I've always been pretty small. I'm 5'1 and small-boned, so weight was never much of an issue for me (except when I was 15, but what 15-year old girl doesn't think she's fat??). I ran cross country all of high school, and rowed my freshman year of college, so Freshman 15 was never a thing for me. While I was never "overweight" I never was super skinny either. Just pretty normal, for my frame. But as my rowing days were far behind me, womanhood caught up with me. My body began to grow up, like all women do, and my frame got a little bigger. I slowly got a little softer, but I didn't gain more than 10 pounds.
That is, until I got married. My husband is a big, tall man's man, and he loves to eat. So I guess, I just started to eat more with him. I would try to exercise every once or so, maybe twice a month. But we ate out more and more, and I was too stressed with my last semester of school to cook much. Within 5 months, I had gained 20 pounds! That might not be much to someone who is 5'9, or even 5'5, but for someone as short as me, that's 15-20% of my body weight!
For 3 months, I've tried, to no real avail, at getting back into shape. I know numbers aren't everything, but I want to be healthy! I'd only lost about 3 pounds (thanks, Christmas), but with school over, there is much less on my plate. I have fallen in love with cooking! I haven't done anything radical, mostly just slow-cooking (my crock pot is my best friend!), but I've just started cooking more meats, less pasta-y carb-y stuff. I cheat my veggies by only eating the ones I like, like bell peppers, onions (do those count?), and green beans. I've tried to drink more water, because that's what we're supposed to drink, right?
If you're anything like me, you like to spend some time on the "Health and Fitness" Pinterest section to get motivated enough to work out. I found several good (let's face it, the pictures were pretty) workout plans, and realized they all came from the same website!
What I love about these workouts is that there are tons of them, so I can never get bored by doing the same thing! If I'm in the mood to work on my legs, I chose one of those, or abs, arms, etc. I also love that there are a bunch of different exercises, so I'm not just doing a bunch of squats or sit-ups. Variety is key with me!
I also love that I can do as many sets as I want. If I'm feeling good about it, I may do 3, or if I'm not feeling it, I just do one. A little movement is better than no movement! Another thing about the exercising, is small steps. Like my cooking, if I do too much, I burn out. So just these exciting workouts, and a little more movement during the day.
Another key thing for working out that I love with these is that I can do them at any time of the day. And I can do them anywhere! They don't take up much space, and it even works in our tiny apartment! Sometimes I don't get around to it till 9pm, but at least I'm moving! If you live in an apartment or dorm room, these workouts don't make much noise (unless you're huffing and puffing like crazy!).
So there really is no excuse, which is saying something from the master excuse-maker. Our bodies don't last forever, but God has given us these beautiful, magical bodies, and He expects us to use everything He has provided us to serve His Kingdom. Most diseases and sickness today are caused by lifestyle. If we don't take care of our bodies, how can we be used to the max if were too exhausted, or sick?
One day at a time.
In Christ.
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