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.