Workin’ on my Workout!

I have a sweet little baby boy who got 4 shots at his 1 year checkup on Monday, which has prompted him to wake up at 5:30 the past two mornings for some pain reliever and a bottle. So, I needed not to set my alarm clock to get up an exercise! Yesterday, I did my 30 minute hatha yoga DVD and am a little sore today. I love yoga, but don’t get to do it nearly as much as I would like. Yoga at my pal Yvette’s is the best!

Yesterday, when I got home from work, my 3 year old greeted me at the door and said “Look mommy! This box came from CVS!” To him, any store is CVS. Anyway, the box was from Power Systems and it was full of resistance bands I had ordered for my Thrive workouts! This morning, I busted out the medium resistance band this morning and tested it in my workout. It was hard! I backed off to the light band and that made it better, especially for the lateral raises. I think I’m going to get a few extra light bands for my beginners, too.

It’s funny, because each band included an instruction sheet on how to use the bands. The photos are in black and white of this woman doing different exercises with the bands. You would think it’s a cost savings measure to use black ink, but I think it’s because she’s using the orange (lightest) bands and they don’t want you to know! How else could she do some of those moves?! 🙂

Please be sure to plan on joining me on Monday, August 31 for my next Wellness Seminar and Exercise Session. It’s free and child care will be provided at Galax PH Church from 5:30-7:00 pm. It’s gonna be fun, informative, and fit!

Motivational Wellness Seminar & Exercise Session – August 3

If you missed the motivational wellness seminar & exercise session I’ve offered a couple of times, you’re in luck because I’m doing it again! Join me on Monday, August 3 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at the Woodlawn PH Church. Childcare will be provided if you have kids!

First, I’ll be sharing Biblical advice on how God wants us to live happy, healthy lives as well as practical tips for good nutrition, health, and exercise. Then, about 6 pm we’ll do a 30 minute exercise session set to contemporary Christian music. Bring a friend and come enjoy some uplifting fellowship!

If you’re planning to come, please email me or call/text me at 276-779-3336.

Walk/Jog/Run Group – July 9 @ Noon

Who will be there this week? Interested in walking, jogging, or running with a small group? Join me & whoever else shows up at noon on Thursday, July 9 at the Galax Recreation Center. If it’s raining, meet in the lobby. If it’s nice, meet near the front entrance outside. We’ll open with a prayer & devotional, then figure out the group’s goals, then spend the next bit walking, jogging, and/or running. It’s my lunch break, so I have about an hour to be there. If you want to continue after I leave, go for it!

There is no cost for this. Just bring something to drink and think of your goal before you arrive so you know what you want to do for the day!

See ya there. Blessings!

FREE Seminar & Exercise Session – July 13

Did you miss the seminar on June 15? Well, make plans to attend this session on Monday, July 13 at 5:30 at the Carter Pines Picnic Shelter in Hillsville, VA. The shelter is located on the left as you drive into Carroll Wellness Center.

First, I’ll be sharing Biblical advice on how God wants us to live happy, healthy lives as well as practical tips for good nutrition, health, and exercise. Then, about 6 pm we’ll do a 30 minute exercise session set to contemporary Christian music. Bring a friend and come enjoy some uplifting fellowship!

At this point, I don’t have anyone lined up for childcare, but if you’re a CWC member, you can check to see if they will let you leave the kiddos in the supervised play area since you’ll be on the hill.

Hope to see you there!

Overcoming Obstacles

We all face obstacles everyday in our daily living. This morning, I had to overcome some myself! The baby woke me up about 4:45 for a bottle, so I fed him and then it was close to 5 am. I had planned to get up about 5:30 to practice the new BodyPump 94, because I plan to teach it the first time on Friday and I need to run through it some. Anyway, I had a choice to make…back to bed or stay up? I chose to stay up.

I spent some time reading in my “Motivated to Wellness” Bible study book about how Jesus is the light and the life. It was a good read.

Then, I went outside to practice my workout so I wouldn’t wake up the family (it was 5:30ish at this point). The whippoorwill was out and singing and it was such a beautiful morning. I soaked it in, breathed and stretched, while talking to God a few minutes.

I was on the 4th track of practicing BodyPump when this yellow jacket flew up. I thought he was just nosing around, so I kept doing my triceps kickbacks and the darn thing stung me on the pointer finger! It hurt like the dickens – I haven’t been stung in years. I stopped, went in and iced my finger for a few minutes and had to make a choice – keep working out or just quit? I chose to keep going.

I finished my workout and spent some time with my husband and boys this morning before coming to work. I’m a little sleepy, but I’m glad I chose to stay out of bed and exercise.

Each day, we have to make choices to keep going. Your situation may be harder than mine, but choose to keep going. You’ll be glad you did.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13 (That’s for my friend Michaela).

so stinkin’ excited

A lot has happened since my last post! I’ve started my own business/ministry and it’s really just falling into place. I believe that’s because God gave me the vision and he’s working out all of the details. 🙂 Check out my website!

My logo!

I’m teaching my first Thrive Cardio & Strength workout tomorrow…I’ve taken contemporary Christian music and choreographed a 30 minute routine. We’re going to start the session with a prayer and end with a short devotional. Then, I’m having my first seminar at my church on June 15.

Life is good on the home front too! I’m enjoying the extra time with my boys (including my husband) and my part-time job doing web development is going well. We develop our sites on WordPress now, so that helps!

What’s going on in your world?

Eat the Rainbow

“Eat the rainbow.” all the health nuts say. Well, not only is it good for you, it’s mighty tasty! Monday is a good day to get started on a healthy food kick (well, ANY day is, but Monday just seems fresh for some reason). Here’s what I did for my lunch…

Picked some kale from my garden! I planted the little plants a month or so ago and now it’s harvest time. First time I’ve ever grown kale and it’s easy. 🙂

Then, I chopped up some yellow squash and halved some cherry tomatoes. Heated some olive oil on medium heat, tossed all those things in and added grated carrots and a drained can of great northern beans. Cooked about 15 minutes with some salt and pepper and topped with some Italian blend cheese. Let me tell ya, it’s good eatin!

What’s your healthy meal that’s easy and ready in a pinch? What are you growing in YOUR garden this year?

Today’s lunch!

FREE Wellness Seminar & Exercise Session

I’m launching my ministry on Monday, June 15 at 5:00 pm at my church – Stone Mountain Baptist Church in Laurel Fork, VA. Please join me and bring a friend for an evening of information about wellness & health, light/moderate exercise, and refreshments & fellowship! The fun starts at 5 pm and we’ll be done by 7 pm. I’m working on childcare options if you need to bring your kids, so stay tuned! View the event details here.

recipes and halloween

I got on a kick this week and cooked a bit more than I have in a while. Baby Elam is finally starting to take some longer naps, plus I had Wednesday off which allowed me to cook a bit. Here are the recipes I used:

• Wheat Beer Bread – I’ve always wanted to make bread, but it seems so daunting. This recipe was easy-peasy and I whipped it up in just about 5 minutes last night. I liked the bread, but my husband wasn’t much into it. I also baked fish my dad had caught in the river and then I sauted up kale in oil olive and threw in a can of drained black eyed peas. Good supper.
• Apple Muffins – I follow the blog “100 Days of Real Food” and she posted a neat muffin recipe to try. I didn’t have walnuts and I only had 1/2 the syrup it called for, so I left out the nuts and did half syrup/half honey for the sweetener. Ezra gobbled his down and Mike (hubby) even liked them.
• Baked  Eggplant – A vegan man that is a member of the gym where I work brought me an eggplant earlier this week that I needed to use, so I made this dish for my mom and me. I added Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. I liked it but mom loved it and made it again at her house. I served it over raditorre pasta with marinara sauce.
• Monkey Bread – This one I learned in middle school home economics and it just stuck. You take a can of biscuits and cut them into quarters, then roll in melted butter. After that, dip them in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and bake at 350 for a few minutes. Ezra actually helped with this one and ate the raw dough (just a little). He’s such a picky eater that I let him just about anything that won’t make him sick! 🙂 It’s not the most healthy dish, but it’s a nice little treat from time to time. I need to find some wheat biscuit dough or make some from scratch.

Speaking of picky eaters, earlier this week I downloaded some neat docs and watched a short video by Tribe Wellness about picky eaters and how to remedy the issue. I learned some good tips and I encourage you to check it out if interested.

Another cool thing on the “100 Days of Real Food” blog was alternatives to Halloween candy. My son is having a pre-school party for Halloween and I think I will take some non-candy treats for that. The teacher sent home a list of what each kid needs to bring…the list included cupcakes, cookies, chips, cheese puffs, and pizza. I am responsible for the chips and I think I will bring some fruit salad to show folks you can still have fun with good foods…

Well, let’s get ready for the weekend. I hope yours is filled with fun, good food, and some physical activity!