Helpful Tips from Run Yourself Skinny

I just finished reading "Run Yourself Skinny: Lose Weight Fast Without Dieting" by Michael Thomas. Some tips in the book that I thought were helpful:

• Every day, log your total time walking/running and your total distance.
• Calculate your calories burned (weight X distance X 0.75) for each workout.
• At the end of the week sum up each of these metrics at the bottom of the page.
• After two weeks, you have a good starting point to see how many miles you are running per week and how many calories you are burning.
• At the end of the month, sum up each of the four week totals, weigh in on the scale to see how much weight you lost.

The following video, discussed in the book, may help get you motivated to get off your butt and walk or run...or start some form of exercise.

File Folder Album - Travel

If you remember back in April I took a class at where I made a file folder for photos. Here's a link to that post, in case you haven't seen it.

Based on that class, I did create my own file folder, as a gift for some friends who, later this year, will be training and moving to become missionaries. If you know anything about becoming a missionary, you know that you are limited on how much you can bring with you. Hence, photo albums take up a lot of room, file folders, do not.

Here's what I created. I started with a regular manilla file folder and decorated it with paper, along with some specialty smaller file folders. To allow for more photos, I used Simple Stories Snap album pages, which I attached with larger eyelets.

The final project photos are below. I took a 12x12 piece of paper, adhered it to the cover and right inside page for backgrounds, then cut them to the shape of the file folder.

Cover (12x12 postcard paper cut to file folder shape after adhering).

On the left are pre-made mini file folders, since they are going overseas, I used file folders that were like passports, maps, etc. The postage stamp thing in the left corner is an acetate shape which keeps the three mini file folders closed on that side. The acetate is attached with regular red staples. Next the the quote on the left, I put a map with our friends starting location, circled a few places on their voyage and then their final destination. On the right side, you can see the eyelets, is where the "album" part is. The little box on the right is another piece of acetate, and that whole mini flap opens (see below), so they can put notes or more pictures there. 

The little flap on the front right that opens.

Album pages.

  

The mini file folders opened. They can put photos in here, memorabilia, stuff they pick up on their trip, or things from what they now call home.

Seeds of Spring: A Woman's 40-Day Journey: day 30

Another devo I read and wanted to share, but I can't remember why.

Planting and Tending Your Garden

SEED OF TRUTH
Read Ephesians 5:22-33.
Remembering the preceding verse, "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ," read this passage, asking the Lord to reveal any areas where you need to make a change in the way you respond or think about your husband. If you are not married, pray this scripture for a married woman you know. Pray also that if the Lord would call you to marry that He would prepare your heart in this area.

PLANT THE SEED
Quietly recite today's focus verse to yourself. Hide it in your heart and meditate on it throughout the day.

Ephesians 5:24
"Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."

WATER THE SEED
The concept of submission in our culture is foreign. Submission is seen as weakness or as slavery. It doesn't make sense for today. It may have been necessary in another world or another time. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Submission is a theme throughout all scripture - submission to God, His word, to pastors and leaders, husbands, employers, and, even as we read yesterday, to one another.

Consider what it means to submit to Christ all throughout your day. As you do, ask yourself if you would ever talk to the Lord or treat the Lord the way you treat others, your husband, a sibling, or a parent.

BEAR THE FRUIT
Submit to Christ and to your husband.

CLOSE IN PRAYER
Ask the Lord to bring to life all that has been planted in your heart today.

I wanted to share these two devotions with you. I read them last week and there was a reason I wanted to share them, but I cannot remember what that reason was. So, I'm still sharing them despite the fast that I can't remember what I wanted to say about these two.

Seeds of Spring: A Woman's 40-Day Journey Day 24

Planting and Tending Your Garden

SEED OF TRUTH
Read Ephesians 4:29-32.
As you seek to follow the Lord's commands in His word with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, ask the Lord to help you walk out Paul's command in this passage. What does he say not to do? What does he say to do?

PLANT THE SEED
Quietly recite today's focus verse to yourself. Hide it in your heart and meditate on it throughout the day.

Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

WATER THE SEED
We are not to let any "bad" or worthless thing come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful, good, and necessary, so that whatever you say is a blessing to others. Ask yourself before you speak: Will this build up? Will this glorify God? Will this encourage someone's walk with the Lord? If you want to know what is in your heart, listen to what comes out of your mouth (Matthew 12:33-37).

The other day you were asked to pay attention to your thoughts. Today I want you to pay close attention to your words. Do they build up? Do they tear down? Do they bring light into the room? Do they bring a cloudy day? Be honest. Ask the Lord to help you identify a godly characteristic or behavior in one of your family members today, and then find a scripture that would affirm them in that area. Write a note of encouragement to them using that scripture - on a sticky note placed somewhere they will see or in an email. Continue to find ways to give grace to those who hear.

BEAR THE FRUIT
Give grace.

CLOSE IN PRAYER
Ask the Lord to bring to life all that has been planted in your heart today.

Seeds of Spring: A Woman's 40-Day Journey Day 25

Planting and Tending Your Garden

SEED OF TRUTH
Read Ephesians 5:1-2.
This is one of my favorite Bible passages. I love its simplicity. Humbly bow before the Lord and ask Him to bring this truth to bear in your heart, your mind, and your life. Allow Him to do whatever it takes to grant you the ability to walk in love as His beloved child. Take time right now to pray, using this passage as a guide.

"Lord, I do not want to follow after my own devices and desires. I do not want to go my own way or the way of the world around me. It is so hard when everyone around me is gossiping, judging, or focused on earthly things. I need your help. I want to be like you. I want to imitate you as your beloved child. I want to walk in love as Jesus did, loving you and others more than Himself. Lord, help me walk in love just as Jesus loved me and gave Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20)."

PLANT THE SEED
Quietly recite today's focus verse to yourself. Hide it in your heart and meditate on it throughout the day.

Ephesians 5:2
"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

WATER THE SEED
We are asked to demonstrate our love, as Christ demonstrated His love, and offer ourselves as a sacrifice - a living sacrifice, according to Romans 12:1. Have you done this? Will you do this today? And if not today, will you make it a part of your prayers from this point forth until you do? Don't put it off for long. Remember, God has given you everything you need in Christ to do what He commands. This is not only a command, but it is the example that Jesus and Paul set before us. If we want a lesson in love we must cast our gaze upon the cross of Christ (1 John 4:10-11). The command is not for the spiritually "elite," because there is no spiritual elite. We either obey or we don't. (1 Corinthians 13 is a helpful tool to examine your heart.)

BEAR THE FRUIT
Love as Christ loved us.

CLOSE IN PRAYER
Ask the Lord to bring to life all that has been planted in your heart today.

Seeds of Spring: A Woman's 40-Day Journey: day 15

That's the name of the devotion I'm doing on my Bible app. You can also find it here.

Today, I am on day 15. Earlier today I went for a walk on the 3/4 mile path around the path behind my office building. I was feeling a little discouraged because last year I started running. I lost 10 lbs. and was up to running for 25 minutes straight (almost 2.5 miles). I never made it to running a 5k (3.1 miles). I had completed a Couch to 5K program on my iPod. Over the winter, I didn't keep up with the running, so I gained that 10 lbs. back.

It's been a real struggle getting back on track with walking/running. It didn't help that I started out today's walk a little too fast and so my legs started hurting sooner than would be expected.

I've started setting my alarm clock earlier, I just need to get up and do the work.

Back to today's devotion. The verse that hit me was 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

The devotion continued as follows:

"We may not be in prison literally, but we are bondservents of Christ Jesus (Romans 6:15-23). As you go about your day today meditating on the scripture above, continue to keep your 'flesh' in chains and the Spirit free to do its will."

The verse in Romans reminded me of a book I read over five years ago, "Love to Eat, Hate to Eat." In the book, Elyse Fitzpatrick talks about how if my husband is eating something and I want/crave it, that's sin, it's coveting something he has that I don't have. 

Anyway, Romans 6:16, says "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" 

As I read this verse, it makes me think that if I give into my food cravings and not wanting to exercise, I am a slave to that. My weight loss efforts aren't just for me...they are for God because I am His temple. Jesus paid the price for me, so the least I can do is get up early and exercise. I don't want to be a slave to laziness or my food "desires". Maybe it's time to bring out the book and give it a read again.

crafty goodness - heidi swapp workshop

This past weekend I went to Archiver's and made this really cute album and file folder.

I love the concept of the file folder. If you have kids, you can easily turn this into one school year and then add the file folder to a binder of sorts. You don't have to spend the money on the fancy file folders, just take a regular file folder, cover it in paper you like and decorate it. The one in the class I took had transparency's with writing and decorations on them. There were frames included, which I left the top open on and then slid clear transparency under, so later, I can add a photo and keep it protected.

Maybe in the near future, while the class is fresh in my mind, I'll do this exact thing and put together a how-to. Guess that means I have to clean my craft table. :)

5/5/2013
Here's a link to the video how-to on Heidi Swapp's blog.

March 2013 - update

I've not done much running so far this year. We picked up a jogging trampoline in January, since a treadmill is not practical for our house...no idea where I'd put one. I've used it a couple of times and will probably use it a lot this coming week (we are expecting a rainy week and it's not fun running/walking in the rain).

There is a really nice walking path behind my work, it's approximately 3/4 mile. I was able to get out there one day so far. I did one lap because I didn't have my walking/running shoes. I'll need to bring my unofficial walking shoes to work so I can easily do two laps. Terry and I have gone on a couple of walks so far this month, but nothing regular. I post my run/walks on Runkeeper, which I connect to Facebook, so if you want to track my progress, look me up on either one of those social pages.

I'm starting to set my alarm clock for earlier so I can, hopefully, get up earlier and get back into the running thing. There is no excuse for not doing it. The weather is getting nicer, I just need to choose exercise over sitting on my rear or sleeping later. :)

once again, I have been lax in journaling my food this year. I've recorded a couple of half days, but I've not been serious about it. Really need to get back into this, as I say every year, when I do it, I lose weight. And since I've lost 10 lbs. since starting to run, and gained it all back over the winter, I really need to keep track of my food to help in the weight loss area.