Fit-Less-Ness

Are you living in a state of fit-less-ness?

Yesterday was an interesting day.  My Sunday's are usually VERY busy.  I sing and play cello on our church worship team, so I normally arrive at church at 7:45am and don't leave until about 12:30pm.  We have 2 services, so I am busy thinking about what happened during the first service and how I can do better during the second service.  That being said, I'm not always fully taking in all that is said during the sermon.

Yesterday, I didn't sing or play cello, so I was able to arrive later than normal for church.  I was also able to sit down, relax, and take-in all that was said during the sermon.   Before the service started, the pastor, who knows that I am a Beachbody coach, came over to me and said, "I think you'll like what I'm talking about today!"

The sermon was titled "Fit-less-ness." (hear the sermon here:  http://www.c3family.com/viewmessages.asp?ID=85&offset=0).  I knew instantly that I WAS going to like what he was talking about.

My current fitness challenge groups focus primarily on physical fitness.  Those who commit to 8 weeks in one of my online facebook challenge groups are given points on a daily basis for things that relate to keeping your physical body fit.  I've always loved running these challenge groups, but I've also frequently felt that something was missing.  I've been praying that my business would succeed and I've been working very hard to grow my business.  Still, something hasn't been right.

One of the main goals that I have in my business is to get people to seriously think about what they are doing on a daily basis in ALL areas of their life.  The main areas that I WANT to concentrate on are faith, family, fitness and finances.  The problem is, I know, without a doubt, that if my faith doesn't usually come FIRST, meaning that the rest of what I do is all done in vain.  My relationship with God needs to be put first.  There are many days that I get up, have my coffee, and get right on the computer to start working.  I think to myself, "I'll read my Bible later....I'll pray later."  Later, doesn't usually happen.

If you're anything like me, the same thing happens to you.  You put everything else first, and tell God that he can wait until later.  It's so backwards, but it happens more frequently than not.

So, back to the sermon.  The pastor gave 4 areas that are key to getting ourselves out of the perpetual state of fit-less-ness.

1.  Daily devotions or time with God
2.  Prayer
3.  Ministry investment (ie. using your God given gifts at a local church)
4.  Loving others.

1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Corinthians 9:26-27 - Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Philippians 1:20 - ... I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

The Pastor's conclusion, "In everything we do, we should be saying "I want Christ to be exalted in my body.""  That is my goal!

Would you like this to be your goal?

If you'd like to get on the path of making Spiritual Fitness your top priority with physical fitness as a goal for your physical body, I'd like to propose a new type of Challenge group that will help you establish better habits for both.

I'm not exactly sure what this looks like yet.  I'm considering a new point system with daily points, not only for activities that relate to physical fitness, but also points for things like reading your Bible, establishing a prayer journal and praying daily, etc.

It will take some time to put this all in to place, but I'm thinking I'd like to have everything ready to go by the end of Sept.

If you're interested, please reach out to me.  Share your ideas and what you think you'd like to see in a group like this.  I'd love to hear from you :)

Do you have "Skin in the Game?"

 

Today is day one of the Three Day Refresh program (http://jodisluti.automaticceo.com/go14).  I purchased this a few months ago, and specifically planned to use it after our trip to Florida.  We've been home for a little over 2 weeks, and the time just slipped by.  I decided I couldn't wait any longer.  I gained about 2 pounds while I was in Florida, which was acceptable to me, but I've gained about 10 pounds since this time last year.  I'm not happy about this at all.  I've been exercising, but I  haven't really put any thought into what is going in to my mouth.  

So this morning, as I started this 3 Day journey, I was thinking, "This is not so bad.  I don't feel hungry.  I can definitely do this for 3 days."  As the day has gone on, though, the temptations have been significant.   I walked in to the pantry to get out something for one of my kids and I saw the Larabars.  Those are my favorite.  I wanted one....real bad.  Then I came out to the kitchen later, to find that the kids had left some tortilla chips open and on the kitchen table.  The first thing I thought was, "I can have just one...it won't hurt."  But then, an astounding thought passed through my head......."You spent a lot of money on that 3 Day Refresh...don't blow it!!!"  That was it.  That was all it took for me to say no.  I can assure you, I will say no for the rest of the 3 days, too.

You see, I have some "skin in the game."  I've heard that expression before, but I really wanted to dig deeper to see what it means.  To have "skin in the game" means that you have incurred monetary risk (a personal stake) by being invested in achieving a goal (the desired outcome).  I have invested a certain amount of money to lose some weight.  The amount of money is enough that I won't risk losing out on it for the sake of a quick snack.

As a Beachbody coach, I run lots of fitness accountability/challenge groups via facebook.  I can't tell you how many times people tell me they don't have the money to invest in Shakeology and/or a program.  They end up playing the game with no skin!  Many of them won't make it past the 2nd or 3rd week.  Why?  There's no risk when they cheat.  There's no risk when they don't want to exercise.  There's no risk when they're having a bad day and just want to quit.

If you want to reach your goals, I encourage you to put some "skin in the game."  This doesn't just apply to fitness and  nutritional goals, it applies to all areas in your life in which you have a particular goal.    Be invested in your goal and see what you can do!!  I bet you'll succeed! 

Primal Fudge or Shakeology

I am a Beachbody coach.....but I'm human....and I still love chocolate!  Unfortunately, most chocolate products are loaded with sugar, and they don't help me to achieve my goals.   I have a couple of different ways that I conquer this craving:

1.  I drink Shakeology daily.  Yup - every single day!  For the most part, this cures most of my cravings.  Thankfully, it does SO much more than just cure my cravings, but the biggest plus for me is that I don't get sick anymore (this from a girl who used to spend entire winters sick with a sinus infection - haven't had one in over 2 years!!)

2.   I eat a small piece of dark chocolate made with 85% cocoa.  Still has sugar, though, so not the best option.

3.  Sometimes I just eat the stinkin' candy bar or brownie or whatever.  Hey, like I said, I'm human.  I'm a huge believer in a "cheat day."  It can't be often, but I truly believe you can have one and still achieve  your goals.

4.  I find a recipe for something choclately that doesn't take a whole lot of work and doesn't contain any sugar.  My favorite recipe so far is called "Primal Fudge."   I have no idea who came up with this incredible recipe, but if I did, I would kiss them.  Try it out for yourself.  You'll love it...and if you don't....you're not human ;)

Here's how mine looked when they were done.  Not pretty, but they were incredible!!

 

Do  you have any recipes that are your "go-to" recipes when you want something sugary without the sugar?  Please share them with me in the comments section.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

A couple weeks ago, I whipped up a new batch of my favorite homemade laundry detergent.  I never really kept track of the date when I last made it, so I wasn't sure how long it lasted.  I knew it was a long time, but I just wasn't sure how long.  A couple of days after I put it all together, I was reading through the posts on my TimeHop app on my phone.  Voila....up popped my post about how I had made my first ever batch of laundry detergent one year ago.  Since I still had a little left from my first batch when I mixed up the second batch, I can honestly tell you that it lasted over a year!!!!  I was shocked.

Now, I can say with complete assurance, that I saved a ton of money on laundry detergent this year.  I have 4 kids and a husband at home.  Between the six of us, we go through a TON of laundry.  My kids are on the swim team, so I am constantly washing towels.  Since I love to show you how to save money here at The Thrifty Fitty, I'd love to show you how I make this wonderful stuff!

STEP 1 - Go to the store and purchase all the ingredients:
1.  1 - 4 lb. box of Borax (found in the detergent aisle).  Approximate cost = $7.00
2.  1 - 3 lb. 7 oz. box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in the detergent aisle).  Approximate cost = $3.00
3.  1 - 3 lb. container of OxyClean (found in the detergent aisle).  I could only find a 5 lb. box, so I used 3 lbs. and saved the rest for later.  Approximate cost for the 5 lb. container = $9.50
4.  2 - 14.1 oz. bars of Zote Soap or Fels Naptha.  I like the pink Zote Soap the best (found in the detergent aisle).  Approximate cost for 2 bars = $2.00
5.  1 - 4 lb. box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (sometimes found in the detergent aisle, but if you can't find it there, check the baking aisle).  Approximate cost = $2.00
6.  1 or 2 55 oz. bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (found in the detergent aisle).  I used only 1 bottle this time.  Approximate cost for 1 bottle = $9.00

*I'm sure you could get some of these items much cheaper if you found them on sale or used coupons :)

STEP 2 -
Grate the Zote soap with a cheese grater or food processor.  I used the grater attachment on my KitchenAid mixer, as the soap is very firm and is much easier to process with the help of a little electricity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 3 - My first time making this soap, I noticed that it was very hard to mix the other ingredients with the Zote soap, because the Zote soap was so sticky.  I decided to experiment with it a little and my experiment worked great!  I sent the already grated Zote soap back through the mixer attachment WITH the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda.  To do this, I just took the Zote that was in the bowl and mixed it with the Washing Soda.

I then used a 1 cup measuring cup to scoop out the mixture and send it back through the mixer attachment.  Here's what it looked like after it came through the 2nd time:

As you can see, the texture is much finer.  Not only does this help with mixing, but it also helps the soap to dissolve easier in the washer - especially when using cold water.

STEP 4 - Mix all the ingredients, including the Zote mixed with the Washing Soda, together in a large bucket.  I happened to have an old cat litter bucket that worked perfectly.

The scoop is from the OxiClean that I purchased.  It holds about 2 Tbls. of powder, which is just about all that is needed for a load of laundry!!!  For smaller loads, I only use 1/2 a scoop.

THAT'S IT!!  $32.50 for detergent for the entire year!!!  $.63 cents a week!!  Not bad for a family of 6.

Saving Money on Your Cable, Phone, Internet, and Cell Bills - Part 2

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I brought you part 1.  Life….life gets in the way some time.  The summer was busy, then I had to get ready to start homeschooling all 4 kids  - at the same time we were getting ready to go on a 2 week trip to Disney World and Universal Studios with 13 people.  When we got home, I had to get ready to start a new fitness challenge group that needed revamping, because I added a Bible study to it.

Well, things have finally calmed down.   This morning, I slept in till 10!!!  I then went to pick my older boys up at a friends house and was able to sit and chat with her for an hour without feeling like I should be doing something else.   When I got home, I made a homemade chicken soup and put some ingredients in the bread maker to make fresh bread.  My house smells good and looks pretty clean, so I feel like I have some time to sit down and help you all SAVE SOME MONEY!

In part 1, I showed you how to easily save money on your cell phone bill.  This time, I’m going to tell you how we save money on TV, phone, and internet.  Many people have all 3 things bundled together.  I haven’t checked recently, but last I knew, the bundle price for all 3 was pretty hefty.

The first thing you need to do is stop bundling and fire your cable company!!!  This step might be the hardest for many people. If you are that tied to one channel that you must watch on cable, then I challenge you to go without it for a little while.  I promise you….YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT IT.  We haven’t had cable TV service for 12 years and it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.Second thing you need to do is call your local phone provider or cable company and ask them what the cost of ONLY a high-speed Internet connection is (cable, DSL or fiber-optic).  Some companies call it “Naked DSL.”  At first, I was told we couldn’t do this, but after some persistence on my end, they did it for me.  The price ended up being $29.99/month (includes all taxes/fees).   This is for DSL with Frontier in Upstate NY.Third thing to do is purchase an OOMA box.  We have been using an Ooma box for our home phone for about 6 years.  Ooma provides free home phone service once you purchase their device for a one-time fee (About $130).   All you have to do is plug your high-speed Internet and existing home phone into Ooma.  Once you do that, you can call anywhere in the U.S. for free. You pay only applicable taxes and fees (ours run about $3.50/month).  You'll enjoy clear, landline quality voice calls with caller-ID, call-waiting, and voicemail included.  In many cases, you can port your current phone number to Ooma.  Number porting allows you to transfer your home phone number from your current service provider (whether VoIP or landline) to Ooma. This can be done for a one-time charge of $39.99 or get free porting request when you purchase a yearly subscription to Ooma Premier (we do not have Ooma premier, but if you’d like to do that, it’s $120/year – personally, I don’t use any of the extra features with that, so I don’t think it’s worth it).Step four – You know those shows you’ve been watching on TV?  The ones you can’t live without?  MOST of them can be watched on your computer or on your TV.  Here are a couple things we have so that we can watch the shows we want. 1.  A subscription to Amazon Prime - $99.99/year (approximately $8.33/month) 2.  A subscription to Netflix - $7.99/month for streaming only 3.  A subscription to Hulu Plus $7.99/month 4.  A Redbox account to rent movies for $1.20/day All the TV’s in our house are hooked up to some kind of device that allows us to watch movies from Amazon, Netflix or Hulu.  One TV is hooked up to an xbox 360, one is hooked up to a Wii, and one is hooked up to a Roku box.  If you don’t have any gaming systems, the Roku boxes can be purchased for about $40.  There’s also the new Fire TV.  Although I haven’t tried it yet, I’m considering it.  It seems to have better features than the Roku.  Like the Roku, it is a tiny box you connect to your HDTV. It's the easiest way to enjoy Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, YouTube.com, low-cost movie rentals, music, and much more.  Some of the features of the Fire TV are:

Massive selection—Over 200,000 TV episodes and movies, millions of songs, and hundreds of games. Show me Free 30-day Prime trial—Unlimited access to thousands of popular movies and TV shows including award-winning series from HBO and exclusive titles like Downton Abbey. Voice search that actually works—Simply say the name of what you want to watch and start enjoying in seconds Tiny box, huge specs—Fast quad-core processor, 2 GB of memory, dedicated GPU, plus 1080p HD video and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound Easy to set up and use—Pre-registered to your Amazon account so you can enjoy favorite titles and personalized recommendations Instant streaming—Exclusive new feature ASAP predicts what movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and buffers them for playback before you hit play Perfect for parents—Amazon FreeTime lets you easily limit screen time and create personalized profiles just for kids Great for gaming—Play blockbuster titles like Minecraft-Pocket Edition, The Walking Dead, and Monsters University, plus free games and Amazon exclusives. Paid games start from just 99 cents

So let’s add everything up:
1.  DSL:  $29.99/month
2.  Ooma:  $3.50/month
3.  Amazon Prime:  $8.33/month
4.  Netflix:  $7.99/month
5.  Hulu Plus:  $7.99/month
6.  Redbox:  Averages about $4.80/month for 4 rentals per month

Total Cost:  $62.60/month!!!  Can you beat that price?  If you can, PLEASE let me know!!  The more I can save, the happier I am.   If you’re spending more than that, I DARE you to fire your cable company and try this.  Save the money you’re saving every month for a vacation, give it to charity, or, for goodness sake, use it to better your health and BUY SOME SHAKEOLOGY FROM ME!  Sorry….I had to put that in there!  Whatever you do with the money you are saving, spend it wisely.  Seek God in prayer before you spend your money and make sure that it’s something that you really need.