Read the Bible in 365 days!

There are many benefits to reading your Bible...have you read it in a year? Is it one of your goals to do so? I received my FREE daily reading Bible from Tyndale Publishers (just took a few short surveys).... if you'd like to do the same, here is the information! https://twitter.com/campbell87jess/status/551989705042956288

Spiritual Health

I've been working on my spiritual health, specifically taking the time to unwind and spend quality time with my Heavenly Father! This has been such a blessing for me: day to day tasks are easier, my stress is better handled, I'm more productive and I feel loved and blessed!

ABOUT THE BOOK...

In The Divine Mentor, you will discover how to enjoy a dynamic, vital, and intimate relationship with God as you learn to hear Him speak daily through the Bible. You'll embark on an adventure that will introduce you to His handpicked mentors, men and women who may save your health, your marriage, your ministry, and your future.

This book has helped me learn how to take time out of my day, read daily scripture and journal! I am so excited to have my NTL study Bible and look forward to getting my FREE daily read the bible in a year Bible to help me read the Bible in its entirety with the help from my Tyndale rewards program (I already have their study Bible and love it!). Here is the link so YOU can earn FREE christian Books and Bibles too! http://www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=jtmf-m4je-2he7-90e0

Get ready for APRIL!!

Getting a Fresh Start in April

So here it is... another fresh start. There is going to be a '1' on the calendar this week. What does that mean for you? Are you closer to your goals? Are you setting new goals? For me, it means starting 30 day push which is a specific way to learn how to set goals, achieve them, and be successful in anything you do! Of course, it is geared somewhat towards fitness and health but I will be using it for my career goals as well.

I encourage all of us to get on this journey together! I've done part of the 30 day push before and it changed the way I look at goal setting... who will be joining me?

Also... remember, since it is a new month we have a new MONTHLY MISSION!  And it's also a new week, so check out our weekly challenge

Happy April! I look forward to getting closer to our goals together in this new, beautiful month of 2014. The
only way to move is forward!

Check the Calendar!!

Fit in Fitness!!

Is it *really* on your schedule??

Write it down: It seems straightforward, but something as simple as adding your workout schedule to your calendar or keeping a Post-it note on your mirror can help hold you accountable to the plan you've set in place. It keeps you accountable to yourself and when you commit it to our group, it commits you to us as well! So.. what does my fitness schedule look like,  you ask? Well.. I'm glad you asked! I've got it scheduled out almost the entire rest of 2014.... it sounds insane but for ME it gets me excited knowing what's ahead!!! Scheduling in my fitness is one of the most effective ways I guarantee that I make time for myself to workout.. it creates excitement when I can hit a goal, complete a workout and see the X on the calendar.

June

Yes that is really my fitness calendar!! (notice the blanks at the beginning of the month? Yep, I just RE committed to my health in the middle of the month!)

Do you want to know what is on it?? I really would be excited to share! Please don't feel overwhelmed.

Right now I am in the second week of Turbo Fire! I will admit... I have definitely done this program before but I have never 100% finished it. So, this year as part of my goals and resolutions with fitness, completing the programs I have already is what I am starting with! Turbo Fire is high intensity dance/kickboxing... it's not necessarily that I love Turbo Fire itself all on it's own. It's the combination of the amazing leader Chalene and the music and she definitely makes it fun. And I know plenty of people who have gotten great results. Using Turbo Fire as conditioning for cardio will also help  me with another one of my 2014 goals... which I will share with you in just a moment. Turbo Fire runs for me from now until May 31!

On June 2 I will then start the next program I already owned and partially completed, which is Chalean Extreme.... yes it is Chalene Johnson again! Except instead of intense high cardio, it is heavy weights ... so it's a complete 360 in terms of training. Lifting heavy and slow! I've done this before and loved the results! Why I didn't finish?? I'm insane, I guess! One of my very specific goals is to finish these programs 100%! This program runs until August 30 which is the most amazing timing becuase my birthday is September 1. Doesn't everybody have goals to accomplish by their birthday? :) It's like another New Year! Well, it IS another new year for me!

So... what's after Chalean Extreme? Her newest program that was just announced!!I've been waiting for this for a while! PIYO- pilates/yoga. Yes, I LOVE CHALENE!! Call me insane.. she's the one who got me hooked on at home DVDs. (NO I am not a Beachbody coach! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE their at home fitness! It is, in my opinion, the best on the market! I do know a beachbody coach if you'd be in search of one though :) ) PIYO will go perfectly along with what I am going to be starting at that time as well, which is training for two more half marathons in mid-October!

One of my biggest goals in 2014 is to complete our dual half marathons here in El Paso! Yes, I have trained and completed a half marathon. I am not a runner! But the thrill of training towards something so big and exciting (in my opinion) really keeps me accountable for staying fit through the year. Last year I skipped the half marathon and that was part of the reason my fitness really got pushed to the side (hence some weight gain! ... well more than some.. I gained almost everything I had lost the year before!). So.. the two marathons I will be completing are the Transmountain Challenge on October 12th,2014 (yep, running over transmountain!!) and the Flying Horse Half Marathon on October 25th, 2014 (This one I've done before, it was amazing! Still tons of room for improvement for me!)... this is also known as the half and half challenge and I am really looking forward to it. Training is more being persistent than really being good at running. It takes atleast 12 weeks so I will have to throw running in with my Chalean Extreme at some point, I will detail that out sometime soon I am sure!

So you might be saying to yourself... it is overwhelming to schedule out the rest of my year's workouts. Well, I'm not telling you to! I just love scheduling ahead and having programs and goals to look forward to. I do want to recommend scheduling ahead 30 days or 6 weeks at a time. Set some goals for yourself! They're so motivating!

Here are a few tips for getting a fitness schedule created that you can stick to!

1- Make the time! Set an appointment with yourself to workout.... yes you are important enough to carve out 30-60 minutes a day for yourself. I promise you, if you write it down, you can commit to it!

2- Find an activity you enjoy!! For some of us this is a challenge... but especially while you're starting out and building a habit it is so important to look forward to treating yourself to your workout. Think about what you enjoy, and go with that! Is it walking the dog outside? Dancing? Jogging? Fun DVD's you already own? Think of it as a treat for yourself! Enjoyment is the key to sticking with it!

3. Stay accountable. Keep track of when you exercise and for how long. Make notes in your calendar, or keep an exercise journal. Writing down what you actually do will keep you accountable and show you how hard you're actually working. Additionally, looking back and seeing how much you've done can create an inspiring sense of accomplishment.

4. Start with reasonable goals.  I never started out with the intention to run a half marathon when I got into running a couple years ago. The only goal I had ... honestly... was to run about 20-30 minutes! Then, I decided to run a 5k.. then I decided to do something totally out of my comfort zone and sign up for a half marathon. Start small and build! Set a few goals and shoot for them, and then create a few more! Goals are motivation on paper!

5. TRACK your MEASUREMENTS. This will tell you more than the scale ever will. Take photos and measurements once a month, and weigh in once a week. Yes, the scale tells us a decent amount but it is much more telling of how you're doing when you measure and take pictures!

6. Learn! Learn how to eat healthier and fitness. Adjusting your lifestyle is the best way to guarantee forever fitness. Learn from your mistakes and move forward, and learn from what you do right and continue to repeat that. Write notes in your food and exercise journal so you can look back and see what works and what doesn't work for you. Everybody is different! Do something you can do forever!

7. Drink WATER! Drinking water is absolutely the best thing you can do for your body. Know how much you need to drink to replace what is lost and to stay hydrated for your body type.

8. Stay motivated and come to meetings!! Yes! Stay motivated with the buddy system! Check in! Come to meetings and participate actively in our group. Having friends and family in the same fitness and lifestyle that you are makes you much more motivated to stay healthy!

So... what do you think? What does your fitness schedule look like? What goals do you have for 2014? Think ahead! Set yourself up for success. Writing down your goals is motivation on paper!

Find what you love, write it down and do it! Then Repeat!

For today, that's all! TTYS! Eat better, move more, and talk soon! 

For more on Fitness Schedules and planning check out PLAN to SUCCEED

How was your Weigh In

What was your weigh in like yesterday?

I sincerely hope the scale went DOWN for you!!! It did for me! I lost 1.2lb this week. I'm about 62lb from my weight loss goal! When I put it that way it seems like I moved so little.... but I am MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. And that is what I am focusing on! Losing 1-2lb a week on average is healthy, what I expect, and it's the safe way to lose weight (after the first couple weeks- those sometimes can be drastic). Remember that it is persistence, not perfection, that gets you to goal! Figure out what you'll do and be consistent! But if you are not perfect- don't give up!! Just move forward and learn.

I ate better, moved more and put *myself* on the schedule to work out.... it's paying off. We know this is not an overnight process. Being healthy and at a healthy weight is a consistant, persistant, non-perfect journey we are all on. It gets tedious sometimes but we are human!!

So.. the question still stands... how did your weigh in go? 

Were you happy? Depressed? Excited? Motivated? Embarrassed?

If it went well- congratulations!!!! You're doing the right things! I can guess that you're eating healthier, moving more, and you're putting yourself first!

If the scale went DOWN I have a question for you....

1. What did you do this week? Keep doing it!! TAKE NOTES on how your body loses weight!! and congratulations again!

 If the scale did *not* go the direction you were anticipating it to go... I have a few questions for you.

1- Do you know *why* the scale did not go down (or possibly went up)?? If you can answer this question, then I can assure you.... you likely know what you need to change.

2- Did you move this past week? Did you get minimum 3 days of 30 minutes of movement?? If not... you know where to start.

3- Do you know what is going in your body? Are you planning your meals? Are you writing down what you're eating? Are you eating healthy foods? Healthy foods are much lower in calorie and you can eat much more of them without over indulging vs processed or unhealthy foods. When in doubt- start with fruits and veggies- if you're still hungry- truly hungry- have a little more to snack on.


Remember- we are all here to support each other! We are not here to judge, criticise or make others feel bad. PLEASE let us know how you're doing- even if you're not doing well- let me rephrase- especially if you're feeling struggles. Reach out and ask for some help!! We are here to give you accountability!

Happy Tuesday!! 

and REMEMBER..... if you haven't already signed up for the 30 DAY PUSH DO IT NOW!! This will maximize your goal setting and we're doing this as a group. We will see you next Monday.

Please, comment with how your week went!

Weekly Challenge

Our weekly challenge is now posted!! 

Check out the *Weekly Challenge* tab and follow along! 

If you're just getting started, don't worry, you're not behind! We have previous weeks posted to give you an idea of what we like to challenge ourselves to- go ahead and browse. Please check out the 'getting started' page and go from there!

Monthly Mission: The Video

Watch the monthly mission video HERE

Monthly Mission Video (Click Here)

*Disclaimer: Slim with friends is in no way affiliated with the website that made this video. This is purely for information regarding our monthly mission- it has good information on how water is important for your body.