As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7)
Did you know that you never will rise above the imagine you have of yourself? If you see yourself as poor and defeated, then you're going to live a poor and defeated life. If you see yourself as overweight and unhealthy, then you will be overweight and unhealthy.
In order to change your life, you have to change your focus. You have to change what you're looking at and believing for. You have to believe that God is for you and desires good things for life. If you choose to stay focused on the things that are negative in your life, then by your own choice you are agreeing with the enemy. You cast the deciding vote. When you believe his lies, it opens a door to destruction in your life.
But on the other hand, if you choose to agree with God and His Word, if you'll choose to focus on the fact that you can do all things through Christ, and that you're more than a conqueror, then your faith is going to cause God to show up and work supernaturally in your life! Your faith will help you go to new levels of victory and soon you will rsie to be the champion God has called you to be!
Remember what Billy Blanks® says, "Where you are today is where YOUR mind put you and where you will be tomorrow is where YOUR mind put you." If I had not put my mind on a new, better me, someone who not only wanted to change myself, but everyone around me, then I would be the same person I was 2.5 years ago, sitting on a couch, eating chips, watching infomercials and giving up. Instead, I decided to accept what God wants for me and fight for it and I went from the person on the couch, to being on stage with Billy Blanks® working out with him ON an infomercial!
THAT my friends, is the POWER we have, the power to change, it is in your hands, RELEASE IT!
Our dream of teaching TAE BO® in our own studio came true the month of October. What a wonderful experience it has been! We are up to 45 students and so far almost all of them have had results already! Normally you cannot see results for at least 40 days, but wow, results already! The best part is everyone is having so much fun, no matter how painful and sore they get, they are having fun and that is what Tae Bo® is all about! We had a neat opportunity to take our students to meet and workout with Billy Blanks® for his new infomercial! If you would like to see pictures, just email me! It was such an incredible experience and I am so thankful some of my students got to see what Billy and Tae Bo® is truly about!
We started out at a gym that ended up not working well for us and we prayed for God to give us something better, something more suitable and something blessed and beautiful to continue our classes and God provided us a wonderful dance studio! We pressed on through the obstacles and God came through as always with something better!
If you are not in the Brownwood area, next time you are traveling through, come by for a class! We offer the first class free to everyone and you can get our schedule by clicking HERE.
If you are a guest of a Thanksgiving dinner:
Don't go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at dinner time.
Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet: Fill your plate half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.
Turkey - go skinless: choose your 4-oz turkey portion skinless to slash away some fat and cholesterol. Save your appetite for the side dishes and desserts.
Side Dishes - watch your portion size: go for smaller portions. This way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.
Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: high fat food items can be found in fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese-filled casseroles in a traditional Thanksgiving meal . For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and mashmallows. If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.
Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body. Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated.
If you are the honorable chef of a Thanksgiving dinner:
Substitute high fat ingredients with lower-fat or fat-free ingredients. See table below.
Leftover Turkey? Instead of turkey sandwiches, use the leftover turkey to make a pot of soup with fresh chunky vegetables.
Experiment with new recipes: Do a search on Google and you will find numerous delicious yet healthy low-fat contemporary Thanksgiving recipes. Experiment!
200 CALORIE SNACKS
1 oz. peanuts, about 25 peanuts
• 1 oz. cashews, about 17 cashews
• 1 oz. mixed nuts
• Almonds, about 18 almonds
• 2 medium hard-boiled eggs with 1 oz. low-fat cheese
• 4 oz. grilled chicken, skinless
• 6 oz. white meat tuna, in water
• 2 scrambled egg whites with 2 oz. low-fat cheese
• Turkey roll-up: 3 oz. deli turkey slices with 2 oz. low-fat cheddar
• 3/4 cup strawberries with 1 cup 1% cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1 apple with 1 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
• 15 celery sticks with 3 oz. low-fat cheddar
• 1 cup cubed cantaloupe with 5 oz. deli turkey slices
• 8oz vanilla soymilk w/ half a banana
• 1/2 cup slow-cooked oatmeal with 1/2 cup skim milk
• ¾ cup 2% cottage cheese with ½ cup cantaloupe, cubed
• Apple w/ 1 oz. cheddar cheese
When it comes to exercising a majority of people fall into two categories, those who don’t do it at all and those who overdo it. Training excessively in order to get in better shape or lose a couple of pounds is refered to as overtraining and is very common especially among women. It seems logical that exercising longer and harder will help you get in shape faster or lose the weight faster but in reality it´s counterproductive to your goals because it leads to:
· Fatigue
· Irritability
· Depression
· Headaches
· Decreased performance
· Burn-out
· Injuries
· Loss of appetite
· Weakened immune system
· Indeterminate plateaus
The key to exercising for weight loss or for a better looking physique is quality, not quantity and these simple guidelines will make your workouts more productive, efficient, and still help you achieve your best body ever without overtraining and plateaus.
Cardio Intensity
If you’re doing 45-60 minutes of cardio 5-6 times a week or doing cardio twice a day and you’re still having trouble losing weight then it’s time for a reality check. Whether it’s walking, cardio machines, step class or videos, the trick is to workout out at an intensity that is constantly challenging your body. Too many people jump on a treadmill for 45 minutes and walk at a leisurely pace while reading a magazine, thinking that longer low intensity cardio burns more fat and calories. Not only is this one of the biggest fitness myths around, but it’s a big waste of your time. You can burn just as many calories and fat in 30 minutes by working out at a much higher intensity. This means working out at 70%- 85% of your target heart rate all the time.
Once your body becomes accustomed to an activity that you are doing, which can happen in as little as a month, you can increase intensity by incorporating hills into your walk, increasing the incline on your treadmill, increasing the resistance on the cross trainer, adding another level to your step, or trying more advanced versions of your favorite videos. Another great strategy is to try a new activity and to alternate between different activities. Maintaining a high intensity level ensures that you will continue to lose weight.
