiding excess calories beneath our winter clothes. Whatever the reason, it's important to realize that fall foods (soups, stews, breads, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, pumpkins and all types of greens) can actually be healthier than foods of other seasons. They are typically packed with great nutrients, such as fiber, protein, beta carotene and vitamin C. Here are a few tips to keep the fall tasty and healthy:

• Soups are great for you if they're not made with cream or cheese. Just watch serving sizes!!
• Stews can be hearty and fattening. Use loads of fresh vegetables - go light on the meat and potatoes.
• Avoid unconscious eating while watching TV. Never bring the whole bag or bowl of anything to the couch or coffee table!! Pre-measure it in the kitchen beforehand.
• Celebrate the Fall harvest in other ways besides making pies.
  
• If it's gotta be pie, try making pumpkin pie with artificial sweetener, egg whites and low-fat milk. And of course, just have one piece. Keep in mind that pumpkin seeds have about 300 calories per 1/4 cup.  Ouch!
  
• Turkey is healthy, as long as you keep it lean and white.
• Get out and enjoy the Fall weather. The air is cooler, the leaves are turning and the countryside becomes more scenic. It's the perfect time to go outdoors and do something: t ake walks on the beach or by the lake; go to the zoo; or ride a bike.
• Keep in mind that once we set the clocks back, it gets darker earlier, so there are fewer outdoor options for physical activities in the evening. Make adjustments by joining a gym, planning evening walks at the mall or becoming an early riser.

Next week is the ten mile walk that Renovations Salon & Day Spa is sponsoring.  I am really excited! I gardened Friday for seven hours straight and am really sore but it was great practice for preparing to be on my feet for 31/2 hours!!!!  I think we have between 40 and 50 walkers which is very cool.

As far as the diet.....I am really struggling to stay on task.  I am walking and thankfully Stefan is walking with me.  I meet with the exercise guy, Eric, from FMH on Wednesday so hopefully that will help.  Thurmont is supposed to have a gym opening in November--we can hardly stand the suspense.

Church today was awesome.  I love it there.  I truly love it!!  Stefan and I have joined and it's like we have a new family, but one that seems and feels very familiar.  Amen!!!