NO EXCUSES

Today has been a pretty huge milestone for me for three reasons..

1. Today is the first day after surgery that I'm allowed to exercise more than just brief walking. I got released to full activity yesterday by my surgeon.

2. I finally made it to the end of a trail near our house that I have only been able to make it less than half way previously. And most of all,

3. Today is the first day of the rest of my life and as I just told my sister, I refuse to get 6 months or a year down the road and wish I would've done more from the start like I've read about so many times! I will not let myself get in my own way!!

So with that being said, I want to let y'all in on some ideas my husband has thrown at me over the last few days (don't worry, I only mean figuratively lol). Here's a proposal for some ideas not only to relay to y'all, but for me as well..

1. Getting up and being active can serve multiple purposes as a busy mom... especially in the summer. You can get the kids involved in the cleaning. There are lots of ways to make cleaning and regular chores count toward your fitness. And,

2. Getting the kids involved in your fitness not only helps you get in shape but builds relationships and memories and wears them out for nap time to help you get more done...

Now, I have 4 kids and not a single one of them can I pick up with 1 arm so using them as weights is out of the question lol. However, there are many ways to keep your kids involved in your workouts meaning you don't HAVE to have a gym membership to get healthy! There are about 6 gyms on post where we live but not a single one offers childcare. That used to be my favorite EXCUSE. I can't go to the gym because the older 3 kids are in school and they don't offer childcare for the youngest one. It convinced me for some years that it was a totally legit EXCUSE and it completely validated me. My surgeon was suggesting home workouts for me yesterday and he said something that was a light bulb 'ah ha' moment.. he said even if all you have is empty milk jugs, fill them with water, as much as you want at first, and use them as weights.. y'all, I probably had the dumbest look on my face when he said that because I honestly was thinking it had to be more complicated than that. It couldn't be that easy, it had to be expensive or hard to make. That was the devil getting in my head again. See, all the negative feelings you get, whether it be fear, doubt, anger, jealousy, insecurity, all of those feelings are from the devil and nothing else!

FEAR: Next time you find yourself starting to let fear into your thoughts, remember that God is with you always. This is His promise to those who live within His will.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

—Isaiah 41:10

DOUBT: Doubt cannot inhabit where faith exists. According to 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV), “…we walk by faith, not by sight.” God calls us to live a life of faith and trust—never doubt!! Disbelief and doubt come from fear, and fear paralyzes, restricts, and prevents us from doing what we need to do.

ANGER: "But I promise you that if you are angry with someone, you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell." (Matthew 5:22) of all the things in the human heart, anger can be one of the most intense, destructive, and unhealthy emotions that we can experience. If not handled in the proper way, it can have drastic life-changing consequences.

JEALOUSY: There is no reason for a Christian to be jealous of any non-believer who seemingly has it all. At the end of the day, God will judge them. James 4:1-2 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” NKJV

INSECURITY: Insecurity comes in about as many shapes and sizes as do people. It could include panic attacks, phobias, and social anxieties. Not only are worries, anxieties, and insecurities a waste of energy, but a person misses out on the blessing of God because of them.. Jeremiah 17:8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

These are just a few of the major struggles that get in the way of our own success.. I could go on and on about the devil and all his negative works but the reality is this... until Jesus comes again to call us home, the devil will not stop trying to break us. He will not stop throwing wrenches in our plans and our lives BUT we don't have to give in to him! We have God the Father with us fighting the devil off every second of the day when we ask Him to. I'll be 100% honest here... I have used every excuse in the book because they were put into my mind for so long that I believed I could never get fit and healthy on my own and I had given up. I was mad all the time, at everyone. I was always making EXCUSES for why I sat on the couch watching tv all day and it made total sense in my head.. but then right before I had surgery, I prayed with my husband for God to help guide the surgeon's hands and help me get through it.. but when I got to the operating table, I prayed again and I said Lord, even after this surgery, I know I can't do this alone and I asked him to fight off the devil with all his negativity and all his nasty thoughts and when I got back on my feet good, I'll come back fighting with all the strength I can possibly muster! So that's what I am doing! God kept His end of the deal and still is today and I can HONESTLY say, today as I am back on my feet and doing exceptionally well, I haven't had a single negative thought about myself. That's the sole reason I was able to make it to the end of the trail and all the way back, over 2.5 miles in less than an hour! I couldn't have done that on my own.

If you find yourself scared to go to the gym because of what people might think of you, that's the devil talking!! If you're insecure about wearing workout clothes because they are a bit tight and show all your rolls, guess what?? We all have them and always will until we do something about it! That's the devil talking!! If you're angry at your spouse because they asked what you did today and you took it as an attack, that's the devil!! Get rid of those nasty thoughts and get the strongest force in the world fighting on your side and I can promise you, YOU WILL WIN THIS WAR!

Now tell me, what's your excuse??

Much love y'all! Until next time,

Kay