Here We Go Again

Here I go again fighting the battle of the bulge.

I started again 8 days ago on this lose weight get fit road to wherever it's going to lead me.

I was a champion until I went out to Costa with a friend on day 6 & Mary Rowntree's (with another friend) on the headland Hartlepool for afternoon tea on day 7.  All my good intentions went out of the window.  Strangely enough on day 7 when I had eaten the sweet pudding,  I didn't have much but I didn't feel very well after it.

I've noticed this in the past, when I cut all sweets out of my diet and then after a while I have something sweet I feel ill the first few times.  Body doesn't like it.

What I noticed this time round when I started the healthy eating routine again was...when we eat good wholesome food all the time we don't feel hungry until the next mealtime.  But when we eat food that isn't nutritious we are hungry between meals.

So it's winter time in the UK at the moment although it's very mild which is great,  however,  a good excuse to make lovely homemade soups and stews.  A slow cooker as well is so handy, put your food in there before you go to work on a morning and then come home after work and the meal is ready.  I love that.

So dare I mention this but it's Christmas in just over 6 weeks time,  as exciting as that is it's a good time now to try and get a little bit more fitter before then.

So here I go again I will try hard again and see what happens over the next 6 weeks.  That might be the way to make this work for me if I just have 6 week goals instead of looking at the whole.

The song that has been my top of the pops today is "God Will Make A Way"

We all need God To make A Way in our lives over a certain issue.  May God Make A Way For You Today.

"God Will Make A Way"

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and Earth will fade but His Word will still remain
And He will do something new today

Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and Earth will fade but His Word will still remain
And He will do something new today

Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

Bye For Now
Viv

The Musings Of A Muzo

THE MUSINGS OF A MUZO

Is musings a word? Is muzo a "Proper" word?  I don't know,  but for the purpose of this blog those words fit exactly.

Last Night I was on Spotify and listened to loads of music,  all different styles and genres, old music, new music & classics.  I also came across 2 fab new singer songwriters who I had never heard of before, I loved their music.

Rod Stewart wrote the lines "You're in my heart, you're in my soul, you'll be my breath should I grow old...You're in my soul"  he wrote these words about a woman probably, I dedicate these words to MUSIC.

Even though I am tee-total and always will be I believe that MUSIC refreshers the parts other beers cannot reach ha ha

We all have gifts and talents and those areas of our life drive us forward.  I studied many great composers while working on my music degree, and when you delve into their life stories they were  PASSIONATE about their music.  They lived and breathed it, they put copious amounts of time into their compositions everyday,  that is why we refer to them as GREAT COMPOSERS.  All of them had struggles in life and many had struggles with their music as they composed,  but the great thing about them was they never gave up until their last breath.

So what do we do when obstacles are put in our way to try and stop us from continuing with our passion.  Do we push through or do we give up and stop.  What do we do when people want us to give up our passion do we push through or do we stop?  It should make no difference whether we work in retail, education, health services or the arts.  Why do people work in education?  because they feel they have a calling to that work, they are talented in teaching, they love their work, they are dedicated and they work hard at their profession.  Why do people work in health services?  again because they feel called to this work, they love helping people, they love making a difference in peoples lives, they are good at what they do, they are dedicated.

Whatever we feel called to do,  most of us feel fulfilled in that work, if we aren't happy in our work maybe we should look at another career.

I have come across people who have given up what they loved most for personal reasons.  What must that do to the soul of a person?  A light-hearted look at this dilemma came through an advert on TV a few years ago were the little girl is trying to decide what she loves the most, Daddy or Chips.

All of us are precious in life.   It is best to try not to control another person because you may find yourself in great danger of losing them.  We can give advice to someone else, but at the end of the day our decisions rest on our own shoulder's.

God asks us to do only two things in this life:

1)  Love God

2)  Love Others

What does loving others mean?  It means we are to show great compassion to others, Jesus had compassion on the crowds that followed him.  It's being Gracious with others even when you are tired.  It's showing mercy to others.  It's bringing out the best in others.  It's supporting others & allowing others to be themselves.  It's encouraging others and being happy for them.

What's you're passion in life?  whatever it is, work hard at it, get through the obstacles, enjoy it & reap the rewards of your hard labour.  Follow your heart & soul.

For you reading this,  whatever you are great at, keep doing it, preach the gospel, write that book, paint that picture, draw your cartoon,  bake your cake, bring care and healing to those who are poorly, teach that child.

Muzo's...Keep writing those songs, keep releasing those albums, bring hope into people's lives through the lyrics, continue working hard on your art as it soothes the soul of many.

A Musician's Work Consists Of:  Having the initial idea and following it through, Composing, Re-Writing, Practicing, Recording, Releasing, Ministering, Performing.  The whole package and art of music is in our souls,  and even if we wanted to get rid of it and leave it behind we couldn't, it's part of our DNA it's like the words through a Blackpool stick of rock, they are there and you can't get them out.

Over my lifetime I have heard so many people say I loved that music in church today, it really lifted me up, it has made me feel better and given me strength for the rest of the week.

When we go to a concert and sing our heads off we are all happy and come out of the concert smiling and chatting about how brilliant it was and we can't wait for the next time.

When we are invited into school to watch children and young people sing & perform,  it's a happy occasion.

At the very end of life I have known of and been told of people who were singing just before their eyes closed for the last time.  Just before my nanna passed,  she sang a hymn at the top of her lungs.

"What a friend we have in Jesus"  ends with the lines "When in glory bright unclouded/there will be no need for prayer/rapture, praise and endless worship/will be our sweet portion there"

Singing, composing etc will be a great part of heaven, we are just learning and partaking of that art now.  How can we stop from singing.  If you take away the song, if you take away the passion,  you take away part of the soul of man.

God Bless

Viv

Make A Difference

My life has been so hectic in the run up to this US Tour.  I can't run at 100 miles an hour in life, it's not good for me/us to live like that.  We need balance.  Some people talk about their busy hectic schedules as though it is a virtue, it isn't, it's really unwise.  I was really looking forward to coming over to the US again for a number of reasons,  but also for space.  Even though we have a very exciting schedule ahead of us over the next 3 weeks, it's going to be measured.  When we were in Detroit airport on the way over here I went into a bookshop, and after quite some time I chose one.  The book I chose was called "Quiet" A New York Best-Seller,  which looks at the special qualities of introvert people.  It sounds interesting.

I brought my keep-fit clothes with me and plan to do some exercise everyday while I am here.  I was going to start yesterday on Day 1 of this tour but I didn't manage it,  so I will start today.  The home we are in for the next 2 days have a Cross-Trainer, I had a little go on it yesterday,  today I will be having a good session on it while watching the TV and blocking out the pain :)

Every year when I come over to the US I always put a little weight on, I'm determined for that not to happen this year.

I've got this daily inspirational quote book with me titled "Blessed & Loved" todays quote is:   "Knowing what to say is not always necessary, just the presence of a caring friend can make a world of difference"

God Bless You This Day
Viv :)

"The Church That Grew After The Building Closed"

Yesterday I read something very encouraging. One of the churches my hubby is the Vicar of in the Diocese of Durham had been mentioned at General Synod. A friend Rev'd David Tolhurst posted the following:

"St Laurence Church Middleton St George Darlington was mentioned tonight in General Synod by the Church Commissioners - the church that 'outgrew its building'

St Laurence Church, Middleton St George - mentioned in Synod tonight, the church that grew after the building closed. The final question of business was about church closures - the Church Commissioners responded that perhaps there should be more - as there are new ways of being church"

It is very sad when a church has to close, the village church in Middleton St George has serious structural damage.  The insurer's whose initial decision it was not to insure the building anylonger went on to say that the structural damage to this particular church building was the second worst they had come across in twenty years.  So structurally St Laurence Church was in a very bad state.  The insurer's came out to see the building on a Thursday and by the end of that day we were told that the site had to be cleared within 48 hours.  The church family were not even allowed to have a final service in their beloved village church.  The church family were wonderful, not one person complained to Paul over this decision which had nothing to do with him.

Paul went to see our local village school Head Teacher Mrs Janine Gleeson,  and spoke to her about the situation, the church had no where to worship. Janine immediately offered the school as a new place of worship for the village church congregation.  So three days later we held our first Sunday morning service in the school hall.  The school was a new build, so the facilities were wonderful.  Big bright classrooms for the children's church, a lovely space for the creche, great kitchen facilities for tea/coffee after every service.  The school was perfect in everyway for the church congregation's needs.

Before the church was closed and before we knew fully the serious extent of the damage to the church we were planning on building and extending the church.  The facilities were very inadaquate and the space in the choir vestry for children's church was grim to say the least.  At that time I was working for the Durham Diocese as Auckland Archdeaconary Children's Ministry Advisor, there were three advisor's at that time working on a project called "Sowing The Seeds", one person in each Archdeaconery.  I was going into many churches advising on many areas of children's ministry including health & safety, then I would come back to my own church and I actually felt sorry for the children's workers and the children learning about Jesus in such an inadaqute space.  

Moving into the school was the best thing that could have happened,  it solved a lot of problems, health & safety issues and space issues.  Before the church family had moved into the school the church had been growing in numbers gradually for the previous 4 years. Since moving into the school 4 years ago the congregation has continued to increase in faith & numbers.  One particular young mam and her children came and joined the church just as it was opened in school.  She talked about how she had been trying to pluck up the courage for six weeks to come through the church doors,  as she hadn't been to church before apart from weddings, christenings & funerals.  However, when the church moved into school she came and joined us straight away saying it was so easy to come into school as it was a familiar place for her. Quite a few people have said that since then.

There are extra practical areas of work that need to be attended to before each service such as putting all the chairs out and setting up the IT & sound system and then at the end of the service putting all these things away so school can resume as normal every Monday morning.  Baby baptism/christenings  take place in the school and three years ago the first wedding took place in the school, that is a day that we will all remember as Paul & Jeni were married in school.  The hall was decorated so beautifully it didn't look like a school hall, it was a wonderful occasion.  

So the school hall is a fully functioning church.  A mid week communion service is also held in the school.  The church & school links are very strong, weekly collective worship services are held in school and at times parents & grandparents etc are invited to come along to certain collective worship services and many parents attend these main festival collective worship services with the whole school in attendance and church members.  The chair of governers is one of our church members as are some of the governing body.  Church members also volunteer to read with the children in school.  All of these different aspects create stronger links between the church & school which is very much encouraged and worked towards across the Diocese.

St Laurence Church did outgrow the church building,  no one would ever have imagined that the church would close and that new growth would take place within the walls of the village school.  The church congregation grew after the church building closed, and continues to grow.  A well loved quote my hubby Rev'd Paul Neville reminded us of  "The great treasures of the church are not the buildings or possessions, but the people" Bishop Mark replied to that comment with these words "The very words of St Lawrence the Deacon"

Vivienne Neville

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Day 63 of a 90 Day Get Fit Lose Weight Challenge. One of the main functions of the Liver & Water

Day 63

Loss to date 15lb,  last few weeks have been difficult, put half a pound on lost a pound etc but continuing.  I'm going to America on tour again in just over 6 weeks time, so that's a good incentive to keep going and hopefully drop close to another stone. What important occasion have you got coming up?  make that date a goal to try and drop a certain amount of weight if you need to.

Some things in life are really difficult to achieve, nothing is plain sailing we've just got to keep moving forward, one day at a time.

The following information about the Liver was part of a friends status on Facebook the other day.  I never knew this, hope it is helpful for you too.

"One of the main functions of the liver is to metabolize fat. If you are not properly hydrated the liver has to kick in to help the kidneys process waste and therefore is not able to process fats the way that it should"

I've heard my sister say on a few occasions when she has been losing weight that she was drinking more water, but I have never understood the biology behind why drinking water and keeping fully hydrated was beneficial in this way.  We have all read that the norm is to drink 8 glasses of water a day.  I've always thought that was too much, but now I understand why it is so important especially for those needing to lose weight.

So that's the answer!!!

The Water Diet!  Never mind the Cabbage Diet or the Fat Free Diet, it is the Water Diet that will change the world as we know it.  No more wibbly, wobbily people...Get on the water diet,  not the bread and water diet just the water diet.  So that's why the lose weight companies and the media want us to eat salad all the time,  because salad just turns to water.  They want us to think that salad is really food?  No it isn't it's just water ha ha.

This is all we are, just water :)  No wonder we can swim, we are the same as what is in the swimming pool...WATER...:)


Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total.

Get Drinking...

I will leave you with "The Sugar Plum Fairy" By Tchaikovsky.  I think this sounds really beautiful.

Bye For Now
Viv

Day 43 of a 90 day lose weight get fit challenge...Slimming World Week 1 Weigh In...Did It Work?

Day 43

Nearly half way through this challenge, time flies.

Well just to update you on the developments so far.  I started this challenge 6 weeks ago, I had a great weight loss on week one then 1lb per week for the following few weeks.  Last week I decided if I was only going to be losing 1lb per week I would be here until next Christmas, so last week I joined Slimming World, in for a penny, in for a pound as they say.  Or in this case, hand over your pennies and they promise you that you will lose pounds :)

The leader is very friendly, encouraging and passionate about helping others get to their goal weight.  So last week I was sent off with my little pack to read & follow.  I've been experimenting with salad and I have found a nice tasty alternative to a lunchtime cheese sandwich.

Warm all you salad ingredients through using fry light in the pan, make up some cous cous and flavour it with lemon & coriander or buy the flavoured packets.  Add some cooked cous cous to your salad.  Lightly boil 1 or 2 eggs.  Then add the final ingredient to your salad,  a dash of hoisin sauce. Stir through,  then put your warm salad onto your plate and cut your eggs in half and place on the top.  This is delicious and only takes 5-10mins to prepare and cook.  A quick lunch and alot more tasty than a sandwich :)

It looks a bit of a mucky mixture but it is lovely.

Warm Salad, With Cous Cous, Eggs & Hoisin Sauce

Replace the eggs with salmon, tuna or whatever, experiment.

So back to the weigh in, but before I get there...After the church service on Sunday, because it was a special service for the 4 congregations who had gathered together, they had a buffet lunch.  Oh dear, we all know what buffet lunches are made up of, quiches, home-made pies, vol-au-vents.  Lots of home-made cakes.

I walked along the buffet table and thought if I tuck in here I will undo my probably 1lb weight loss, that had been the pattern for the past four weeks.  I came away from the buffet table with a small bunch of grapes and  some strawberries.  After that lunch :(  I later had a home-made healthy chili con carne.

OK, back to the weigh in, first week at Slimming World I lost the grand total of 3 and a half pounds, that's 13 1/2lbs so far :)   Kevin the leader of this group said to think of my weight loss this week as seven half blocks of lard...YUK YUK YUK!!!!

7 of these in one week.  My question is where has it gone?  So Slimming World has worked for me on week one,  but what will be the result at the end of week 2?  Tune in next week for the next episode of... Drum roll please...

 Slimming World Hit Or Miss?

God bless
Viv

Day 39 of a 90 Day Fitness Challenge: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese / who am I to dis a Brie? / I Cheddar the world and the Feta cheese / Everybody's looking for Stilton."

Day 39

Well week 5 lost another 1lb,  that's 10lb in 5 weeks,  so this week I joined Slimming World.  I went once before but someone brought a tupperware tub to the meeting,  full of cold chips cooked the slimming world way and everyone had one except me,  I nearly lost the will to live ha ha,  and thought "I'm a singer songwriter get me out of here" I never went back until this week.

Kevin the leader gave a lot of good advice, so I am going to continue with this.  Two of the ladies had lost 7lb that week, how did they do that they were asked, they were living on salad :) Oh my goodness.  We had to think of what our downfall food was, well up until the last few weeks mine was definitely cheese.

Cheese, cheese, cheese cheese, smile and say cheese please

"Sweet dreams are made of cheese / who am I to dis a Brie? / I Cheddar the world and the Feta cheese / Everybody's looking for Stilton."

If you're trying to lose weight cheese is a syn, but on slimming world you're allowed 5 to 15 syns per day. I haven't looked at the syn value of cheese yet, I'm staying off it, but I am allowed this cheese.

Owwwww look how tasty this cheese looks, runny cheese in a TUBE!!! Is this really cheese? It comes in all different flavours and you can even buy the light version which has fewer calories.

Gimme the cheese, the real version!!!

Now that's cheese :)

I need a plan, how can cheese become acceptable when you're on a diet? I need some expert cheese appreciation characters to help me work this one out, there must be a way to solve this problem.

Wallace & Gromit The Cheese Snatcher

So to all you overweight cheese people what you need to do is join Slimming World I think!!! It's worth a try isn't it? Here is this month's front page issue available in all local newsagents today. Don't just think about it do it if you need to, and then you could be enjoying tube cheese just like me. :)

You can have a little cheese on slimming world using your syns, or you could have a low calorie jelly or half a bounty bar. Slimming World sounds too good to be true actually, the results will speak for themselves. Next weigh in for me is Monday, hope I've lost more than a 1lb.

Bye For Now
Viv

Day 28 Week 4 Fitness Challenge. He's Lost...lbs, I've lost...lbs. Onward & Upwards or in this case Onwards & Downwards.

Day 28

Onwards and Upwards or in this case Onwards & Downwards...I like that.

I can't believe this is week 4 already, time goes so fast.  So weigh in day today, I am now the proud owner of a body that this week weighs 1lb less.  There is a pattern emerging,  but at least the weight is going down week by week which is great.  So total loss in 4 weeks for me is 9lbs, I'm happy with this result.

One of my friends has had a great result in the first 4 weeks, he has lost 1 stone 3lb.  The changes he has made are, he has increased his fitness activities, walking & bike riding, and he is following some of the recipies in the "Hairy Bikers" book.

It's very satisfying when you see the results that bring you closer to your overall objective and aim.  It really is just a matter of taking one day at a time and making the correct fitness and food choices for that day.  By doing that, the results will happen and the goal will be achieved in the end.  Little steps everyday in the right direction.

Keep at it those on a weight loss challenge.

It's a beautiful day today here in the UK, we have got to take advantage of this lovely weather and get outside as much as possible.   Walk, bike, run or whatever, morning, lunchtime, late afternoon, evening.  even short sharp bursts of activity are beneficial.  Anything, for however long will be a step forward in the right direction.

Have a good week
Viv

Day 24 Fitness Blog: Fish & Chips? NO... Chinese Takeaway? NO... Or Maybe Yes Or Maybe Not!!!

Day 24

Oh...I had a battle on my hands the other night.  Working late and tired when I got home, I thought "Oh, I've had no junk food for over 3 weeks surely one takeaway tonight won't hurt...I'm tired, I don't have the energy tonight to cook a meal"  Fish & Chips?  Chinese Takeaway, Chicken Chow Mein? Easy option, easy choice.   Do you know what?...I couldn't do it.  I thought if I'm only losing 1lb a week,  having one fast food meal could undo all my good work this week.  

Good Old British Fish & Chips  (or not? )

Chicken Chow Mein would have been fine if I had of cooked it my self,  but as a takeaway we have got no control over the fat content.

I ended up making this, quick & easy and low fat etc etc.

Chicken Salad 

Chicken salad...You can see on this photo that this salad has strawberries and blueberries.  I usually always add strawberries and grapes to my salads.  If you haven't tried adding fruit to your salad,  try it, it's tasty.

Thought for today.

In the absence of my hubby this week who is on a kayaking holiday, I have been taking messages for some of his phone calls.  Yesterday a very irate person phoned complaining the grass needed cutting in one of the village graveyards. It was only done 2 weeks ago but...she was very sharp & cold on the phone despite my repeating to her I could do nothing about it,  and could she phone back next week.

We all come up against abruptness at times, I think it's awful.  I felt a little sad after the phone call but then thought "no, I'm not going to allow that ladies unkindness to spoil one more minute of my day.  None of us know what another person is going through.  

Ephesians 4 verse 32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Bye for now
Viv

Day 21 of a 90 day Challenge Fitness Blog: This Means War...What does? Read the blog & see...

Day 21

Weigh day. I looked at the mighty scales,  what were they going to show me today? Checked they were working properly, they had to be no mistakes with this reading today.  Come ON!!!!

Stood on the scales, looked at the weight reading, got off the scales then got back on again :)  Ohhhhh My Goodness it was the same weight as first displayed.  Week 1: I lost 6lb...Week 2:  I lost 1lb...Today Week 3: I've lost 1lb.  You know what this means now don't you?  THIS MEANS WAR...THE WAR AGAINST THE lbs... These big decisions are taking place in my bathroom on a weekly basis.

I know there is a verse in the bible about beating your body and bringing it into submission,  now where is that verse?  I need some inspiration, I need some verbal/written muscle behind this challenge.  Hazel last week said that when losing 1lb you had to think of it as a lb of butter, that's quite alot but I want to lose 2lb a week, all that effort for one pound!!!!  Oh well at least the weight is going down each week, however, at this rate I'll be blogging about this until 2015!!!  I need to UP my game.  But first of all I'm going to look that verse up, I need some scriptural encouragement.

1 Corinthians 9 v 27

This verse I'm sure can also be applied to physical fitness as well as a spiritual discipline.  I actually found this as part of a long article.  he are some of the helpful explainations from that article.

“But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”  Paul writes, “but I discipline my body and make it my slave.” The word translated “discipline” literally means “to strike under the eye” or “to beat black and blue.” Paul beat his body into submission doing all that he could to ensure his success.

"Ain't No Stopping Us Now"

Also from the article: 

On June 28^th, 1991 I watched one of the greatest displays of strength and endurance I’ve ever seen. The location: Las Vegas. The setting: Caesar’s Palace. The event: Donovan “Razor” Ruddock vs. “Iron” Mike Tyson in a scheduled twelve round championship bout. This was a much-anticipated fight because it was the rematch that followed their highly controversial bout. In their previous brawl, the referee stopped the fight because Tyson was pummeling Ruddock.

Well, in the rematch Ruddock was out to prove that he deserved another chance. Ruddock and Tyson were pretty evenly matched in the first three rounds, but in the fourth round Ruddock suffered a broken jaw. Most people expected him to favor his jaw and fight soft, but not Ruddock. He came out fighting round after round after round against, at that time, the world’s greatest fighter and most devastating puncher. He fought eight more rounds after the broken jaw and actually finished the fight stronger than he began! The fight went the scheduled twelve rounds and Tyson won by the judges’ decision.

Although Tyson won this fight, I believe the real winner was “Razor” Ruddock. Why? Because he endured to the final bell and finished well. He overcame many obstacles and saved his best fighting for the final rounds. I want to encourage you to be a Razor Ruddock. This will require enduring to the end and finishing well.

So enduring to the end is the name of the game that will bring the result I'm aiming for. I can fully understand why people give up when they are trying so hard and not seeing good results,  but reading about Razor Ruddock he endured to the end, that's what counts.  I've got disheartened before and not endured to the end,  but I'm not going down that path this time. I really need to endure until I get to my goal and then maintain from there.   So this week I'm going to try harder, I'm going to double my exercise routine then hopefully that will bring a 2lb loss each week.  A one to two pound loss each week is good but I need to get my loss to 2lb a week.  So here goes.

I love the determination on this little boys face.

One day at a time

Some walls in life are steep to climb but we need to be determined to scale the walls.

Ain't no stopping us now, we're on the move.

If you are struggling with this challenge think about the determination you put into other areas of life.  Think about your work life for instance, think about the successes, now put that same determination and hard work into this area of your life...I'm also preaching to myself here.  Some of our work based accomplishments when we have been in the middle of big projects (including one I am right in the middle of at the moment)  the wall has seemed too high to climb, then we need to break it down into small steps then Suddenly we've done it and it all comes together.  The steps needed for this challenge are small daily steps that will eventally bring us to the place where we have accomplished the aim.


Have a great Bank Holiday Monday
Be Blessed
Viv

Day 20 of Get Fit Lose Weight Blog: Sunshine & Reign

Day 20

Sunshine

In the UK at the moment it finally feels like summer has arrived.  A few friends in the village have started running again and I'm starting to see more people out and about on their bikes again.  I love walking at different times of the day.  Last walk yesterday when I got back home,  I took the dog out at 9.30pm it was great that it was still warm that time of night, everything was so still,  calm & quiet.  It's great to take advantage of the lighter nights to add extra times of exercise outside.  In these extended daylight hours we seem to have more energy so it's a good time of year to get on a challenge like this, everything is in our favour.

Healthy food options are continuing to win over bad choices in my little part of the world. A few of my friends who are also working on losing weight are using the "Hairy Bikers" Cookbook.

Si & Dave explain how they managed to lose 3 stone each in 3 months.

If you didn't follow their TV series that accompanied the release of their book on their quest to lose all that weight, it's definitely worth checking out.  They were honest about how they felt at each stage of their challenge.  If they had of portrayed their challenge as though it had always been easy,  it wouldn't have been believeable,  but they shared how they both really felt throughout the challenge.

Before they began their weight loss programme they both had a full examination by a medical consultant and his analysis shocked them both.  Their TV series was a great watch.  So if you need extra inspiration to follow this challenge through,  check them out.

It's weigh day tomorrow for me, I haven't been on the scales this week,  so I have no idea how I am doing. I relax my strict eating regime on a Sunday if I want to.  I think it is good one day a week to indulge in a pudding or something sweet if needed.  But the rest of the week it's a no.  In these 3 weeks of this challenge I gave in once and had a chocolate biscuit but that was it.  So hopefully I will have lost a few more lbs this week.

Reign

Folks in the Northeast of England did you know that there is a gospel church in Middlesbrough?  I didn't know until recently, I went to a service there last night,  we worshipped through singing for a full hour, it felt like 5 mins.  It was awesome.  The church is on The Avenue, Linthorpe, M/boro.  The church are soon to be moving to new premises near BBC Radio Tees Broadcasting building near the bus station.  The music was amazing...Gospel Rhythms to authentic African Rhythms,  the house was on fire with the Joy of Heaven.

Heaven Is In My Heart (A tame version to last night's singing & rhythms, but a reflection of what was going on there)

On this the Lord's day (everyday is the Lord's day)
Have a blessed day & those on this challenge keep focussed & motivated.

Day 17 of a 90 day challenge: The Pain & Happiness Of Life. Strike A Balance If You Can.

Day 17

Yesterday I wrote about Tuesday and couldn't think of anything to write about for yesterday or today.  I'm Blank,  because of 3 very sad recent events.  A personal loss,  Oklahoma & the horrific death of a brave soldier in the UK.  For some occurances we all share the impact of devastation & loss, it hits us all globally.

So for me at the moment blogging about a fitness/weight loss challenge is so insignificant.  Do I carry on blogging about this while as a nation we experience a very poignent verse in the bible "When one suffers, we all suffer" we have all definitely felt that these past few days.

So along with probably most people who are reading this I feel solemn and can't push past that to write in my normal upbeat way at the moment.  My spirit is in sympathy with those who are suffering right now.

And while I am blogging this way, I watched Eastenders tonight, that was either the first or second time this year,  I couldn't believe how desperate every storyline was, where is the balance between difficulties and happiness?  I couldn't see any happiness.   I won't be watching it again unless it has a happy TV personality transplant.   I will not allow nasty bad words through TV, movies etc to infiltrate my mind.  For me personally I chose to to fill my thoughts predominantly with good things.  When we fill our bodies with good healthy food and drink we feel the benefits.  What we listen to or watch will also determine whether we have a positive or negative attitude.  I personally don't like to be around folks who are negative all the time for no apparent reason other than just a bad habit, (I'm not meaning people who are poorly or in pain)  their words and mindset effects all those around them.  I like to be around positive, happy people.  Life is never perfect, but it certainly needs to have a balance.

A lovely guy from our village who is a respected & loved member of our church,  encourages people so much and you know he means every word that he says.  On Sunday when he came into church I knew very quickly that he wasn't himself.  I was rehearsing at the time but I had to stop and go over to him and ask him if he was okay.  He wasn't and told me why, sometimes we can't smile and hide the pain.   

This has probably been a bit of a cathartic exercise today, however, God's going to have the last word here because I need to leave you with the following.  We can't change these awful things that go on in our world,  but to do the best that we can each day we need to be strong and happy.

If the men who murdered our soldier had of cultivated good things in their hearts and minds, this soldier would still be alive.

As we in time get over the shock of what has happened this week,  we will step back into a place of happiness,  may these few words help us along that path.

Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace

God Bless
Viv