The Accountability Factor

It's week 8, and I have good news. I went for my second dunking on Thursday. Read a few blogs on the HealthQuest site and you will understand what I mean. It was a mid-session check up. I passed! In fact, my body fat composition dropped from 45 % to 44.3 %. I've lost 5 pounds and 3.8 lbs of that was fat! Hallelujah!

I must say I was very pleased with this report. I know my clothes are fitting better; I am feeling better; and people are saying nice things about me and to me. I could not have made it this far without "The Accountability Factor." Accountability is sort of like my conscience...if asked, I want to be able to say I am giving this HealthQuest my full attention and genuinely trying to make permanent changes in my lifestyle.

So I confess that today, I stayed home for no other reason than I just didn't want to go. I am not even sure why. I went yesterday and I worked hard. I like what is happening with my health. I like how I feel all day AFTER the workout. I like my new friends. So many issues are swirling in my head these days, that I don't always know what to do with them. So today, I chose to stay home and journal and pray.

Tomorrow, I will go back to exercise. Maybe Carter will plan something with those tires...

Passion for God, Compassion for People

It was July 1999. Our house sold in three days and we picked up our family and relocated to Franklin, TN. Other attempts to relocate from Montgomery, AL were unsuccessful until this point. God's timing, of course.

School began in August and we began a new routine. We met new people at school. Jeff went to work right away at Southern Hills Medical Center. I took a temporary job to pay the bills. Meredith was playing recreational soccer and we began to make new friends. We met Bernie and Debbie Jackson. Their daughter Ruth and our daughter Meredith became fast friends. Out of that relationship, we were introduced to ClearView. One of Bernie's first questions for us -- "Have you found a church home?"

We visited other churches in the area, but did not find a fit or a connection. When winter came, Debbie invited Meredith to play Upward Basketball at ClearView. What a great experience! We met other believers and made more friends.

On our first visit to church (not until Spring), my husband looked at me and said, "This is it." It was a connection not really explained by words, but instead by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We joined in April 2000.

I am thrilled to now serve on staff at ClearView. God is doing a mighty work in this congregation. People are learning to express their passion for God and learning how this translates into compassion for others.

I am blessed to be sponsored by ClearView and I appreciate the accountability my friends provide for my healthquest.

Please visit our website and see some of the many things happening on our campus.
www.clearview.org

Or better yet, stop by and visit with us on Sunday. You'll find us at 537 Franklin Road in Franklin. Yep! that's our new building you see in the front yard. Come see what the excitement is about!

Jump!

Jump!! What? I can not believe it is so hard to jump! I guess that's why I always "turned" the jump rope rather than jumping. Is that what it's called? you know, one of the girls who never jumped, but instead held one end of the rope, "turned" it and chanted along with everyone else....Cinderella, dressed in yellow...


Today, we began week 7. It is hard to believe how quickly the time has gone. Last week we talked about how we know we are getting healthier - without using the bathroom scale. For me, I've noticed that I am more mentally alert. (That's a good thing for a mother of teen agers.) Besides being able to concentrate at work, I've found more energy and focus when I get home in the evening. At our morning work out, I've noticed that I can run! I can get up and down those stairs much better, and I can do push ups and even a pretty fair job of those planks. Even though the work outs continue to challenge me, i continue to leave glad that I was there.

And now, my friends are paying me compliments. And my pants are begining to feel loose. And I've been encouraged by the friendships blooming on astro-turf at 5 AM at D-1. True friendships - women who have struggles just like me, but who say openly and freely -- I'm praying for you.

Dancing with the Stars

Yes, dancing! One thing I've learned about myself - I am not very coordinated! I have found that doing things backwards is really hard. It's week six and already I can see how much I've improved with my balance and with doing things backwards. Tanya told me that in ballroom dancing, the woman "gets" to do everything backwards. So, does that mean I could learn to dance?

Well, I don't know about that, but I do know that this morning I was dancing with the stars! I was "dancing" with my new found group of friends. We handled the heavy 25 lb. plate today and we pulled the heavier tires with those lovely sledge hammers - backwards, of course.

We are stars!!

She’s counting….”It’s what we do!”

If you know anything about me, you know that I love numbers AND words! By “trade” I am an accountant. I serve on staff at ClearView Baptist Church as the Church’s Financial Officer. I spend much of my work time with numbers. But, I also must use lots of words. The older I get, the more I understand how important it is to “explain” numbers with words. I enjoy writing – always have – but I am very picky about writing exactly the words I mean. (One reason I am not sure about blogging – it will take me forever to say exactly what I am thinking!)

After our workout today, we were measured for the sole purpose of measuring again in December and being able to celebrate some change in our body shape. Certainly there are many factors that will prove we are healthier by exercising and changing our eating habits. But measuring (with numbers) seems to be the easiest to understand. So, we measure.

You know the drill…we weigh ourselves; we take multiple tests to evaluate our health, like blood sugar level, body fat composition, levels of cholesterol; we count calories. And that’s just our health. Our financial health is the same – we use numerical dollars to give value to goods and services; we look to Wall Street numbers to set the mood for our investments, our economy. My children are graded at school – more numbers. What is the GPA, the ACT score, the number of credits to finish school…well, you get the picture. We want to measure everything and we need numbers to do that.

In my office yesterday, someone said, “oh. She’s counting.” To which my assistant replied, “It’s what we do.” And it is. And you do it, too.

Today, I was measured. Some of the numbers were not pretty. In eight weeks, I will be measured again.

Here’s knowing God is Faithful, and the numbers will improve.