Tag: Love

{FitFaithFriday} Meet fitGevity Creator and Travel Specialist, Kate Higgins!

Post author By AMANDA WRIGHT
Post date January 29, 2016

I met the beautiful Kate Higgins through a business coaching program called the Best of You. Kate and I have been virtual friends for a while and then got to meeting in person last September at our annual retreat! She is wonderful, graceful, and really easy to get along with! She was kind enough to interview me for her first ever #TravelTuesday interview series (!) she does on her site (since I am an active traveler) and I was so happy to interview her for this #FitFaithFriday feature too!

She was a little nervous about our Fit & Faithful space here because she said, "Well, I am pretty private about my Faith and don't talk about it much. I probably couldn't quote you any scriptures or anything."

I assured her that this is NOT the forum in which we judge each other based on "rule following" principles of religion, right?!! I aspire to do just as God did for David, "People look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

I am overjoyed when I have friends who are willing to share anything about their Faith and their own Spiritual journey because we are all a work in progress and it makes God so happy when we offer up any amount of Faith that we have! Whatever we give, He will make it grow (it IS the Law of the Harvest, afterall!).

So it's my honor to present Kate's thoughtful answers to the questions below!

Me: Tell us a little bit about what you do--when you started and why you started:

Kate: I am a fitness blogger, and I specialize in staying fit and healthy while traveling. My blog, fitGevity, started out as a resource to support my line of resistance bands I created in 2014. Since then it has evolved into personal blog dedicated mostly to my travels and how I maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling

I made this shift with fitGevity for a number of reasons. First, how much fun is it to constantly be writing about resistance bands?? The answer - not too much! Second, a 20 pound weight gain while traveling around Thailand for four months made me realize that traveling and staying healthy isn’t the easiest thing to do. I wanted to share my experiences, mistakes, and solutions with other travelers with the hopes that they will be able to avoid a substantial weight gain like mine. Lastly, after driving for Uber for a few months, and talking with literally a few hundred people who constantly travel, I began to notice that staying healthy on the road is hard for everyone! From there I decided that my mission is to help as many travelers as possible via coaching to stay fit and healthy while traveling.

Me: How does your Faith impact your Fitness and your Fitness impact your Faith?

Kate: For me, my faith is pretty personal. I find that I don’t often share my feelings or beliefs with others. So my health and fitness are intertwined with my faith. I’m always grateful for my ability to move, exercise, treat my body well, and help others through my blog. I also feel like being able to help others with their health and fitness is a great way to give back!

Me: What is the #1 struggle that you see women facing today and how do you think Faith and/or Fitness can help them?

Kate: One main struggle I see with women today is losing their individual identities to their families. As women we are often times the caretakers of our families. In the end we give up our own desires, wants, likes, etc, for the good of the family. This level of sacrifice comes from a good place in our hearts, but in the long run can make us lose track of who we really are.

I think staying true to our beliefs as well as making time for our health helps to keep us mindful of who we really are. Faith and fitness give us time that’s just ours. If we feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally then we are going to thrive as individuals, be more likely to stand up for what is most important to us, and will be less likely to lose our identities.

Me: What is the greatest lesson you have learned recently that is tied to your Fitness or your Faith?

Kate: The biggest lesson I have learned recently is that the truth will set you free. Holding onto anything can become toxic after a while. Lying, keeping secrets, and making up excuses is exhausting! It gives us anxiety, makes us dread seeing certain people, and the longer we hold onto it the more likely that the secret will come out at the wrong place and time.

While getting something off your chest might be tough, it’s incredibly worthwhile in the long run. You will feel as if a weight has lifted, stress has been reduced, and mental space has been freed up. This can lead to a healthier lifestyle, decreased levels of anxiety and stress, weight loss, a higher level of happiness, and more productivity.

ME: What dreams do you have for the future?

Kate: I have some big dreams for this year and the future! My goal is to continue to grow my blog. It may not sound like much, but by the end of the year if I have helped even 10 travelers stay healthy while on the road I will have accomplished my mission for the year).

As time goes on I want to continue growing my brand and to reach more people. I’m not exactly sure how I will accomplish this just yet - which programs I will design, inspiration I’ll gain along the way - but I trust that as long as I put forth 100% effort that I will be guided down the right path.

ME: Do you have anything coming up that we can participate in?

Kate: Yes! I have a free four day travel fitness coaching course coming out by the end of next week! I’m extremely excited about this program and have put lots of blood, sweat, and tears...well, you get the picture...into it. This program is a webinar style training delivered over four days, and covers everything from packing tips to exercise and nutrition. I’d love for anyone who travels frequently or is planning to go on a vacation in the near future to try it out! 🙂

You can find Kate and her Travel Tips on any of her social media pages here:

Website: http://www.fitgevitysolutions.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fitgevity

instagram: http://www.instagram.com/fitgevity

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fitgevity

Tags Faith, Fit, fitGevity, Friday, God, Love, travel, travel tuesday, Women

Fitness & Training Spiritual Health

Why Two People Who Do The Exact Same Thing Will Experience Wildly Different Results…

Post author By AMANDA WRIGHT
Post date January 28, 2016

A lot of people have asked me if I am against people doing bikini competitions since I have told so many stories about the negative consequences of having done mine. And I wholeheartedly tell them, “Absolutely not!” I am in fact prepping a client for a bikini competition as we speak! She’s about 10 weeks away!

But also, the reason I would never dare to tell someone not to go after such a lofty goal is that there are a lot of really great things that can come out of pushing ourselves far out of our comfort zones. There is SO MUCH that I learned about my CHARACTER in that process of taking things “too far” for MY body that I have ZERO regrets about.

There are some people that actually THRIVE and really LOVE the competition world and can maintain a high character approach toward doing such activity.

One such example is one of my best friends and prayer partner, Jennifer. She was one who trained me and dozens of other women for these competitions with her husband. Jennifer did a couple different competitions herself over the years and told me she was was able to actually use them to grow closer to God!

Anything and everything we do can be an act of worship. So especially those really challenging goals we push for, we can definitely lean more on Him and we will be better for it! While Jennifer will tell you she won’t do another one (they are huge sacrifices, especially if you have young kids, like she does), her experience was markedly different than mine.

So why is that in life?

How is it that two women, both with hearts for God, can engage in the SAME endeavor, “planting our seeds” into the same routines, desiring the same outcomes, but experiencing radically different “HARVESTS” as a result?

This is often where we get hung up as we decide to try to do those things that we see our friends do, especially after we see their success.

The key to understanding the differences in these “harvests” and rewards is to realize that there are THREE vital parts to the Law of the Harvest, not just the two.

There’s the obvious SEED (our thoughts, our words and our actions)

Then there’s the obvious HARVEST (the results, our success, and our character blessing,too).

The THIRD aspect to this equation is the real difference maker.

It's the SOIL.

The SOIL is the *KEY* component into whether the seeds sprouts a REWARDING harvest or whether the the seeds withers, dies and gets ‘choked' by the weeds of life.

Take a look at the powerful words of Jesus’ Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13 which I like in The Message translation.

"A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” (Matthew 13:3-8)

It’s obvious that this Farmer had worked hard to scatter his seeds. And it wasn’t the SEEDS fault that it failed because each seed was made with equal potential for greatness and success! The same goes for you and me. We are all created in equal love and ability for our own blessings and destiny.

The key difference as to whether the seed found success or not was the nutritious depth of environment that it was planted.

In other words if you don’t plant your SEEDS (i.e. your thoughts, words and actions) into an environment that doesn't have depth and nutrition, then the shallow soil will not produce the fruitful harvest you desire.

That’s exactly what went wrong with my experience in the bikini competition.

As I learned, more retrospectively, that the real reason WHY I decided to do the bikini competition was in order to “look the part” of someone I thought I was supposed to be.

The real reason WHY I chased having a “perfect body” was because I thought that was the answer to my body images issues and ultimately would give me self-love and happiness.

My “WHY" was my soil. Your WHY is your soil too.

If it’s a shallow, self-serving, or an overall unhealthy reason WHY you are really doing what you are doing then it will NOT produce the rich harvest of blessings that you want it to because God wants SO MUCH MORE for you life.

{And by “really” doing, I mean, the real, deep reason why you are doing what you are doing. Not the reason you tell others or even convince yourself you are doing something. It might even be subconscious for a while, but eventually God will allow it to come to light. Your WHY matters most. }

"Planting on the PATHWWAY ":

Sometimes we make half-hearted choices in our health, the most shallow of all. We know these well. We commit to a “diet” that we’re never really going to follow. We sign up for a “program” that we don’t even open. We get that gym membership but never show up to use it. We don’t ever really COMMIT and therefore our WHY is extra shallow. These are equivalent to the “path” where the birds came and eat those seeds. Nothing will come from these efforts.

"Planting On Shallow Soil":

Sometimes we get excited and so we make hasty, quick decisions and see some quick results….but inevitably those seeds sprout quickly and die just as quickly.

We do that 3-day cleanse, but then we go right back to eating how we used to. We take drops or diet pills that decrease our appetite to lose weight quickly. We do an extreme workout regime for a month or two, preparing for a “special occasion.” But those extreme tactics cannot be sustained and are equivalent to the soil in the gravel. The faster it comes off, the faster it will come right back on.

"Planting Among the Weeds"

Then, there are times we we *think* we are planting our “seeds” in rich and deep soil of good intentions. This was me in my big endeavor in my bikini competition and DOZENS of other life experiences I’ve had.

We make the commitment alright, but soon realize that WEEDS sprout up all around us.

I love what Jesus tells us about the soil with the weeds (from The Message translation again which is extra powerful).

“The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.” (Matthew 13:22 MSG)

For anyone that has planted a garden, you know that you don’t need to GROW WEEDS. Weeds just sprout up. The same thing happens in our head as we plant our seeds the the soil of opportunity.

Weeds are lies we start to believe about ourselves.

Weeds are the distractions of self-doubt, selfishness or even conflict. Weeds are the result of SIN and our human nature and the devil getting in the way of our destiny.

These weeds strangle our good intentions of the Spirit and distorts them, ruining the harvest.

"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:17

BUT, GOD.

It would seem to be a lost cause that we would ever be able to truly reap a rich harvest we desire out of life, doesn’t it?

Indeed, I think a lot of people lose hope here. Thinking, “What’s the point? I’m always going to self-sabotage and will never escape my habits of worry."

It is a huge challenge in our lives and I am not trying to play this down at all.

BUT, Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6)

But I believe that it is MORE THAN possible to plant your seeds of your health and your life in the deep, rich soil that is Jesus and you will WIN the harvest of your destiny.

When you align your WHY with God’s WHY for your life, and not the life of those you see around you, you will find that there are far fewer weeds that will get in your way and choke your destiny away from you.

"Planting on the Good Soil":

When your health becomes less about YOU and more about what you can do to better serve God’s kingdom, the richness of your soil will be incredible. It will sprout harvests for generations and generations.

Listen to what Jesus went on to say about planting seeds on “Good Earth,"

“The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” (Matthew 13:23 MSG)

The "NEWS" is that Jesus has already done all of the hard work for you when He died on the cross.

The "NEWS" is that you don’t actually have to strive for and earn the things you think you do, God has worked it all out for you.

The "NEWS" is that He has come through with his weed whacker and has prepared some fertile ground for JUST YOU to plant. You just need to have COURAGE, FAITH and TRUST that God will always do what He says He will do.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

There are over 7,000 promises in the Bible like this that you can ROOT yourself and your health in. When you focus on Him and focus on His TRUTH the weeds of your doubt and the lies in your head simply cannot survive.

Get deep. Look for your real WHY and you will win. You will win!

Tags Bikini Competition, body, Body Building, body image, competition, Faith, Fitness, friend, God, Harvest, Jesus, Love, reap, reward, seeds, soil, success, Women

Spiritual Health

Harvesting More Energy In Your Life!

Post author By AMANDA WRIGHT
Post date January 22, 2016

I've been doing a lot of research lately about how we get exactly what we really WANT and what we really NEED out of life, especially as it relates to our desires for our health. My journey led me to the universal law, as designed by God, of the "Law of the Harvest" (a.k.a "you reap what you sow"principle in life).

Understanding this rudimentary Law in life has completely changed my approach to getting what I want in life as well as my expectation of what that process will look like. Understanding THIS helps us to understand GOD and the UNIVERSE. When we understand Him (slightly better), we better understand ourselves, since we are made in His image. When we understand ourselves, we are empowered to make better choices which ultimately lead us to getting what it is we say we want!

As some of you may have received some of my recent emails on this or the blog post introduction and hopefully grabbed your copy of the free 7-Day Devotional called “Harvesting My Health,” there are several “Laws of the Harvest” that we must consider to actually use this God-given law for our excellence.

As it happens, this week that I started this conversation with you all, it happened to be the exact week that Rick Warren did a series called “Daring to Plant In Faith” on his podcast I listen to called, Daily Hope. Is this JUST a coincidence?! I think not! #Godwink

But, as it goes, the great Pastor Rick took my well researched 7 Laws of the Harvest from my devotional and put his own “Rick Warren" spin and expanded them to 11-Laws of the Harvest! You can listen to Part 1 of this podcast HERE or you can listen to the original entire sermon from Saddleback Church HERE. The man is just a genius teacher!

So, to help you understand these Laws in your real life health efforts, I wanted to give you an example of how you might think through the these laws.

Law #1: Everything starts as a SEED.

Your BODY itself is a SEED that will need to be planted in order to get more energy.

Your THOUGHTS about desiring more energy are also SEEDS that need to get planted in order to provide the actions necessary.

Law #2: Nothing Happens Until the Seed Is Planted

You can’t just complain about not having low energy. You can’t just “wish” for more ENERGY. You can’t even just PRAY for more energy. You have to PLANT THE SEEDS (i.e. show some action) to get more energy.

You must also realize that if you DON’T DO ANYTHING to plant more energy, by DEFAULT you ARE actually planting seeds of DECREASED energy. So the lesson is to do at least something.

Law #3: When I Have a Need, I Plant a Seed

Because I NEED (i.e. desire) more energy, I need to plant the seeds that will get me MORE energy— things like work outs, proper rest, and nutritious food.

It will also have to AVOID planting those seeds that will get me those things that COUNTERACT my efforts for more energy—sitting too much, not getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, over-caffeinating myself, eating junk food, eating too much food, eating too little of food, etc. If you feel low energy, start paying attention to what choices you have made that day that’s bringing your energy down. Putting 2:2 together is a big step!

Law #4: Whatever I Plant Is What I Will Reap:

I have to plant those things that actually produce MORE ENERGY to attain more energy. I can’t plant WORRY and expect to get MORE ENERGY. I can’t plant BUSYNESS and expect MORE ENERGY.

You might have to try some things out and monitor how it’s going. It might take a trial and error, but the power here is in the INTENTION of it. Try just one thing intentionally and see if it works! Monitor, adjust and keep going.

Law #5: I am not the Only Sower

I realize that I am living in some of the harvests that I did not plant. I might have entered into a world of chaos that affects my ENERGY. I might have “inherited” a tendency to worry and overanalyze, which drains my energy.

But I have the POWER to stop any inheritance that I do not want to pass along to others. I can’t control the past, or what other people do around me, but I can choose to create brand new legacy and example of energy management.

Law #6: I Always Reap In a Different Season Than I Sow

These results will take time, there is always a delay. I cannot expect instant energy from just one day of planting. You always feel LESS energy during the workout but you get a nice big boost after! Cutting back on sugar at first makes you feel low energy, but ultimately you'll have a much better energy balance than before!

You have to build up consistent effort to figure out what works and what doesn’t work. After some time, then I will reap the harvest of high energy that I desire.

Law #7: I Must Be Patient and Not Give Up

Because of the delay that we often see in our efforts, many people become impatient and give up. But not you! You realize that every great thing in life results from an uphill battle and you can be ready and willing to push through those times. You may have to lose some energy to gain some energy, and that’s a sacrifice that will be worth it if you don’t give up!

Law #8: I Will Always Reap More Than I Sow

This is the Law of Multiplication. I will get MORE out of what I put in. So if I want just small efforts for my healthy energy, I will get more energy than I invest. If I need to see bigger shifts in my energy, I need to invest more in the planting!

In the same way, there are small energy zappers that I could be doing that drain much more energy than I thought they would. Having my phone on in my bed? Hanging out with those friends who just pour out their troubles onto me? Repeating those worries in my mind without praying or giving them to God? All of these little things will reap and steal more energy than I think.

Law #9: I Can Always Increase My Harvest By Planting More Seeds

This is the 'Law of Proportion.’ All I have to do is start with some small acts in an effort to get more energy. If I find that they are working, I can just push those acts more and more and get more out of them! But there is no pressure to start BIG. I can always add more!

Law #10: The More Seed I Plant, The More God Will Give Me

God is looking for GIVERS to bless. Those people that are the most ACTIVE for the GOOD of others are blessed with LOTS OF ENERGY. God will bless me for those Good efforts by giving me more and more responsibility and need for energy. The more Ido for the world around me, the more energy God will give me to be able to do it all.

Law #11: I Plant by Faith, NOT By Feelings:

I will never ever FEEL like doing those things that will give me more energy. Many times I will have to plant when I don’t FEEL LIKE IT, but I’ll do it anyway because I know that’s the only way I get what I want out of life.

Planting by Faith means that I do things for the deeper reason WHY. When I cling to that reason and don’t detour on whims of emotion, I’ll get far more out of your goals and build my character too. It will pay off HUGE dividends when I sacrifice my immediate gratification for my greater investment down the road.

In short, we have to realize that the things that really matter in life, and having ENERGY is something that really does matter, even though it’s something that God wants for us to have, WE are responsible in just how much we invest and therefore harvest.

God doesn’t operate as just a “vending machine” where we think we just “put in” our part and “God’s part” automatically spits out what we want. A vending machine God does not build our heart or our character.

Our heart and our character are the “treasures” that we take with us to heaven. So it only makes sense that God will ALLOW US to “store up” those real treasures in heaven while we are also getting more out of the life that we are living NOW. What a gift that is! (Matthew 6:20)

It is an honor to get to work for the things we really want out of life. It is a privilege and it makes our reward that much more rewarding!

So, here’s to planting more energy for you TODAY!

Tags energy, Faith, Fit, God, Harvest, Health, Love, Pastor, plant, reap, rick warren, sow, teaching, Women

Uncategorized

You Say This Is What You Want, But…

Post author By AMANDA WRIGHT
Post date January 7, 2016

I just completed my Vision board for 2016. I have done them every year since 2013 and absolutely believe in the value that having a visual representation of the “God-sized” and specific dreams for your life and what it can do to your subconscious psyche.

You can check out my “business” vision board here….

(there are a lot of words in my “vision”…because I’m a “words” kind of girl!).

But you know what I see when I look at this board with my big bold and audacious dreams?

Sacrifice.

That’s right, when I look at this board, I see that for every big, bold, audacious dream I want to achieve in this year, which include dreams for my business, dreams for my health, dreams for my income and my servant heart, I am ONLY going to find success in these dreams by making the right CHOICES that will allow these to be fulfilled.

Contrary to what you might think that dreams are, and especially what a lot of people think GOD DOES FOR YOUR LIFE, is that it’s not about “wishing” for things to be better. God is not a genie where you rub his lamp and he appears to just grant you all the things you want and the “good feelings” you desire.

No. God is after your HEART and He is after your SPIRIT and He deserves it wholeheartedly. God wants you to be with Him forever in Heaven which REQUIRES that you make some sacrifices in your life here on earth. Love is a sacrifice.

You see for every list of things that I desire to achieve this year and in my lifetime, is an equally long (if not longer) list of things that I WON’T do.

So today, I am challenging myself and I am challenging you to get real with what it is you say you want out of life so you can discern not only those things that you WANT out of this year, but also those things that you will have to be willing to SACRIFICE. Consider it some “Unapologetically SURREND’hered” tough love that we all need in the New Year….

You say you want to be healthy…..

…..but are you willing to commit to some health changes, for say… ever? I know you might be thinking that you are totally sacrificing when you go on those 21, 30, or even 90-day cleanses and willpower challenges, but those are NOT actually sacrifices that will serve your health in the long run, nor are they what God requires of you.

Paul writes,

“..give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and HOLY sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1 NLT)

I didn’t notice him saying, “Give your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice for 30 days….” did you? So why would we think that our health is something we go “on” and “off” of too? We are not called to “diet” we are called to achieve HEALTH.

A much greater sacrifice, and the type of sacrifice that will get you what you want—TRUE HEALTH— is to make a lifestyle change with one bold step at a time, what I call in my new program, the her Health Lounge, the “Next Best Step Action Plan.”

The discipline required to go at the slow, steady pace of real fat loss is a sacrifice for our “immediate gratification” flesh.

The self-control required to monitor your impulse eating and assess your actual hunger means that you will sacrifice your cravings and emotional eating habits.

The patience and self-love it takes to actually give yourself some REST instead of just pushing HARDER and HARDER at the gym or by over-dieting is a sacrifice to our guilt-driven, overly worrisome, fleshy tendencies.

If you say that you want TRUE Health—LASTING health– then you will have to sacrifice your TIME, ENERGY, RESOURCES and MINDSET to figuring out and dealing with the LIES that you are believing right now that are preventing you from the TRUTH. The truth of how God sees you and what God desires for your health and for your life.

If you are unwilling to sacrifice and invest in those practices that help you get deeply rooted in WHY you deserve to be healthy and HOW you are going to do that in a way that serves you SPIRITUALLY as much as it serves you PHYSICALLY, then you are not yet ready to actually attain or maintain TRUE HEALTH.

You will not find True Health unless you are willing to go DEEP enough to uncover it. This is a sacrifice of our ego.

You say you want to be happy….

…but are you willing to sacrifice doing those things and exposing yourself to those environments that do not serve your joy? You will only find true joy when you immerse yourself in joyful and love-giving environments on a regular basis.

Are you willing to sacrifice all the time you spend following people on Facebook and social media that gossip, slander, complain and criticize? Are you willing to sacrifice the secret love you have of watching reality TV shows and “keeping up with” all those celebrities that will either make you envy them and their perceived looks or “success,” or make you feel superior and prideful because you love to hate them?

Are you willing to sacrifice watching the news or the political pundits that just over-analyze and tell you why the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket?”

Maybe the world isn’t the “Promised Land” that God designed it to be, but you are not contributing to that dream and promise of God by watching these obsessive shows who’s only platform is to just CRITICIZE everyone.

Are you willing to GO FIRST?

You say you want to be happy, but are you willing to take a stand and GO FIRST in showcasing the ways of true joy? Are you willing to tell people that it’s because of God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus that you are even capable of feeling the fruits of the spirit like Love, Joy and Peace?

Are you willing to sacrifice your reputation and the fear of “what other people think about you” by being authentic, honest and forthright? To “be the change you wish to see in the world” first, without waiting for another courageous person to do it and you follow?

You say you want God’s blessing….

…but are you living a life that shows that you really BELIEVE in Him? It’s not enough to just have a head knowledge that God exists, but you must have a HEART knowledge that is only showcased in how you live your life.

As Rick Warren states, “Believing there is a God and believing that Jesus died on the cross is not enough to get into heaven. Because the devil believes in God, and the devil believes in Jesus, but it doesn’t mean that the devil is going to be in heaven.”

Did you catch that?!

He referenced, James 2:19 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!”

The word “believe” is actually translated as “pisteuo” in Greek. It means to “trust in, to cling to, to rely on, to adhere to and to commit to.”

Are you willing to do ALL OF THOSE things for God?

(For more on this, listen to Rick Warren’s great Daily Hope podcast HERE.)

Let me be clear, all this is not to say that you “earn” God’s blessing, as we know that we can never EARN God’s love. It is freely given. Your HEART must come to the understanding of the GOSPEL which can be boiled down to one simple phrase, “His grace is sufficient for me…” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

But, this is about how you having daring Faith that will move God to not only bless you more richly here on earth, but the ultimate and true gift of rich and wonderful blessings in Eternity.

Are you willing to sacrifice and SURREND’her ALL of your life to Him, even those things you do in secret?

Are you willing to give Him reign over your life and take up your cross DAILY (not just on Sundays), sacrificing the desires of your flesh?

Are you willing to die to yourself and your innate and selfish ways for the greater good and to be of service to others?

Are you willing to endure through some uncomfortable times and do the things you fear the most because you know that this is God’s dream for your life?

Are you willing to sacrifice your time to connect with Him daily and to study His word so you can have a deeper, more meaningful relationship?

Are you willing to give up the “RULE-FOLLOWING” of religion that makes you think you can just follow a “checklist” to Heaven in exchange for a real, authentic, and a completely unique relationship with God?

You say you want love…..

….but are you willing to sacrifice for it?

If you want to truly LOVE your life, then you must sacrifice for it.

Love is not just following “good emotions.” Real love is a SACRIFICE.

Mother’s who love their child sacrifice their sleep, their time, and their needs for their children. Husbands who love their wives sacrifice their fidelity, their selfish, lustful desires and are called to work, provide and submit to her. Wives who love their husbands sacrifice their nagging desires, their controlling tendencies and are called to provide, respect and submit to their husband. These are all a sacrifice to our innate, selfish tendencies.

And God, who so richly loves YOU, sacrificed “His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). <——— THAT is real sacrifice. Do you BELIEVE THAT?

So when you dream up these God sized dreams for your life and you have high hopes of accomplishing everything you can in 2016 and beyond, remember that it is LOVE that moves mountains and ultimately LOVE is a sacrifice.

Having said all that….

I invite you on this CHALLENGE with me in radically shifting your health to be able to achieve the things you say you want from your HEALTH and your LIFE and join me in the “her Health Lounge” coaching program. I am only offering this program 2 x per year, so if you don’t snag the chance NOW, you won’t have another opportunity until SEPTEMBER.

It is a 6-month journey, delivered in an online portal, that will require a sacrifice and investment of your time and your resources, but you will be blessed with a rich harvest of rewards for your body, mindset and spirit.

Your LIFE, not just your HEALTH will be transformed by this journey when you commit to it wholeheartedly!

her Health Lounge starts on Monday January 11 and goes through July 9. All 26-weeks are mapped out for you on the Sales Page.

But, if you enroll with me NOW through January 7 (at Midnight), you will get 3 MEGA BONUSES, that include:

Access the the Lounge for a FULL YEAR instead of just 6 months.
“her Worthy Time” spiral planner and daily devotional along with a video training on the best Time Management Practices for balance and productivity.
“Nutrient Based Food Prep for busy lives” printable guide and video training.

ALL FOR FREE!

Until Midnight Tonight!

Also, if you desire to have a more hands on, 1:1 coaching experience, I am offering only 10 spots in my Platinum Membership that comes with weekly phone calls and custom nutrition and exercise plans. You can set up a FREE consultation call with me by reserving a spot with me HERE and we can discover if we’re a “right fit” for each other!

Join Today!

http://herhealthlounge.awrightfit.com/

Tags Bible, faith and fitness, Faithful, Fit, God, Health, her health lounge, holy, hope, Jesus, journey, life, Love, meaning, membership, sacrifice, Trust, woman, Women

Goal Development Health Coaching Uncategorized

What a Difference A Year Makes

Post author By Amanda Wright
Post date October 14, 2015
2 Comments on What a Difference A Year Makes

It's been an incredible year! I have taken over 47 flights. I have traveled to 9 countries and over 15 cities, domestically. I became wife. I became a *bonus*mom (of a toddler!). We moved to a new city and learned the art of making new friends. I started a new kind of company and stepped into a calling. I spoke openly about my Faith and became a writer. I overcame some significant strongholds and for the first time felt the presence of God, tangibly. I also was privileged to coach over 23 women personally, which means I fostered 23 intimate relationships with women in over 11 different cities nation-wide. Every single day, I focused myself on how I could grow and teach others the ways of living STRONG'her and WISE'her by SURREND'hering more and more to God.

I of course don't say this to boast or even martyr myself in the least bit. It was just a big year! While it was incredibly busy and frankly a whirlwind of a life change, I have come away with possibly the greatest year EVER! Through the willingness to embrace all this change has come an abundance of lessons and the cultivation of characteristics and virtues that I didn't even realize were possible. I screwed up a lot. I had panic attacks and full on melt downs on the regular. But, I leaned in and withstood the storms and experience sheer joy time and time again. I learned to #FailForward, #FailFast, #FailFaithfully. I heard of this great idea of keeping a journal of all of the lessons you learn in life (as you inevitably screw up) so you actually remember what you learn and don't have to relearn it the hard way again. While I didn't start this particular lesson journal in October of last year, but I did acquire quite a few lessons nevertheless!

There are over 7,000 promises that God gives us in the Bible. When you find one that resonates with your current need, circle it and pray on that every day. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13
Sometimes you just have to shut up and pray.
There is a huge difference between a promise and a VOW.
It's ok to say "no" to something "good" so you can say "yes" to something "great."
When you say you're sorry, you can't add a "but" to the end of it, otherwise it doesn't count.
Talking openly about your Faith is extremely hard and even more humbling when you realize how small your Faith really is.
Nagging people to change never actually works. They might appease you for a second just to get you to pipe down, but it doesn't work in the long run.
Setting boundaries in how you let others treat you is a way of showing them love. You are offering them a chance to see the Truth of who you are so speak with gentleness and stand firm in your truth.
The opposite of love isn't hate, the opposite of love is fear. When you worry, you cannot love. When you are loving, you cannot worry. "Perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:8).
Asking someone "Why?" is not nearly as inviting as asking someone to "Tell me more about that?" You get much less of a defensive response.
Sometimes you think you are allergic to foods when really you are allergic to STRESS.
You can get so much more done when you make a list of the top priorities of your day and just do those things.
There is a perfect rhythm of working HARD for 90-mins and then taking a short break to do something Physical or Spiritual. This rhythm makes you far more balanced and efficient, helping you get so much more done WELL.
You can be content in all circumstances by seeing with grateful eyes.
You must not neglect your gift. You must grow it, cultivate it and give it away.
So what, you're weird. Radically accept that. "Those the mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind."-Dr. Seuss
There is true bliss that comes from giving into your "Happy Weight."
"Live not by works, but by Faith." Busyness does not get you any points with God.
You can actually rewire your brain by visualizing your "future self" and SURREND'hering to her as you make decisions.
God's capacity to give far exceeds our capacity to receive.
There is a distinct difference between "No" and "Not Yet" with God. Patience is everything.
Comparison is the thief of joy. We should join in the praise when we see God's blessings on others lives.
Take your environment seriously and it will radically shift your life. From the people you put yourself around, to the things you watch and read, and the spaces you design for your own work and creativity.
God designed us for Prosperity. Not understanding the proper value of your TIME will consistently hinder that.
To change any bad habit, including the habit of fear, you must always REPLACE the habit and focus your intention on what you DO want to become. I suggest love.
Neuroscience now proves a MEMORY is formed after 21-days of intentional thought and dwelling. A HABIT is formed after 3 cycles of that for a total of 63 DAYS. For. one. habit. Focus only on the 'Big Rocks' that matter and will have a bigger impact on your life.
Those whom are hardest to love are always those that need the most love. Their insecurity makes them difficult, demanding and distant. Your love and respect can cure them of all that.
You learn your true identity and Greater Purpose from others, not by yourself. God designed us for community.
"Joy doesn't come from what you have, joy comes from what you know can't be taken from you." Rick Warren
Your soul is where your body meets your power source.
It's just like God to take our sinful, selfish acts and decide to bless us anyway. "God works for the Good of those who love Him." (Romans 8:38)
"Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity." -Brene Brown
You are so very WORTHY of it all. Spiritual magic happens when we seek to see ourselves and others the way God see us. Our worth to Him is endless.

Tags birthday, body, brene brown, dr. seuss, Exercise, Faith, Fit, Fitness, gentleness, God, god's promises, Health, kindness, lessons, Love, Mind, patience, prosperity, rick warren, Soul, travel, wishes, year

Spiritual Health Uncategorized

Embrace the Space: Why the G.A.P Method Works!

Post author By Amanda Wright
Post date October 2, 2015

I have characterized the majority of my life as feeling like a solid B+ student wishing she were an A. Across the board, I have felt this lacking and longing that I could be just a little better than I was. In my looks, my body, my intellect, my athletic capability, even my Faith!

There always feels like there is this space between where I am and where I want to be. Do you know the feeling?

I feel this space also in my relationships! You can feel the tension and the gap between where I am coming from and where, say, my husband is coming from on any conversation or subject.

These gaps in our life can leave us feeling completely inadequate and lacking in various ways. Like the dangling carrot on a stick in front of our nose, we will never quite get there. For some, it may make them want to just give up and quit! For others, it will become a perpetual obsessive cycle to become “enough.”

But, what I have come to learn, that these gaps in our life are the greatest gifts we can ever receive and a brilliant design by God.

So, not only am I going to explain why you should say a prayer of thanks for your gaps in your life today, but I will give you a great tool to remind you of their magnitude to store in your heart for your next moment of inadequacy!

When we study God’s word and reflect on His nature and character sewn throughout, we can see what an act of love our own insufficiency can be. Because, without our own GAPS in life, we would not have enough room and space for God.

God designed us to need Him and wholly depend on Him for our entire life. Without these great spaces in our lives, we would not have that longing for Him. Nor would we have the chance for Him to bless us in such astonishing and over-the-top ways.

He blesses us in spite of us. Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23 NIV “for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.”

So whether you are the Pope or Mother Theresa, you too fall short of the Glory of God.

If life were a literal race and we were all running from coast to coast, there will be some that will be better than others, sure. But in the end, no man is able to run non-stop all the way to the finish line. We ALL will fall short.

There is a GAP between where we are in our sin and where God is in His Holy throne. We cannot get there while on this Earth.

The Good News….

BUT, BUUUUUUUUUUTTTTT, God is Good, ALL THE TIME and He takes these blessed GAPS in our life and transforms them into exactly what we need! How? By bridging the G.A.P and filling that space.

You can use this acronym to remind you of exactly what your GAPs in your life really represent!

G: Grace

The space between REAL you and PERFECT you will be filled with God’s Grace. It is with Grace that God sent His son Jesus down to live and die as a sacrifice for our sins we are committing now.

This Grace is what fills up this universe sized space between our sinful nature and God’s nature.

When we feel insufficient, we are reminded by God that, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

He takes our insufficiency and transforms it with His Grace. We are sufficient and purposeful because we fall short.

The best part is, that God’s grace is FREE. You cannot earn it or buy it! All you have to do is believe to receive.

So if you have not yet received God in your heart and are ready to unload this burden of trying to be perfect all on your own, it is time that you give your heart a break and choose to believe in Christ today. Your Faith does not have to be perfect to trust and believe, it just has to be from the heart.

You can do it right now and say in your heart, “God, I choose to believe that you love me and sent your son to die for me. I ask for your presence and guidance in my life, to be my Lord and save me. Amen.”

God will take care of growing your Faith and all of the questions that you have. You don’t have to prove Him to yourself, He will handle it. Just believe and you will receive.

A: Abundance

The second reminder is that when we feel like we are lacking in qualities, outcomes, characteristics, and even Faith, God is our ABUNDANCE.

One of the greatest gifts you can have is to think with an abundance mindset. To know that no matter what, there is always more where that came from.

If someone stole your great invention, there will be an even greater invention down the line.

If you didn’t get the great job promotion that you worked so hard for, there will be an even better opportunity coming shortly.

All of dreams that seem impossible with your current circumstances, are POSSIBLE with God. “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Having that GAP in between the reality and your expectation, leaves room for the Great HOPE for tomorrow that only God can provide. God gives us Hope with His Abundant nature.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

P: Power

These very spaces of inadequacy and gaps in our alignment become the areas where we gain our greatest courage, strength and POWER.

Going back to the verse in Romans, not only do we see that God’s grace is our sufficiency, but is also our POWER because God’s Power becomes our Power.

“My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

When we are weak, He is STRONG.

When we feel afraid, He is our COURAGE.

When we want to act out in anger, He is our LOVE.

All of these attributes become our very power within us to withstand every circumstance and failure in life.

Whatever we are lacking, God exceeds and it is in HIS Might that we are so capable.

The next time you feel the weight of the space between you and your goals, expectations, and progress, remember your GAP is your Guide.

It is easy to keep putting more pressure on yourself to try harder or to give up rather than give IN to the God that created you, but I assure you, seeing these spaces as the Grace, Abundance and Power that you need to excel will quickly show you how incredibly rewarding our Faith can be!

Tags 2 Corinthians, abundance, fail, failure, Faith, fall short, gap, God, grace, hope, inadequate, insufficient, Jesus, Love, Paul, power, Romans, space, sufficient, weakness

Fitness & Training Spiritual Health

Isn’t It Just Like God…. A Testimony of Fitness and Faith

Post author By Amanda Wright
Post date September 16, 2015

It would be 2013, lucky #13, that would be my most transformed year-to-date. I was single after being in an on-again, off-again relationship going on about 4 years. I was living in Denver, CO and had just found myself lucky enough to be raptured in a new passion that was soon going to be a career change. I had always loved going to the gym but then I was given the opportunity to start teaching group fitness classes, training clients and soon became a certified Nutrition Coach.

I had just found my “word”, you know, those words that seem to smack you in the face with how perfect they are for you right in the moment? My word was SURRENDER as I had realized that even though I grew up going to church, I hadn’t yet fully SURRENDERED and committed myself to a real relationship with God. Those several heart breaks helped me fill my heart with God’s healing Grace, and now that my life was falling into place just right, SURRENDER was the word I clung to to keep me walking with God and letting Him lead the way.

However, somewhere at the juncture of deciding to take my passion for the Fitness industry to a career-level, I got scared. I started to second-guess myself and my self-worth based on my long held body image issues. As a way to “look the part” I decided I would train for a Bikini Competition. I vividly remember standing in the gym with a tug on my heart and Jesus whispering, “You don’t have to do this, Mandi.” The problem was that I had already made my “grand announcement” and was receiving so much praise and encouragement, I feared I couldn’t back out of it. So I ignored God and thrust myself into 5-months of grueling training for an event my body was not designed to do. All so I could convince myself I was “good enough” for people to hire me as a professional.

It didn’t work. Show Before and After

The day of the show, I was back stage, at 10% body fat, 20 lbs lighter and still felt absurdly “larger” than the other girls. I was shaking my head in disbelief. How could I still feel this way after so much work? Not recognizing the woman I became, I prayed to God, pleading for Him to just be with me. I was deep in shame and regret but He, of course, was there all along, and His peace renewed my strength. I knew I would recommit my heart to Christ and try to put back the pieces of my heart with Him at the center.

But, here is where I would get the greatest shock and gift of grace of my entire life.

The day of the show, my then “off-again” boyfriend, Howard, whom I had not seen for 18-months, decided to fly in from California and surprise me at my show! He was a bit aghast at my ribs and skinniness (he politely asked that I gain back 20lbs immediately) and I thought of it as a sweet gesture of support that I tried not to think much about given the fact that I was attempting to be “OVER HIM” from the past years of pain. In my heart, he had always been “that guy” that I could not quite get over.

A week later, I got a call from Howard with some news! He had apparently spoken to my Mom and Dad, asking their permission and forgiveness first, and wanted to let me know that he had finally figured out (with the help of a couple years of therapy), that I was in fact “The One” all along. That he had finally overcome his fears of inadequacy and commitment and he was ready to get married, have a family, travel the world and anything I wanted, if I’d have him.

This news was of course a tremendous shock! The words I had always hoped to hear were finally being said! I felt elated.

“But…..,” he said. Never a good sign.

“I have to tell you, I have a 8-month old baby girl, named Eden.”

My elation was met with devastation and I could hear no more. I hung up and cried out to God, “God have I not endured enough? How can I bear this pain too? Please God….please.” I cried all night.

But by morning, something in me all of a sudden shifted. Something in my heart was triggered. A hair thin strip of peace that “transcended all understanding” formed deep within me and began to grow. For some reason, I knew everything was going to be alright. I didn’t know how, but I went back to my word—SURRENDER.

Over the next month and several more conversations with Howard, I would come to understand that this baby girl, sweet Eden, while not planned by her parents, was still planned by God. She would be an agent of change in Howard and would be used by God to transform his life. She would renew Howard’s faith too, as he fought his own regrets.

I realized, it’s just like God to do such an act of Grace. To take a time where I would blatantly ignore his voice and pull away from Him, AND Howard would certainly make a bad choice trying to do things “his way” too and yet, God decided to bless us anyway.

It’s just like God to take these unplanned and imperfect circumstances and make them PERFECT agents of change to propel us to the life He called us for, both individually and in marriage.

“And we know that in all things, God works for the GOOD of those who love Him. Who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:38

In October 2014, I became Mrs. Howard Wright and from that decision of forgiveness onward, my life has been a whirlwind of change! I gained back ALL the weight, moved to a new city and then another new city just 1 year later, adjusted to life as a “corporate wife” and of course, step-motherhood of a toddler! And I wouldn’t CHANGE ONE THING!

God uses every single bit of it and has molded every fear, feat and failure along the way into my Greater Purpose and this venture of A. Wright Fit. I am passionately using my small platform to help others find their True Health from the inside-out! Aligning our Fitness through our Faith and allowing God to take the reigns of our LIFE and our health! To SURREND’her our way to becoming STRONG’her and WISE’her.

Because it’s just like God to make us STRONG’her than we know…..

Tags bikini, Bikini Competition, competition, Faith, Faithful, fat loss, Fitness, Love, marriage, step mother, woman, Women

Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health

FINDING YOUR LANE TO WIN

Post author By Amanda Wright
Post date August 28, 2015

FINDING YOUR LANE TO WIN

I am gearing up to speak tomorrow morning at a gym in Denver, CO, Bodies By Perseverance about the importance of your Greater Purpose in Transforming your Health!

I wrote earlier this week about how knowing about your Greater Purpose will drastically impact all other steps necessary to transform your health, including: Finding Your Greater Balance, Goals, and your Go-To’s.

But, to run any race to win, you have to find YOUR lane. Obviously, we can’t keep switching lanes and expect to gain any real speed. So your Greater Purpose is going to be found with your genetics, your gifts, your talents, your character, your personality and your experiences all contributing significantly to defining exactly what that lane and race will be for YOU.

Each one of us is designed specifically for this calling and this destiny by God. We are inherently worthy of this destiny and it is not earned in the least. God has it all planned out before you and will gently lead you to your lane. It will always be your choice to follow Him there or not. That is the power of Free Will.

For me, God first showed me my lane when my natural passion and love for health turned into a part-time job about 4 years ago. I didn’t find it, it found me. As I had been establishing my walk with God a little tighter at this time and felt a tugging on my heart to expand on this. It was awesome how it just fell into place. It felt right.

The problem that happens sometimes we God guides us to OUR lane, is that we wind up looking at it like this.

It feels lonely almost and uncomfortable being asked to do something against the grain. My Faith waned and I chose to take initiative on myself and force some body changes so I could feel more worthy of being a Fitness Professional, I chose to do a bikini competition. . I pulled away from God and blatantly ignored His voice in my head telling me, “You don’t have to do this Mandi.” But I was scared and the Fear got the best of me.

But, as I have written several times now, what is so amazing and merciful about our God is that He took a mistake and a failure and me turning away from Him and decided to bless me any way.

But it’s just like God….

“And we know in all things, God works for the Good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:38)

I realized from this miracle how much God truly loves me and how much God really has it all planned out for me. All I needed to do was trust Him, allow Him to guide to me my lane again and this time, just FOCUS on what He tells me to do.

{There’s a HUGE lesson in our life to find our lane–> FOCUS.}

So I found myself now in a lane where I am a Wife, a Step Mom, a Daughter, a Friend and now, ….an ENTREPRENEUR?

As I was adjusting to a whirlwind change in life, I felt this inkling and calling to start my own business afresh. After one of my friends showed me an article about business people who had succeeded in their later years, I was so inspired to try and make a name for myself and my business.

employee engagement metrics to measure the different aspects of my environment. I think it’s a great idea and one that I will probably decide to incorporate once I’m up and running.

I have also been giving some serious thought to the marketing side of my business. For example, I already have an amazing email marketing campaign in mind. To succeed in the digital world, harnessing the power of the internet is fundamental, and using an email marketing campaign is an excellent way to tap into a captive audience so that my business can grow. In fact, I found some great pointers about email marketing on makeawebsitehub.com. I even read a great article about some of the different types of email marketing software, including alternatives to MailChimp, so once my business is underway, I will definitely be taking all of this information on board.

Once I am in an ideal position, I will then start to think about looking for employees of my own to help get my company to where I want it to be. I’ve heard that the only way to achieve greatness is to think about giving out something similar to these job satisfaction survey questions at different times within the year, so I can get a better idea of how they are finding their work and whether any improvements that I implement could help them to feel more comfortable. It will be important that I do this, as a business is nothing without a hard-working set of employees who enjoy working for you and have the same goals. This will be a long way into the future though so at least I have time to think about this.

I also knew I wanted to WRITE and SPEAK on the radical transformation that I experienced in my True Health. A. Wright Fit was born.

As I was called to this lane again, now, as a “Online Health Professional,” and decided to write and speak about the role that God has played in my Health and how He can restore and transform everyone’s health and LIFE in the same way, I was faced with the very same feelings I had felt before when He showed me my lane.

FEAR.

I was afraid that I would be breaking “society’s rules” that you aren’t supposed to talk about Faith (or Politics.) I was afraid of offending or being offended. I was afraid that I wouldn’t find “success” if i set myself apart so far from the rest of the “Fitness Community.”

Again, these FEARS of being THIS came up again….

This is when I learned the power that comes from FOCUS.

These Fears are the way the devil will try to keep me DISTRACTED with all the other things I ‘should’ do, instead of just doing what fits with ME to do (again, MY genetics, MY talents, MY gifts, MY personality, MY heart, and MY experiences.) I had to choose to stay in my lane or start skipping around again.

The blessing this time around is that I have more Faith and more Trust in God. Because I have been blessed and unburdened by a host of LIES I had been believing for my entire life, I have been free, to “throw off everything that hinders (me) and the sin that so easily entangles. And…run with perseverance the race marked out for (me), fixing (my) eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of (my) faith.” (Hebrews 12:1,2)

I can feel the fear and choose love instead. I can choose to focus my thoughts on ACHIEVING SUCCESS (i.e. love) instead of AVOIDING FAILURE (i.e. fear).

I am at this place that I am today because God has allowed me to be here all along. God has chosen ME, I have not chosen Him. God has given me His calling for my life, I have not manufactured or forced my own version of success.

I’m not perfect at it at all. Not even SUCCESSFUL by society’s standards yet either. But I AM exactly where I am supposed to be. I have peace and love overflowing with this *knowing*. I simply seek Him and trust in Him and my path is made clear and work to master the crafts of my calling.

The more I FOCUS on my lane and simply work to master the skills that He has given me, the more I will advance my running and will run my race to WIN.

All we ever need to do in our life is allow Him to guide us to our lane, choose LOVE, and RUN with it. You will win every time. Whether in your Health, in your Career, in your Relationships— you must find your lane that supports each together. All of it is used for your Greater Purpose and you must FOCUS your eyes on Jesus to get there.

Just a reminder there are 2 days left to enroll in the STRONG‘her SQUAD! A 12-week Women’s VIRTUAL GROUP HEALTH COACHING program that will help you find your lane and establish your TRUE HEALTH. It is a structure program that gives you education and success tools to develop all areas of your health: BODY, MIND and SOUL so you can become STRONG’her, WISE’her and SURREND’hered to your lane! Please contact me at amanda@amandawrightfit.com to sign up! Payment must be received by Sunday, August 30 and MIDNIGHT

Also, if you are in the Colorado Area, I am going to be at Bodies by Perseverance located on the 5ht FLOOR at 450 E 17th Ave, Denver, CO 80203.

You can join me and my Fit and Faithful partner Jennifer Samuel for a workout and the workshop (provided by me!) from 9am-11am. The workout is $25 and the presentation is FREE.

If you are not interested in the workout, the presentation will begin around 10am.

I will be auctioning of a FREE spot to anyone present to join the STRONG’her SQUAD! Contact me at 858-531-7456 if you are interested in attending!

Tags achieve, achievement, balanced health, calling, destiny, Faith, lane, Love, oprah, run, success, true health, win

Health Coaching Spiritual Health

Everyone’s Always Searching For the Magic Bullet, Well I Have It For you.

Post author By Amanda Wright
Post date August 26, 2015

As a trainer, nutrition enthusiast and “health professional” you get asked all the time about trends, food choices, exercises to do. When I start to field these questions, I realize there is one common goal that many people wish they could have when it came to their health—> the “Magic Bullet” that would make it all easier.

I know they are wanting me to say some tips like, “Don’t eat past 7pm and THERE you’ll have your magic bullet!” OR “Do this particular exercise sequence that only takes 7-minutes and THERE, you’ll have your magic bullet!” These tactics have all been mercilessly exploited.

Unless you are one of the thousands of authors that capitalize on this human “easy fix” desire and decide to write some “Diet” book that promises to “solve all their problems, get them 6-pack abs, and fix-up their husband and clean their house while they’re at it,” MOST trainers and health professionals will say, “There is no such thing as the magic bullet!” mainly so they can reemphasize their own need, right? We don’t want to lose OUR job to some “magic bullet” out there, we need to be needed!

Well, although I am NOT a “Diet” author hoping to capitalize on the naive hopes of people, I am also not afraid of telling all my clients ALL they will ever need to know in order to MOVE ON and no longer require my services. I have the “Pay it forward” mindset, always relying on God to keep business good and wanting to serve in the health industry which usually means giving most of it away. Convince you that you can do it on your own!

For THIS reason, I must share I DO BELIEVE IS A MAGIC BULLET THAT ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AND UTILIZE TO RADICALLY CHANGE THEIR HEALTH!

Annnnnnnnnddddd, I’m gong to tell you exactly what it is! Here! For FREE!

The Magic Bullet for your Health is……

Your Greater Purpose.

This is your destiny, your calling and the reason why you were put on this Earth.

Because let me tell you, you are not only BORN TO RUN THE RACE of life, you are BORN TO WIN THE RACE and your health is both a product of and an integral tool in your ability to run this race to win!

Your Greater Purpose in NOT what you do for a career or even a valuable role you play (as wife, mother, daughter etc). Your Greater Purpose is your ROLE in expanding the Kingdom of God and fulfilling God’s perfect plan.

It takes understanding your inherent worth, your DNA genetics and every gift, natural desire, ability, heart, passion, personality trait, and every single experience in your life ALL mold together to propel you down this raceway to not only learn to RUN but to LEARN TO WIN.

You WIN in life when you finally learn why you were put on this planet and you passionately pursue mastering this cause for God’s glory.

So, you might be asking yourself, Amanda, this is no “Magic Bullet” and what does this have to do with my HEALTH?

Ahhh but it is! It IS magic because it takes such a monumental shift if your way of thinking that elevates your Spirit to its highest expression of YOUR. It IS a bullet because it cuts to the heart of WHY you should get healthy, what your health is supposed to help you do in life. That’s all I’m really after in my health coaching and teaching….helping you find your WHY for Health.

Your “WHY” is as unique as your DNA because your GREATER PURPOSE can be achieved by NO ONE but you. You can’t achieve greatly by trying to fulfill someone else’s shoes! If you don’t find it and do it, no one else will. There are things planned out for you that God specifically designed YOU to do, but it will always be reliant on your choice and willingness to do them. It takes trust, hope, faith and above all LOVE to get your head wrapped around this and to say YES to God’s call. It is a process.

The reason why I know that this is THE MAGIC BULLET is because knowing you are designed for a Greater Purpose and knowing what your Greater Purpose IS significantly affects ALL the other areas of your health that truly matter.

I believe there are 4 STEPS TO TRANSFORM YOUR HEALTH:

Greater Purpose- Pursuing Your Destiny for Life

Great Balance- Body, Mind, Soul

Goals -Strive to Win

Go-To’s – Create Your Community

While I don’t have time to go over each of these 4 Steps TODAY, I can tell you the MAGIC BULLET of knowing your Greater Purpose in life DRASTICALLY affects ALL THE OTHER STEPS.

Understanding that you were specifically chosen for a role in this life and a destiny you are to fulfill dramatically affects your GREAT BALANCE because you see such a need to get your Spirit aligned with God in order to know what steps to take to your destiny and you also see the need to keep your mindset aligned with God’s thoughts so you don’t fall prey to the devil’s schemes who of course, wants to convince you never to pursue your Greater Purpose and stay playing small in life.
Understanding your destiny calling will allow you to establish the (w)right GOALS in life to get you there. If you don’t have your final destination in mind, your goals are going to take you off course and will distract you from learning what you need to learn. Not every goal is designed for you to succeed either! Some of the greatest tools God uses in our Greater Purpose pathway is to teach us through Failure. But knowing God will make your path straight and will use all for Good allows you to not fear failure, but to FAIL FORWARD, FAIL FAST and FAIL FAITHFULLY.
Finally, understanding you are born for a gift to the world that only you can offer will allow you to seek and find your GO TO’s in life. Surround yourself with your Tribe of People that “get it” and understand where you’re going in life. They will be there to speak to your gifts and help push you forward with encouragement and love. In the same light, knowing your Greater Purpose will help you BE THE CHANGE that lost people need to see too. To build up God’s Kingdom and show His love and mercy.

So really, there is a HEALTH HIERARCHY that exists in order for you to transform your health and live your greatest life possible! It works and I have several clients to prove it!

If this resonates with you, I would be honored to help expand on what this means in YOUR LIFE and YOUR HEALTH. The main curriculum objective in my 12-Week Health Coaching sequences both the 1:1 Health Coaching and the **STRONG’her Squad,** is to guide you to this MAGIC BULLET and help you renew your mind in accepting this, then your health will fall into sequence accordingly. To learn more and to see when I’m leading my next SQUAD opening, check out the Health Coaching tab on my website HERE or contact me at amanda@amandawrightfit.com!

Tags Balance, calling, community, destiny, Faith, Goals, God, Greater Purpose, Health, hope, Love, magic bullet, race of life, run to win, Trust

Fitness & Training Uncategorized

How I #Ritualize My Workouts (Currently)

Post author By Amanda Wright
Post date August 6, 2015

Monday on the blog as the inaugural #STRONGherAUGUST series I went over the #1 way I get into my health rhythm and flowwwwwww…..

RITUALS!

Today, I want to share exactly how I am currently #Ritualizing my WORKOUTS!

As much as I love the burn from lifting and the endorphin high I feel after I get in a good session, I don’t often “feel” like getting over to the gym. But by #RitualizingIt!, I add in little “me” components that make me feel better, look better, and therefore incentivize me to show up for ME.

Here are my current TOP 5 WORKOUT #RITUALS:

1. Look Good, Train Hard:

I kinda stole this from my girl Serena Williams motto, but honestly, I train MUCH HARDER when I put on clothes that make me feel hotter than my normal disheveled look (which I may or may not be currently representing while writing, glad there are no cameras right now!), which is why I recommend you to definitely look into buying some good quality gym clothes, similar to the ones available from companies like Anax Fitness! So yes, I’m the girl that puts on some tinted moisturizer, mascara, lip gloss or WHATEVER makes me feel better when I walk past the mirror at the gym.

I know it doesn’t matter to God or to anyone else what I LOOK LIKE on the outside, I do this because it matters to me what I FEEL like. I am a person that unapologetically feels better when I put in more effort. That’s just me.

I mean it seems to work for Serena right? She always looks great when she takes to the court, and she looks even better when she has reigned triumphant. What are the chances? I would love to have the chance to play a bit of tennis, but I wouldn’t even know where to start. I’ve heard one of my friends say that I should probably try and find my NTRP level to help me determine where I rank and then go from there. It’s not a bad idea, but I’m not sure if it is something that I want to look into just yet. I think I’m more interested in what I look like when exercising.

This also means that I do care about my workout clothes too! I love a cute hat which I will wear with some hoop earrings (don’t judge), a breathable but slimming workout top and any pair of pants that makes my booty look dyn-o-mite!

Yeah, when I first put on Lululemon pants and look at my arse in the mirror, I was like……

Make It Rain Emoji — Here’s All My Money Lulu!!

This ritual works! The second I have a new top or accessory, I’m that that GYM!

2. I Started A Training Notebook:

I’m organized in certain areas of my life more than others, but I wouldn’t say I’m exactly “Type A.” I’m a solid “Type B” which I don’t think is a thing, but I just made it one.

One area I have upped my “Type-B”ness is in this kinda “old school” idea of starting a workout journal,. I started only recently to write down and recording how much I’m doing, burning, and lifting for my workouts and it has been making a HUGE difference in my motivation and progression!

Also, I find that the act of writing down my workouts IN ADVANCE helps to make sure I push myself hard and record how well I did.

Then, the next time I do that same lift, like Back Squats for example, I know exactly where I need to start from and make more concerted efforts to increase my weight, reps or intensity.

This is the policy that I actually love to see for my Health Coaching clients for their personalized workouts I give them each week. It helps to be held accountable for the training and to really see the marked improvements!

#Ritualize it even more by making it some cute notebook the represents you!

3. I Ritualize My Warm-Up:

To make sure I do it, I came up with a routine that kinda gets me going, warms up my joints, and ensures I remain as injury free as possible these days. I prescribe the same warm-up to all of my health coaching clients too.

WARM UP RITUAL:

In includes:
5 Mins Foam Rolling (legs, glutes, lats)
Dynamic Stretching (moving through Yoga Sun Salutations etc.)
Diaphragmatic Breathing (deep breaths in, slowwwww exhale as if breathing through small straw).

I also have been STARTING my workouts these days with some HIIT Sprints for 10 mins. I used to do them as a “finisher” of my workout, but more often than not I would cut out on them early if I was short on time. I read on one of my favorite writers and mentors, JillFit.com that if you start your workout with your HIIT sprints, it helps to slim down legs for those of us that carry our weight mainly in our legs. The jury is still out on whether this strategy WORKS or not for me (these things take time and consistency), but overall I like doing the sprints early to just get them done.

Pre-Lift HIIT:
To do these, I use my Heart Rate monitor on my Fitbit Charge 2. Its the best I’ve found, plus it looks amazing with my replacement pink band from Mobile Mob. I will run at an exerted speed until my heart rate reaches 85% of my max HR or higher (the orange zone), then walk slowly until my heart rate gets back down to 60% of my max HR (the blue zone). I repeat this effort for as many rounds as I can fit into to 10 mins. Done!

An example of an effective HIIT workout! You want your HR to get high and recover too to get the most fat burning, metabolic pushing heart rates possible!

While I don’t think its “good” for our bodies to do the same workouts too many times in a row, to #Ritualize some parts makes it a “no brainer” to just get it done!

4. My Mind:Body 1,2 PUNCH:

While I love a great play list to get me into a workout zone, lately I have been really into using the time to soak up some KNOWLEDGE. I will listen to a Podcast or book on tape via the Audible app a good 90% of my workouts these days!

With a full-time business start up, I feel like there is always more I want to be learning right now. I call myself very “spongy” for the amount of knowledge I’m trying to soak out of every minute of every day. But I find it really helpful in processing the information through movement and offers a very nice, NEW distraction away from the workout. Having a new business is difficult. Things move very slowly at the start, meaning that it can be worrying for business owners to know when their company is going to start making money. It’s also difficult for small businesses to grow internationally without a merchant account provider, however, some of them class smaller businesses as high-risk if they’re not making enough money. Additionally, high risk merchant accounts may have more chargebacks than other businesses, meaning that merchant account providers are more likely to go for the safer option. That’s always in the back of my mind. If we don’t make enough money with the business, we might never be able to grow it internationally. Workouts often take my mind off this.

My current favorite Podcasts are:
The Fitcast with Kevin Lararabee
Amy Porterfiled (online business guru)
The Nutrition Diva with Monica Reinagel

Spiritual Podcasts I love (all have a very different “style”):
The Rock Church (San Diego based Christian Church)
Daily Hope with Rick Warren (Orange Country, CA)
Christ Community Church (Greeley, CO where I’m from)
T.D. Jakes The Potters Touch (Dallas, TX Southern Church!)

Audible Recent Favorite Audiobooks:
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
The Power of Full Engagement by Jim or and Tony Schwartz
Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst

5. My Post Workout “Health” Treat:

So “treat” is kinda a lame term for my psyche and I DON’T want to indicate that I actually think some foods are “treats” in the way that makes them “bad” in the way that makes them “guilty pleasures.” Overall, I’m talking about carbohydrates which I associate as my “treat” foods because I don’t necessarily eat starchy carbs at every meal. For my body type, lower starchy carbohydrates work best for me and I will try to eat them mainly around my most active times of day.

Right after my workout is the BEST time to eat starchy carbs so I will use this incentive ritual to treat myself to something that I otherwise don’t eat on my rest days due to my lower activity. (The more active I am, the more carbohydrates I eat to help sustain high energy and a high functioning metabolism.)

The perfect example is a Protein Bar…a.k.a glorified candy bar. I have been loving the Nugo STRONGER Bars in the low sugar flavors (I have bought from Whole Foods, Sprouts Market and on Amazon). I also love the RxBar brand (sold online) because these are made of only “whole food” sources like egg whites, almonds, dates etc.

(I get no endorsements or free products from either company, just wanted to pass along my current favorites!)

Another great post workout treat I love is a PROTEIN PANCAKE. I’ll make them “whole food” based as follows:

1/3 Cup Pure Pumpkin
1/4 cup Gluten Free Oats or Qia Seed
3-4 egg whites
2 Tbs Coconut Flour
1 Tbs Arrowroot Starch
Vanilla, Salt, Stevia (if desired)

Cook stove top approx 2-3 mins each side on medium heat.
Top with fresh berries or banana, coconut butter or almond butter.

Having a solid 5 rituals to help me get to the gym, enjoy it as much as I can that day, and get it DONE are really all I need.

I’m curious, do you have some gym or workout rituals that make things more enjoyable for you? Please leave a comment below on what rituals you have been into lately and why you think they are working to motivate you! Help others learn new tricks!

Tags body, Exercise, Faith, fifaith, Fit, fitful, Fitness, Love, Mind, rituals, train, training, woman, workout

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