"Life Style Choices"

This morning as I was listening to Pandora radio an add was played for Speak Up University.  I was curious to see what this was about so I went to the link www.facebook.com/speakupu and was fascinated by what I read and watched. This transfer student was attempting to start a pro life group on her campus and was facing major resistance by faculty! The way they were treating the situation was very much on the childish side of things. I checked out the site more and found that one of the students that had to pursue legal action against a professor because of his unethical assignment was at my own university in my very own degree of study! Thankfully the university made amends once the situation was brought to the attention of the president. However not all university's are doing this.

I often think about why it seems that everyone but Christians can speak out with no persecution and even have acceptance. But if a christian says anything then we are being "over religious" or "judgemental".  How is it that a life style that promotes peace, acceptance, no judgment, love, strong well being, patience, and eternal glory could be labeled by such intense views of hate! Christianity is a "life style choice" just as all other things! We should have the same freedom of speech as anyone else and given the same opportunity to be heard! Why can others offend us, but we cannot offend? Why must we hide in the shadows and cower when no one else has too?   America it's self was founded on Christianity why can't we speak up!?

Intro...

I am an advocate for self improvement! I believe that everyone should want to live the fullest life possible and that no one should settle in anything. I however, had settled. I had become comfortable with life as it was.  Life as it was however was just mediocre and seemingly unimportant. Today I was talking with my personal trainer (whom I have been working with for about 10 weeks now) and just lighting up about how good life is becoming.  When I signed up to start working with her I was about 90lbs overweight, my acne was out of control, my eating was out of control, and my fast food spending outrageous. I also suffered with low self esteem, low energy levels, and constant fatigue.  I knew I could do better, be better, achieve more, but first I had to change something. I walked into my local fitness center and with out hesitation I signed right up for a personal trainer!  Yes, it was going to be expensive but it was the best place I had put my money in a long time.  And all I was giving up were things, that really, I needed to give up anyway. At first she told me to try to exercise 5 hours a week and she gave me an outlined eating plan that seemed simple. I must confess that I did not eat hardly anything like she said and I could not seem to get myself to the gym more then 3 times a week (3 hours). Every little thing I did made me sore! I felt like I was going to die on a regular basis. :)  I struggled and became impatient. However having the accountability of my personal trainer helped me continue. I mean, I was stuck paying for her for the next year, so I might as well keep trying! After the first month one of the things that I noticed almost immediately was a massive energy increase! Going to the gym started to become a way of life, it was planned into my day without a second thought.  After the first 6 weeks the eating started to set in.  It was becoming easy to eat right! I no longer craved the fast food, my grocery bill was going down drastically because the eating plan was so simple and required very simple foods. It is not a diet, it is an eating style that I will maintain the rest of my life. I was still frustrated though.  My weight was not dropping and my clothes were not becoming loose at all. I was having to work a lot harder to achieve the same effects which told me that I was improving and at a rapid speed! I just was not seeing the results on the outside though and I again became discouraged. Two days after I talked to my personal trainer about how I was feeling things started changing rapidly. To date I have lost 13lbs, about 5% body fat, and I have dropped from a 20 to a 16 in pants sizes! Now every day that I get up I check my weight and I have dropped at least 1/2 a lb to a full lb per day! Once my body got into the habit of burning the fat and growing the muscle, it won't stop! I am not perfect everyday.  Just this last week I didn't make it but only two times and I had a bad weekend when it came to eating lol. But I still did not gain the weight back, because it is really gone! I didn't lose any weight either though.  This week I will do better! Another change that has happened has been in my acne.  It was severe and now my face is completely clear! I have not had a break out in over a month! I have also seen over all changes in my general well being and spiritual nature. I like whom I see in the mirror and what I may still not fully like, I know, I am striving to change. It has also had a great spiritual impact because the better I feel about myself the more God can use me! I am not afraid to get out there and talk and interact with people like I used to be. I don't give off vibes that say "stay away" because I like who I am, I like where I am going, and I like what I am doing. Today, I am pushing myself, I am not settling, I am pursuing big dreams, I have big goals, and I invite you to join me. I may have questions that need answers, I will always want input, and I would love to share with you as I embark on my journey.