Sunday, April 28, 2013

Spring Training!!

I wanted to post this last week but I thought I would wait and post some of the other things that you all might want to see. On April 20th we had Charlotte Gambill from Bradford, England as a guest speaker at our church. Once or twice a year we have a "Guts Girls" event and have some of the top speakers in ministry. They are usually my most favorite event that out church hosts! At this specific event we had Lifetime's top fitness coaches teach a yoga and zumba class after the speaker. I say all of this because I wanted to post my notes from her awesome message. I enjoyed it so much so I hope you all do to!

 
Proverbs 24:30 30 I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. 31 I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. 32 Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: 33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
What are you doing with what you've been given? 
 
Everywhere you go, bring your power. You can't walk around being unprepared.  
 
Our spirit is always awake!! 
 
When you show up, there should be a difference. 
 
He will give you a bigger zone once you figure out how to own your zone. You must do well with what you've been given.
 
2nd Samuel 14-22 14 Meanwhile, Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel and eventually came to the town of Abel-beth-maacah. All the members of his own clan, the Bicrites,[d] assembled for battle and followed him into the town. 15 When Joab’s forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town’s fortifications and began battering down the wall. 16 But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, “Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you.” 17 As he approached, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” “I am,” he replied. So she said, “Listen carefully to your servant.” “I’m listening,” he said. 18 Then she continued, “There used to be a saying, ‘If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.’ 19 I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying an important town in Israel.[e] Why do you want to devour what belongs to the Lord?” 20 And Joab replied, “Believe me, I don’t want to devour or destroy your town! 21 That’s not my purpose. All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand over this one man to me, I will leave the town in peace.” “All right,” the woman replied, “we will throw his head over the wall to you.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and called his troops back from the attack. They all returned to their homes, and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

You must invest in yourself!

You can't stop your journey because you think you're finished. God has a whole another journey for you. Be encouraged & let it move you!

Matthew 28:16-20 16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[b] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We aren't called to attend the church, we are called to be the church!

Matthew 4:20-28 18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. 21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. 23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns,[h] Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.

We must be willing to get involved.

Find comfort in being uncomfortable!

Acts 16:16-18 16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” 18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

How many others are following us? Others look to us because we know the way. We have to make time.

Help others become involved with the things that are going on in your life & others life's around you.

Involvement means that you are selfless, involvement is work and using your resources.

We want people to come to Gods house but we don't want to go to their house.

When we get involved, God shows up.

We were once someone's inconvenience.

Be a professional at being involved.


                                                                  - Erica

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A little Boost!!


Boosting your metabolism isn't as hard as you might think. Every time you eat a meal or drink a large glass of water your metabolism gets a little boost! IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that if you're dehydrated you could be slowing your metabolism!! Try to drink a glass of water before a meal to help aid digestion and it will make you full faster so you won't over eat. I've heard that drinking cold water actually sparks your metabolism because your body has to work harder to heat it up to your body's natural temperature. We love the boost! Drinking green tea is also really great at boosting your metabolism. It has a special compound in it that gives you that little bump. I don't really like the taste of green tea so I like to mix some in with my smoothies. Check out my recipe below for a great metabolic boost :)

  • 1/2 Cup Ice
  • 8oz Greek Vanilla Yogurt
  • 1 Cup Frozen Mango
  • 1 TBLS Pure Honey
  • 1/2 Cup Green Tea (chilled)
You can always add more green tea depending on how thick you want your smoothie to be. Remember that a good rule to use for serving sizes of fruit in your smoothies or protein shakes - it shouldn't be larger that the size of your palm.

                                            - Erica

Friday, April 19, 2013

Making New Habits!!


Growing up I was never really a fan of breakfast. Now I would say it's one of my favorite meals. I can't stress to you all how important it is to eat a healthy and sustaining meal for breakfast! This doesn't mean grabbing a pop tart on your way to school or work. It means setting time aside in the morning or the night before to prepare a nutritious breakfast. 
Here are some of my favorites:
Oatmeal
Eggs
Protein Shakes

Now I do understand that some mornings may not go as planned so I always try to have some back ups that I can grab and bring with me to work like yogurt, granola, fresh fruit & fiber bars. You want substance, this first meal is what is going to kick start your metabolism for the day. If you can try to keep back ups at work too.

Remember that even the healthiest things can become unhealthy by adding the wrong things. When I make oatmeal I buy it plain in bulk and I add in my own fruit and nuts. When you buy it packaged, it usually comes with artificial flavors. If you want it a little sweeter - try adding in some agave nectar or Truvia instead of cane & brown sugar. When you're making eggs try to make it one whole egg and 2 egg whites, it cuts down on calories and fat. Remember to add some color! Bell peppers, spinach and turkey are my favorite things to add. Now to my favorite, protein shakes!! You have to have a great base - almond, skim or 2% milk are the best. Then you need a good protein powder. I use BioTrust (milk chocolate & vanilla). Would you buy a diamond necklace from Wal-mart? No, you would buy it at Tiffany's. That goes for protein powder too - you want a quality product. That doesn't mean that you need to buy the most expensive kind. Do some research, find out the type you want and most of the time you can buy it online for cheaper that you can in a store. I prefer a slow time release protein that will keep you full longer. I always try to add some frozen fruit like blueberries, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, pineapple, blackberries, banana, mango & oranges.

Becoming healthy takes time, so try changing one or two habits at a time so that it doesn't become overwhelming.

                                       - Erica

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Our First Post!!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to share this lifestyle change with you! Right now I'm at the beginning stages of a full transformation. I want to be healthy and I want to help and encourage you along the way. For more of a background on P+P and why we decided to start this blog check out the About US tab above.


Did someone say a party? Well it's not really a party but there will be music and dancing... very, very bad dancing. We want all of you to invite your friends to check out out blog. So post, instagram & tweet (@peachesNplanks) to let your friends know that we are about to all get motivated together. We are here for you! Sound off below to let us know what you would like help with.

                                                      - Erica