Balancing Act

It's the hardest thing that I've ever had to endure: be a full time dental hygiene student, hold a part time job, and plan a wedding. These three things keep me on my toes and busy 24/7. 

I love what I will be doing for the rest of my life, my resident assistant job is the best, and I just adore planning my wedding but this can all be a bit overwhelming at times. I've learned that I have to take time out of my busy schedule to be with family, friends, and have daddy/ daughter time with the man upstairs. It can take a bit out of you when you are constantly running but we just have to remember that God takes time for us when he has plenty of other sons and daughters to be taking care of. 

I'm so very thankful for the way he forgives me every time I get too busy with life and don't make time for him. He always allows me to come back to him and continues to pour blessings on me even when I don't deserve it. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. 

If you're troubled, he will give you peace. If you're tired, he will give you rest. If you're feeling weak, he will make you strong. Believe in him, trust in him, because I couldn't make it through this life without him and you won't want to either.

Ashley

"Be still, and know that I am God..." - Psalm 46:10

Reckless Reconstruction

So, yes, it is 11:30 pm.
And.. Yes. I do have car-rider duty at 7:30 am in the morning.
And... futher yes, I do have to be up at 5:30 am to get there on time.

But, I have something on my heart that I've been putting off writing.  Finally decided to get down to it and write about it.

Ladies, let us discuss something we've ALL discussed before.
Okay, on 3, get your groans, your moans, your eye rolls, your scoffs, your huffs, your puffs, your blowing the house down out of your system.

1... 2... 3... Okay settled?

Alright, body image!! WOO! ;)

Hahah  :D

I am on Day 9 of the Insanity DVD set right now.  Let me tell you, I have never been worked out as hard as I have with this workout.  It really is insane.

I mean, really.  After every workout, I am either lying on my back begging God for forgiveness for the heck I just put my body through, or crawling to make it to the shower just so I can get the sweat off.  No joke.  ;)


Throughout the beginning of this 60 day journey, I have come to realize a few things that I want to talk to all of you about:

• I rely too much on how people I DON'T EVEN KNOW look at my body and view it.
• I started to get so excited about fitness, that I did something dangerous without even regarding the consequences until they happened. 
• I finally sought God with my fitness struggles and learned a thing or two about my body that I never would have figured out if I hadn't had my Daddy Daughter time. 

So, three points. I won't type a whole lot.  I need sleep.  And I'll start to get delusional and crazy talking before too long :).

I rely too much on how people I DON'T EVEN KNOW look at my body and view it. 

 Sisters, I do not think I am alone in this struggle.  But, I probably am alone with how I decided to tackle this one.

I concern myself too much with what people think of me as is, so to add a new fitness program and wanting instant gratification... well.. just keep reading.

I have been proud of my progress so far and of course with Insanity, you have to take Day 1 and then Day 60 pictures to get the free "I earned it" t-shirt.  Well, I really wanted to get the t-shirt.
But, I've been a little over-zealous with my dedication to my progress.

(Remember this happened in the last week or so).

So, I wanted to share that with people.  I started with just simple pictures on Instagram of me right after a workout sweating and such.  Well, then I decided I wanted to show off my new found 3 1/2 pack that I am just so excited about.  Being the Beth that I am, I decided to make a second Instagram account and have no one I know except for Ashley and Ilona follow that account.

I decided I would use that account to post my progress shots and motivation stuff throughout my 60 day journey.  Well, when I realized that my #overusage #of #hashtags #just #to #gain #my #page #some #attention was really all I was trying to do... I had to stop and really decide.. Is that how I want to be viewed by people who don't even know me?!?! Some random sleezy girl who posts pictures of her all nasty and gross after a workout??

No. It's not.  In my excitement of my fitness extravaganza, I didn't realize how I would really be viewed by others.  I took the page down the next day. :p

I started to get so excited about fitness, that I did something dangerous without even regarding the consequences until they happened. 

When you order Insanity, you get slammed with nutritional and supplement offers throughout your checkout process.  Well, this thing for FREE 30-Day Insanity Brand dietary supplements (metabolism boosters that look and smell a lot like Metamucil) popped up.  Heck I was already paying enough for Insanity, and they were giving this to me for free, SO WHY NOT??? :)

The instructions tell you to take them twice a day with a meal.  So, I did as the instructions said.  I had never taken any kind of supplements before, so I just delved right in without researching it.  I DID check the allergen information on the bottle.  Soy. Nope. Moving on.  Took the pills. Felt fine for about two to three days.  Nothing changed.  Except I did notice I was eating smaller potions.  CHECK!



Last Tuesday (10/22/13), I was getting ready for school, showered, dressed, make-up, daily medicine (including supplement), hair, everything and I was just about finished when BAM.  My head is literally ripping off my neck -- that's how it felt.  My neck was burning and I seriously felt like I needed a fire extinguisher for my lymph nodes.

I didn't know what to do so of course I called my mom.  And got all the typical mom questions ;) (love you mommy)
"New detergent?" - No
"Wearing a scarf?" - No
"New Makeup?" - No
"Well, I have no idea"  (Me either! That's why I called! heh)

So, I went through this same inquisition with about 5 of my co-workers at school and one of them had some off-brand itch cream.  It was burning.  Which is a step up from itching.  So... how bad could this be?

Well, it stopped the burning. But in 5 minutes I was out in the hallway trying to rip off my clothes in the school because I was sweating and crying.  I have never felt so uncomfortable in my own skin before.
Praise the Lord my principal left someone in charge of my class and let me run real fast to Wal-Greens to get some Benadryl.  Everyone was telling me to buy the pill, but I was thinking -- "I mean I know my students already think I'm crazy, but falling asleep on them won't make any better of an impression!"

Let me tell you, I loaded up on some cream.  Benadryl itch cooling cream.  Benadryl Itch cooling spray (WHICH IS AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD GO BUY RIGHT NOW!).  Cortisone cooling cream.  I mean, stock piled it up.  Thankfully, all of that worked after alternating each after a few hours.  My neck was red for most of the week and by the weekend it had finally turned into just a dryness.

It's still there, but from all of this I learned to most definitely do my research before I EVER take anything else.  Even when the allergen information on the bottle says okay. That doesn't mean your body says okay.

 I finally sought God with my fitness struggles and learned a thing or two about my body that I never would have figured out if I hadn't had my Daddy Daughter time. 

All of this led up to me deciding to finally break down and see what Daddy had to say to me about my new found fitness adventure I went on.

I was being reckless in my reconstruction of my body. 

It was a kick in the be-hind, but... it was exactly everything I needed to hear if I wanted to continue on without seriously harming my reputation, my self-esteem, and my own body.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own..."
       -- 1 Corinthians 6:19

If you look in the Old Testament in the book of Haggai, the Israelites were given the task to take care of God's physical temple.  They were called to rebuild it.  Because they were human, just like we are, they had struggles, and put their needs and wants before the Father's.  They neglected the building for TEN years.  Every year that passed, no stone had been carved to begin the construction.
Just as God promised the Israelites blessings for obedience, he also warned them of consequences for not rebuilding the temple as He desired it to be rebuilt.

This is us with just about ANY situation in life.  For me it was keeping my body healthy and in shape.  I will say I was never to a place of no-return.  But, you should never allow yourself to live in a body that consistently day in and day out makes you unhappy and lowers your self-value.

Like the Israelites though, I always said tomorrow, or next year, or when I reach a certain weight -- that's when I'll start.  Reckless living.  I can't really pinpoint what really drove my motivation to start, except that I just finally stopped saying tomorrow and did something about it.

But, I dove in without realizing that I should be prayerful in different aspects of my fitness.  My body isn't a building, but it is all I have to live in on this earth.  God created it specifically designed for who I am as a woman.  I owe it to Him to take care of it.  For me to put something in my body that I didn't research, and for me to rely on others for my self-worth... that's not from God.  That's me putting off my reconstruction in hopes of instant glorification.

Rebuilding takes time.  Sisters, be patient.  God is glorifying your worth, your beauty, your body, your temple ... Every. Single. Day.


Thank you for reading.

Beth.




P.S.  If you have any questions or comments about this post, we would LOVE your feedback!! Please shoot the writer a message on Facebook or leave us a comment below :)

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