The Good Fight: Healthy and Strong

Often times when people embark in health and fitness goals they don't believe it involves God. Well in my experience it does. After all, our bodies are gifts from our Creator so why wouldn't it be a journey we undertake with his assistance. The battle begins with our mental hurdles and I admit I have often times lost to slothfulness, plain old negative self-esteem, and the ideas that I just can't do it or I need to see immediate results. It can be discouraging and that feeling can be overwhelming especially when we look in the mirror or step on a scale. Rather than only focus on getting a good work out in before your hectic day starts, I'd like to strongly encourage you to start your workout on your knees in prayer. Don't just pray out of habit. Pray with purpose. God isn't just a high and mighty being that doesn't care about the little things that matter to us like fitness. He cares about all the details of our life. He is our Father and wants to be involved in every aspect of our life.

Also, study the Word of God to get you inspired and in the right mindset. So many of the stories I read in the Bible and The Book of Mormon are stories of triumph over evil. Slothfulness in our self-care is a form of evil. The words in the scriptures can help us liken them to our journey in all respects. You've  been given this mountain...now prepare yourself to witness a miracle when you invite God into your journey to get healthy and strong.

I came back from a five-week vacation with family. Fitness and health was the least important thing on my mind. I'm paying for it now and my body feels sluggish. I need that reinvigorating feeling of working out three times a week and daily study and prayer. Let me tell you that I have often failed because of a lack of a plan. In my experience, plans that stay in your head...well, they're all in your head and have statistically less probability of being accomplished. Write out a plan.

Take a moment and think about why you are looking to begin a fitness and health plan. Health and fitness is about more than just losing weight. Method and quality of a plan is more important than pounds lost. The weight coming off should be a result from self-care, not our focus. That may seem contradictory to some of your fitness goals, but trust me...focusing on method and quality is so important.

As an example I have broken down my plan based on my fitness goals into four categories and set a schedule of Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday with the exception of spiritual goals which are daily:

-Spirituality
-Strength Training
-Endurance Training
-Healthy Habits

When writing out goals, don't make goals that our way way out of your reach now. Start small and work your way up.

SPIRITUALITY. My fitness goals in spirituality include daily prayer, scripture study (study...not just reading), and meditation. Here's what my plan looks like:

Daily pray with purpose for the task at hand. Pray for strength and endurance to overcome any obstacles that you may face in the day's workout. Be grateful and give thanks for what we have and any progress made.

Daily read The Book of Mormon (a chapter a day) and study what is read using the Institute Book of Mormon Student Manual. (I have created a timeline for my studies that are based on weeks. My target week to finish reading the book in its entirety ends on May 27, 2017.)

Journal. Write down any thoughts and impressions received during study time. (Part of my journal time has also inspired my blog writing.)

Daily meditate for 30 minutes before or after workout or before retiring for the day. (Meditating serves as a mental recharge for me. If you want to sit outside and just soak in nature while doing so, do it. Breath in peace, exhale stress.)

STRENGTH TRAINING. My strength training goals have a lot to do with getting strong of course. I don't care as much about the look of strong, but rather the ability to push my body to do things it used to not be able to do...like lifting heavy. My strength training goals and plan look like this:

GOALS (September through October)
Complete one full pullup;
Bench press 30lbs with ease;
Do one handstand without wall assist;
Do 10 pushups correctly;
Improve posture; and
Tighten and tone biceps, triceps, shoulders, and back.

ROUTINE/PLAN (Tuesday and Saturday)
5-minute cardio warm up (row machine, jump rope, or neighborhood run)
Stretch arms
10 reps/3 sets using 5lb dumbells:
Bicep curls
Tricep extensions
Front raise
Lateral raise
Chest press
Bent over row
Push press
Push ups
Stretch

ENDURANCE. This one is probably the toughest one for me...pushing past what I feel are my limits. I have read many accounts from athletes that say endurance feels like a wall you hit when training and at that point it is a mental endurance that kicks in to push you a little further. My limits are very much tested in distance running. It has never been a strength or a delight for me. My goals in this area look a little like this:

GOALS:
Run 1 mile nonstop under 10 minutes on a flat terrain (eventually I want to reduce the time it takes to run 1 mile and then move onto a tougher terrain);
Complete 20-minute Full Body Workout (Nathan Bower Fitness);
Row 1k meters nonstop; and
Take Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes (I'm super excited for this one.);

ROUTINE/PLAN (Thursday and Saturday -- alternating weeks with strength training)
5-minute cardio warm up (row machine, jump rope, or neighborhood jog)
Stretch leg and arm muscles
1 minute jog -- 1 minute brisk walk alternating for 10 minutes
Stretch
Ladder Sprints (aka suicides)
Stretch
Attend Jiu Jitsu Class Tuesday-Thursday for 1 hour

HEALTHY HABITS. What you do when not exercising is just as important if not more important than your exercise routine. When your muscles are in recovery mode, they will need proper care and nourishment to repair. I struggle with being good about this too as I'm sure many do too.

GOALS:
Drink 32 oz. of plain water daily;
Compile a weekly plan of nutritious meals for family (working up to 52-weeks-worth);
Cook daily (this one is tough for me because I don't like cooking!);
Take a nutrition course or read a reputable nutrition book to better understand diet/food/nutrition;
Grow a vegetable garden and learn how to store fresh foods; and
Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night (no naps).

My plan here involves a lot of research and implementing...maybe a little trial and error so this section may change as I go.

I encourage you to do what works for you but don't stay in your comfort zone long term. If you have someone to workout with, involve them in putting together a plan to stick to and hold each other accountable. Pray for strength to overcome the health and fitness obstacles you may be facing. Don't be discouraged and remember the words of Christ:

 "...lift up your hears and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand." D&C 27:15

Do you have a health and fitness plan that has worked for you? Did you include a spirituality aspect to it? If so, how? I'd love to hear about it!

Life Choices

About a year ago my husband and I were vacationing in the Redwoods of Northern California. We were celebrating our ten-year wedding anniversary. The weather was perfect and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous! We took the scenic Highway 1 up the coast towards the city of Fortuna. The road was significantly more windy than we had anticipated but we tried to look past that. As the evening drew near we pulled up a map to determine the quickest route to our destination. We decided to take what we thought was the best choice. As we drove through, the road became more narrow, windy, thick with trees, and on top of it all it started to rain. We didn't encounter many cars along the way and we began to feel very nervous about the drive, particularly when it began to downpour. We decided to say a prayer. I was prompted to pull up the GPS on my phone and guide my husband as to when to anticipate the sharp turns. This put him and I at ease because we knew what to expect. After what seemed like forever, we made it out of the ravine safely.

You can say that life can be that way. Sometimes we can encounter difficult paths because of choices we made or just from the natural order of opposition. Do you rely on your own abilities and understanding? Or do you seek assistance? In terms of the divine you can say that God has given us the Gift of the Holy Ghost to act as our personal GPS. We learn from the scriptures that He does not leave us on our own.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:5)

In his most recent general conference address, President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the importance of choices, saying: "The choices we make determine our destiny."

Much like our experience along dark and stormy roads, the everyday choices we make, whether we think they are big or small, chart our course either to safe or unsafe paths. Had we planned better ahead of time, maybe we could have avoided what could have been a very treacherous road to our destination. Why is it important to plan our destination before hitting the road?

On the road of life, President Monson further counsels us to have an understanding of our eternal destination so as to make righteous choices. Otherwise we may find ourselves in the precarious situation that Alice found herself in when she met the Cheshire Cat for the first time.

"You will remember," he shares, "that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, 'Which path shall I follow?' The cat answers, 'That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.” (Thomas S. Monson, 2016. Choices).

There is nothing wrong with not being sure about a decision. There is also nothing wrong with making mistakes along the path of learning. The Atonement of Christ is available to all to correct the deviations made on our way to eternal progression. I believe we often think we know what is best for us and think that the decisions of our life are to be made on our own. If our Father in Heaven has provided a lifeline why would you choose to not take advantage of it? Maybe it is pride, ignorance, or plain foolishness that we don't seek Him, but He waits patiently and lovingly for you to seek His wisdom.

"Wherefore...seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works." (Jacob 4:9)

 May you have faith enough to humble yourselves in prayer with a willing heart to obey whatever counsel God reveals to you. It is okay to not know the answer to everything and to rely on God to guide your steps. I promise that the more you learn to rely on His infinite wisdom, you cannot go wrong. Whatever you ask, if you ask in faith, you will receive divine assistance.