Crazy Lady
I get questions a lot about the reason behind the amount of energy that I have. It's true. I do. Two kids, full time job, Jazzercise instructor...I am not the type to like to sit down very often. If this blog comes of as prideful, condescending, or interfering; I apologize. I am not the kind of person to feel obligated to boast in anything. In fact, I truly give glory to God for the energy that I have. It seems like when I am following Him, I always get excited and feel energetic. Anyone who follows the Lord can understand that feeling of excitement that takes place in following our Savior. And I know that what I am about to talk about is literally rooted in the blessings that he has given me. I talked a little bit about them in my blog post: Battle.
I was running the other afternoon, and felt led to share the reason behind my insanity.
Honestly, I can directly attribute the fact that I have so much energy to the fact that I have found such blessing in staying active. So I thought I would use this opportunity to give some tips about how I juggle cleaning, working, raising kids, trying my best to invest in friendships, being a wife, daughter, sister, doing my best to be involved in church, and working out.
1. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I haven't gone a week since I was 16 (that's 14 years) that I haven't worked out less than 3 days a week. I wouldn't consider myself super cut, or to have the ideal "workout" body, but I think the reason that I have been able to stay so consistent is because I am never training for a marathon (which I would never say "no" to), nor am I following another person's guidelines or rules about when to work out. I just know in my mind what it feels like to not get exercise, and I try to work out 3-7 days a week. I am never hard on myself if it's 4 days in the week that I work out, and because of that, I feel excited to get out and "gift" myself exercise. Generally, it ends up being about 5 days a week that I get my exercise in. I love to work out, but if I but too much pressure on how many days I am "supposed" to work out, it would stick for only a fleeting while.
2. Find something you love to do. I am excited to go to Jazzercise every week. Why? Because I get to dance, and stretch and lift weights. Jazzercise also incorporates yoga, Pilates, cardio kickboxing, etc. Every part of every class is so much fun, and the bonus is that I get to dance to upbeat, relevant, popular music.
I also love running. I used to hate it, but it's true when they say it's addicting. I usually run about 1 or 2 times a week. It's the perfect amount because I change it up, and I never get sick of one thing. But there is SO much out there for any personality type. Hiking, biking, swimming, dancing, skating, rowing, surfing, sports, Zumba, yoga. I think it is so important to find what you love. That way, you look forward to your workouts.
3. Become a professional. If you take the amount of time and money it takes to invest in a particular fitness career verses how much you might spend in gym fees, personal training fees , etc.( Or even further, medical expenses that can ensue when fitness is not a priority in your life), I believe that the investment of becoming a professional in a particular area of fitness outweighs the later. I also wonder how many of us are wasting our time at the gym, or other workouts because we aren't educated about how correctly align our bodies, or move.
I really believe that the Lord has gifted me with the best job in the world. People think that I am crazy when they find out how much I spent on my Jazzercise franchise (which, by the way, is not very much). However, I am getting paid to do what I LOVE. I am weekly inspired by the fact that God put me in a place to encourage others to take care of their bodies. Plus, I get my "girls night out," every class. The investment I made becoming a Jazzercise instructor has LONG paid itself off in multiples. And really, I get to workout without feeling guilty: like I should be cleaning, or working (because I am essentially working), or being with the kids. The amount of time that I spend working at Jazzercise is so worth it. I have energy to keep up with my boys, I get paid, and I am encouraged by all of the other lovely instructors and students that I interact with weekly. There are so many ways that you can become the expert in your favorite exercise program.
4. No excuses. I've had strep throat, a brown recluse bite...I've been 9 months pregnant, and I've been a new mom. I've been a college student, working full time. I'm a mom who works full time. There are so many ways that I could have thrown in the towel and have had a reason to not make exercise a priority. But I always have found that no matter what my physical condition, exercise has always made me feel better. No matter how sick, tired, overwhelmed....it ALWAYS is worth it. (Keep in mind, if I had been REALLY sick, I have taken a day off; I just mean that when sick, I have never taken the entire week to not get my work out in).
5. Dress out: Put on your shoes instead of heading to the couch. I find that if I put off getting ready to work out, that I end up finding other things to do. When I get my work out gear on as soon as I have a minute, I generally am more enthusiastic to head out the door to class, or hit the pavement (so to speak) and run. It's also a helpful reminder. I have often found myself cleaning the bathroom floor in my running shoes, and I am inspired to put down the sponge and prioritize. Generally, I will have more energy in the day after my workouts to have more attention for my kids, my work, my friends, my home, and my husband.
As I keep coming after the Lord, I am touched that His mighty hand works in EVERY aspect of my life. I truly know that His desire is that I take care of what He has entrusted me with. I fail to do things exactly as I know He would want for me to, but I am certain that it is His wish for me to take care of my body; not in idol pride, but in surrendered obedience to Him. He has blessed me in my
quest to stay active as I continue to schedule exercise in my day. He asks me to use my body for Him. He used David's hands to kill Goliath, and He used Jesus' body to heal the sick and give hope to the hopeless. He wants to do the same with me (even though I fail Him immensely) and I believe strongly that I would not be able to fully serve Him without a healthy, strong body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives and reigns with in? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.
(to find a Jazzercise class near you, go to: www.jazzercise.com)
I was running the other afternoon, and felt led to share the reason behind my insanity.
Honestly, I can directly attribute the fact that I have so much energy to the fact that I have found such blessing in staying active. So I thought I would use this opportunity to give some tips about how I juggle cleaning, working, raising kids, trying my best to invest in friendships, being a wife, daughter, sister, doing my best to be involved in church, and working out.
1. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I haven't gone a week since I was 16 (that's 14 years) that I haven't worked out less than 3 days a week. I wouldn't consider myself super cut, or to have the ideal "workout" body, but I think the reason that I have been able to stay so consistent is because I am never training for a marathon (which I would never say "no" to), nor am I following another person's guidelines or rules about when to work out. I just know in my mind what it feels like to not get exercise, and I try to work out 3-7 days a week. I am never hard on myself if it's 4 days in the week that I work out, and because of that, I feel excited to get out and "gift" myself exercise. Generally, it ends up being about 5 days a week that I get my exercise in. I love to work out, but if I but too much pressure on how many days I am "supposed" to work out, it would stick for only a fleeting while.
2. Find something you love to do. I am excited to go to Jazzercise every week. Why? Because I get to dance, and stretch and lift weights. Jazzercise also incorporates yoga, Pilates, cardio kickboxing, etc. Every part of every class is so much fun, and the bonus is that I get to dance to upbeat, relevant, popular music.
I also love running. I used to hate it, but it's true when they say it's addicting. I usually run about 1 or 2 times a week. It's the perfect amount because I change it up, and I never get sick of one thing. But there is SO much out there for any personality type. Hiking, biking, swimming, dancing, skating, rowing, surfing, sports, Zumba, yoga. I think it is so important to find what you love. That way, you look forward to your workouts.
3. Become a professional. If you take the amount of time and money it takes to invest in a particular fitness career verses how much you might spend in gym fees, personal training fees , etc.( Or even further, medical expenses that can ensue when fitness is not a priority in your life), I believe that the investment of becoming a professional in a particular area of fitness outweighs the later. I also wonder how many of us are wasting our time at the gym, or other workouts because we aren't educated about how correctly align our bodies, or move.
I really believe that the Lord has gifted me with the best job in the world. People think that I am crazy when they find out how much I spent on my Jazzercise franchise (which, by the way, is not very much). However, I am getting paid to do what I LOVE. I am weekly inspired by the fact that God put me in a place to encourage others to take care of their bodies. Plus, I get my "girls night out," every class. The investment I made becoming a Jazzercise instructor has LONG paid itself off in multiples. And really, I get to workout without feeling guilty: like I should be cleaning, or working (because I am essentially working), or being with the kids. The amount of time that I spend working at Jazzercise is so worth it. I have energy to keep up with my boys, I get paid, and I am encouraged by all of the other lovely instructors and students that I interact with weekly. There are so many ways that you can become the expert in your favorite exercise program.
4. No excuses. I've had strep throat, a brown recluse bite...I've been 9 months pregnant, and I've been a new mom. I've been a college student, working full time. I'm a mom who works full time. There are so many ways that I could have thrown in the towel and have had a reason to not make exercise a priority. But I always have found that no matter what my physical condition, exercise has always made me feel better. No matter how sick, tired, overwhelmed....it ALWAYS is worth it. (Keep in mind, if I had been REALLY sick, I have taken a day off; I just mean that when sick, I have never taken the entire week to not get my work out in).
5. Dress out: Put on your shoes instead of heading to the couch. I find that if I put off getting ready to work out, that I end up finding other things to do. When I get my work out gear on as soon as I have a minute, I generally am more enthusiastic to head out the door to class, or hit the pavement (so to speak) and run. It's also a helpful reminder. I have often found myself cleaning the bathroom floor in my running shoes, and I am inspired to put down the sponge and prioritize. Generally, I will have more energy in the day after my workouts to have more attention for my kids, my work, my friends, my home, and my husband.
As I keep coming after the Lord, I am touched that His mighty hand works in EVERY aspect of my life. I truly know that His desire is that I take care of what He has entrusted me with. I fail to do things exactly as I know He would want for me to, but I am certain that it is His wish for me to take care of my body; not in idol pride, but in surrendered obedience to Him. He has blessed me in my
quest to stay active as I continue to schedule exercise in my day. He asks me to use my body for Him. He used David's hands to kill Goliath, and He used Jesus' body to heal the sick and give hope to the hopeless. He wants to do the same with me (even though I fail Him immensely) and I believe strongly that I would not be able to fully serve Him without a healthy, strong body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives and reigns with in? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.
(to find a Jazzercise class near you, go to: www.jazzercise.com)
Walked 3 miles today, which in my world is pretty huge. =) I am not motivated by much, in fact most people who try to motivate me only succeed in making me do the exact opposite (mostly because I'm rebellious and a butthead), but this...this was motivating. <3
ReplyDeleteYes! I am a rebellious butthead, too:) Thank you for the encouragement:)
DeleteWhat a beautiful post. It's so easy to forget that we are truly blessed to be able to be active. Thank you for your encouragement....now I'm off to class with a renewed appreciation and drive. xo
ReplyDeleteAmber
Thank you so much:)
Delete