For the month of November I am going to attempt to write a post a day, based on a passage in scripture, that will help to increase our spiritual fitness.

I believe that we are multi faceted beings, and that it is crucial for us to not get caught up in just one area of our lives and neglect the others. That being said, the most critical aspect that we need to have cultivated and focused on, is our relationship with our Maker. He designed us to need Him, and without spending time in His word or listening to what he has to say to us, we are subject to so many other areas of our lives crumbling.

So here goes!

“I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:12b NIV)

We need to intentionally fill our souls with the word of God. Not just “oh yea, I know what the Bible says, and that God loves me…” Instead we need to meditate on it, which simply means focused thinking. Instead of focusing our thinking on our worries and our troubles and our anxieties and all that we’ve got going on; we need to focus on Him and what He says to us.

Everything we ever need to get through any situation can be found in His word. Sure, it might not say “Sally, you should take that job at the bank instead of the one at the school” in Daniel chapter 5. 🙂 But if you spend time reading it, and then time in quiet prayer, and listening to Christian radio, you’ll be surprised how God places things on your heart and mind.

So there’s the start! To get this ball rolling, let’s all make an effort to each day be consciously incorporating more of God and less of the world in our days. The types of music you listen to is a perfect way to start.

Blessings for a Spiritually saturated November!

Set an interval timer to 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest.

Do you best to complete this 3 times back to back!

GO!!

Tis the season! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin candles, PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!!

It smells amazing, makes you feel warm and cozy and it just celebrates fall. But did you know that pumpkin puree actually has some health benefits!? Now, I’m talking about plain pumpkin…not sweetened pumpkin, not pumpkin flavored cookies or breads…just the pumpkin puree, from the vegetable 😉

Fiber this is a hard one for most Americans to consume the recommended daily amount (at least 25g per day). But pumpkin puree contains about 7g per cup! Fiber can aid in weight loss since it leads to a feeling of fullness, while not adding extra calories. It also helps promote regularity and promote digestive health.

Iron this mineral helps with immunity and can be a good supplement if you suffer from anemia (which a lot of women engaged in athletic training do). Women should aim to consume 18mg per day, and pumpkin contains 3g per cup.

Vitamin A one cup of pumpkin puree contains 1900mcg of vitamin A, and the recommended daily intake is 700-800mcg so this is a GREAT source, vitamin A helps with immunity, healthy skin, healthy teeth and bones.

Pumpkin Seeds they contain fats that can help to lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels. They also contain tryptophan which causes an increase in serotonin levels which can help to boost your mood.

Carotenoids in pumpkin help to ward of cancer and can help to prevent wrinkles caused by free radicals

Potassium one cup of pumpkin has 564 milligrams of potassium, a banana has 422g. Potassium helps with blood pressure, bloating and energy.

Vitamin C this too helps to boost immunity and fight off colds and infections. One cup of pumpkin puree contains 11mg of Vitamin C and the recommended daily intake is 60mg.

So stock up on your pumpkins now! Add them to your smoothies, soups and stews! Get creative with your use and enjoy all the yummy (and healthy!) goodness they have to offer <3

When most of us start something new, a new job or a new relationship or a new diet/workout plan, we have a motivator. It could be to make more money, to get married, or obviously to lose weight; this post will focus on the diet/workout plan because, well, this is a fitness coaching business 😉

I want to encourage all of you who are currently working with me, and those of you who are reading this just because you’re curious to think about your motivators. What makes you do the things that you do? They are most likely, no offense, worldly things. To “look better” to “be skinnier” to “fit into size ___”. Why are those things so important to us? Well, it’s just because we’re human, we’re sinful and selfish by nature and we just can’t help it. We can, however, choose to set our sights on something else while still having those little worldly drivers chirping in our ear. What if the reasons that we are engaging in a workout plan, or focusing on cleaning up our diets had to do with Christ? Have you ever thought about it like that? I am like most of you, I want to look fit, to be strong, to feel sexy…but lately I have been really trying to change my focus from ME to HIM. He made me, He made you, He created us and knows our bodies and made each one in it’s own unique way. There is not another YOU in the whole world, think about that! So what are you doing to make that one, individual, one-of-a-kind body something that glorifies it’s maker? Are you taking care of it? Are you loving it? Or are you abusing it? Disgusted with it? Treating it poorly and filling it with disease?

I am urging all of you to change your focus, don’t think about a weight loss journey, or a new outlook on nutrition as a worldly selfish thing, don’t do it so that you can look like someone else; stop comparing yourself to other people (and yes, I am guilty of this too…) remember that He broke the mold when he made YOU. So when you decide that you want to truly live for your Maker, do it in a body that is honoring to Him, that shows appreciation for the wondrous work that you are. That doesn’t mean you have to be a certain pant size, or be able to run a certain distance; it means that you care about and are appreciative of the body, the temple, that you have been given.

Feed your body good foods, move your body so that it functions optimally, rest your body so that it can heal itself, and love your body because the One who loves you more than you could ever imagine made it just for you.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body”