Mariposa Kisses (aka Dianne's Blog)

It's that time of year when everything carb-loaded floods the grocery store shelves. Social events dominate the calendar as well and there's more food with each stop. I'm no exception to the temptations of the season. I just ate a chocolate drizzled danish for breakfast. But here are five easy health tips to keep us all on track with our fitness goals. FIRST, wear your tennis shoes around the house. This is a visual reminder that you're going to do something active at some point during the day. If you're unable to wear tennies to work, then set them in the kitchen as a motivational memo to do something active before bedtime. Even a twenty minute walk or 300 jumping jacks (six sets of fifty) will suffice. SECOND, buy cute workout clothes. I mean it! If you feel adorable, you're more likely to actually make it to the gym or to take that jog around the block. Dig into your inner diva and go for it! Wear your favorite color. Add an exciting hat. Layer your tanks for pizzazz. Whatever gets you exercising Girlfriend--- just do it! THIRD, load your fridge with tons of fruits and veggies. This might seem obvious, but sometimes it's easy to skimp on buying them because they cost a little bit more when they're out of season (if you live in CA or FL, you have no excuse whatsoever). Maybe you feel like it's a pain to take all that thick crazy skin off of the pineapple or melon or to peel and chop the cucumber or the carrots. So just buy the ready-made stuff instead! The trays and pre-cut ones cost more but just stop buying so many fru-fru drinks and it'll even out. FOURTH, keep hand weights out in the open, preferably in a spot with a mirror (to check your form while lifting). This way, you'll be more likely to actually use them. Try for three, five, and ten pound free weights. Google simple weight lifting routines to get started and lift for about five to ten minutes per day. Extra muscle mass is especially important for women as they age and actually helps to burn more fat. Don't overdo it but don't sell yourself short either. You're stronger than you think! LAST, enjoy your favorite fall shows, but make the time count! Do sit-ups, push-ups, and planks during commercial breaks. Aim for 50-150 sit-ups for the first commercial break. Then do push-ups during the next break (three to five sets of ten). At your third break, do two to three one-minute planks (resting for thirty seconds in between). Make sure to breathe! If you use DVR, don't make not having any commercials an excuse; just pause your show every fifteen minutes for your three minute mini-workouts. There it is Ladies! You can do it! Stay fit this holiday season! Happy Thanksgiving!

It's just a lot of work. No matter how you slice it, life is a major pain in the you know what. There's sickness. There's financial hardship for many. Some people you'd never ever think of as splitting up--- do. The world is full of pain and heartache and as a Christian, it leaves me confused like the millions of others who have wrestled with the problem of evil. I suppose it all comes down to a trust issue. My husband has been encouraging me to simply trust God more lately. It's come off as a tad bit irritating to be totally honest. But deep down, I know he's right. My fears have been swallowing my whole heart up. What if this new bump on my skin is cancer? What if something happens to our kids? What if my husband gets in a horrific car accident? What if we stay in our current state and never feel like we're totally living our lives out fully in God's will? I mean the questions could go on ad nauseum. But that doesn't mean we can simply stay in that state of anxiety. The Bible says in Philippians 4:5+6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in all things, by prayer and supplication-- with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." So why is that so damn hard? I think it's because we are so convinced that we need to be in control of everything. If we would more readily hand over the car keys to the Lord and let him drive us to the next destination, I think we could shut our eyes and enjoy the wind upon our eyelids. The thing is that we don't want to relinquish our treasured autonomy. We like to feel like we know what we're doing. Well Lord, tonight in this post, I'm just being super honest. I have no clue what I'm doing. I need you to navigate. Please take the wheel! Thanks to you-- my kind and patient heavenly Father! Amen! :)