From flab to great abs:)

As a mother I am fighting the ever obvious announcement of giving birth... the abs of flab. No matter how small you are if you have carried children within you know exactly what I’m talking about. It starts right below the bra line and gathers in and runs down your core puddeling (and I do mean puddeling) right around and mostly right below your belly button. It’s unsightly and it although you may workout hard and look good in your clothes... this area is just plain hurtful to my feelings in a swimsuit (even a tankini) and don’t get me started on what naked is like these day.

Now that we have properly addressed the problem I digress to the hopeful solution.

I am not satisfied with counting this addition to my body as a battle scar, or “badge of honor" as my mom calls it, until I am 100% sure I have done everything I can do to flatten and tighten it up. So I have set out to research what causes this, why sit-ups and crunches don't seem to help, and if there is a solution what it is.

Since we had such great response to the couch to 5k I have decided that an abs class set up the same way may be just what I( and other like me) need to get our slim tummies back. It would be a 6wk class that calls for daily or every other day workout focusing entirely on strengthening, slimming, and toning your core muscles (abdominals and obliques).This class will be set up in a way that starts out easy and builds up intensity with each week and can be done at Curves after your regular workout or even by yourself at home.

Stay tuned. When its ready (im hoping in the next month or so) I will post the 6weeks-to-great-abs-plan here so if anyone wants to follow along outside my Curves group you can. I would love feedback also. What was the hardest, what seems to be helping the most...ect



Hell hath no fury...

Should it say at the bottom

 "And you can try a lifetime but the person you want the most to see the change, may never notice"

My Missions Field

Curves is my missions field. There is no doubt in my mind that God put me there for a reason and uses the relationships made and cultivated there to bring people to him. At times I need to remind myself of this so that I don't treat it only as a job but as a God given opportunity to share his love with everyone that comes in the doors.

Addiction

Today at church I was thumbing through the bulletin and sadly read that a friend's daughter lost her life long battle with a drug addiction. Though the autopsy is inconclusive at this time it is assumed to be a heroine overdose that took this young life. As I sat there thinking back I realized  two  very sad truths. the first was that there was never a time that I could remember this lady without this demon in her life. Secondly I cant remember anything else about her. I imminently wanted to cry. What A sad life. What a horrible addiction. My heart goes out to her mother. What a nightmare to watch her daughter go through years of this addiction knowing where the battle is fought a mothers love and support is not enough.

It makes me wonder how the addiction started. Was it a friend who wanted her to try just once? In a world saturated with temptations of evil I pray God protect those near and dear to my heart from just demons.

I pray he keeps us some allowing or blindly and stupidly inviting something this dangerous into our lives.

I stand over my sleeping baby and pray that such things are disgusting to her and never beautiful or mysterious.

I praise God for the people in my life who have been saved from a life struggling with addiction.

I pray Gods comfort for the family's of those who lost the battle and are now free of that pain

How he loves us

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realise just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

(Pre-Chorus)
And O how He loves us
Oh, O how He loves us
How He loves us all

(Chorus)
Yeah He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves

(Verse 2)
We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

Last thought of the day

I miss my husband.

He's my best friend and I never get to see him anymore. And even when he is home I'm so busy being Reagan's mom I don't feel like I get to be Brads wife anymore.

This past hitch home was the most fun we have had since way before Reagan got here and it just made it even harder to say goodbye when our time was up. I'm proud of him for working so hard to provide for his family but I feel like my family is never whole. I am never whole. Not while he is gone. He's my better half and I regret not taking advantage of having him home before he got this job.

 I love him so much and its his birthday in 10 minutes!

Happy Birthday Baby! I hope we celebrate at least 80 more !

Chilled Avocado Cucumber soup

Totally disgusting!!!! Wont do it again. Might take it to my moms tomorrow and see if she can use it as guacamole. I tried to add salt. I tried to add sweet. I ate it alone. I ate it with crackers I dipped bread in it... the only way I could even stand it was if I left the soup off and ate the bread alone an then had to eat a bucket of strawberries just to get the soup taste out of my mouth. What was I thinking. Maybe mom will like it.

War horse. My thoughts...

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz

oh im sorry I had a flashback...

To the movie!!!!

5K training... so far so good

I was completely blown away Monday when it was time to hit the ground running( literally) with the couch to 5k training. The people just kept showing up. The circuit room was full and overflowing into the weigh and measure room with excited and somewhat anxious curves members ready to take the first step toward learning a healthy new habit. Running!

I feel a little bad that I didn't think better in the ladies I spend every workday with. I wish I had trusted in their determination to find the healthier life that I constantly encourage them to work towards. As the names kept appearing on the sign up sheet my heart swelled with pride. This was not going to be easy. Running is not easy or fun. Its hard hard work, and almost all of my regular curves girls had signed up to run a 5k ( 3.2 miles) after ten weeks of weekly running.

My morning group is the smallest of the two groups. Even though its a small group we have seven dedicated women whose quality of life, I think, will greatly increase in the next 10 weeks. They are on average  older than the evening group and each of these ladies with the exception of Abbi) are trying to counter the effects age takes on the body wither it be hormonal balance, a better energy level, or more flexibility and range of motion. I cant wait to see how these ladies feel once running becomes a part of their life.

Walk 5 minutes, Run 2 minutes, Walk 5 minutes!

That was our assignment week one day one. Although running 2 minutes seems like a short amount of time in reality its about a forth of a mile( if you start out slow like we did) and if your not a runner this is a big first step. Everyone did wonderfully and it has opened relationships with one particular woman I have had a hard time connecting with. After running we spoke a few minutes and I learned more about this woman ( recently widowed) in that 3 minute conversation then the entire 4 months shes been a member. And shes in the P.A.C ( perfect attendance club... meaning she comes at least three times a week) so we talk often... I just never knew how "top surface" she had kept our conversations until I saw a glimpse a little deeper into the life of this sweet woman who after loosing the love of her life is desperate to find her "place" as a single after years of being a plural. She's perfect for Curves and Curves is perfect for her. She has already found her place with us and jumped in with both feet. I'm so proud of her. And thankful God has brought this new outreach opportunity to Curves.

My evening class is much bigger and as you can see a little mixed. The ten wk Couch to 5k training is open to none members and that means husbands are allowed. I think its just wonderful that these guys are willing to not just support their women in there healthy life style choice but also sweat it out on the pavement right there next to them. Brad is training with me but was working and unable to be there for the picture. The relationships with the evening group are growing also. Not just with me but also with each other. Ive seen the most unlikely of friendships blossoming out of this class.

Week one= Success!!