Getting Back on the Exercise Horse

I have known for a while that I need to get back into regularly exercising. I had a year where I was very faithful with exercising at least five times a week for 30-45 minutes. Then last year hit with a lot of stress - my son was in a car accident, had a sports injury, my husband had a severe ski accident, I was in an accident, etc. All right you get the picture. How easy it is to come up with excuses of why we can't exercise. I have learned the hard way that when I face stress like I have this past year I tend to eat, not exercise, which has caused me to gain weight.

I finally have decided to do something about it. Today was my first day to actually exercise. I took a vigorous 30 minute walk. I was tired by the time I finished, but I felt good. A girl friend called while I was walking so she got to hear me be tired and out of breath while walking and trying to talk to her on my cell phone. I also had time to commune with God on a more intimate level as I was walking and enjoying my surroundings. I have missed that special time with the Lord while I walked. In some ways I felt like I was getting reacquainted with my best friend.

I also am trying to do a better job of watching what I eat and how much I eat. Ouch! That's a hard one. But I prayed that God would be in charge of all areas of my life, even my eating habits. So today so far I have been doing pretty well with cutting back the calories. I find myself feeling hungry, but also that my body does fine when I don't always give in to its demands. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

"Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 2 Corinthians 9:26-27