I've moved!!!!

Thanks for following me here at reshapingitall.com. I want you to know that I'll be continuing to blog, but I've moved addresses!!

All my previous posts as well as all new posts will now be found at www.roomag.com (my online magazine)! You'll see along the right side, my photo in blue that says "Candace's personal blog Practically Speaking". I'll still be blogging about losing a few pounds and staying on track to live well. Nothing has changed, just the address.

This will be my last post here, so make sure to find me at http://www.roomag.com/category/practically-speaking

I just got off the plane from Napa, it's 1am and I'm going to bed! I'll catch up with you very soon! Have a super day!

Persevere

I hope you had a chance to visit www.TheBetterMom.com yesterday and read my guest post. It was exciting to share a deep piece of my heart with all of you. Thank you for your encouraging words back to me and I pray them over you and your families!



I'm in Napa this week- an ultimate spot for food and wine! I normally have a mind set of packing on few pounds each time I'm here, but am in a good place and not gonna undue the hard work I've put in. I've prayed each morning, focused on God's word to refresh me, renew my strength and protect me. I'm so thankful for a God who joyfully carries my burdens and wants us to ask Him each day to do so.

I brought my Tracy Anderson video (strength only) and my 3 lb weights. Our friends from Florida are staying with us and doing the cardio workout in the living room isn't an option. I'll be going for a short run this morning to supplement and finish off with the DVD (in my bedroom).

Yesterday I ate well, small portions, although I went a little overboard on chips and guacamole at dinner. I didn't have dessert and was proud of myself. Honestly, I didn't even crave it.  I'm staying strong because I'm feeling good and want to keep moving a forward direction. I hope you are too.

Today's encouragement comes from Hebrews 10:23-25

And let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage

 one another-and all the more as you see the Day 
approaching. 

Persevere.

It's what God calls us to do. Hold on to His hope, that He can transform us within, and because of our self-discipline by the power of the holy spirit, it will be  reflected on the inside and outside. 

Let it become a habit to meet together and spur one another on!  Meet with your friend, your husband, your children, your accountability partner, your online support bloggers so that we can encourage each other to stay faithful, true and committed. Grab your partner and go workout. Having a buddy makes all the difference- isn't it cool to see God encourage us to do that? Stay in communion with one another, especially when it comes to God's word. Are you in a small bible study group? If not, I urge you to find one- in person is best, but online will work!

And lastly... (what I needed to hear most this morning)

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,

 you will receive what he has promised.  (Hebrews 10:35-36)

I'm a Guest Blogging at.....

Today you can find me at www.TheBetterMom.com

Hope you enjoy the post over there!

Catching Up!

Hey there! I missed blogging the past few days because I was working and well... a little emotionally tired. People can be brutal.

I'm bummed to report that I missed my workouts on Thursday and Friday of last week. But I did keep my meals clean and portions small. I've been really proud of myself for not snacking during the day and in the evening-which is always the hardest time for me. Have I shared my love of Nutella with you?! I didn't lose any weight this week, but didn't gain any either! I'm happy with that result because even though the scale didn't go down, my body feels tighter and I can see that my stomach is flatter. Yippee! I definitely attribute a flatter stomach not only to doing the core exercises on Tracy's video, but especially to the foods I've been eating. I see that to be the biggest result producer.

I wanted to show you the size of my salad and grilled fish as it came to the table for lunch. It was a large plate and the salad was quite high & dense although you can't tell in this pic.

This is how much I ate. I normally would have eaten a little more fish (I was full) and ate 3/4 of my salad. Again, this picture doesn't reflect the height and density of the salad well, but you get the picture. I also drank a kale veggie juice before my food arrived which filled me up. This gives you an idea of eating smaller portions throughout the day instead of a big meal. I took the rest home for that 4pm snack.

I worked out Saturday morning- yes, I did the cardio video too, and I'm getting used to it! I'm over feeling silly, and learning to get into the moves. It makes a difference when you know them enough not to feel self conscious about doing them and can then be purposeful about each one. I also decided to turn her music off and turn on my own playlist. (The only bummer is if I do it early in the morning and my household is still sleeping, I have to use headphones. We live in a modest 1600 sq ft home, so I don't have any extra rooms to designate for exercise. The hardwood living room floor it is!) Playing music I like definitely makes it more fun and time goes by faster! I will tell you as I've continued to do the videos, they are getting harder even though I'm doing the same thing. I thought the first day was a breeze, now I'm barely getting through them! My muscles are sore, and I see how her method is working. I like it.

I also went to my cousin's wedding Saturday night and got in another major workout! If you didn't already know, I'm a wedding dancer. Seriously. I feel most comfortable dancing at weddings, love the music and if my extended family is there like aunts, uncles and cousins, sisters, mom and dad..... I'm a wild woman!! A family wedding is my ULTIMATE DANCE NIGHT! I'm not kidding. I danced for over an hour straight, non-stop and I'm talking jumping up and down, kicking, flailing, bouncing,  you name it! I actually took all my own moves and incorporated Tracy's moves and totally went for it. It was the craziest, best night of dancing and all I could think of was that I just got in the best 2nd workout of the day! And I realized that's how Tracy wants us to do her video. And since I had such a great 2nd workout, you know I ate a whole piece of wedding cake. I love dessert, what can I say?

I want to encourage you to start your morning in prayer. I know the secret to my success is offering up my prayers and petitions to the Lord each day. I ask Him to help me make good decisions, nudge me through the Holy Spirit to stay on track, exercise willpower, and stay motivated. My desire for craving sweets and wanting to overeat or eat poorly have really decreased the last few weeks. And I know those results are through the power of prayer. The hardest part is just to start. Once you start feeling even a slight improvement, it gives you the motivation to keep going. So keep going! Start your day off right and read the Word. That's how you connect to God.

An Encouraging Word

Day 2 of Tracy's DVD was hard and I felt every bit of it. I started with the cardio as she says to and it made the toning DVD so much tougher! I'm sore in every place on my body- but it feels tight and good. I've gotta hand it to Tracy, that if I feel this kind of overall difference in 2 days, I can't wait to see what it's gonna look like in 2 weeks!

I haven't started following her eating plan yet. I'd like to try. It just takes a lot of prep work, and I haven't had the chance to go to the grocery store, prep and make all the foods. But I'm continuing to make smart choices with my foods each day and eat smaller portions. Despite having gone to a fast food restaurant yesterday (which I'll rarely eat fast food), I ordered a grilled chicken salad, skipped the croutons and ate it with just a tablespoon or so of balsamic dressing. And then I ordered a HUGE iced tea, unsweetened. Dinner was sautéed broccoli, carrots, pea pods and grilled chicken. I drank my favorite hot (and iced) decaf tea from The Good Earth.

Today, my encouragement to you is Psalm 32: I've italicized the part I want you to focus on in your relationship to God and food.

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered. 
² Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them 
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent, 
    my bones wasted away 
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped 
    as in the heat of summer.^[b]

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity. 
I said, “I will confess 
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave    the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found; 
surely the rising of the mighty waters 
    will not reach them. 
⁷ You are my hiding place; 
    you will protect me from trouble 
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle 
    or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked, 
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Offer your need up to God today and keep up the good work.

DVD review

I did Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis DVD for the first time- see yesterday's post. And here's what I thought:

I was supposed to start with the dance cardio session, but did the sculpting session first. Which I LOVED. 30 minutes of that? 6 days a week? NO PROBLEM! It was awesome. And with her DVDs you change the sculpting  session every 10 days so it doesn't get old. I love that!

Then I put in the cardio disk. Have I told you how much I don't like cardio?! Cause I don't and this was no exception. I gotta admit and felt super silly "dancing" in my living room. I don't know if it's really dancing as much as jumping up and down and kicking your feet. Maybe that is dancing? After 5 minutes I didn't know how I was going to last for another 25. Not because it was so hard, but because it was boring. The arches on my feet hurt the whole time- I may need to wear more supportive shoes and not my running shoes. But I did sweat and I could definitely feel it working muscles I don't normally move; which was the point.

When she said, "Your in the home stretch" I basically stood there and watched her finish the last 5 minutes. I was over it. 6 days a week of this? Ummmm......

All this to say... I'm going to give it a go! I'll definitely invest 30 days and commit to it. I don't know that I'll be keeping up with the cardio DVD 6 days a week, but may do it 3 days a week and mix it up with running. Did I tell you I signed up for a Spartan race in December?! Beyond exciting!  My results may take longer, but hey, we're also supposed to enjoy exercising and how we spend our time each day. I think if there is a type of exercise you prefer over another, then do it. As long as your moving and keep that heart rate up!

So, I'm in. 30 days. I wrote down my starting measurements. Write down yours too! Even if you're not doing the videos, just so you know your progress in 30 days. Bust, biceps, waist (at belly button), hips and thighs and your weight. Remember to measure around the fullest part of those areas.

Tracy tells you to remeasure every 10 days, so I'll let you know if there's any difference then. My guess is I won't see any results before 2 weeks.

Happy working out!