An Attitude of Joy: January 19-25
I have been missing a key component of my life lately. A piece that God has given me and even willed for me, and yet I have not taken His free gift. That gift is joy, part of the very title of my little blog here. Lately, I have felt such a burden on my heart. The past few weeks have been stressful, hard, and busy. Very very busy. I hate using that excuse, but I've come to terms with the fact that it's true. In 90 days, I get to marry the love of my life, which means it's a joyful time and a stressful time all rolled into one.
This week, I am choosing joy. I'm choosing to do everything relying on God's strength. Because the joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
I want to find the joy in every part of my blessed life. Because life is meant to be enjoyed. I want to be joyful at work, with friends, on quiet evenings at home, during phone chats with my fiancé, and also while I am working out and taking care of the body God has given me. I've lost joy in that as well.
Sometimes, health and fitness are not fun things. There I said it. I'm a dietitian and love healthy eating, but sometimes it all gets to be too much. I want the joy restored in this area of my life. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I am convinced that if this whole health and fitness thing was 100% given over to the Lord and done for His glory, it would bring us joy. There would be joy in taking care of the body God has given us, joy in giving ourselves whole foods that have been created by God's hands and not a machine, joy in having a treat now and then, joy in going for a run, or sleeping in and having a day of rest. All of these aspects are part of health, and they should all bring us joy.
With that said, this week I am going to pray with all my heart that God restores unto me His joy. In every crevice of my heart and life, I want God to be present. Even as I make my plan for the week here in this post, I want God's blessings and fingerprints to be all over it. I firmly believe that God cares about every aspect of our lives, and wants everything surrendered to Him. So here it goes. My plan for the week!
Foodie plan :)
This past Sunday, my mom cooked up a storm since we had my future in laws over for lunch! That means only one thing for this week: LEFTOVERS! Here are my meal options!
Pre workouts: Banana w/nuts like this AM :)
Toast w/PB
Breakfast: Protein waddles/pancakes like this AM as well!
Scrambles Oatmeal Egg wraps
Lunch/Dinner: Leftover pollo asada Leftover roast Potatoes, salad Turkey burger Meatballs with spicy arabiatta sauce Kung Pao chicken from TJ's (so excited to try this!)
Pretty yummy options if I do say so myself! My mom and I made sure to stock up our home with good food this week. Hopefully that means healthy home cooked meals all week and not spending too much money on eating out!
Fitness:
Monday: I had my training session this morning (back and biceps), and it was killer!
Tuesday: 4 mile run (still training for my 10K and it's in less than a month! So excited!
Wednesday: leg day! Stairmaster and hoping to fit in the TIU Love your Body workout in as well
Thursday: logbook workout from my trainer (chest), run 3 miles, and circuits with Hanna in the evening!
Friday: training session again, cardio mix 3 miles
Saturday: 5 mile run
Sunday: log book (arms), cardio mix 3 miles
And there we have it! Here's to a great, joyful, God focused week everyone!
