Working it out

Thank the good Lord for sweat! I don't know what other people do when they feel stress, fatigue, boredom, and just life in general if they don't find tme to sweat every day. I am so thankful for my exercise class, and my instructor, who is such an inspiration to us all. I may ot be able to do all the contortions that we squeeze ourselves into, but I sure try. And I feel strangely satisfied when I finish, as if I've accomplished something, which I have. I've increased my heartrate, I've strengthened my muscles, I've laughed at myself, and I've let go of tension. I'm combating my famliy's legacy of heart problems and diabetes, too. I'm fighting belly fat! I've already lost several inches in my middle over the past two months, which is incredible to me. And the best news is that my husband noticed! woo-hoo!!

For me, working out is another way I have of working my life out. When I was younger, I would go to the gym, for hours, to do the treadmill, then the weight machines, then the free-weights. It was a couple of hours a day, several days a week. I found that it was for the most part exhausting, and for some reason, not very effective for me. Maybe I was working too hard, or maybe I wasn't working smart. Now, I go at least three times a week, hopefully more this next month, workout for an hour, hang with some nice women, and get a cardio, strength-training and stretching work-out all in one. It's amazingly simple. I feel great. And I have to say that for a woman my age to say that she "loves" working out, that's pretty cool.

It isn't that I'm a "jock" type woman, either. Anyone who knows me finds it kind of amazing that I love to go camping, too. I stop what I'm doing if I break a nail, for goodness sake! But I think what really makes me grateful for my workout time is how I feel after. Sometimes, during a workout, I wonder, "What the heck was I thinking? This is HARD!!!" But after, I feel that floaty, glowy (is that a word?) feeling that just feels so smoothe. It's a chilled out kind of high. Maybe it's just the endorphins kicking in, but I'd rather think of it this way: my body is saying "thanks!" for taking better care of myself!

One thing is for sure: working out regularly has become a renewed habit that makes me feel empowered and functioning stronger than before. I'm working it out by working out.

Fighting Back

There's no time like right now to start. I refuse to accept the idea that we are suddenly in bad economic times. I will not spend one second trying to stiff a waitress, or to stop shopping for what my family needs, or to bemoan the fact that the stores seem empty. Ok, maybe we're in a recession. It isn't the frst time, and won't be the last. But the ebb and flow of the economy is just a simple fact of life. I don't want a handout, and I don't think government spending is the answer to any of our problems. We need to work hard, save money, plan ahead, and enjoy each day that we are blessed to have life on this earth. I for one think we spend too much energy worrying about things we can't control while neglecting to focus on those things that really matter: worship of our God, loving others, and serving one another. That's how I plan to fight back!