My Fitness Journey: From Defeated & Discouraged to Hopeful & Healthy

November 15, 2018 by

Well, my friends. Tomorrow is my birthday. And I turn 33. #YayYikes

I don’t mind birthdays. And I don’t think there is really anything extra significant about turning 33.

Except this year, God has been on the move. A lot. 

Actually, He has been at work hardcore for the last 11 years. Actually, most of my life.

But I digress.

This year was a year of freedom. Of breakthrough. And so I want to share my story and celebrate it. (This is probably going to be a long-ish post. So get comfortable). #YouveBeenWarned

I do not write this post as “WOW, look at me! I’ve arrived!” Because I haven’t. Not hardly. I absolutely celebrate the victories large and small that I have conquered through the years, but even more so, I rejoice that God was behind every mile ran, every pound/inch lost, every reset moment, every positive food choice.

I also do not compose this blog as a weight-loss how to. This is about my spiritual journey more than anything. Yes, I know (in my head) that God loves me no matter my pant size or that pesky number on my scale. (He loves you too, BTW). I know (in my head) that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I am beautiful, etc.   This is my journey of getting my heart to really believe those truths and LIVE them out. To live as a Jesus girl capable of victory in this area of my life. To be able to go to the doctor’s office and not be completely terrified of what the scale is going to say. To turn to God instead of the fridge when things in life get stressful.

I’m still learning more and more about WHO I am and WHOSE I am. I have Jesus-gut feeling that this will probably be a lifetime process.

And so, here’s my fitness story and how God has transformed me from feeling defeated and discouraged to hopeful and healthy. [Read more…]

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Whole30: Week #3 Reflection

May 22, 2017 by

Ah, another week of eating well and chowing down on all of those awesome Whole Foods… And I have to say, I think it’s my best week yet! #ThankYouTigerBlood

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
8.5

Pretty great week! My body is now realizing, “Oh hey… THIS is what we need to function!” and I feel good physically AND emotionally (see below for victories.) Overall, I’ve been less of a jerkface to the people in my life (aka, husband and Tiny Humans) and already experiencing more joy. (Seriously, I still can’t believe that’s a non-scale victory that can come from our food!)  [Read more…]

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Whole30: Week #2 Reflection

May 15, 2017 by

Well, friends– another week of Whole 30 in the bag. It wasn’t quite as awesome as week 1, but I stayed compliant… So that’s a victory in and of itself. Let’s dig in, shall we?

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
7

On My Menu

My menu wasn’t nearly as impressive this week– I don’t know if I had pickier tastes or what. (Or maybe I peaked early with all of my super delicious foods/side dishes in week 1?)

This week for breakfast was a spinach, leek and mushroom frittata casserole. I was very underwhelmed– it didn’t taste bad, but it just really didn’t taste. I choked it down for three days then gave up.

Lunch again wasn’t as substantial as I should have planned– and leftovers weren’t as bountiful either. (I apparently need to start cooking larger quantities of food!) Lunches consisted of broiled seasoned shrimp with pine nut and leftover sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts  with balsamic glaze. (I added random leftovers to it throughout the week too.)

Pork cutlets were ok and the poached ahi tuna was decent too (I think I overcooked it- but raw fish– when not sushi grade– freaks me out!) Best meal this week was spaghetti with zoodles (spiraled zucchini.) It’s the first time I had pre-made Whole30 compliant marinara sauce– and it was delish!

Victories

Emotional and roller-coaster-y week. So my victory: NOT eating a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich or #AllTheSugar when I was feeling stressed. Also, I had spurts of that unspeakable joy I was seeking– I think it will show up in full force soon now that my ahem, post-preggo hormones are FINALLY leveling out. (Sorry if that was TMI. The woman-struggle is real.

My workouts continue to improve. Joint pain is completely gone and I was able to do a pretty legit ruck march on Wednesday (with Tiny Human in tow.) Workouts are also slowly starting to become something that relieves stress and balances things out instead of being such a chore. Hooray!

Struggles

Again, emotional and intermittently grouchy. I really wasn’t super pumped about some of my food options this week and food prep on Sunday was exhausting. (Apparently I really DO need a day of REAL rest.)

Oh. And the coffee I was drinking was apparently headache inducing! (Sad life. Just one cup!) So I ditched that and headaches are chilling out. Might try again next week and see what happens– or switch to a higher quality brand of ‘Joe when we run out.

Tweaks for Next Week

I’m changing up my menu again for next week and re-fixing/adding some of my delicious staples back into the menu rotation (Madras Chicken salad and coleslaw.) I don’t really know why I think I have to cook all completely different things each week. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Going to also keep drinking more water and try to slow down when eating. (Again, #KidProbs.)

Overall, not too bad of a week– but I am hopeful that Tiger blood will be kicking in soon– so stay tuned!

Friends, if you are doing W30, how did your week go? Leave a comment below and let me know. (Wow. That’s a lot of rhyming.)

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Whole30: Week #1 Reflection

May 8, 2017 by

Well friends, Week #1 of my Whole30-60-who-knows-how-long-I-will-go-on-like-this is complete!  I made it through The Hangover and Kill-All-The-Things stage. (But more on all that in a minute…) Let’s recap, shall we?

Weekly Ranking (1-10)
8.5

[Read more…]

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Whole30: Prep & Getting Started

April 17, 2017 by

Easter is done, my Peeps. (Pun intended.) My new tiny human is 2 months old. So now my brain is (excitedly) shifting to getting in the swing of things with healthy eating choices, which for me, means doing a fresh round of Whole30 starting May 1st. (Actually, it will be a Whole60– at least. If you need to catch up on what it is, check out this post.)

In July of 2015, I did a Whole30. In 2016, I did Whole120 from January 1st to May 1st. And it revolutionized my life. Freed me from emotional eating. I had literally never felt physically/emotionally better in my entire life.  [Read more…]

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The Food Fight

August 17, 2015 by

Have you ever been in a food fight? You know, one of those summer-camp-type-mashed-potato-sloppy-joe-flying-nobody-gets-punished food fights?

If you have, I would love details. (How was clean up? Who got in trouble? What is the correlation between jello consistency and air time?)

I have never been in one of those kinds of food fights. (Perhaps I need to put that on my Bucket List…)

However, I have been engaged in my own kind of food fight for the last two decades.

I talked a lot about my ups, downs and continual breakthroughs over  at Wives of Faith in Fat Free-dom.  I am so grateful for how God is opening my eyes (and heart) to the spiritual holds that food has held over my life.

And friends, the revelations keep on a-coming.  [Read more…]

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Spiritual Duct Tape

July 13, 2015 by

I am relatively certain we have about twelve rolls of duct tape lying around the house.

Our rolls go by several different names and appearances, like the classic silver duct tape, colored duct tape, Gorilla tape, and my personal favorite, the military version “100 mile-per-hour tape.”

But all serve essentially the same purpose– put things back together or hold something into place.

I love duct tape. I love it so much in fact, that I wore a duct tape outfit to senior prom. 

Over the years, I have used duct tape for a variety of quick-fixes, and my husband will attest the same. But with that strategy, I have also learned that duct tape is only a temporary fix. [Read more…]

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Welcome Little Patriot: IT’S A GIRL!

March 7, 2013 by

Ladies and Gentlemen… It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… (Well, at least a moment that my Beloved and I and our immediate friends/family have been waiting for…)

We are pleased to announce the birth of our first darling baby… [Read more…]

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Operation “Fortitude” Fitness (Month #6)

July 2, 2012 by

I don’t know about you all… but I’m a little sweaty.

Ok, not sweaty at this very moment as I type, but I was sweaty earlier. (I showered. You are welcome.) This operation fortitude fitness business is sweaty work. Plus, it’s now July in Georgia.

Yikes. Can someone hand me a towel?

Anywho, June was a good month for my “Smart Changes” for 2012. (Click here to read the original post to get caught up to speed.) [Read more…]

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Unblock Your Heart

May 7, 2012 by

I will never forget that phone call. It was March, my senior year of high school. I was “supposed” to be in English class, but of course was spending my time ever-so-wisely in the library. The secretary tracked down my location and transferred the call to the library. It was announced: “Sharita… You have a phone call.”

The chorus of “Oooooooo, I wonder if she’s in trouble?” echoed in the room from my schoolmates as I rolled my eyes and made my way over to the phone.

“Hello?”

“Sharita.” My mom’s voice sounded… weird. “Um, your Daddy is sick.” [Read more…]

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