Monday, December 17, 2012

Attitude - Where is yours getting you?



Ah, if it were only that easy, huh!? 


“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” ~Thomas Jefferson



So, here we go again - we all KNOW it's a mind game, yet we continue to do the same thing over and over again - the clear definition of INSANITY.    We know what we are supposed to do, we have the tools at our fingertips - yet we keep playing this game with ourselves.....we are unable to take charge of our minds so we week after week, day after day - we play this ridiculous game.  It's total WARFARE within our minds.  I've been knee deep in the fight myself so I know first hand what the real deal is.

I've been doing quite well with my working out and eating habits!  My mindset has been GREAT!  I've been working at it regularly and made my mind up....this issue with food is NOT going to beat me.  I WILL reach my goal. Are you feeling the POWER in my words!?  The issue is, how do we all get that POWER!  Better yet, I want to be able to wave a magic wand and give it to you - but I can't.  You gotta want it bad enough and you gotta find your internal fight to save what you are allowing to be destroyed.

This weekend was awesome!  I went down to Myrtle Beach Friday night - rode the huge SkyWheel (Ferris Wheel) overlooking the world (well, not the world, but you know what I mean!) - got up Saturday morning and went roller skating!  Skated 2 hours - felt muscles in my calves I haven't felt for ages - and truly thought my left hip was going to pop out of my side....but battled it! My mind was set that I was going to get some good exercise in while I was there. - Then, we were going to a live Nativity Christmas program at a church there and needed to grab dinner.  In looking for a place to eat near the church, we found a really neat pizza place....did you catch that PIZZA?  (a little justification is that there wasn't much in the little town) The entire pizza parlor had christian band posters all around it, each napkin holder on the table had scriptures on the side- it was very cool! AND, my mind was SET.  I was going to eat my pizza in moderation and all would be GREAT.   HA!  Who am I trying to fool!?   I ate 3 pieces of pizza in the restaurant and 1 late that night.  Can you say FAILURE!?   4 large, thick pieces of pizza!  No moderation in sight.  I am sure we all realize there was salad on that menu!  Being from up north - I love a good pizza and THIS was a good pizza!  So, why didn't I just order salad?  Plain and simple - I didn't want rabbit food - I wanted pizza.

After all the  'warfare'  that went on in my mind up to that point, you would have thought I would have had no problem doing what I knew was the right thing to do. So, what's up with not being able to handle myself in a food situation?? 

What was my mind telling me?  "It's okay, you didn't eat much today",  "You'll jump right back on tomorrow",  "Pizza isn't that bad".. ....anything I possibly could to justify the fact that I ate that much pizza!

What could I have done differently?  Where do we go wrong?  It's all in the mind - - - - we need to learn how to renew our minds and do what is right for our bodies, do what brings Glory to God.  Heck, the scary thing is - we cannot do it for Him, we cannot do it for us - so where does it end?  What gives us the empowerment, the push to want to do it?

For me, its true, the pizza night came and went and I was still able to eat properly and keep my mind in order  the next day - after I beat myself up pretty bad- I am still 'on the wagon'.  The night wasn't a disaster like it has been in the past.  I have control.  You too have got to dig deep and find this place...this place where you can have a little more than normal one day and be able to pick up the pieces the next day.  I promise when you see that scale move after a week or two of diligent exercise and eating right - you will not want to damage it in any way.  I have lost 42 lbs. and do not want to mess that up in any way, shape, or form.  It's amazing what that will do to your mindset. I will tell you that falling off that wagon after losing the initial 102 lbs. 4 years ago and gaining that weight back pretty well put me in the ground mentally. The hardest thing in the world was to make it happen again; in having the confidence, the mindset, the empowerment to do it. 

BUT, I did it.  You can do it.  It's very hard to do it for someone/something we cannot see.  This higher power of ours - Jesus Christ.  I know, however that HE is my rock. He is my STRENGTH. I prayed and prayed for God to deliver me from food and to just take this desire to eat from me.  AND he has but not before I truly put in my 100 percent.  It's not going to be handed to us - it's going to take hard work and prayer - because our Jesus is like that.  It's about making us better - spiritually.  About growing in our relationship with Him.  Scripture says: 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.   Romans 12:2

Positive Word Minsitries says:  'Renewing the mind is the replacement of our old values with the attitudes, beliefs, and concepts of God as revealed in His Word'.. 

'Satan's primary attack will be against the mind of the believer. The mind is the only territory over which you have complete control. You determine what you think about; you determine what you do'  - Also Positive Word Ministries.

Think about that!  Make Changes.  Start with a 3 day fast - a Daniel Fast of sorts.  It will bring control to your mind when joined together with prayer.  It will show you a sense of  "I CAN DO THIS" and bring you closer to the Father while you do it.

ACTION:   What are you going to do different today, this minute, right now?  Let us know.  Find an Accountability Partner and USE THEM! 


PRAYER:  Father God, lifting each person up to you today.  Asking that you will work in their minds today - that they will truly become Empowered through you. That they regain control over their minds and begin treating their temple as Your Word instructs.  Thank you Father for being the ever powerful, the creator of each of us, creator of this universe.  Thank you for the blessings that are abundant in each of our lives.  I pray father that you will work in our hearts so that for you we can do anything and everything to bring glory to you.  I ask these things in your Holy and Most Precious Name.  Amen.























That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Endorphines - God's Gift of Well Being!


Good Morning!!! It certainly has been awhile since I have blogged and just as long since we were supposed to start our book "Younger Next Year".   Quite simply, life keeps on going even when we can't seem to keep up! Circumstances change from day to day - it's difficult to truly plan those 'optional', non-required activities.  As a note, we are going to read this book together!

Personally my life has been crazy.  You know - Many, many uncontrollable circumstances that keep us from the things we want to do most - and adding layers and layers of additional stress.   Funny thing is, all I have wanted to do for the past week is EXERCISE!~  It's true!  I want to be working every part of my body - sweating profusely - beating bags and training hard.  SERIOUSLY, it has been a huge craving for me this week!  Of course, I was able to hit the gym Friday, Saturday, Monday and then poof - I have not been able to get back in! Amazingly enough my eyes were opened (WIDE) and I was able to see the affect being in the gym has on my eating habits, my mental alertness, and my ability to function as I need to.  It's then that 
I'm not so happy, attitude is way down, and I truly, truly miss the feeling I have when I'm in the gym  I leave the gym renewed and in a position to take on the world.

Last Friday and Saturday I was the only one that showed up for the beginner Muay Thai class (yes, my exercise of choice!).  Love it!  Love the punching, the kicking - learning about Muay thai and working on technique while I have the ability to get a major physical work out in.  This being said I had 2 solid hours with our awesome trainer.  I started the week out in BIG ways!  It's amazing what that did for my "psych'ee".  As the week progressed, without the opportunity to be in the gym, the stressors that presented themselves stole every ounce of the POWER and STAMINA that was stored so neatly in the vault of my being.  I didn't like the weakness I then saw in me - I much preferred that person I was on Monday!  They say endorphines make a world of difference in our lives and I believe it!

What are they? -

Endorphins ("endogenous morphine") are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters.[1] They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise,[2] excitement, pain, they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being.

OK guys, for my Jesus girls, Endorphines are God given!  They are not mixed in a bottle - you can't buy them.  HOWEVER, we can produce them naturally if we get off our butts!

It's winter - it's cold (in most places for most of us) - exercise is not fun in the cold - some can't afford gyms or don't want to grace a gym with their presence right now....excuse after excuse after excuse.  If we already know that any kind of exercise is going to produce these awesome endorphines - why in the world would we not want to produce them!

They give us a feeling of WELL BEING! So, although exercise is one of the major component for our weight loss- look what it generates for our every day lives!   The feeling of well being - this is by design - God's design!  Not mans. 

Today as I head to my morning Muay Thai class, I want to leave you with this.  Find YOUR means for exercise; for generating endorphines.  Watch what this does to your attitude, to your feeling of well being, to your feelings of self-worth.   Leslie Sansone's DVDs are awesome, walk right in your living room along with some upbeat peeps looking for the same things you are - no need to hit the cold outside.  Find a gym class in your area.  Kickboxing is awesome - similar to what I do and you will love watching yourself grow into a better feeling much happier person.

Forget the scale for now - forget even the strict diet for now - I promise if you will increase your exercise and do something for 30 minutes daily, you will see a life change.  You won't want to fill your body with stuff that will just bring back down the awesome goodness you've been putting in it.

A couple of words of wisdom I'd like to share with you today are:

The best way to win a war is without a battle. The best way to a naturally thin life is one that doesn't require a daily dose of weight loss motivation as a cure for dieting.

Let's try another approach - a natural, God-Given dose of life - that comes in the form of Endorphines.  This one costs NOTHING.  I do suggest finding your niche - find what is fun to you and run with it!!!!  If that means running in the yard playing soccer with your kids for 30 minutes - DO IT!  Mine is Muay Thai - it has to be what you love and can't feel like WORK.  You will find tho, I promise, you want to do more and more and train harder and harder.  The feelings created by natural endorphines are addictive! 

And Remember,

Hebrews 12:11: "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Disciple is a necessity in life - for everything we do.  the rewards are tremendous!   Take accountability to change your life this week - get moving!!


Dear God,
I pray this week that we will get our endorphines flowing - that we will experience feelings of well-being like we never have before and we thank you for this natural medicine - created by your design for just this purpose.  Help us to use it to better ourselves and rebuild, repair, or main our temples.  All to bring glory to you.   Amen.

1 Cor 6:19-20   - Daily Reminder!

Love today and Always, Kelley




The best way to win a war is without a battle. The best way to a naturally thin life is one that doesn't require a daily dose of weight loss motivation as a cure for dieting.

Must Read Books!

  • A Confident Heart, Renee Swope
  • An Untroubled Heart, Micca Campbell
  • Crazy Love, Frances Chan
  • Fit for My King, Sheri Rose Shepherd
  • Made to Crave, Lysa TerKeurst
  • Radical, David Platt
  • Winning Him without Words, Lynn Donovan & Dineen Miller