SSDWLC's Daily Newsletter: Encourage Yourself!

Ladies!

Good Morning All! It is quite chilly this morning, but ya’ll (most) know how we do it in Houston. One moment it is freezing and the next moment the sun is shining!

I want to start this newsletter out by sending condolences to Jana who lossed her grandmother (on her dad’s side) this weekend. We will keep you imbedded in our prayers hon. Please let me know if you need anything at all. I got you!

I am so excited about today! God woke me up this morning in the right frame of mind and I am ready for what ever may come my way today. I am extra excited because it is the second full day (officially) of my fast, and I must say I can look back on yesterday and know that today will be better.

Yesterday’s Fast Recap…
I started the day pretty strong, only drinking my morning shake. Around 9am a parent brought in some cheerio/heart snacks (cheerios/vanilla yogurt/a cherry/candy hearts) into my office for me to share with my staff. There were about nine treats on the platter. Those snacks stayed in my office a few hours and no one wanted any (my staff are finicky eaters and rarely like to try new things). After holding back the urge (hour 2) I ate one… two… three. I was like, “OK C, you need to slow down”. I soon left my office to get a massage (which by the way was EXCELLENT, each of you need to get one… I know the perfect person).

After the massage, I left to pick Caleb up from school. I soon returned back to the gym (for my yoga class). As soon as I entered my office, those treats were starring me down… oh no! Here comes number four…five…six…this was EXTREMELY out of control. I think I went over board, because I had left my “lunch” shake at home. I felt horrible, because not only did I eat the wrong thing, I ate food before 6!

I didn’t get down on myself though ladies! I simply went down stairs and did cardio for about 20 minutes. Then, my yoga class began. After yoga I got in the steam room and took a shower. Around 7pm, Caleb and I went to Luby’s. I had fish and roasted potatoes and some of his jello. I went home and watched a movie (with out snacking, Thanks to You Jesus) and went to bed. It is important to note that I am an AVID snacker… I grab animal cracker, graham crackers, peanut butter, pudding, rice cakes… anything, while I am at home relaxing and munch away. The mere fact that I didn’t do this last night was AMAZING!

I know that it seems like I failed miserably at the fast yesterday, but in all reality I faired pretty well. The fact that I didn’t get discouraged after I made a mistake was the most important thing that happened yesterday. I fell down, but I got back up. Today is going to be a better day, because I have learned from yesterday. I know better, and I am prepared to do better!

CRay’s (Denise Austin’s)Tip of the Day…
Encourage Yourself! I am an avid believer in being your own cheerleader! If you don’t who will? Take time out to change that negative voice inside your head into a positive one and keep encouraging the positive voice to stay as is. Life and Death is spoken through you… please speak life into your situation, not matter how difficult things may seem at first.

I ran across a great article from Denise Austin, with the same concept. It is as follows…

Boost Your Own Confidence!
We all have what I like to call inner chatter — that voice in your head that says "I can't do this" or "Yes, I can do this!" What does the voice inside your head say about your efforts to get fit? Are the messages positive and encouraging, or just the opposite?
Make a conscious effort today to take note of your inner chatter so that you can decide whether it's helping you succeed in your exercise efforts — or holding you back. If your inner self-talk is negative, it's easy enough to fix; it just takes some practice!
Next time you're heading to the gym or deciding whether or not to go for a jog, take note of any negative messages you send yourself and replace them with a positive spin! Here are some ways you can change negative thinking:
• Instead of thinking "This won't work," think "I can make this work!"
• Instead of "It's a waste of time," think "It will be worth the extra effort!"
• Instead of "It's not going to make a difference," think "I'll never know unless I try!"
• Instead of "It hasn't worked before," think "I'll try again!"
• Instead of "I've already tried that," think "I can learn from my mistakes!"
• Instead of "I don't like that exercise" or "It sounds too difficult," think "I'm excited to try some new things!"
• Instead of "That was painful! Never again," think "Wow, I just got through some hard work, and next time it will be easier!"
You can learn to be positive about getting fit — just practice having a more optimistic mind-set. Be your own cheerleader and boost your own confidence.


In Peace and Struggle.
CRay