At the Y where I teach, we started a boot camp.
   The boot camp idea had a military feel to it; the instructors are “drill seargents,” and the customers are recruits. We make them work as a unit. How fun! 14 people signed up, from 23 to 50, a mixed group for sure: from the overweight with no fitness conditioning at all, to those already in shape and wanting more. We just finished day 10 today. On day one, they were scared, couldn’t count together, couldn’t do good push-ups at all, even the fit ones. By now, they look like pros! They ran 1.5 miles yesterday, do push-ups like there’s no tomorrow, are strong, confident, and are having fun while they are screaming. We do planks, flutter kicks, aerobic drills, climb hills, do wall squats, and the list just goes on.
   It’s quite interesting to see 14 strangers turn into a unit as they have a common goal. By now, they call each other, are making plans to go out, encourage each other and laugh together, even challenge us, instructors, to harder work-outs! I am so proud of them. There’s nothing like challenging yourself and accomplishing your goals!

   My husband and I took twelve hours of ballroom dancing classes! We have been married 25 years, and it took us that long to actually sign up. It was thrilling, great, exciting and challenging. There were twelve couples in the class, from the very young who want to learn how to dance for their wedding dance next month to the retired couple who wants to join a ballroom dancing club in town. At first, we were all ver awkward. The teacher started with the guys, lining them up behind her; they looked like elephants in a china shop, or bears trying to look elegant. We women didn’t look much better, more like birdswith crooked wings and feet. By the time she put us together as couples, most of us had four left feet and looked pitiful… but had quite a lot of laughs. Little by little we progressed and by the end, we looked like couples dancing– amazing! You can find out much more about ballroom dancing online. There is a whole world of ballroom dancers out there. I even found a cool site that gives a history of modern ballroom dancing.
   If you are bold and up to a good time, give it a try, it’s worth it. You might step on each other’s feet quite a bit, but if you are not afraid of looking ridiculous and want a whole new world to open up to you, go for it!

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” Dale Carnegie
Our life is today. When we lay our head on the pillow tonight, this day will never come back; this is a one-time deal. We will miss it if we wait for the illusive perfection of tomorrow, next week, or next year. In the eternal scheme of things, today is just a shallow breath. But without each breath linked to another, there will be no fulfilling eternity.

   Thankfulness is a key in any storm of life. It it a key in any day of life, really. It refocuses us on what truly matters, and causes us to put things in perspective.
   Thankfulness is best when expressed through the mouth. Nothing to be thankful about? Well, you can always start with your fingers, or your mouth, or the coffee you had this morning. Then you can go on to the people who gave you life, if only for the fact of your life. Then you can be thankful for your life, your sweater, your underwear today. And then, there is the bed you slept in, and the water you drank this morning. How about your car, or the money to put gas in its tank?
  I am thankful for my friends, the curtains in my window, the shoes I put on to go on my long walks. I am thankful for my legs that allow me to run and jump. I love the smell of banana bread, and I am thankful for candles, and heat in the winter, and sunshine in the morning. And what would I do without rain? Thank God for the rain, and the snow to look at, and the fields in front of my house. I am thankful for the little cat that comes around once in a while and begs for a few minutes on my lap. I am thankful for alarm clocks, and for days when I don’t need them. I am so thankful for my job, and the people that I meet, and the sense of fulfillment I get when I made someone smile. I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has chosen to love me. I am thankful for telephones, and fax machines, and computers. And for a glass of wine at night. I am thankful for flowers, and fruits, and color. I love the blues in the sky, and the way stars twinkle at night like a million diamonds suspended in the middle of nowhere. And I am thankful for ice cream.
   Who is the recipient of all of my thankfulness? The creator of all things, of course. May He be glorified as I open my mouth to thank Him today. And every day.
   Go ahead, start your list. I’s your turn to delight in all that you have been blessed with. May your list be endless.

Yesterday is long gone, washed away by the hours of life. I must leave it behind. Today is like untouched snow after a heavy storm. As I step into it, my footprints will make my very own mark in the day. I can choose to go left, or right, or straight. I can hop on one foot and make a special indentation somewhere. My imprint on today will be as personal as my fingerprint, it will be mine alone. The fresh coating of snow beckons to me. I have permission to start over.

“He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their own destructions.” Ps 107:20 What an amazing Scripture. Of course it means that His Word heals us physically: it is light and it is alive. The Word comes in and drives every darkness out, including physical sickness. And that is wonderful! But God has so much more in mind than physical healing… He sent His word, healed them and delivered them from their own destructions… He delivers us from ourselves…. I am constantly amazed at the power of the Word of God in my life. It comes in at the perfect time, exposes a part of me where I am moving, speaking, acting in darkness, grants me grace to turn around –repent– and then, it rearranges things on the inside of me so that I am free. The Word literally delivers me from my own thought processes, my own weaknesses, my own destructions. It comes into me and reprioritizes things, pulling out the weeds so that the flowers can grow unhindered. And it always knows the perfect time to do this. There are seasons where my ear is dull to His promptings, and then He works on tuning me to Him at first. Oh, the power of that word! He wasn’t kidding when He said that “the word of God is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

   What is the definition of fitness? It is the “human state or quality of being physically and mentally fit.” We need both physical and mental fitness, and I would even say that we need to be spiritually fit, or no matter how fit the rest of us is, we will be absolutely miserable.
   But how do we measure fitness?
   As far as physical fitness, there are different tests that measure your body against a “norm.” But wherever you are on the scale of physical fitness, you can go forward. My friend Billie was thrilled last month when she was categorized as “obese!” She moved from morbidaly obese to just obese, and that was cause for celebration. So always remember that everything in life is relative!
   Okay, with that out of the way, what are the advantages of physical fitness? Many, many, many! Here is a list of just a few, not at all in order of importance:
reducing risk of heart disease
weight management
blood glucose management
psychological well-being
increased bone density
increased energy
better blood circulation
stronger muscles
great sleep
   And how do you get fitter physically? Well, the answer is easy: start moving! The implementation of it may not be… but that’ll be the subject of another post.

   I have learned a lot since I became an aerobic instructor. I thought Id share some interesting information over the next few entries. They will hopefully motivate you to go on in your quest for health.
   This first one is simply an explanation of calories. We hear and speak of calories as though we knew all there was to know about them, but what are they? Could you explain to your child what a calorie is? Well, here is your simple answer:
   A calorie is a unit of energy; we need energy in order to breathe, pump blood, stay warm…stay alive basically, and we get them from food. When we say that something has 100 calories, we are saying that it has 100 potential units of energy. You can find charts online that tell you the caloric value of thousands of foods.
   Food can be broken down in fats, carbohydrates and protein, each with its own caloric value. One gram of fat has 9 calories, one gram of carbohydrates or protein has 4 calories. The calories in the food are burned, enzymes breaking down the different parts of food (carbs, fats and protein) into all kinds of good stuff that the blood transports into the cells. Then, either the energy is used or stored for later.
   The amount of calories your body needs to function depends on your basic metabolic rate (BMR), your physical activity and the dietary induced thermogenesis, which means the energy needed for digestion. When we store more calories than we use… youve got it, you gain weight. On the other hand, when you burn more calories than are ready for immediate energy release, the body has to reach into its storage to stay alive, and … yes, we lose weight! This makes me think that our God is pretty smart!
   Sometimes if I understand things, it makes it easier to work with them. Hope this was as interesting and helpful to you as it is to me. Yahoo has a complete explanation of calories if you are still curious.