What's Your Why?

3 years agoI realized that my health and fitness journey wasn’t all about ME.  For years I had this idea that I needed to work out and eat healthy because I didn’t look a certain way and since I ate horrible yesterday i needed to workout today.  It was an ugly, ugly cycle. Yes, I actually really liked working out.  It was my outlet but it took over in an area of my life that I wasn’t expecting.  And that was Christ.  I wasn’t Christ centered, I was ME centered.  

So three years ago I discovered a community within the walls of health and fitness.  I saw that I mattered and others mattered and that we were all on different levels of fitness.   It finally clicked that God has given me this ability to take care of myself so I can help others and point them to Christ.  It was like a light bulb went off and I ran with it!  I began to pray about my health and fitness, for my family and for others around me to understand how important it is to take care of ourselves in a healthy way with a healthy mind set focused on Christ.

Maybe you are in the some place I was.  Trust me, there is so much freedom when we let go of the scale and crazy expectations and run with real purpose!  

 I would LOVE to hear YOUR story!  

Waking up discouraged?

Maybe you are feeling discouraged from choices this past week.  Things may not be going the way  you planned and everything seems to be falling apart around you.  Well friend, I am here to tell you to BE STILL and lean hard on God through it all.  There is no other place or person to run to when times like this come. Our husbands can't fix our issues, the gym can only give us some relief and the yummy food doesn't last forever.  But our GOD, by His grace can give us comfort like no other.

    "When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." (Ps. 94:19)

  He cares.  He's the only one who can FREE us from the discouragement we are facing.  But only if we let Him.  Again...only if we let Him.

So today, if you are waking up with discouragement written all over your face remember that God doesn't want this in your life.  He wants to walk with you through these trials, holding your hand to help you become who He has planned.  It may not be easy, but it will be worth it to hold on to the one who created you, cares for you and loves you like NO ONE ELSE.  There you will find freedom and peace.

God wants you to ACT NOW!

Ever sit back and wonder if God will answer the question a lot of us ask, "What am I suppose to do on this earth?" Maybe it's said more like this: "What am I suppose to do after Highschool? College? Kids?"
You pray and pray and pray.  Still, silence.  
Maybe, just maybe God just wants you to ACT NOW.  No more waiting, not more praying.  Put what you are asking into action.  
Take steps.  Enroll in classes.  Try a new hobby and see if that's for YOU.  Take a leap of faith and be a stay at home mom, trusting God along the way.  Whatever it is, take action now!

Sometimes even in our health and fitness we sit back and wonder why things are changing.  But what are we doing to change? What actions are we taking?  

Just like our faith, we need to put our health into action as well.  

Don't wait for the "right" exercise program or the perfect time.  START NOW! 

I would love to help and connect with you! 

XO,
Mickey 

How to fight of excuses

                        

 Just as living for Jesus requires sacrifice, so does a living healthy life (for Jesus). Excuses will happen, so let’s be prepared for them! Here are some easy things to help fight off excuses. 

#1) Workout first thing in the morning. Let’s admit it - once 9 a.m. rolls around the rest of you day is spoken for. Meetings are added, emergencies come up, kids get sick. Personally, working out first thing in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. I pray when I am warning up or as I drive home from the gym I watch the sunrise. It’s a beautiful thing. 

#2) Get up earlier in the morning. Sometimes those 10 minutes can add hours later to your day! 

#3) Workout with a friend. If you know you are meeting with a friend to crush a workout you have accountability. Or if you have an online accountability group doing the same program you know you just need to press play and do it like the rest! 

#4) Schedule workouts. You schedule conference calls and work meetings, schedule workouts! 

#5) Make lunchtime productive. Go for a walk with your kids or dog. Go for a quick run with a co-worker. 

Why I wanted to start lifting weights

Here are 10 reasons why I decided to start lifting weights.

1. Burn more fat.  When you do an intense weight-training program such as Crossfit or even ChaLEAN Extreme your metabolism stays elevated and you continue to burn fat for several hours afterward. During regular cardio exercise, you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.

2. Change your body shape. You may think your genes determine how you look. That’s not necessarily true. Weight training can slim you down, create new curves, and help avoid the “middle-age spread.”. If you keep your diet clean and create a calorie deficit, you’ll burn fat.

3. Boost your metabolism. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after the age of 40. When you diet without doing resistance training, up to 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle loss. Weight training while dieting can help you preserve and even rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn all day long.

4. Get stronger and more confident. Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying children, lifting grocery bags, and picking up heavy suitcases much easier. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular weight training can make you 50 percent stronger in 6 months. Being strong is also empowering. Not only does it improve your physical activities, it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.

5. Build strong bones. It’s been well documented that women need to do weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain bone mass, and to prevent osteoporosis. Just as muscles get stronger and bigger with use, so do bones when they’re made to bear weight. Stronger bones and increased muscle mass also lead to better flexibility and balance, which is especially important for women as they age.

6. Fight depression. You’ve probably heard that cardio and low-impact exercises such as yoga help alleviate depression, and weight lifting has the same effect. The endorphins that are released during aerobic activities are also present during resistance training. Many women find that regular strength training, in conjunction with psychological treatment, helps lessen their depression symptoms substantially.

7. Improve sports fitness. You don’t have to be an athlete to get the sports benefit of weight training. Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all physical activities, whether it’s bicycling with the family, swimming, golfing, or skiing…whatever sport you enjoy.

8. Reduce injuries and arthritis. Weight lifting improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training safely and with proper form can help decrease the likelihood of injuries in your daily life. It can also improve physical function in people with arthritis. A study conducted at the University of Wales in Bangor, United Kingdom, found that mildly disabled participants who lifted weights for 12 weeks increased the frequency and intensity at which they could work, with less pain and increased range of movement.

9. Get heart healthy. More than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the number-one killer of women over the age of 25. Most people don’t realize that pumping iron can also keep your heart pumping. Lifting weights increases your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and decreases your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure. 

10. Defend against diabetes. In addition to keeping your ticker strong, weight training can improve glucose utilization (the way your body processes sugar)  16 weeks of strength training can improve glucose metabolism in a way that is comparable to taking diabetes medication. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood, which can reduce complications from diabetes or even help prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place.

Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

It's that time of year! SOUPS!!!! 

Here is my favorite beef and veggie soup recipe.  My hubby doesn't even like veggie soups and he liked this one! 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small can low sodium diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 cup chopped cabbage(optional)
• ¼ each cup chopped carrot and green beans(FRESH is best)
• ½ cup chopped bell pepper
• ¾ cup chopped broccoli or zucchini (I do both!)
• 5 cups low sodium beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon each thyme & basil
• salt, pepper,onion powder, garlic powder to taste. I just keep tasting it until its good! 
• Beef tips or whatever beef meat you may have.  Stew meat....is that the same as beef tips?  IDK...haha 

Directions. 

I add everything BUT the meat in the crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.  About an hour before we eat I will cook the meat in a pan with some olive oil.  I add some pepper to it as well.  Then add it all into the crock pot again an hour before we eat.  

Stop Comparing

 Comparison is so easy with social media.  And as a mom its easy to start comparing ourselves to other moms.

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant I was researching working out while pregnant, which I have always done in the past with my other pregnancies but with the Crossfit style workouts I knew it was going to look different after a few months.  So I saw pictures/videos of moms at 6 months pregnant still doing pull ups, over head squats and running.  " I've got this this."  I told myself.  Well.... 6 months later here I am.  Some days are slow.  Some days I sweat, some I don't sweat much! My growing belly of my 4th child is way different then my first.  Everything is different and I NEED to stop comparing.

If you are pregnant or not, each of our bodies gains and loses weight different.  Lovely genetics  play a role as well, along with age.  We can't look at social media and workout programs to determine what our outlook will look like.  We just can't.  We need to embrace where we are at, work hard, stay focused on our "why" we work out and go from there.  We need to be kind to ourselves whatever stage we are in with our fitness journey.

So today, set realistic goals.  Stay focused on your WHY and be kind to yourself.

XO,
Mickey

Finding Joy

I find JOY in helping others.  Sometimes that looks like helping others along in their health journey and other times its guiding them in their spiritual journey.  Trust me, I don't have all the answers about what happens in this life, but I do know the One who can hold your hand as you go through life. 

I started praying each day for the opportunity to share Christ through my own health journey.  As much as I realize the importance of a healthy lifestyle, having your heart in line with the One who created YOU and ME is so much more important. This body is going to quit working someday, and I hope to take care of it the best way that I can until then.  

I want to do everything FOR GOD, not for myself.  I want God to be the one that leads my life, my family's lives and everything in between.  From the everyday mom "stuff", being a wife and working out.  You can find JOY in ALL of that when you put God in the center of your life.  

Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do ALL for the glory of God.  

Early Riser Movement

While you are sleeping away in dream land there is a movement of people waking up and getting things done BEFORE the sun comes up.  Oh yes, it actually happens. They are making most of their day and getting that " TO DO" list started. Yes my friends, we call these folk " Early Risers." These  are men and women tackling emails, hitting the gym and getting some wonderful "alone" time before their kiddos are awake and getting ready for school and so on.

Ok, some may think this kind of choice, to wake up before the sun is just crazy.  I myself have started to embrace this Early Riser Movement.  My day just doesn't feel right if I don't get up early now.  Before all the crazy wonderful starts happening.  The buzzing of messages, lunches to be made and children's bums to be wiped.  (real life)

Being apart of this movement doesn't come easy to everyone, and it can take a lot of training, but once you sit in silence with coffee in hand, your bible open, seeing the sun sneak up from the early morning sky and embracing the kid-free silence you will be glad you joined the movement.  Here are some tips if you want to embrace waking up early!

1- Go to bed early.   Everyone needs a different amount of sleep.  Going to bed at 1am and getting up at 4:45am probably isn't the best way to start your day.  Some nights you may only be able to watch one show or read a few chapters in a book, and then hop off to dreamland.

2- Give yourself something to look forward to.   That yummy, hot coffee waiting for you in the morning.  A new book to read, scripture reading, hitting the gym or doing your favorite yoga DVD in the morning. TREAT YO SELF for getting out of bed!

3- Commit to a fortnight.  Basically give yourself TWO weeks to adjust to this new routine.  Be patient and don't throw in the towel after a few days. #coffee

4- Finish with a delicious breakfast!  As a pregnant momma at the moment, this might be my favorite part! After a good workout I just want to eat something yummy! Eat like a King or Queen to start your day!  For me its usually Eggs, avocado,salsa and maybe some toast. Oh and coffee. YUM YUM!

Mickey 

Hi my name is Michelle Elkins, but my nick name is Mickey.
I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I met my husband at college in Springfield, Missouri.
We have lived in Missouri, Florida, Michigan and now Ohio!
Together we have 3 girls and a little BOY on the way.

     My health journey began in High School.  I played soccer from 4th-9th grade and a little basketball.   I REALLY wanted to be on a "team."  I worked hard, played hard but it was never enough.  I thought I was never enough.  Going to a large High School you had to be on TOP in order to make a team.  Again, I wasn't enough so I decided to focus on just working out.  Working out turned into something I did because I ate too many calories OR I needed to look a certain way.  This life style continued into college and beyond.
     Then I was introduced to Crossfit.  I showed up with a baby number 3 body.  Weak and squishy. Embarrassed too.  No confidence what so ever.  But I kept coming back because it was so different.  People were cheering me on, helping me and guiding me.  It wasn't a typical gym.  My husband also fell in love with Crossfit along the way and we have been doing Crossfit ever since.  My husband also went on and got certified with his Level One, which I hope to do in my future as well.
      This past year I finally realized how much my faith and fitness went together.  God has given me this body to take care of.  If I don't do my best to take care of it, I don't have the energy or capability  to help others!  I want to accomplish what God has in store for me, so I need to feed my body the right foods, and exercise.  Not because I like to eat.
    Ive come to realize through Crossfit that obedience brings freedom.  But it costs something.  It definitely costs extra energy, it may cost extra sleep.  But in the end obedience brings freedom.  Freedom from the bondage of an unhealthy body.   Freedom from the sin of trying to do it all our own way. 
  Maybe Crossfit isn't for you(right now, hehe) But there are other programs out there for those who like to workout at home.  And I would love to connect with you about your health and fitness journey! 

Mickey