Tunisia 2012

What a life changer :]

About Sin

Growing in God is a daily practice...it will take as much discipline as it does for you to walk past the soda aisle or to get out of the house and run every day. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy, because it isn't. It will take hard work and diligence to really follow God and seek Him daily, but the rewards are soo worth it (Jer 29:13). Think of it as you do running...the more you get out there and push yourself to do it, the further and faster you can go, and the easier and more fulfilling it will be!!

One great way of seeking and loving God is by keeping your life free of sin (and consequently, you free!). This is something that is important to God, and even King David practiced keeping his relationship with God real by making sure there was no sin between him and the big G-man. Psalm 139:23-24 tells us,

"Investigate my life, O God, 

find out everything about me; 

Cross-examine and test me, 

get a clear picture of what I'm about; 

See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— 

then guide me on the road to eternal life." (MSG)

Sin is serious. It's like a cavity that slowly decays our bones and our spirits, and if we don't dig it out (as painful as it may be) and get rid of it, we're going to be due for a root canal.

In Biblical times, you would have your hand chopped off for shoplifting and stoned to death for disobeying your parents. Can you imagine living in that society? Thankfully Jesus died for us and took the ultimate punishment for our sins (Romans 6:23), but we shouldn't take this lightly. Sin is still a serious offense. It can entangle you, drag you down, and steal your joy. We should be like David, who wrote psalms (like the one above), and we should daily lay our lives bare before God. Let Him search your heart and reveal whatever is holding you back. If we make this a daily practice we will remain humble, alert to sin, happier, and healthier.

Much Love,,
This Girl

Spiritual Health

Living a healthy lifestyle isn't just about taking care of your inners or making you more physically attractive (WHAT?!), it's also about being emotionally and spiritually healthy.  Without these two things being taken care of, it doesn't matter how attractive and healthy you are, because you're going to be miserable.  Today we're focusing on Spiritual Health, because I don't just want to be physically active, I want to be spiritually active and feeling good!

"Why is this important?" You may ask...well, because the Bible tells us so. The end.
Just kidding, I'll tell you. Honestly the Bible does tell us so, and that's good enough reason for me because all scripture is God breathed (2 Tim 3:16), which means that it's like God's massive text message to us...He had man write this stuff down because He wanted us to get in there and read it and be exposed to truth and grow in Him.  Honestly, the Bible is like a personal trainer...it tells us how to live our lives successfully because success is the LORD's (Job 36:11).  Also, everything you ever need an answer for is in there. Don't believe me? Go check it out for yourselves!

If you want an abundant life, get right with God. He wants to bless you and love on you (John 10:10). Seeking God and disciplining yourself in that will give you more joy and health than any form of exercise or diet (though He does call us to be healthy, too 1 Cor 6:19-20, 1 Cor 10:31, 1 Cor 9:27, etc).

SO--how do you do this??
It's a daily practice...it will take as much discipline as it does for you to walk past the soda aisle or to get out of the house and run every day.  I'm not going to lie and say it's easy, because it isn't.  It will take hard work and diligence to really follow God and seek Him daily, but the rewards are soo worth it (Jer 29:13).  Think of it as you do running...the more you get out there and push yourself to do it, the further and faster you can go, and the easier and more fulfilling it will be!!

I will be doing a bit of a series on spiritual health now, but I'll post on crafting and physical health still, too.
So, expect to read more about how you can be spiritually healthy and how you can practically seek Him!!
If there's a topic you want covered or a question you want answered, message me or comment below.

Much Love,,
This Girl

This is How I feel!

I'm doing good with the dieting thing!
Except today...but I'm sort of allowing some bad food as a reward (does that make any sense?).

Anyways, here's some good ol' Jenna Marbles to put into words how dieting usually goes for me:

The Face

Awkward Alert!
So, I started my period the other day, and usually I can pretty much tell when it's coming because my body gives off signs (the typical bloating and breakouts), but it took me by surprise this time! Which is actually really cool, because I had a pimple or two, but not the usual 'break out'.
Y'know what that means?
Plan "Become a VS Hottie" is working!!
Awkward Alert Over

Just by eating better I have seen improvement over the last week! Which is remarkable. I can't imagine what it will be like when I actually consistently work out.

With that, here's some tips to help your complexion:

Charlize Theron, you clear-skinned bitch

1) Figure out what type of skin you have (oily, dry, combination).  You can do this by going to a make-up store, looking it up online, or just feeling/looking at your skin.  This is an important step because it determines the products you buy for your face.  Going to a dermatologist is another great option because they will figure it out for you and then prescribe some heavy duty stuff, which works wonders.  The cheaper route is to buy through Arbonne, Mary Kay, or Wexler.  I use Wexler, which I buy through Bath and Body Works, which is actually very affordable and works well!

My faves are the exfoliating cleanser and the  overnight acne lotion.
This starter kit is only $29.50 at Bath and Body Works!

Face wash that I use

2) CLEAN YOUR FACE! When you wake up, use a facial cleanse, not just soap and water, which can be harsh on your skin.  After washing, if you have dry skin, put on moisturizer (with SPF!).
I also like to wash my skin and redo my make-up in the middle of the day too because I live in AZ and it's hot as hell here because of sweat and clogged pores.  Before bed, wash it up more thoroughly and lather with whatever acne cream you have. :)

Bad, Pope, Bad!

3) Don't touch your money maker! By touching your face, you're adding the germs, dirt, and oils from your hands to your face...bad bad bad.

4) Don't PICK your face. This is a hard one for me, but by popping those pimples you can create scarring and you actually end up elongating that pimples staycation on your face.  Another sad truth is that the grodiness in that zit will act like a dandelion once popped and spread zits over your face.  Just. Don't. Do. It.

5) Eat right and exercise! How you take care of your body, internally and externally, will show on your face.  By exercising you decrease redness by increasing oxygenation, and you also detoxify the impurities in your skin through your sweat!  Also, omega 3 (as in..fish) is great for your skin, as is B3 vitamins (avocados), Vitamin A (mangos), and Vitamin E (almonds).

6) Drink water! "Water...is the essence of moisture..." Ohhh Zoolander. It's true, ya'll. Moisture will create youth in your skin. Water will turn over the cells in your skin.  Drink about eight glasses of water--if you're dehydrated you will show it on your face.

I hope that encourages you! :)

Much Love,,
This Girl

Confessional Friday

Why not. I'm teaming up with Morgan and Leslie and doing my very own Confessional  Friday post!

1. I confess that I am really excited for April 1st to get here already, because I get to go on my Facebook again! It's been a good month, and I haven't missed FB too bad, but I have missed keeping up with the boy in that way.

2. I confess that I am seriously considering becoming a Special Educator.

3. I confess that I almost had a breakdown in Michaels yesterday because I was PMSing and I was tired and overwhelmed.

4. I confess that I told my boyfriend that his dog died when his dog had actually...not died. (I didn't know that second part, I promise!!)

5. I confess that I am deathly alergic to rabbits.

I hope you enjoyed, I thought it was fun :)

Love Much,,
This Girl

inspiration

Dearest Morgan posted this in reply to my progress report:

Don't kick yourself about eating those sugary snacks, you did it, and there's no going back...only moving forward! You enjoyed them and that's great, but remember how you felt after eating all that? Well, remember that feeling the next time you're tempted! That's so good you chose water! You're on the right track :) Don't forget, IT'S OKAY to indulge once in a while. It's not like you should never eat a brownie again, or never taste soda as long as you live. It's just instead of drinking soda 4 times a day...drink water 3 of those ;) I'm not sure if you're a big "snacker" like I am, but my mom and sister and I all text each other though out the day saying "no snacking :)" or something along the lines of "instead of a handful or goldfish crackers, or chips, eat a handful of carrots" it's a great reminder and works really well! I went shopping yesterday and stayed on the OUTER PERIMETER of the grocery store...if you think about it...we start getting into trouble when we move to the inside isles (99% of the time) because on the inside there is fatty foods (chips, candy, frozen meals, etc.) are located. Don't bring those things home, because then you don't have an option of eating those things :) best of luck on your journey! being healthy is something we're ALL working on, so don't feel alone on this ;)

How sweet is SHE??! Love you lots, lady! Thank you for the helpful tips, those are all reeeeally good.
I am a snacker, I graze...and I just like having things in my mouth--always have. I chew a lot of gum to keep from gnawing on pencils and pens (I'm a teether, I admit it :]). Just rethinking what I'm snacking on is great. I've started bringing bags of carrot to school with me, and when I'm snacky I get wheat crackers and hummus and chow down on that. Also, my achiles heel are sweet drinks, the sweeter the better. But by limiting myself to one of them for dessert, and then drinking water, I am making a better choice and helping myself not snack as much. A lot of times that hungry feeling really means you're thirsty!

The accountability texting is a grand idea!! I will do this.
Also, sticking to the outer perimeter of the grocery aisle--brilliant! Because I have a shopping weakness I usually avoid malls (for example, I went into VS today to get free underwear and left with a bag full of products!! But...they were on sale ;)), so avoiding those aisles is a good idea. I have heard that you shouldn't eat hungry, either, because then you're more likely to buy more food and unhealthy foods.

Just some good tips that I am learning and trying to apply to my life. :)
Also:
I deserve a gold star for going to the movies yesterday and drinking water and eating veggie chips that I brought with me!

Finally, an inspiring photo:

                                    


Much love,
This Girl