#250 - Tips from my Brother: Losing Body Fat %

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

^{1 Corinthians 6:19-20} - Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. 

Physical fitness. Some of us like it, some of us don't! Nonetheless, to honor God in all aspects, means also honoring Him with our body. Working towards getting or staying physically fit as well as eating healthy foods that make us strong.

Today, I'd like to share some tips with you! Tips from my brother, WBFF Champion Body Building Pro, Fitness Model, Hollywood actor... James Ellis. I have some weight loss and fitness goals with a timeline on them and was talking to my brother yesterday for quite awhile. I'm into details. I like to know what works and how to maximize the minimum amount of time that I plan to work out during the week. The 4321 (or 4321 x 2) program that I have been doing has worked very good for me (10 minutes) in helping me get from 160 down to my current weight of 133 and MAINTAIN. If you are anything like me, I don't want to spend an hour working out. I put my time in as a collegiate cross-country and track runner, so I have ran my fair share of long miles, 5, 6, 10, 15 mile-runs. Now with kids, goals, a successful yet growing business, a home, etc, etc.... fitness is something that I want to do and get it done, then be able to go about my day. 4321 is a great option for that. I also know that it's important to "Muscle-Confuse, Muscle Confuse!"Or as my brother says "SHOCK" your body. Once you've been doing something for a long time, it's important to chance things up to confuse your body, shock it and allow other muscles to work. If your body/muscles get used to the same things done daily, over and over and over, the results will not be as good as they could be.

Today I implemented one of the changes I got from my brother. I figured if it can help me, I might as well share so it can help you too! We're on the pursuit of being STRONG Proverbs 31 women (as well as strong, and fit men!). As it reads in the amplified version of Proverbs 31, that means strong spiritually, mentally AND in physical fitness. Here we go....

Tips I picked up from my brother: 

1. If you want to have the greatest amount calories lost that are FAT BURNING calories, do your cardio work out first thing in the morning. 
2. Do your cardio workout on an empty stomach. What happens when you do your cardio workout on an empty stomach is that it grabs existing EXISTING fat that is on your body. When you have eaten first and work out, it grabs the fat from the food you ate. The carb you ate, the banana, the egg, etc. (Granted, if you plan on doing a weight workout after your cardio, you are going to need to have some protein. A protein shake or protein bar.)
3. "When I was trying to lose body percent fat, I speed walked on the treadmill for 30-35 at 4-4.5 miles per hour (mph) at a 2% incline." - The Fat Burning Zone is done at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. In this zone, 85% of calories burned are from fats!
4. When speed walking make sure to move/pump/swing your arms. This helps to also burn body fat in your arms. 
5. Ultimately, keep things switched up! SHOCK your body. If you do the same sort of work-out all the time, make sure to switch things up sometimes to get maximum effects.  

So... I learned some good things from my brother! He knows his body inside and out and is REALLY good about knowing what to do in order to get a specific desired result.

If you want more info on the subject, he wrote a helpful blog that breaks down some more details. Check it out: Cardio With a Purpose. 

SO.... as we pursue our relationship with the Lord, work towards becoming that Proverbs 31 woman, let's not forget the importance of fitness and taking care of our body! :)

Thanks JW for all the great tips! :) Love you!!

FB: James Ellis
FB: Scientific Body Sculpting
follow on twitter: @jamesellis3
website: James Ellis Fit

#193 - WORK IT!

Good morning! It seems like quite the active morning here on my porch! Birds have been playfully and loudly playing and dancing in our backyard and I have shooed 2 lizards off of the screened in porch where I am sitting. I'm not "scared" of lizards or anything, but one of them sat on the screen just a few feet from where I am sitting, and that was just weird. He didn't make for a good "working companion" so I helped him out. :)

On another note.... it's a BEAUTIFUL morning! There's a nice breeze coming through the screen, and Tyler Junior is officially 19 months old today! Wow! He's just months away from being a big brother and turning 2 years old! How fun!

Well... let's get rolling into some Word this morning! :)

Proverbs 14:30 - A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

Spiritual fitness. Mental fitness. Physical fitness. All areas of fitness that we should aspire to attain. One thing that I feel tremendously helps in the areas of spiritual & mental fitness is having a regular quiet time. Taking specific, set apart time to read the Word, meditate on the Word, and quiet ourselves long enough to listen to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord that Jesus knew what He was doing when He said that He was leaving us to be with the Father, BUT that He would leave something better for us, He would leave the Holy Spirit. What a blessing and honor that we are NEVER alone as believers, but are always just a question away from receiving direction from the Holy Spirit. What a blessing that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, always available, always there, always willing to direct us if we are willing to listen. How exciting that the "hidden secrets" are not indefinitely hidden, just hidden for those who are willing to seek after them and find and receive them. They are there for US to have! Amen!

Spiritual and mental fitness. Available if we are willing to consistently pursue it.

Physical fitness. Eich.... Yikes. Well, I like maybe some of you have a bag of excuses I sometimes carry for my lack of consistency in this area. My most recent excuse in my bag has been "pregnancy." OK... it may be a good excuse, but really, at any time, any excuse will do. Right? Maybe you've been pretty consistent in this area. Well, at 24 weeks pregnant (around 6 months for those of you who don't speak the 'pregnancy' language), I officially stopped running about 2 weeks ago. It had gotten sporadic at best, and my last run left me kind of sore. I ambitiously thought I would go buy a running belt, but never got around to it. Then on Friday morning, I decided to swim laps for 20 minutes. I also did some push-ups and dips. I was quite proud of myself. (I also woke up and did that this morning! Whoop! Go me! haha!) Over the last 2-3 years, having knowledge about a 10 minute fitness program called "4321" has really changed my life in the area of my weight and fitness. It also extremely reduced some of the risk factors that I had for Type 2 Diabetes, results in blood work proved I had made some awesome improvements just by changing a few things in my life. One of those things was 10 minutes of working out just four days per week.

Recently, I have noticed that the firmness of my arms that I had developed over the last 2 years had been getting a bit "weak." My once small, but bulging bicep wasn't quite so perky. I knew that I hadn't really done a done to give myself toned muscles, but what I had done was consistently applied effort to have strong and firm arms. What is consistent effort? Where my arms were concerned, it was only 3 minutes, 4 days per week! That was it! 3 MINUTES! The key was, it was consistent. Over a period of time, the flab that hung onto my arms began to turn into muscle. It was quite exciting to see. In the mirror, I noticed that my shoulders were looking nice in a tank top. That was enough to continue the small but daily steps I had began.

So today... can you implement something small for your fitness? You may not care to look like the cover model on today's "Health & Fitness" magazine, and that is OK! But.... maybe take a few minutes to reflect on this question.... What is your responsibility in the area of fitness? Like me, you may have some excuses in your bag as well, but at the end of the day that is all they are, excuses. It may not mean getting a gym membership, but can you do three minutes a day just to tone your arms? Can you do squats or sit-ups to tone your legs and abs? Simple things that will allow you to live a much longer & energetic life.

The "Fitness" tab will give you some ideas on 10 minutes that WILL really work for you, if you consistently work it! The Proverbs 31 woman is working it, will you?

#114 - Are You the TARGET?

Good morning! Sometimes I just marvel at how blessed I feel! What a good boy I have! He is just so good! He did two kinda "new" things this morning. While he was eating breakfast, he took a drink of his drink and then PUT IT BACK in the cup-holder on his tray! WHOA! Go Tyler Jr! That is definitely a step up from throwing it on the floor! ha! AND, he very obviously did the sign language sign for "all done." It was so good! So, we celebrated and clapped and yelled about how good he did! He liked the praise! He clapped too! Then... we went upstairs after breakfast and read HIS Bible... now he is in his bed talking, playing with his toys and reading his books.... and having the rest of HIS Quiet Time! :) He's so good! I never imagined being a mom would be this fulfilling and joyous! Praise the Lord! 


Well, let's get started today! :) 

Proverbs 9:13-18 - The foolish woman is noisy; she is simple and open to all forms of evil, she [willfully and recklessly] knows nothing whatever [of eternal value]. ¹⁴For she sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the conspicuous places of the town,
    ¹⁵Calling to those who pass by, who go uprightly on their way:
    ¹⁶Whoever is simple (wavering and easily led astray), let him turn in here! ....
    ¹⁸But he knows not that the shades of the dead are there [specters haunting the scene of past transgressions], and that her invited guests are [already sunk] in the depths of Sheol (the lower world, Hades, the place of the dead).

Proverbs 31:25a - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure... 

I thought today's reading was very interesting. In the scriptures above we have 3 different main people it is talking about. 

(1) The Foolish Woman - AKA: Sin, Temptation, Evil, Lust, the Wicked 

(2) The Proverbs 31 Woman - Strong, Sure, Confident, Secure, Stable - Nothing is moving this woman! She is steadfast & knows who she is.  

(3) The Wavering - This person is unsure of themselves. They are unstable, on rocky ground. They are wavering, like the verse talks about in James 1:6-8 - this person is tossed to and fro, has two minds or is double minded, lives in a constant state of doubt. 

The big question... Who is the Target? Who is the Target here in Proverbs 9? Who is the "Foolish Woman" looking for and WHERE is she taking the person she finds? Well, just reviewing the verses above, the target is simple, the TARGET IS THE SIMPLE. The Target is the person who is wavering! They are the TARGET! 1 Peter 5:8 tell us, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." What type of prey would the a lion look for? If he saw a herd of gazelles, which one is the lion going to lock a TARGET on? The WEAK one. If there is a gazelle that looks weak, is hurt, is limping or struggling to run, the lion knows that lunch is just a few seconds away. The devil is looking for the weak! If he sees you are weak, he will attack you in that area. The foolish woman, she was looking for those who look unsure, the wavering, because she KNOWS she could persuade them with her cunning words and get them to come down her path. They lack confidence. They lack vision, they do not know where they are going and since they seem to be "wandering" about anyways, THEY are an EASY TARGET for the foolish woman. So what did the foolish woman do? She locked TARGET on the Wavering, and led them down her path. Unbeknown to them, the Foolish woman's other "invited guests are already sunk in the depths of Hell, the lower world, the place of the dead." As she spotted the WAVERING person, she led them like a calf being led to slaughter, she led them to their death. 


Why is this all so important? As a believer, we can look at this section of scripture and determine, Which one are WE? Has life been a series of instability? Do we really know WHO we are in Christ? If we were spotted, would we look like the WAVERING? Would the enemy lock TARGET on us because we appear to be unstable? Would the lion see us and then seek to devour us because we look weak? 


With New Years coming around the corner, a lot of people begin to think about New Year's Resolutions. Now may be a good time to evaluate if you are truly the Stable, Confident, Unwavering. As you search yourself internally, if you feel like you may be the "Wavering", maybe it's time to determine this year that it is going to be a year to develop STABILITY & STRENGTH. Maybe this be the year that you NOT focus on loosing the same 20 pounds you've wanted to loose for the last 5 years, but maybe this is the year that you focus on being STABLE & SECURE like the Proverbs 31 Woman. Men, like the Proverbs 31 Husband. Maybe NOW is the time for you to determine that the buck stops here, "I WILL NOT BE A TARGET!" 


So... which category do you fall into now? Which category are you going to be in next year?

#79 - YOU WIN!

Good morning! Well... here I sit... laughing, excited, at peace. Laughing at my boy. He is so funny. He's in his bed right now, probably finished with his bottle and just talking. He is a hoot! His little voice makes me laugh. Excited. Excited about accomplishing some goals this month through our business! Our business team is pushing and pulling out all stoppers to make things happen to hit our goals before MIDNIGHT tonight! I'm jacked about it! We will do it! At peace. It's great to just live in a "knowing"... knowing that you have ALREADY WON! Whatever the situation, whatever the goal, whatever the obstacle, knowing that you have ALREADY WON! You have prepared. You are ready. You have won. So, let's roll into today's Word. :)

Psalm 30:7,9 - By Your favor, O Lord, You have established me as a strong mountain... What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit (the grave)? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth and faithfulness to men?

Psalm 60:12 - Through God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries. 

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]! 

Part of me doesn't even know what else to say! My favorite is Psalm 60:12! Through God we shall do VALIANTLY!  What is "VALIANTLY?" Glad you asked because it is good! Valiantly:

               Boldly Courageous      

                          BRAVE   

                                     Stout-hearted

             Worthy

                      Excellent

                                           HEROIC

Valiantly. I think we all, even us women, want to be described as the words above. To be described as "VALIANT". Yesterday was Tyler's DOR... so, last night we watched GI Joe. It's a pretty good movie... for a "Guy-Action" movie. I remember one part in the movie as 3 of the "Joe's" in their Arctic White outfits, go hydroplaning down the side of an inside tunnel on ropes. As they are propelling down, I said to Tyler, "Now, that's like Billy B.A. I think everyone kind of wants to be able to do something and feel like such a 'Billy BA.'" Or a scene in Tomb Raider, I remember Angelina Jolie, she's in her black leather "kick-some-booty" outfit, and that is exactly what she is doing. You see her moving, bending in ways we may only think is possible in movies, not real life. She's flipping, jumping, kicking, punching and she is one thing, BAD TO THE BONE! I remember watching that movie thinking, "Man, I want to get in DIESEL shape like that so I can jump and flip, do kicks and be like an action figure!" She is just the woman in that movie. I don't even remember what the movie was about, I just remember she was pretty DIESEL! 

So... as I read today's scripture... and as our business team is at the end of the month with a huge goal yet to accomplish. I'm just reminded of VICTORY. As it says in Psalm 30, it is by FAVOR, the LORD's FAVOR that we have been established. And not established as a little green, grassy null. Or a tiny little grassy hill, but we have been established as a STRONG MOUNTAIN! We have been SET UPON HIGH and we are WINNERS! And it is BY HIS FAVOR that we WIN! Not by our own "good deeds" or our own "high thinking" of ourselves, but purely by HIS FAVOR. Our God, OUR FATHER... not just our God, but OUR VERY OWN FATHER, HE FAVORS US! He is OUR FATHER. Our Father FAVORS ME! Amy Jo. And, guess what? He favors YOU TOO!

Are you in a sticky situation. Rough relationships. Ugly mean people? Goals? Finances? Direction? Psalm 60:12 is a Psalm of SUCH VICTORY! THROUGH GOD WE SHALL DO VALIANTLY! 

• Through GOD YOU ARE Boldly Courageous!
• Through GOD you ARE BRAVE!

• Through God you ARE Stout-hearted! YOU have a STRONG heart! STEADFAST!

• Through God, YOU ARE Worthy!

• Through God, YOU ARE Excellent!

• And like Angelina Jolie in the movies where she plays the "Heroine", THROUGH GOD, YOU ARE ALSO HEROIC!

You ALREADY WIN! Do you get it!?! It really doesn't even have ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! Are you a Christian? Are you a child of God? Are you a Born-Again Believer? Then, YOU ALREADY WIN! It has nothing to do with you! Not your sin, or short-comings. Not your righteousness or deeds. It has everything to do with one thing, JESUS! Jesus died on the cross for ONE reason. So that YOU would not have to go live an eternity in hell. YOU already WIN! WE already WIN! Satan is defeated!! 

It's not "through" YOU that you win. It's not "through" your ability to smile or be charming, though you may have a great smile and be very charming. It's not "through" your good looks. It's not "through" your ability to manipulate an excel document and put in all the cool equations. It's not "through" your athletic ability. It's not "through" your hard work and bull-dog attitude. It's not "through" your perseverance. It's not "through" your great spouse, your position at work, your performance at work, your servanthood in teaching a Sunday School Class. It is THROUGH GOD that we shall DO VALIANTLY. It is THROUGH GOD that we are BOLDLY COURAGEOUS, BRAVE, STOUT-HEARTED, WORTHY, EXCELLENT, HEROIC!

Do you realize, but YOU HAVE ALREADY WON!?!!! YOU are ALREADY A WINNER! Now, it's just a matter of YOU REALIZING IT! YOU grabbing hold of it as your own! YOU POSSESSING YOUR PROMISE LAND, YOUR VICTORY!

So, whatever your situation today, wherever you are at... good, bad, scary, nervous, anxious, unfair, disadvantaged, WHEREVER you are, GRAB HOLD of the TRUTH that THROUGH GOD, YOU, YOU YOU YOU ARE VALIANT! YOU ARE A WINNER! Not in the Past, not in the Future, but TODAY, NOW NOW NOW, YOU ARE A WINNER! You have won! WE have WON! 

So, don't be afraid. Go be bold today. Be brave! Stand strong. Be steadfast! Be courageous! YOU can't be defeated! You have already WON! So go MAKE IT HAPPEN TODAY! Put on that happy face, put on your game music, JAM OUT to the fact that YOU WIN!

__________________________

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#75 - From STRENGTH to STRENGTH

Good morning! It's been a good morning. A full morning. I'm excited about making it a productive day so let's get started.

Proverbs 24:10, 16a - If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again...

Proverbs 31:25a - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure...

Psalms 84:7a, 11 - They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]... For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

We might as well just jump right into what the Holy Spirit had to say to me about the topic. He has a way of making the words fewer and more clear than I do! 

"I desire to have a people that are strong, not weak. That their strength would be planted in Me, then I could bring them from strength to strength. That every day, in every way, in every situation, good or bad, their strength would be a STRONG STRENGTH. That even in a fall, they would be strong. But it is MY DESIRE to take my children from Mountain Top to Mountain Top. Like a weight lifter. They lift and get strong. It takes a period of time to get to that "strong" point. It does not happen over night. BUT, once they are there, they chisel. They go from strength to strength. They build upon what is already strong. That is where I want My Children. I want them to build upon a strength that has already been developed. The maintenance period is not hard. Rely & STAY in Me."

Need I say more? I guess I will just share from some personal experience. I know for me, I have had times in my walk with the Lord where I have felt far from Him. Where my quiet times were few and far between. I felt dry. I felt like I was in a desert and didn't hear His Voice much. I would try to wake up in the morning and read the Bible only to find myself dozing off... my eyes would get heavy and all I wanted to do was go back to bed. My consistency would be best described as inconsistent. My passion for everything was null and void. My eyes seemed dim. I lacked a "love for life." I lacked joy. I remember thinking in a time of day-in day-out drudgery, "I just want to be happy. I just want to have joy." I was far from a description of "Strength." At one point, sure I had a passion for the Lord, an excitement, but somewhere along the way I had lost it. 


For a period of time, actually about 2 years, Tyler and I both had somewhat of a sabbatical. Sabbatical in life. Where he sought the Lord, he read, he learned, he prayed. During that time, I really feel like I was gleaning off of his growth I was inspired by his growth. I hungered to have what I saw him having, growth and communion with the Lord. So my quest began again. My quest for my first true love. My quest for a relationship. My quest to feel happy and full. My quest to be strong again, but this time to stay strong. 


I am reminded of my brother. He is a fitness model and actor. If you knew him back when he was in high school, he was the farthest thing from "buff" or "muscular" as someone could be. He seemed to always be behind in growth, and most years was the runt of his class, the small kid. Bless his heart. Well, in college he decided that he wanted to change things. He didn't want to be small anymore. He wanted to be strong. He began the process of building his muscles, of getting strong, of getting big. He spent time in the gym. Hour upon hour. He began the process of building himself up. He has now graced the cover of many fitness magazines, and to say the least, he is strong. I am amazed now, in his strength, that he knows his body inside and out. If he needs to bulk up for a photo shoot or project, he knows just what to eat, just what to do in the gym, he knows just how long it will take for the muscles to respond. If he needs to get a leaner look, he knows just what to do to get a leaner look. He has spent time STUDYING his body. It is an art, and he now knows his body inside and out.  Now it is just a matter of him maintaining. Spending time, maintaining his strength. He continues to work on it, but the initial building stage is over. He has BUILT, he is past the building. He is now maintaining to stay strong. I would anticipate if someone were to ask him what period was the hardest, I would bet it was the initial building process to get to where he is now. To get to the maintenance. 

I believe that is where God wants us to be. He wants us to be in a place, like Jamie, where we can go from strength to strength. Where we know HIS Voice so well, that it just takes a Word from the Lord and we can and will change direction to build our "bi-cep" or work on our "shoulders", so to speak. That ONE Word from the Lord and He will lead us to work on our faith in the area of "finances" or "health/healing". Then we can chisel, develop, grow that are of our strength. That we are no longer on a slippery slope, but we are truly going from FAITH to FAITH. From STRENGTH to STRENGTH. 


Join me. If you are not conditioned. Begin that process. If you are conditioned. Let's get in the Lord's Gym and continue to build, continue to go from STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, INCREASING in VICTORIOUS POWER! 

#53 - Finding Fullfillment

Good morning. What a great morning it is! It WILL be a productive day... I am excited about it! I'm excited about this mornings devotion. I really think it will help some people. I really think it will help those people who are out their feeling un-fulfilled with life. At least, that is my prayer. 

Proverbs 17:22 - A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

I want to paint a picture. Pick a day, any day.... 1.... 2.... or 3 years ago. A Monday morning... or Tuesday... any weekday really. The alarm goes off. She pulls the covers back over her head. It is 7:30. She really should get up. Getting in to work at a decent time would be good. But no. She pulls the covers back over her head. 8:00. The annoying blare of the alarm clock rings, beep beep beep. Whoever designed the sound of the noise those things made was wrong! Just the name of the thing "ALARM CLOCK" - you are suppose to wake up "alarmed"!?!? 8:00, she rolls over, hits the clock, pulls the covers back over her head. 8:30. 9:00. 9:15. She thinks... I really am pushing it. I really need to get up. I really need to go to work. 9:30. The covers provide a way of escape. She is not even tired. The hour and a half of beeps and pulling the covers up, she really was awake the whole time. Just laying there. Hating life. Not wanting to get up. Unfulfilled. Unhappy. But... putting on the happy face. Going through life smiling. Positive. Speaking right. But all the while pulling the covers up over her head, trying to avoid life. Trying to avoid the day as long as she could. As long as possible. I'll take another pregnancy test. I haven't missed a period or missed a pill.... but maybe, just maybe I'll be pregnant. Maybe then I can escape this job. Maybe I can get out of it. Maybe I can finally quit. Please Pregnancy Test. Please let me be the .oo1% chance that I'll be the one who gets pregnant even though I'm on birth control. 


Day after day. Same thoughts. Different day. The fake smile, plastered on her face as she steps into the elevator to go to the top floor of her "Corporate America" office. Dodging phone calls from her boss. Dreading the emails that will come streaming in as she pulls up her computer. How can she "make it sound like" she's been working with a troubled client all morning. Maybe this would be a morning that her boss wouldn't have emailed her? Maybe? She's hit her numbers. Exceeded them. Maybe her boss would just get off her back? Please! No micro-managing! Ahhhh!


A day in the life of me. 1 year, 2 years, 3 years ago. Pulling the covers up over my head. My job in Corporate America had gotten boring and unfulfilling. I had "mastered" it. I was "Rookie of the Year" my first year throughout our "Corporation" nationwide. My 2nd year I was a "Sterling Performer", which meant I was in the top 5 of ALL people in my position throughout the U.S. I was bored. It was a challenge year 1 & 2. Then, mastery. Then, boredom! Lack of passion. Lack of drive. Just a desire to move on! To get out!


Unlike Proverbs 17:22, I did not have a happy heart. My mind was not cheerful. I was everything BUT happy. I was unfulfilled. I lacked passion. I was not pursuing anything that I loved or enjoyed. I did not feel like I was "helping anyone" or "making a difference" in the lives of anyone. I felt like my "affect" on the world left as lasting of an impression as the ripples when you stick you finger in a glass of water and pull it out. Great. One little ripple that is gone within 5 seconds. What fulfillment!!! :-/ 


So... what happened? By an act of God, I was chosen to be 1 of 6 people to participate in a program nationwide called A New Way to a New You. This program was about "Optimal Health". Learning how to eat properly... actually the "food pyramid" way! Eating the proper amount of fruits & vegetables, grains, fats, proteins. Not eating card-board. Or starving myself until I lost an ounce but felt even worse. How to supplement properly. How to exercise with something manageable that could be maintained for a lifetime. (4321 - 10 Minutes of exercise/day! That's it!) I was a doubter at the beginning. How could all this work? How could I start to be happy with ME? I saw fat. I saw a double chin. I saw the pants that were too tight. Even the fat pants were getting too tight. What unhappiness! So blah! My unhappiness spread to every area of my life. It spread to unfulfillment in work. In our business. In my relationships. In my energy levels. In my walk with the Lord. I was doing poor in all areas because I did not like me. 


So... by an act of divine intervention. I've never been happier in my life! I feel fulfilled. I went from 159 (beginning of January 2009) and I am now at 129. I have not weighed this since probably high school or middle school! I am even below my wedding weight which was 9 1/2 years ago. I'm not dieting. I know how to eat properly, with the proper amounts of what foods. I supplement with multi-vitamins. And I exercise on a regular basis. And like the Proverbs 31 woman, I am even starting to get some pretty firm arms! :) JAM-UP! It's fun to pull my hair up in a pony-tail because I see definition! I now coach people through the experience I went through and they choose between 4 different programs. I am fulfilled physically. I am fulfilled now by finally following a passion of mine, writing. FIND YOUR PASSION. Begin to pursue it. And I am fulfilled in my business.... helping to show mommies & daddies how they can be free, if they want to, to make enough money in a business of their own and stay home with their kids instead of putting them in daycare. If their little boy is crying, MOM can pick him up and comfort him. DAD can pick him up and play with him or rough house. :) What a fulfilling life I am now living! Praise the Lord!

BEFORE PICTURE (late January 2009 -155 lbs)

AFTER PICTURE (July 2010 - 129 pounds, with 9 month old baby

My life today is very different than the life of the woman you read about. Pulling the covers over her head. Dreading the day. Not wanting to wake up. Just wanting to avoid life. What a different person I am today. 


Start today, like the Proverbs 31 woman, begin to get fit. Begin today to get those firm arms. Our Proverbs 31 woman was FIT! She worked out! Her arms were tone and firm. She made this a priority. Come to the realization I did: Working out is a way of life for the REST OF YOUR life! Find something you can stick with and begin today. If you want to live LONG and be STRONG, working out is not an option! BEGIN today! It may start you on the path to fulfillment, to not having a broken spirit. It will help you have strong bones. BEGIN TODAY!

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Read about my journey: http://newwaynewyou2009.blogspot.com/

Looking to be coached? Looking for a way to NEVER DIET a day again the rest of your life? Eat more & exercise less? That is what I did! And I love every day! 

Email me to schedule an personal or phone appointment to find a Program that will work for you: amyjmccart@gmail.com

MUST HAVE READ: 

10 Minutes to a Total Body Workout by Sean Foy

#19 - MUFASA! :)

Good Morning! I am on a different porch this morning.... I'm on the balcony off "the boys" room. :) We live in a Charleston style house, so off the front is a porch upstairs, a porch downstairs, then my "normal" place is the screened in back porch. Praise GOD for where we live!!! I truly love it for this season of our lives! We moved here from a 900 square foot apartment, you could see EVERY room in the apt from our living room, not to mention all of our stuff was just "on top of" each other! Crowded! Well, praise the Lord that, "The blessing of the Lord IT maketh rich and He adds NO sorrow to it!" This is a blessing. 

Bella update.... if you were following.... Bella Sue is officially here! :) Jill-da-Thrill (my sister-in-law) gave birth to Bella yesterday morning. She's perfect and healthy. Both mama & baby are doing great! 7 pounds, 21 1/2 inches with a full head of hair! :) The boy & I will be going to stay with them to help cook & change some baby Bella diapers sometime late next week (after Bella's "Grandparents" heads out). Should be fun. Excited to see baby Bella & help out. Tyler made a good point about serving...because we were originally going to head to GA for Father's Day weekend....but he said, "Serving is not meant to be convenient, that's why it's called serving." And another good one is, "Serving is not thinking about what is best for 'SELF', it is thinking about what is best for the person you are serving." So... with all the flexibility & juggling... let me just say this... Praise the LORD that over the last several years Tyler & I have been building & developing a business  & business team that has provided enough income so I have the OPTION & CHOICE to be able to go serve WHENEVER I need to without the restraints of a job or boss telling me when I can go. PTL!

Well, let's dive in... it is some good stuff this morning!

Proverbs 18:14 - The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear? 

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task]...

I know we have used Proverbs 31:17 several times...hopefully you are not getting "bored" with it... but we are not done yet. Today we are going to focus on the "SPIRITUAL STRENGTH".... and one day, we will dive in to the tail end of Proverbs 31:17... that's a whole different subject in itself...but one that I really like.

So... spiritual strength.... what is it, what does it mean to have it and what is the fruit to having it? What is the benefit to having spiritual strength. It can all be boiled down to ONE word: LIFE. LIFE LIFE LIFE! It is LIFE to have spiritual strength. Without it things look pretty dim.

The STRONG SPIRIT of a man sustains him, in bodily pain or trouble.... Let me tell a story that portrays encompassing a strong spirit. My Pastor, an amazing man of God, was having some medical challenges (this has been quite a long time ago). Just to paint a picture, he reminds me of "Mufasa" off the Lion King! :) hehe! For real! Have you ever seen someone take their fist, hit their chest and just say, "Mufasa! I am Mufasa!" Well, my husband does that sometimes.... heck, I do that sometimes. It shows "strength". "I am strong" or "Don't mess with me because I'm 'bad-to-the-bone'" (you get my point - even though I would say 'good to the bone'). Well, my Pastor, he is that kind of guy. He's big, he has broad shoulders. Not big as in 'fat'... he's big as in he walks tall. He stands up straight. He is confident. He has an "aire" about him that makes you know that "the Greater One lives inside of him" and you wouldn't want to mess with him.... like an army of angels would just come up by his side and do some "booty kickin". He's that kind of guy. Not to mention, he is a "brother" too, so that makes him seem even more "bad-to-the-bone". So, Mufasa, my Pastor drives to the hospital. He probably looks a bit pale. He gets there and after checking in, the nurses ran some tests on him. After getting the results of the tests, they just responded, "How did you get here?" He said, "I drove myself." They said, "That is impossible. You can not drive. You should not even be conscience to speak or talk or move." In amazement they said, "You're tests show that your body does not have enough blood in it right now to even be functioning well, let alone talking, walking, driving, sitting, by yourself! For real, how did you get here?!" He responded again, "I drove myself." And I can see it now, the rumbling, loud, solid, strong voice from God come from the depths within Pastor roar, "THE STRONG SPIRIT OF A MAN SUSTAINS HIM!" Medically, when tests, doctors, nurses flood to the room to see this IMPOSSIBLE feat... this IMPOSSIBLE occurance.... a man drained of blood to levels that should not be functionable, and he is FUNCTIONING! Because the SPIRIT OF THIS MAN is STRONG! He is filled up with the WORD! When medicine says, "You are sick." His God says, "I AM STRONG!" When medicine says, "You can't walk." His God says, "The SPIRIT of a man sustains him! I CAN WALK!" The strength of the HOLY SPIRIT within my Pastor SUSTAINED HIM! When the medically impossible said NO, the strength of the HOLY SPIRIT said YES!

LIFE! - IF you were in a similar medical situation. Is your spirit strong? Are you girded up with spiritual strength? Our Proverbs 31 woman, like my Paster, also would have walked in like MUFASA. She would have been able to hit her chest, in strength & say "MUFASA!" Our Proverbs 31 friend is indeed girded up in strength! She has the spirit of the Lord sustaining her!

How? How do you get to that point? How do you get girded up in the Spirit? How do you get that strength? Re-read yesterday's post. It takes time in the Word. It takes devoting yourself to spiritual growth. It takes reading the Word. It takes spending time MEDITATING in the WORD (meditating - aka: listening! what does God have to say about this Word for YOUR life? He has a WORD for you specifically when you take the time to listen.) BUT not out of "condemnation". Not out of putting a guilt trip on yourself and saying, "Man, I'm not this person. I'm not spiritually strong. I would not have been "Mufasa"." Conviction is from the Holy Spirit, conviction pulls you, draws you towards doing what is right. Conviction is the Holy Spirit prompting and drawing you in to spend time with Him. Condemnation is the enemy. Condemnation is Satan telling you, "You are a loser. You don't spend time in the Word. You are too busy. You have too many things going on. All you do is run, run, run. You are too busy. You are a loser. You aren't spiritually strong, and you will never have the time to get spiritually strong." Satan uses condemnation to make you feel bad. To make you feel worthless & useless in regards to spiritual matters. Satan's goal is that you will listen to him calling you a loser. His goal is that you will come into agreement with HIM!! That you will agree that you are too busy, too much to do, too many other priorities. He wants you to agree that you will just never grow spiritually. Like a baby, you will always just be sucking down that bottle.....maybe getting a little Word on the holidays when you attend church. DEFY HIM! When the guilt & condemnation come on, say out LOUD, "GET BEHIND ME SATAN! I WILL NOT HAVE THAT! I AM A CHILD OF GOD! I AM GROWING SPIRITUALLY! I AM MAKING TIME TO SPEND WITH THE LORD! I AM! I AM! I AM! I REFUSE to accept guilt from you! I AM being led by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit DIRECTS ME what to do! The HOLY SPIRIT directs me what to get done! I am listening to the voice of the HOLY SPIRIT not the voice of YOU!!!!" Get violent with him if you have too! He IS a toothless lion. He has no teeth, he just wants to get YOU to be your worst enemy, and condemnation is his tool to do that.

So today.... begin. Begin the journey of girding yourself up with strength! Begin the journey of developing a daily plan of how you are going to spend time in the Word. What is your SGP? Your "Spiritual Grown Plan"? TODAY, RIGHT NOW, take a few minutes, get out your calendar (phone calendar if you don't use a paper one).... set time now that you are going to make growing spiritually a priority. Write it in your calendar. If you are busy, if you are running all the time, make the best use of your "unexpected wait time"....ie: sitting in the car pool line, waiting at the doctors office, sitting in 5:00 traffic. Whether you have your Bible, a devotional book, Proverbs saved on your cell phone, or a reminder list to pray..... be ready. B.U.S.Y. - BEING UNDER SATAN'S YOKE Take "BUSY" out of your vocabulary and become PRODUCTIVE as you pursue GOD! - Progressing Regularly On: Direct Understanding, Clear Thoughts, In Virtuous Engagement as you PURSUE your relationship with GOD! BE PRODUCTIVE. "Engagement" - Engagement shows being "in the pursuit" of something. BE Purposeful in your Pursuit! (Virtuous = morally excellent, upright, conforming to moral & ethical principles, Engagement = as going to battle) VIRTUOUS ENGAGEMENT = A morally excellent pursuit of battle!

I would say a battle for LIFE is a good one. Mufasa?

And... I leave you with one last thought.... when is the best time to spend in the Word? Yes... you spiritual scholars out there... the Word does talk about "morning", "first fruits", etc, etc. And... yes, morning would be the "best" answer.... BUT it's not neccessarily my answer for you. When is the BEST TIME to spend in the Word? Answer: WHEN YOU WILL DO IT! The best time, is when you will actually DO IT! If you haven't been able to wake up and do it at 5:00 before you leave for work.... just do it sometime. Fit it in. Schedule it. Remember, we don't walk in condemnation. Eventually, I bet, you will end up doing it in the morning. But remember... starting is the most important. I run at NOON every day! Sound rediculous with South Carolina heat. Yes, probably. But... why is that the best time for me? Because that is when I can do it. That is when I can fit it in. (Not to mention, thankfully the sprinklers are running at that time). So, when is the best time to do whatever you want to do? Answer: WHEN YOU WILL DO IT!

Love you all!

Comment today! :) Tell me your thoughts!


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On a light....fun note.... I have a video that I think is fun! I'm definitely being "ME".... and Tyler thought I might be pushing the envelope here.... but I think it's a fun way to hit home with today's message....Getting STRONGER!!! Over 13 million hits... I think you will enjoy it!


Get STRONG in the WORD! :) You will be impressed with this!! Clean & cute. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl6RJyZd


Get strong! :)