Like a Lady: Health and Fitness

Over the past year, I have started to take my health and fitness a bit more seriously. When I was in high school, I was in great shape (so many of us can say that...) I played field hockey and softball, and I had a generally active lifestyle. When I graduated and spent a year living the college dorm life, I quickly got out of shape. I could not run as long or as fast as I could in high school, and I had lost a lot of the overall tone and agility I had at 17 and 18 years old. 

I recently decided I wanted to live that active, healthy life again. In November I ran my first half marathon, and this month I completed the two-month exercise program Insanity. A passion for health and fitness has been developing in me, because I want everyone to feel the way I do after I make fitness accomplishments! It’s a truly amazing feeling when your body grows stronger and faster, and when you push yourself to the limit. 

Something I have kept at the forefront of my mind on this health and fitness journey is that it’s all about treating your body right. You’ve probably heard it said that “if you love your body, it will love you back.” That is 100% true. When we love our bodies with regular exercise, whole foods that give us the fuel we need, and adequate amounts of rest, our bodies will respond well and we will feel strong! Though our culture will tell you otherwise, fitness is not about being skinny. Health and fitness is truly all about being strong and glorifying God by taking care of these bodies He has given us. 

With that being said, here are a few ways us ladies can prioritize health and fitness in our busy lives!

1.Baby Steps.

The fastest way to get discouraged and fail is to set your fitness goals too high. If you have not exercised in a very long time, don’t start off by going to a high-impact spin class or running 5 miles. Take small steps. The important thing is to just get moving. Start off by taking long afternoon walks instead of watching that hour of TV. Do this regularly, then moving to jogging, and then running. This goes for nutrition, too. It’s a lot easier to transition to a healthier diet if you start by slowly substituting better options for your not-so-healthy ones, rather than quitting cold turkey from all of your favorite foods. 

2.Prioritize

In our busy lives, I know that our health can sometimes be put on the back-burner. It’s important to get out of this mindset. Start by making it a point to put some kind of physical activity into your daily routine. Make it a habit, and soon you will be doing it naturally. I definitely know the feeling of coming home from work or class exhausted, and the last thing I want to do is workout. However, on those days I like to think of my workout as my “me time.” I use my workout to unwind, clear my mind, and sometimes pray. I always end up being so glad I did it. I’ve never regretted spending some time to invest in my health! Here are some workout’s I love that are ideal for those busy days:

Yoga with Adriene is super relaxing. She has a nice voice, but I like to put on some soft music during my workout, it helps me focus. Don’t be fooled-this may be relaxing, but it is not easy! This yoga session is low-impact, but focuses on strengthening the core. You will feel it in your abs!

This is from the Insanity exercise program. It’s one of my favorite cardio sequences to do on a busy day. It’s only 35 minutes long, and leaves me feeling like I was able to squeeze in a great workout!

3. Balance

Keep in mind that living a healthy, active lifestyle is not about depriving yourself from foods you love or beating yourself up when you don’t fit your work out in. You will have those days when life hits, but part of living a healthy lifestyle is loving yourself through those times and having the strength to get back up and try again. Remember that there is nothing wrong with treating yourself, too! In fact, you should reward yourself for working hard! So have that extra cookie and don’t punish your body for it. 

The key to this is balance and moderation. A good rule of thumb to follow is the 80/20 rule. Try to make 80% of your diet food that have high nutritional value: fruits and veggies, proteins, and complex carbs (whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice, or quinoa, to name a few.) The remaining 20% of your diet can be more indulgent foods that you love. I love this principle because it’s all about building a lifestyle and not a diet.   After all, if you’re going to workout so hard, you should be able to enjoy yummy treats, too! :) 

Once I started using the 80/20 rule in my life, it made me want to eat healthier. I realized that my body is actually craving the nutritious foods I was giving it. Because I’ve made having a healthier diet a part of my lifestyle, when I do splurge on a “treat meal” I definitely notice and can’t wait to go back to my healthy foods. I know this sounds like a stretch, but trust me. You will get so used feeling the energy that your healthy meals supply along with your workouts, you’ll never want to go back!

“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” -1 Corinthians 6:20

Let’s treat our bodies like the temples that they are, ladies. You're worth it!

All for His Royal Kingdom,

Sammie-Marie

Hands Together: being the hands and feet of Jesus

Just two weekends ago, His Ladyship, along with the community of Williamsburg and Crosswalk Church, had the incredible opportunity to serve our community; to give back and be Jesus with skin. We hosted an event called “Hands Together” out of the historical triangle, an event designed to touch the lives of our neighbors in need in a tangible way. We offered them a tremendous amount of services ranging from housing, photography, medical, food vouchers, and even a commissary to pick up some basic necessities. All around, it was a great experience and a means by which we were able to live out our hospitality - the biblical way. Remember, biblical hospitality is a position of heart, putting others needs above your own, and loving them with the sacrificial love of Christ.

Here are a few of our personal experiences we want to share with our His Ladyship community! 

Whitney~

Hands Together was hours of time well spent. It was a chance to lend a helping hand, a listening ear, and an encouraging word to someone in need. At first I was a bit nervous to be guiding a complete stranger around the premises of the countless local businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.   Then I met Judy. All worry subsided over a cup of coffee and orange juice when I heard her story. I learned that her disability and severe health complications prohibited her from finding work. As a result, she lived in a single room motel without a car, insurance, this month’s rent, or a family member or friend. Desperation is not just when your hands are left empty, but when your heart is empty, too. So why was I the one that was worried? As I asked her more questions, I silently prayed that God would restore in me a new heart, a heart of compassion for His daughter sitting in front of me.  Somehow, I believe that He did. What amazed me about Judy was her selflessness. Though she was  a penniless widow, she was more concerned about the needs of her grandchildren than the needs of her own. She explained that her daughter and son-in-law were both working full time jobs and yet were still struggling to provide for their family. So, she chose to spend her donated money from the event on diapers instead of canned food items for herself. She skipped over the clothes in her size to pick out the nicest pair of footed pajamas for her one year-old grandson. Now that is love - selfless and sacrificial. As it turned out, I learned a great deal from this wise woman, and I think we, as a community, could do the same.

Judy and I had the best time in those short four hours. Judy found aid from organizations like The Salvation Army and many others, but she also found laughter. I could tell it had been missing for quite some time. And I, I found new perspective. 


Sammie~

My experience at Hands Together was unforgettable and rewarding in more ways than I can count. I had the privilege of working in child care for the day, which was different for me. I love kids, but I am normally drawn toward working with the adults for outreaches like this. My task was to get all of the children checked in properly - name tags, wristbands, and a pager for the parent so we could contact them if we needed to. After I checked them in, I got to spend the rest of the time playing with the little ones, and even more time rocking sleeping babies (which I was totally okay with!)

Caring for these children was different than any other kids ministry I’ve been involved with. Many of them were left in that room with us for over 5 hours. Many of them were sick. Many of them, I could tell, were longing for attention and affection, and I was so glad I got to offer that to them for a few hours. There was one precious little boy, who was in that room with us for close to 4 hours. Immediately when he arrived and I checked him in, he seemed very curious but timid. He had a few cuts on his face that I couldn’t explain, a full head of curly hair, and he was wearing what seemed to be pajamas that he’d been in for too long. I brought him over a few toys to try to engage him, and he just stood there with a shy smile and big eyes of wonder. It was clear to me that he doesn’t play with toys often. I watched him for a while as he wandered around the room, not really playing with anyone or anything. In fact, the only thing this little boy did was lock himself inside the little gated area we had for the small babies. After a while, he visibly let go of his reservations and began excitedly picking up things and running them over to me or another child care volunteer. He was amazed by everything in that little room...he’d pick up a puzzle piece and open his eyes and mouth wide gazing at it. I’d kneel down to his level, and share his excitement with him. Then he’d hand me the object and go find something else that amazed him. He was the only boy who didn’t really play with the other kids. He was the only boy who actually finished his whole snack and juice. But what I’ll remember most is this: when his Mom came to pick him up, he was the only one who turned from her and ran to my arms. 

She walked in and I said “Look, Mommy’s here!” He jumped into my arms and I carried him over to her, but he hugged my neck tight as I tried to hand him to her. That’s never happened to me before. Whenever I work in kid’s ministry, the moment Mommy comes back is a joyful one, not a dreaded one. I was sad when he left because I didn’t know what he was going home to, but I was glad in my heart because maybe I and the other volunteers got to show him a few hours of joy. Maybe we got to show him genuine freedom to explore and interact. Maybe we got to give him a few hours to forget about the worries that home may hold, that no child should know of so early. 

Brianna~
I was overwhelmed at the chance to serve with one of my greatest passions: hair. A couple of girls from various salons joined me to set up shop in the girls locker room. No fancy-shmancy shampoo bowls or a throne of a chair to sit - just a couple of girls with some scissors, combs, and a whole lot of heart. In my opinion, we got the best end of the deal! We got to touch our guests on a more personal level, literally. And for some of these people, this was the only mindless conversation they could have about sports, kids, and catholic schools in an environment that added value to them.

I’ll never forget an older lady I met in my chair that day. I didn’t know her story. I didn’t know what life situations brought her to my chair in these circumstances. But I knew that I could give her a meaningful haircut and that I could possibly alter the way she looked and felt about herself. She was so proud to tell me about her daughter she supports in Africa through the Compassion organization. She preceded to tell me that as soon as she saved enough money, she was headed over there to see her little girl. This touched me so. She was more than excited to tell me that after her hair do, she was going to get her picture professionally taken from another booth at the Hands Together event to send to adopted daughter overseas. It’s funny, really, they tell you that when you reach out, the ones you’re reaching actually bless you more than you bless them. And that was certainly the case for Miss Elizabeth.

Here at His Ladyship, we hope to build a community of compassion - allowing His heart to change ours. It’s more than us in the world, and we pray that God would open up our eyes to see His global heart. Hands Together was just one outreach where we could practice biblical hospitality, but the world is bursting with needs that go unnoticed and unmet! So we encourage you, be engaged, get involved, and let hospitality be your lifestyle.

Sincerely His,

Brianna Jenelle