inspiration, motivation and worship

I get asked these questions quite frequently, so I thought I would share my thoughts on it here! :)

Question: What the heck are you doing to lose so much weight? How do you stay motivated? Why aren't you going to church every week anymore? What are you eating? How did you get started?

To answer the question about inspiration, check this out:

http://tritostart.blogspot.com/2010/02/story-begins.html

That is my training blog :) Not many people read it (I mean, I know it isn't terribly interesting), but I write it, just in case. Maybe partially to keep myself accountable.


To start, we walked. A lot. Until walking got boring. Then we started running. A lot. We entered races. It was SO MUCH FUN! It is exciting, there are so many cool people to meet, it is a whole community! Then, I got into tri's. I love, love, love them. I was a swimmer in high school, not a great runner, and the bike is SO THRILLING, so I have a lot of fun doing that.
I guess my moral here is that you have to find something that YOU love and GO FOR IT! :) Find your passion- God gifted us with this AMAZING garden to leap and climb and roll in. We are surrounded by his gifts- you just need to find what makes you tune into that. For some, it is mountain biking, some it is meditative walking, running, rock climbing, kayaking, whatever suits you.

I am going to start belly dancing next week, too!! I am SO EXCITED!!

As far as diet goes, I keep it simple- God made food. He made it with purpose, to nourish us. So, I try to keep my food as close to how he made it- whole grains (rice and quinoa, mostly), lean meats, veggies, fruits, and in the proper portions (usually, 4oz meat, 1/4-1/2 cup grain, and as many greens as I want).

For me, it is all about worship. I don't go out with some intense domination and power mentality, ipod blaring. It is quiet and still (well, not literally, but *my mind* is still.) I use the time, all of it, hours a day, for prayer. It is so AMAZING. It is like I get to spend hours a day with the one who loves me and knows me best!

Think of life, our living breath, our heart beat- all of it- as a gift. When you really think of it like that, all the sudden, that processed cheeseburger dripping with saturated fats doesn't sound appealing at all. We were made in HIS image. When you think of exercise as WORSHIP, all the sudden it is not an obligation, but this wonderful time for just YOU and HIM, where you will be JUST YOU and not mom or wife or worker or... or... or...

As for the church question, I have to take advantage of the cool mornings, now that the days are heating up. Saturday and Sunday mornings are my long workouts, since Joe is home to provide child care. That means no church... however, I don't feel deprived. As I said, the training is pretty spiritual for me, so church is more about community.

Feel free for any other questions you may have. I am here for them.