Category Archives: Figure

New Year New You – Love Others and Speak Well of Them

My intentions for todays blog changed somewhat over the course of the last week. This past Sunday was my dad’s brother’s birthday (Uncle Lee) and my sister and I decided to go see him to wish him a Happy Birthday. After spending several hours talking to him and listening to stories about family, friends, and the town he grew up in that taught the kids (and I don’t mean the education they got in school…..as I recall, Uncle Lee called it “Common Sense” education) I knew I had to change direction just a little. He mentioned how the family was always happy, even during some of the most dark times you could imagine.

How is it that someone can say they were always happy during the darkest of times? To give background, my daddy’s family lived in a small, rural, Texas community. When my dad was 8 years old his father was injured in a farming accident and died several days later. He left a wife (pregnant with my Uncle Lee), my dad, two older sisters, and a younger brother, Jim (who later died in a car accident at 15 years old). My grandmother only had about a 7th grade education. How do you provide for a family like that during the depression? Well, she did. She and the community taught my dad and his brothers and sisters about love, compassion and hard work. They grew up with a strong sense of “All for one and one for all,” as my Uncle Lee put it. There was never a thought of self. It was all about each other and the people around them. It was a true love for family, friends, and even strangers. They never spoke ill of anyone and if I am truly honest I can look back at my time with my own dad and I can’t remember one time he had anything bad to say about anyone……..even when I knew it was someone who had done something to offend him.

Ephesians 4:29 talks about only speaking what builds people up. Proverbs 15:4 says, “the soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Boy does it ever! Proverbs 18:21 says the tongue has the power of life and death and I believe we can see that in the world we live in today. Many of our problems today are a direct result of what we speak or what has been spoken to us. The Bible says in Matthew 12:34 “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” I believe many of our hearts are pretty dark. From our own hearts is where the joy or hurt that lies within us comes from and what causes us to speak ill of ourselves and of others. This was the main reason I addressed loving yourself in last weeks blog.

As children we are typically happy and extremely loving. The world hasn’t quite gotten it’s grip on us yet. I believe that is why Jesus says in Matthew 18:3 unless we become like little children we will not enter His kingdom. But what happen? Where does the depression, the anger, self-loathing, putting others down, and all the negativity come from? I would bet if each one of us looked hard enough we could pin point the moment things began to change and I would bet it started with something someone said or did that impacted you negatively and made you question yourself. Before I go on can I just say that is the evil around us and you are a precious and wonderful gift from God with a divine purpose!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For me it was my 8th grade year. Prior to that, I was one of the happiest people on the earth. I had a strong Christian belief and I never questioned anyone’s motive. Towards the end of the year my school was having elections for Student Council President. I had been Vice President the year before and pretty much should have been a shoe-in for President. Evidently, my running had offended someone. Without going into detail I was literally boo’d when I came onto the stage to give my speech (in front of the whole student body) and when I left after I was done. Although I smiled the best I could and gave my speech proudly I was devastated on the inside. As I started paying more attention to things being said about me, many of which were not good, I started to believe them more and more. From there detrimental behavior followed and the vicious cycle began……I was not good enough……This thought process lead to talking bad about others to make myself feel better about me or participating in things I never thought I would. This, I believe, if where things like drug use, alcoholism, eating disorders and bullying begins. Just take a look at the increase in these things especially the suicide rates among young people. It is scarey to say the least.

How do we break the cycle? I’m glad you asked. I will start by saying its not easy and honestly I don’t have it completely figured out. The nasty beast raised its head in my life just this past weekend. Ugh! I hate it when that happens. The starting place is to begin with what I talked about in my last blog. I’m no psychologist and certainly not a professional counselor and if you are dealing with serious issues I recommend getting help from a professional. I am just a human being with my own experiences and I know what has helped me. The place I had to start was with myself. I had to quit believing the lies the evil one kept whispering in my ear. Once I felt better about myself, loving others became so much easier. Start making efforts towards others. Whether its family, friends, or strangers just lifting them up makes a world of difference. Smile all the time, even when you don’t feel it. Say hello to strangers. Don’t turn your eyes away. Engage in a positive way with people. Give sincere compliments. Take up for someone who is being unfairly treated. Don’t gossip. Find positive things to say about EVERYONE……….even those who you disagree with or who have hurt you. Most of all forgive!

My daddy passed away in 2004 at the age of 77. It wasn’t until after his funeral that I truly realized the man he was. This very humble hard working man had a packed church of people saying farewell. Some of them were students of his from his very first teaching job and others childhood friends. There were business associates and current friends. As I talked to more people that day and since then, the one thing they all have said is they never heard him say anything bad about anyone. Soon after my dad’s death my mother gave my two sisters and I a poem he use to carry in his wallet. I never even knew he carried this but I want to end by sharing it with you. This is what I want to strive for. This is what I want to be. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it inspires you as well.

I Know Something Good

Wouldn’t this old world be better
If folk we meet would say –
“I know something good about you!”
Then treat you the same way?

Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy,
If each handclasp fond and true;
Carried with it this assurance –
“I know something good about you!”

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy
If the good that’s in us all,
Were the only thing about us
That folk bothered to recall?

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy
If we praised the good we see?
For there is lots of goodness
In the worst of you and me!

Wouldn’t it be nice to practice,
That fine way of thinking, too?
You know something good about me!
I know something good about you!

Author Unknown

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Celebrating the Easter Season

I could not call myself Faith Fitness by Tracey if I didn’t spend time during the Easter season to talk about my faith. It is Easter that represents everything about my faith. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He loved me so much that he allowed his son to be sacrificed on the cross…..for me….and everyone!!!! I am the mother of 4 boys……I know I couldn’t do that. What an amazing love. I can only hope to live my life in a way that tries…..and I do mean tries because I am by no means perfect…..to be like Christ was. I want the people who know me to know Christ because of how I treat and love them. Do I make mistakes…..you bet I do every single day. It’s because of God’s son I know I am forgiven in those moments I fall short.

As you enter into this Easter season…..remember the sacrifice…..remember the forgiveness…..but most of all remember the love. May God bless each of my readers in the coming week.

Youthful Skin – It’s More Than Washing Your Face

I recently had a conversation with a friend about all the things it takes to keep our skin looking youthful as we age. So many people today take such drastic measures to try to look as young as they can. Too many times they end up looking like something straight out of a freak show. I am by no means against a little extra help here and there if that is what you choose to do. For me I choose to age gracefully. Unfortunately we all will age but there are things you can do to keep your skin looking years younger. The sooner you begin the more these things will help but beginning at any age will help.

In my opinion your skins best friends would be a healthy diet, exercise, limited sun exposure, plenty of water, essential fatty acids, amino acids, and good hygiene.

Lets begin with a healthy diet. Eating lots of foods high in antioxidants will do wonders for your skin. Fruits and veggies not only help you maintain a healthy weight but also keeps your skin looking younger. They help fight off all those free radicals which can age you prematurely. Also a diet high in lean protein helps as well. Protein is the building block to muscle. Having more toned muscle helps with the elasticity of the skin. By maintaining a healthy weight and not having large increases in your weight also helps maintain the elasticity of your skin. So how you feed your body makes all the difference.

Now lets talk exercise. Exercise helps in maintaining weight but it also plays a huge role in building muscle and maintaining muscle. Resistance training is very important the older we get as our body slows down in producing growth hormone. Muscle helps burn fat and as stated earlier helps the elasticity of the skin.

Now we have all heard what sun damage can do to our skin. Sunscreen is a must for healthy skin. The more your skin gets sun burned the more damage is done and the more you age. I grew up in the age of laying out in the sun with baby oil on and tanning beds. I have to admit if I hadn’t done those things I would have aged so much more gracefully. With sunscreens and spray tans now there is no excuse for damaging our skin in the sun. I’m not against a little sun but always wear a minimum of 30 SPF sunblock. You will still tan a little but you will not burn. If you have very fair skin you may need even higher SPF. I also use a facial sunscreen every day and the foundation I wear has an SPF of 15.

Staying well hydrated will also help you to look younger and will also help your skin be more healthy looking. Your skin appears fuller and small lines and wrinkles are less noticeable. You should at a minimum drink your body weight in ounces of water each day. Being well hydrated also helps all your body’s organs to function properly. If you are dehydrated it puts stress on your body causing your systems to not work at their best.

Another important thing in aging gracefully is making sure you supplement where there is deficiency. Amino acids (glutamine, carnetine, arginine, bcaa’s) and fatty acids (omega-3) all aid in keeping the skin, hair, and nails looking healthy and youthful. As we age our bodies don’t produce these things as efficiently as it once did. I highly suggest researching the effect supplementing amino acids and fatty acids has on aging.

Good hygiene is a must. You should wash your face every night before bed. Never sleep in your make-up. Exfoliate your skin regularly with a scrub. Also, use warm water but not hot water as that can dry the skin. Use moisturizers and lotions regularly as well. Nothing looks older than dry skin.

Finally, staying away from things such as smoking, alcohol, and drugs will keep you looking youthful much longer. Also, trying to live a life that is not stressful will help to. Regular relaxation whether through a favorite hobby or activity or getting a massage is a necessity to staying young and looking your best.

We Are Defined By What We Do

We are not defined by what we think or by what we say. Our actions and what we do are what we are defined by. You can say all day that You’re going to get healthy or you’re going to workout…..tomorrow….but until we take action it’s nothing more that words. Recently at church camp with my kids I learned that we should let our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no. If you say you are going to do something then do it. Don’t be the kind of person who says they will do something and then not follow through with it. Be the kind of person that people know when you say something you’re going to follow through……not just say something because it sounds good at the time!!!!!

Fit Tip Friday: Schedule that workout!

Here is a little fit tip for your Friday. Sometimes life can get really busy. It’s the nature of our world today! That doesn’t need to be an excuse not to workout. One thing I find that makes it hard to skip workouts is if I put them on my schedule both the day and the time. This way I always make sure it gets done. Sometimes things do come up but if its on my schedule its easy to say I already have something that day at that time……even if the appointment is just with me. Even if you only have 30 minutes that is better than nothing and there are lots of workout programs out there that you can do at home in 30 minutes or less. A couple of examples of programs that I endorse and love are Beachbody’s P90x3 and T25. They are intense workouts that take only 25-30 minutes. If you want more info on those workouts check out my Beachbody page on my website. Just go to the Beachbody link under Products. But those aren’t the only thing out there. The main thing is to get up and get moving and……GET IT ON YOUR SCHEDULE!!!!

Addiction: Not just your enemy but God’s!

Today I felt lead to pray for and encourage those dealing with addictions. Addiction is the enemy’s way of holding many of us in bondage. Addiction is not just to alcohol and drugs. Food and exercise addictions can be just as dangerous. If you have an addiction please realize you are not alone. While there are thousands of people dealing with addictions every day, God is right there with you and there are many Godly, Christian based treatment facilities that can help. Addiction tries to make us feel better or comforted….but truth be told the good feeling only lasts a moments……Take it to God. He knows your struggle and can set you free. Seek Godly counsel and take the steps along side God to become free. It may take some time……it will definitely take some trusting…..it won’t be easy….most of all it will take you and God walking together with those you love and who love you to overcome your addiction. But remember you can do all things through Christ and that God is for you and Satan loses!!!!

Wednesday-Get that butt off the couch!!!!

It’s midweek. I always find Wednesday the hardest day to train! For some reason I get a little lazy. When you feel that way you need to force yourself to get moving. Number one you will feel so much better. Number two it’s good for you. And finally number three it will give you that extra push to get through the week. Get that butt off the couch and get in some cardio or weight training or get outside and get active……you will feel great not only physically but mentally for accomplishing something you didn’t want to do!!!!

Protein Pancakes Great for Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I typically eat the same thing for breakfast but when I get tired of eating the same thing it’s hard to find something that has everything I need……mainly plenty of protein. Below is a recipe for protein pancakes that is really very yummy!!!! The consistency is really good. Not as fluffy as real pancakes but still very good. Enjoy!

Protein Pancakes:

1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1/3 cup oatmeal
I packet stevia
1 scoop of favorite vanilla protein powder
Cinnamon to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and cook over medium heat on skillet.

Makes 3-4 pancakes depending on size.
Calories 345
Fat 3g
Carbs 27g
Protein 56g

Failures are Opportunity

Having failures is not always a bad thing. If we use them intelligently we can grow and become better. With every failure we have the opportunity to start over……to begin again. They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting things to be different. Use the failures to make the needed changes to become better!!!!