Living & Active Update

Last week was my first week of the Living & Active 5 week challenge. If you missed my first post on it, the goal is to work out 4 times a week and keep up with a Bible study. I thought it was going to be really hard, but it went so much better than I thought it would!

Anna, Melissa and I started a private FB group where we can keep each other accountable and pray for each other. It's really great! Every day we post things we found in our Bible study and what we've done to exercise (or not). We talk about our struggles and even other things going on in our lives. I really wish we'd done this sooner! Today, we posted some "before" pictures. I'm going to share mine here because I can use all the extra accountability I can get!

Yup... That's me. 5 months postpartum and still only around 15 pounds down. I feel certain that I gained weight after she was born because I ditched the GD diet. And, well, I really missed ice cream. That's all I'm gonna say about that. Like most women, I really miss my pre-pregnancy body! (Thankful for the baby, but not the extra weight!)

Last week I exercised 4 days! That's a big step for me considering it's been one day here and there for the last 5 months. I did a postpartum bootcamp DVD twice and then one of my favorite pilates videos twice. The bootcamp DVD is HARD! I know it'll be worth it, but some days I just wanna quit right in the middle of it. I've loved pilates for a while, so at least I can actually look forward to that workout.

I'm currently doing TWO Bible studies. This from the girl who has struggled keeping up with one for forever!!! The first one I'm doing is a #SheReadsTruth study. I love those girls, the accountability and the online community! They actually make it fun to do one...which is what I need. =) 

The second one I'm doing is called Setting the Captives Free. It's also an online study, but it's way more in depth and focused on certain sins. Mine, for example, is overeating. Overeating IS a sin because we're replacing a deeper relationship with God with food. Our bodies and souls are meant to crave Him, but we often feed it with food instead. The biggest thing I'm trying to grasp right now is that God doesn't want us to deprive ourselves of any particular foods. He wants us to have it all! He just doesn't want us to overeat or try and replace Him with it. I keep finding myself thinking "no, I can't have that. No, I can't have this." God doesn't want us to follow a diet plan... It's hard to get away from! I keep thinking in calories or carbs when I don't need to! But I do need to really listen to my body and know when I'm actually hungry and not just bored. Food isn't the problem here (or even certain foods); indulging, especially overindulging, IS the problem.

The Bible studies have been really key for me thus far. It's encouraging me and it's teaching me a whole new way of thinking. This is a really good thing. I'm tired of having to follow a certain diet's rules. I'm tired of being told (and believing) that Food X is bad for me. In reality, no food is bad for me! {Unless you have an allergy or medical condition that really keeps you from eating something, of course.}

Even though I'm not losing weight (yet), I'm still really glad I decided to take part in this 5 week challenge. I know that by the end I won't have just done a diet or kept up with a certain routine, I will have a lifestyle change and that is more important than any diet or workout regimen!