Supermom

I have been a Christ follower for 20 years this fall. I was only 5 but God gripped my little heart as a young girl.

God is working on yet another area of my life, one that runs deep. I am so thankful for our church and the leaders in it because God has used them to show me many things. My view on a lot of things has changed slightly since coming to this church over 5 years ago. I am learning to love God and others more deeply and fully. I am learning to breakdown prideful walls and not look down on others because that is not what Christ is about. I am a work in progress.

When I was younger a certain label was placed on me by most, "goodie-two-shoes." I was always seen as the one who never broke the rules, didn't disobey my parents much, didn't cuss, didn't drink, didn't have sex, didn't do most things kids experiment with. There were no glaring sins people saw. Isn't it interesting how we think that just because we don't practice some of the "big sins" we think that's all there is to Christianity? That following rules is what a majority of Christianity is about.

In church today one of our pastors talked about a very tough passage. I think it has to be tough for people on both spectrums. We were looking at 1 Corinthians 6 today. We have been going through this book for a few weeks now. Here is the text.

^"9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous^[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^[c] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Andsuch were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined^[d] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin^[e] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

We can see plainly the sins that grip us. But this wasn't the typical message we hear often in churches. Our pastor didn't stand up there and say we need to put rules on staying away from these sins. He didn't say, "You have to put this curfew on your kids, don't allow them to dance, don't allow them to wear these certain clothes, set these boundaries on their every move, etc." 

Actually what he said was, "If we spend our lives learning how not to sin then we will not fully know how to love. If we spend our days learning how to love then we will draw away from sin."

Paul clearly says in this text what sins are and what we should stay away from. But he doesn't give us rules to follow. He doesn't point us in the opposite direction so we still orient our lives around our sins. When we put all kinds of rules around our sins and trying to stay away from them we are missing the point, STILL.

He doesn't say that a good Christian witness is orienting our lives around not sinning. He doesn't say it is full of "oughts, you shouldn'ts, and don'ts." He doesn't give us rules, he give us Gospel.

Instead he points us to God's grace. He says in verse 11 that we "...were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ..."

Fast forward to my current life. I am a wife, mom, trainer. I love exercising, learning, making food homemade, etc. In the last couple weeks I have heard a new phrase that some describe me with...Supermom.

Yikes. On one hand I'm flattered. People see my posts and apparently I'm looked up to. But on the other hand I really don't want people to think I'm supermom.....cause guess what? I'm NOT!! I am not the perfect mom, I am not the perfect wife, I am not the perfect fitness role model. I don't want to portray myself as something I'm not.

When I was "goodie-two-shoes" I had different struggles. I was still in bondage like some are to those sins Paul mentions about sexuality, etc. My bondage was following rules. I still sought after the Lord but for a while, especially junior high and early high school, my bondage gripped me deep. I had so many fears. I also had a pride that turned people away from Christ. My attitude was, "Yuck!" to some sins people struggled with. How loving, right? My first response was, "Stop! No! Just stay away from it and read your Bible."

My bondage created a fear of my own body. I hated the things that are still good about myself. I didn't want to show any skin. I wanted to blend in because I was ashamed of my body. I was ashamed of having a chest, or nice legs. I believed that sex was bad bad bad....I went to church "meetings" before youth group events of a "formula" with clothes on how to make sure guys don't notice our chests, butts, etc.

I was orienting my life around staying away from these sins but taking my eyes off Christ. I was finding my identity in other things. I was so gripped by fear for a few years that I missed out on a lot of things. I turned quite a few people away from Christ, I am sure. I was consumed with following rules. Now don't read into what I'm not writing. We have a duty to dress with dignity. But let's face it, guys get turned on by looking a woman dressed head to toe and can still think we're sexy! There is a responsibility on both sides to not be consumed with either doing the sin or staying away from it. We are not supposed to get saved and then say, "my soul is saved and I can do whatever the heck I want." Or say, "I'm saved by Christ now follow all these strict rules, look down on others who don't, and don't show any flaws."

It's amazing how God works all things together for good because He brought a wonderful, fantastic man into my life who is now my husband. Kyle was kind of opposite of me. He went against those rules. He helped show me how freedom in Christ looks. It has taken many years for me to not be worried about what others think of me and it's because of this man and God working on my heart. We have had so many talks about this I can't even count with him saying, "Steph, who cares? What does this matter to eternity? God isn't concerned about this image or these rules." Wow. I prayed for this man and God delivered. He was my perfect match. He was who I needed to help mold me more into Christ's image.

Bottom line is I hope and pray you don't think I'm a supermom. I hope people don't resent me when they see my posts and I hope people don't idolize me as well. I am a work in progress. I still struggle with things such as pride, envy, selfishness, gossip, being judgmental, etc.

I am continually learning to fix my eyes on Christ so everything else is centered around Him. I am learning to experience freedom in not living by certain rules and also not swaying into sin. But the more I learn to love Christ fully then the more I experience the life He has for me. I just want to share that. I don't have everything figured out. Heck, I don't have much figured out.

But I do know that I am a daughter of the King. I do know that my mission is to glorify Him and for others to see the love of Christ through me. That is my true identity and I hope you find yours in Him as well.

Postpartum Week 20

Time is flying! But workouts are going great and I am feeling good. ChaLean Extreme has helped me get so much stronger, again. I finished it and this week I've started with Turbo Fire which is cardio instead of weights. I was going through my stuff and forgot that Turbo Fire has a "hybrid schedule" that combines Fire with Extreme. So that'll be the next program after summertime probably since Turbo Fire is 20 weeks and I want to workout in the sun this summer. Can't wait!  

I stayed at my 128 weight goal which is fine because my body is focusing on losing body fat and reshaping/tightening/toning all areas. So even though I am still the same body weight I have progressed immensely. This is why it is so IMPORTANT to measure yourself and check your body fat (I have a handheld one and caliper works at home too...other methods will cost you more money such as ultrasound and underwater measuring).

My eating has been going well. I have refrained from desserts. I did make a peanut butter pie for my hubby and had some one night and a bite another night but that's ok. I'm just trying to be in the habit of not being addicted to sweets cause when it gets it grip on me, look out! I have been eating more nuts and less grains which makes me feel better mood/health wise. Eating out sounds so much less appealing these days with all the yummy food I've been perfecting at home for my family. It's the little changes that make a difference over time. It feels so good to see the journey and live each day to glorify God.

I have been taking it one day at a time to look at how my eating and exercising habits have a pure motive of honoring my Savior. I so long to not be chained to eating unhealthy foods and yet not be chained to having a "perfect body." I just want my habits and attitude to reflect how God wants me to live. I want every meal to honor Him.

That's why learning about whether foods are good or bad for me helps me SO MUCH with this. If I know that the food I'm about to put into my body was created provide healthy vitamins/minerals, good fats, protein, and will improve my quality of life then I feel that it glorifies God, after all, He made it for me. But if I selfishly want to keep holding on to a food that has no purpose except to harm my body and create addictions that aren't supposed to be there then I don't feel I am honoring Him in that moment and I always regret it afterwards. Now I'm not saying that you can never have a cupcake but I think we all know what I mean. A few bites of a cupcake at a birthday party is different than eating cupcakes every single day and it expanding to other things.

 Bottom line, I want to keep experiencing freedom with my eating habits and letting go of what grips me and causes many problems in my life (more than just the physical) to give to God is the way to do it.

Current Weight: 128

Arm: 10 (no loss)

Chest: 34 1/4 (3/4 inch loss)

Waist: 31 (3/4 inch loss)

Hips: 34 3/4 (no loss)

Leg: 19 3/4 (no loss)

Calf: 11 1/2 (1/4 inch loss)

Body Fat: 21.7% (2.3% loss since last UPDATE on BF 8 weeks ago)

I am most excited about my body fat lowering. That means I have 27 pounds of body fat on me right now and before I had 32 pounds of fat. So the 5 pounds I have shed over the last 8 weeks has been ALL fat. That is weight loss I want because it is going to stay off and make me healthier. Figuring out your body fat is such a good indicator of what type of weight you're losing and how you're helping your metabolism and body be fit. This is awesome stuff. See how muscle burns fat?? I don't exercise for hours a day. It's usually 30 minutes. Make the most of your workouts.

So how are you making choices towards a healthier lifestyle? I'm still on my journey and I always will be. I'm not perfect and I haven't even reached my "goal weight" yet and I'm totally fine with that. Are you? I would love to hear of your progress with your goals and help you in anyway possible so please tell me! 

Guilt-free PBB Dessert

So I'm trying to stay away from sweets because once it get's a hold of me I just get addicted. An awesome idea popped in my head tonight and quite frankly, it was just as good as I imagined!! I also want to add that I have never been a chocolate lover. I actually really didn't like the taste of dark chocolate. But eating it in little "chips" or morsels has had me growing fond of it lately; mainly because it provides an extra taste with nuts, it's not overwhelming, and it's so stinkin' healthy for you! Please let me share...

Isn't it cute? 

This is great for a dessert in the evening because it is lower in carbs (which is great before bed so it doesn't turn to sugar and then fat because carbs provide energy and if you eat carbs and don't use it that's what happens), has natural sugars, and is healthy. We already know how healthy dark chocolate is by my last POST. Be sure to buy some without any filler stuff. I got Toll House at Target today because it was on sale and the ingredient list was as follows: dark chocolate. Bam. Easy.

Peanut butter is healthy as well because it contains healthy fats, protein, fiber, and potassium. I used to think it was unhealthy but continued research is showing quite the contrary...thank God cause I like the stuff. Peanut butter has been proven in over 5 recent studies to lower cholesterol, lower your risk of coronary heart disease, triglycerides, and cardiovascular disease (quoted from a professor Richard Mattes at Purdue University). Now, make sure you're purchasing a natural or organic kind with no crazy additives like hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, and sugars. It should really be a 2 or 3 ingredient list such as: peanuts and salt. Aldi sells natural PB and I got it for $1.99 last week. That's cheaper than the normal junk at Walmart. 

We all know bananas are a fruit. They kind of have a bad "rap" with some people saying they'll cause belly fat. That's nonsense to be honest. Bananas contain no fat or cholesterol but are high in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, manganese (good for bone growth and health), iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E, A, folate, choline, and carotene. Bananas are also a very healthy carbohydrate which is great before or during a workout. One banana also contains 3 grams of fiber which is great for losing weight. I think this huge list blows the myth away that bananas are a problem when trying to lose weight and/or belly fat. I mean, really, can we think about what other foods are out there proven to cause obesity and health problems??

 Chocolate PBB Recipe (Peanut Butter Banana)

1 medium banana (I used organic)

2 tbsp natural or organic peanut butter

1 tbsp dark chocolate chips (I used Toll House larger morsels, about 9)

Directions

1. Slice banana into larger pieces.

2. Spread on peanut butter.

3. Top with one dark chocolate chunk.

4. Enjoy every bite.

Cost: about 25-30 cents at most and that's with an organic banana...pretty cheap dessert. 

Calories total: 369

44 g carbs

22 g fat

9 g protein

**I actually ate about half to 2/3 of the amount I listed above. It was definitely satisfying enough. You could easily use a large banana and split it with someone in your family or just make half and eat the other later.**

Sweet and Salty Snack Bags

I am moving more into meal planning and prepping. I got out of the habit with pregnancy and taking care of kids. But I really do enjoy having everything planned out and available. I think one of the greatest tools we have to be healthy is by being prepared so when we are in a pinch or hunger strikes, grabbing a healthy snack is possible.

Having the right balance of your calories makes a huge difference. It balances blood sugar, satisfies hunger, provides healthy fats, and gives you vitamins and minerals. So here's a couple snacks that provide that and you can make them ahead of time for a week or a couple weeks. Pull them out when you are hungry or pack them in your bag before you leave home. I've already done all the work for you so you can easily follow my directions.

Eating several times a day helps with speeding your metabolism and balancing blood sugar levels. It's what fit people do so I know you want to be fit too! Do what fit people do and you'll become fit. These snacks provide a healthy amount of calories between 200-300 for a snack. They have healthy fats which we want so don't be worried if you are afraid of eating a little more fat. The "low fat" era actually did more harm than good and we are worse off now than before because it ushered in so many harmful processed foods. If we are eating whole foods that contain some "higher fat" don't worry because it is actually not going to make you fat (I once thought it would too).

I chose dark chocolate because it's good for the heart, brain, helps control blood sugar, full of antioxidants, it's high in vitamins and minerals such as potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron. It also contains theobromine which hardens tooth enamel which lowers your risk of getting cavities.

Almonds give relief from constipation, respiratory disorders, heart disorders, anemia, and diabetes. It also helps with hair, skin, and dental care. It is the most nutritious nut out of all the nuts. It is rich in vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper.

Dried prunes, which are dried plums, are am excellent source of fiber and are one of your best friends for weight loss. They contain potassium, vitamin A, antioxidants, and help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Walnuts provide a huge source of daily omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, manganese, copper, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. Therefore it helps with growth, digestion, helps with dry skin, sperm generation, and is loaded with anti-oxidants. Walnuts also contains important B-complex which is a group of vitamins to help with the skin, hair and nail growth.

Cranberries, which are craisins, are also healthy for you. They helps with urinary tract infections, help with gum disease, stomach ulcers, heart disease, certain cancers, and have antioxidants.

You just can't really go wrong with these snacks when you have lists upon lists of health benefits!

Prune Mix

Almonds - count out 6

Dark chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon

Dried prune - 1 cut into 4 small pieces

Walnuts - 1/6 cup

Calories total - 240

18.5 g carbs

4.5 g protein

15.5 g fat

11 g sugars (3 from prune which is natural)

This next mix is perfect for my father who is a diabetic and has to have snacks available for his blood sugar if it goes low on him. The craisins provide more sugar to bring his sugar levels up but not too high. The protein helps his blood sugar stabilize once it's brought back up.

Craisin Mix

Almonds - count out 6

Dark chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon

Walnuts - 1/6 cup

Craisins - 1/8 cup

Calories total - 280

28.5 g carbs

4.5 g protein

15.5 g fat

24 g sugar (unless you get no sugar added craisins, which I recommend so sugar is lower)

My mom cannot have walnuts due to allergy so this contains only almonds.

Almond Only Mix

Almonds - count out 18

Dark chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon

Craisins - 1/8 cup

Calories total - 270

29.5 g carbs

5.5 g protein

13.5 g fat

23 g sugar

Feel free to swap any of these things like the prunes for raisins or other dried fruit. Be careful to get no sugar added with dried fruits and the nuts to be plain, unsalted, no sugar added.

I made up 22 bags of snacks with many more it can make. I would need to buy more walnuts and dark chocolate though. Definitely goes a long way!

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

I've wanted to make strawberry lemonade for a while now. It is the one flavored drink I actually like that has sugar in it. Other than that I stick with my smoothies and water. I cannot stand to buy the processed stuff and I just knew you could make it from scratch (like everything else!). 

Well, it's pretty easy! And my husband loves the stuff. So I had the right amount of ingredients in the fridge and freezer to make it with only 2 cans of Mountain Dew left for him and his brother (can you believe I have a husband that is addicted to that junk?) so he asked for some beverage.....and bam! They both loved it and so do I :)

Strawberry Lemonade
2 lemons
1 container of strawberries or less...I used 1/2-3/4 a container and it turned out great
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup sugar
enough water to fill a 2 Quart pitcher

1. Cut the lemons in quarters with skin on and everything.
2. cut tops off strawberries.
3. Put both in a blender (I used my Nutribullet) or food processor. I only put enough strawberries to my fill line which was just a handful. Then I blended a full cup of frozen ones.
4. Put water in so it's thin enough to blend easily.
5. Blend and then put through a kitchen strainer over a bowl.
6. Put in a pitcher after strained.
7. Fill with water, 3/4 cup sugar or to taste, and 1 tbsp honey. Feel free to dice a couple strawberries small to put in the lemonade as well.
8. Put ice in a cup and pour!

This really did taste like a lemonade you'd buy for over $2 at a restaurant. I am so excited. It's the little things you know. Plus the best part. NO. High. Fructose. Corn. Syrup. And NO Packets Filled With Chemical Junk that cause all kinds of health problems. Alleluia! Praise the Lord (I may be too excited here)!

Stay tuned for these awesome homemade recipes as well!!!

Homemade doughnuts. Need I say more?

Plus these awesome breadsticks my Sis - Lindsay Jacobs made and shared the recipe with me :)

How to Plan Your Workouts

So we all know the phrase of "changing up your workouts" right? How do we do that? What does someone's life look like if they want to continually improve physically without plateauing?

Well, the word really is called periodization. It means change. We have to have enough of it in order to improve our body's potential, basically. There are cycles called macrocycle, microcycle, and mesocycle. I'm not going to go into detail too much on these unless asked but they all contain different intensity and time period cycles similar to an athletes season. Pre-season, season, off season or post-season.

It is important to not only change the type of workout but change the intensity of your workouts to allow your body rest and recovery. For example, if I do a very difficult workout on Wednesday then I don't want to necessarily kill myself the next 2 days in a row as well. I want to space a less intense workout one of those days to allow my body recovery time and switching the type of workout will provide different benefits for my body.

Here's my current plan of exercise which might help you figure out what you'd like to plan for yourself. Remember that you won't achieve anything if you don't make goals for yourself. So hitting your workouts without a plan won't be as effective as planning what you're going to do and why you're doing it.

Last 3 months (one cycle) WEIGHTS
1st month
-building overall strength using heavier weights and reps 10-12 with a couple sets of each exercise. 3 breakdown sets at the end of each workout (3 very slow reps to breakdown my muscle fibers and build more muscle)
- Weights 3 days a week, cardio 1-2 days a week, abs 1 day a week

2nd Month
- Increasing weight load to improve absolute strength with 6-8 reps max and a couple sets each exercise
- Exercises are concentrated on one muscle at a time
- Weights 3 days a week, cardio 1-2, abs 1 day a week, stretching extra 1-2 days a week
- Breakdown set starting halfway through workout at the end of each exercise to build more muscle

3rd Month
- Fine tuning muscle tone and transforming the body with more breakdown sets after every single exercise.
- Each workout focusing on 2 or 3 specific muscles (biceps and triceps for one workout)
- Reps back to 10-12 in a set but heavier weight than 1st month
- More upper and lower body exercises at the same time to work on the core and improve overall fitness level
- cardio 1-2 days a week, abs 1 day, extended stretching 1-2 days a week

-------------------------------------- 1 Week Break to Recover--------------------------------------------
Doing a light weight workout, cardio workout, abs and extended stretching several days

-------------------------------------- New Cycle--------------------------------------------------------------

Cardio 3 Months
- this will consist of 3-4 days high intensity cardio and kickboxing
- 1 day a week ab training
- 1 day a week weight training
- Each month will change focus from HIIT workouts (shorter and higher intensity; 15-25 minute) to more steady workouts (little longer with moderate intensity; 30-60 minute)

--------------------Then it will be break time for a week again--------------------------

------------------------------------------------New Cycle--------------------------------------------------------------

Mix of cardio and weights at a lower-moderate intensity

Hopefully this helps you with figuring out what kind of plan you make up for yourself. The programs I'm using are in this order as follows...ChaLEAN Extreme, Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam workouts. Then I will probably move to Rev Abs and Insanity. Then I will start over with ChaLEAN Extreme....these workouts get me through over a year of different programs. Plus I may take up running during the summer which would change my workout plans and I would develop a more cardio workout plan during that time to include running, biking, jumprope, and a lot of plyometric exercises (using your own body weight) because I can do all those out doors and I can't wait for summer!!!!

Life Boosting Smoothie

Today I have ate pretty healthy. The last few days have been kind of a sham. Not-so-healthy eating been going on...eh, it happens. First, Kyle's birthday was last week, then Redamak's opened for the season so we had to go with my parents and Rival's is switching to Wings Etc so we had to go before they leave forever.

So here we have the redeeming wonderful smoothie to bring me back. This is PACKED with wonderful nutrients such as kale, banana, flaxseed, plain yogurt, and strawberries.

Look at kale. There are so many benefits I decided to copy it. Web MD says this,

One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.

Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.

Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw.

Plain yogurt- plain yogurt is very beneficial as opposed to yogurt with sugar added. It's excellent for the digestive  and immune system, good source of calcium and contains probiotics which help a whole host of things.

Life Boosting Smoothie

handful of kale

1/2 banana

1/2 cup strawberries

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp ground milled flaxseeds

almond milk or water for thin/thickness you desire

Put everything in and blend! The taste was excellent. I used almond milk in mine today.

 I felt so crappy over the weekend with my eating habits but today I had this smoothie for a snack, eggs, bacon, and fruit for breakfast. Then I had a huge salad at lunch loaded with veggies and hardboiled egg. I had an afternoon snack of an apple and string cheese. Finally at dinner I had grilled chicken, homemade mac and cheese with some more fruit. 

What you eat really makes a difference with how you feel. Today I have had so much energy I can hardly contain myself! I even did a very difficult weight workout. So if you're lacking energy, look at what you're eating and get your exercise in!