Dissastisfied and Expecting...

First off, here are some lovely pictures of me exercising in our basement. I had Hannah come down and snap some shots on day this week, because it's too hard to explain what the crazy contraptions look like! They work different muscle groups, so I enjoyed using them both this winter as I couldn't go outside. As the weather has been getting warmer, I've been spending more time walking, but I continue to keep using both the Norditrak and the Gazelle. It keeps my body from falling into an exercise routine and then not being challenged as much. Exercise should never become comfortable and easy. A huge key to weight loss is to keep your body guessing. (And to occasionally take it by surprise!) I'm such a trickster! :-)

Today as I was taking my walk, I was thinking over the past week. I had some good days, and a few tough ones. I always like to take the time to evaluate how I did in my eating and exercise, and then make small goals to acheive in the next week. My eating goal for this week is to eliminate night snacking and impulse snacking entirely. One of the most common eating guidelines for weight loss is to stop snacking 2 to 3 hours before bed. There are several reasons for that "rule". The body needs time to digest as much food from the day as possible, and eating late at night means the food is going to be sitting in your stomach all night. Not a good thing. It can also throw off your eating schedule, because you either feel starving in the morning (and are tempted to eat more than necessary) or you don't feel hungry so you skip breakfast (another bad thing!). This past week, I didn't do a very good job of eating dinner and nothing else till breakfast. And I don't ever remember feeling hungry when I snacked; it was just impulse snacking. So, my goal is to follow the 2 to 3 hour rule and abstain from impulse snacking. (To my family members, please feel free to play "silent cop" and smack my hand if you find me heading toward the snacks after dinner. Thanks! :-) )
My exercise goal for the week is to continue doing 3 sets during my circuit training (I cycle through the set of exercises 3 times for each muscle group -upper, core, and lower). I just started doing it last week, and it's tough - but really good! I'm also trying to move more quickly from exercise to exercise. A burning sensation is actually a wonderful thing for my muscles - it sends the message that my body needs to produce more muscle tissue. And that equals muscle growth! (It just happens to burn...) *smile*

I was also thinking (wondering as I was wandering, you know!) about how to maintain a healthy dissatisfaction with my body in it's current state. I'm not to compare myself with others, or become obsessed with my weight or clothes size, but in order to continue moving forward I need to be dissatisfied with where I'm at right now. If I become comfortable and unfocused, I'll get nowhere. I have to be disciplined - increasingly disciplined as time goes on. I have to have a vision for what God wants me to become; the way He designed my body to be - weight and all. Dissatisfaction is a powerful thing, because it can either push us to strive for greater heights or it can cause us to lose heart, fail, and become bitter. So, then I was thinking about what I need to go along with my healthy dose of dissatisfaction. What will compliment it? What will be the positive charge to balance the negative one? I spent awhile trying to answer that very question. After pondering several different things, I felt like the Lord gave me the answer. Expectation. Expectation is the positive charge! I can be dissatified now, because I'm expecting the Lord to continue working in my life. I'm expecting to continue being molded and shaped into His image. I'm expecting to have ups and down, but I'm expecting the Lord to be faithful as He always has been. I'm expecting His Word to accomplish His purpose in my life as I walk in obedience to His commands. And I'm expecting to someday reach a place of victory in the area of my weight. Not perfection, but victory. With expectation, I'm constantly looking ahead and staying focused on the goal knowing that God has great things ahead for me. I can be dissastified with myself now realizing that I will only ever be truly satisfied in Jesus. That's the balance!

Desiring Him ~ Bekah

Psalm 5:3 - "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Psalm 39:7 - "And now, Lord, what do I wait for an expect? My hope and expectation are in You."

Psalm 62:5 - "My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him."

Philippains 1:20 - "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."