“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”     Joshua 1:9
 
This is not just saying, “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay. I think you’ll be fine.” This is a command – “Have I not commanded you?“! God brings us to the situations that we’re in for a reason – because we can handle it – because He is with us. He said this to Joshua before he was about to cross the Jordan River. Joshua had a huge task ahead of him and God is telling him -  you’re going to do this. Be strong. Have no fear. Because I am with you.
He’s with us too. These commands and proclamations apply to us too. They’re not just for those that we read about in the Bible. We’re not exempt from His love and His protection. When we feel led to do something or say something that’s outside of our comfort zone, it’s for a reason. God’s tugging on our heart saying, Go. Grow. Flourish. And don’t be scared. Because I am with you, wherever you go.
 
On our fitness journey, we cross obstacles that can discourage us. Maybe it’s an injury, maybe it’s a rough weigh-in. But if we’re training our bodies – the temple that He’s given us- and we’re strengthening them and taking care of them, and we’re praising Him because we’re healthy and we’re able to get out and do this, why wouldn’t He bless us? We only get 1 body in our life down here, and we’re responsible for taking care of it, because it’s really His. It’s not ours to keep. And when you renew your mind, and train your body for Him, you will feel His presence. When you cross an obstacle, you’ll remember He’s with you. He wants you to succeed. So conquer your fear and do not be discouraged.
 
We have evening weigh-ins this bootcamp. This is the point of the day when you’re at your heaviest. So, it’s a big deal when you see that loss. If weigh-in day is an obstacle for you, don’t be discouraged. You’re working for Him. He’s going to get you there. Take a look back at your week. Did you log your food? Have you logged miles? Are you working on reducing stress in your life? Are you staying hydrated?

Week 2 is under way! Thursdays meeting place will be in the back parking lot of the Red Barn. You will need your weights, mats, water, food journals, and your logged miles for this week so far.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of Fear but of Power and of Love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7
 
The apostle Paul wrote this letter to  Timothy, when he was a prisoner in Rome. By prisoner, I mean Paul was in a dungeon, in chains. He was deserted by everyone when he needed them most, yet he’s still praising God. I know none of us are literal prisoners, but sometimes we’re held captive by our fear. In this text, the Greek word means small minded or timid. It’s almost like a child and they’re afraid of the dark. And when that fear strikes them, there’s no making sense of anything. Sometimes they freeze, and they’re stuck, and they can’t better their situation because that fear has completely taken them over. Sometimes they scream bloody murder, and it’s impossible for them to think clearly, and they drown out any voice of reason. And sometimes, they run as fast as they can to the light because they know that that light is their safety. It’s better for us to think like children sometimes. Fear is what holds us back. And fear is not what God has given us. If you come to a point where you’re a prisoner of fear and you’re stuck, Run as fast as you can to the Light. Jesus Christ is our Light. If fear keeps you quiet when you know you should speak up, or fear has you yelling when a hand should be over your mouth, Run. Because when you find the Light and conquer fear, you then find that Power and that Love and a sound mind, meaning self control and well arranged thoughts. And that is what comes from God.
On your fitness journey, you run into moments of fear. Fear is what keeps many people from even starting in the first place. But if you can take all the effort that you expend from fear, and turn it around to use it as motivation, you will be amazed at what you can do. And if you’re farther along on your journey, you’ll face new obstacles, and hit new personal records that you never thought you were capable of. Amber is training for a half marathon, and we’re training with her. Don’t let that scare you. Don’t let fear hold you back.

We’ve already completed the first week of Chix of Fall bootcamp! Keep this momentum going, ladies!

Hey ladies! We’re moving into another bootcamp very soon! Chix of Fall Morning Session will begin Tuesday Sept 7, 2010 at 5:15am at the North Pavilion of Ervin Park. Chix of Fall Evening Session will begin 2 weeks later, on Tuesday Sept 21 at 6:30pm at Wimple Hill. Both classes will then come together on Sunday evenings for Wimple by the Water Yoga at 6:30pm. There are only a few spots remaining, so get signed up before our waiting list begins!

We are so excited to get started again, and we’ll see you there!

“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”  1 Corinthians 9:26-27.

This tied in with the first few weeks and all that we talked about – our intentions, our vows. Many people forget that you have to make an effort to train like you really want to win, like you want that goal! If you stumble, or fall, simply pick yourself up and continue until you reach the finish line. We have said many times that we are here to offer you a workout, encouragement, a belief system, accountability, and in return, we ask that you put forth the effort. This applies to all aspects of life, especially spiritually and physically. In the scripture, it says “beat my body”. What does that mean? It means discipline and preparation. As we train, there are days that our bodies are sore and tired. What we don’t realize is they’re actually being strengthened-not abused.

Paul was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, left for dead. But, Paul was strong! He kept his body strong so he could do what God called him to do. Do you know that Jesus Christ was the strongest man that ever lived!! With a strong mind and a strong body, he was tough and disciplined. He was strong enough to do what God called him to do, and he did it perfectly!

We are all far from perfect, but as trainers, we’re competing so that we can keep in the competition. We don’t just sit on the sidelines, like most trainers, and tell people what to do. We are sweating and disciplining our bodies right there with you. We compete to be a good example to our children. After all, no one will look at our example, if we aren’t doing it too. So when we say we’re here for you, we don’t mean we’re going to just sit and watch you. We’re right next to you, and intentionally working with you.

The verses before this talk about being alone and how meaningless it is. Verse 10 says “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls & has no one to help him up!” We can have all the riches in the world, but without our family, without our friends, without our support system, we are empty and we can be defeated. This all goes back to: There’s strength in numbers. 2 weeks ago we stressed being intentional about including time in our schedule to meet with other believers. When you set out to do good works, you are going to hit rough patches, where you need the encouragment and the accountability to keep going and to keep from being broken down. Same with your fitness journey. When you have others here for you, doing it with you, encouraging you when it gets tough, you are not quickly broken. There is strength in numbers. Bootcamp is designed to do good works for your mind, body and your soul. We are building strong bodies, but we are also building strong spirits and if you remember from the last boot camp, strong spirits keep your thoughts positive and therefore your words are positive. You deserve this!!!

“For a dream comes with much business and painful effort, and a fool’s voice with many words.”  Ecclesiastes 5:3

This teaches us that we need to put effort into seeing our dreams come true. We’re focusing on goals this session, and this nails it. We’ve taken our dream, we’ve written it down and now it’s become a goal. You’re already working toward accomplishing your goals, and you’re seeing how much hard work it takes to get there. You’re experiencing the pain, and sweat, and the effort to push yourself beyond what you thought your limits were, and  you’re not giving up! You’ve made a vow, and you’re fulfilling it. The following verses go on to say that it’s better to not vow at all, than to vow and not follow through. God is for you, and when you’re doing good works, He will help you. This painful effort will not be enough to hold you back. When you reach your goals, this journey will all be worth it. We hope that you have a dream or a vision in your heart for something greater than what you have now. If you’re not dreaming of anything, you’re cheating yourself. We all need to think big, hope big, and dream big!

Week 2 is behind us, and another goal is reached! If you didn’t quite reach your goal this week, don’t be discouraged. Use it as motivation for this next week! We’ll see you all Monday morning at 5:30am for Boombah!!!

We’ve kicked off our first week of Tuscola Edition-Summer Bootcamp II! Rookies-Congratulations on taking that first step, and Veterans-Congratulations on making the decision to continue on your fitness journey. For the next 6 weeks, we will be focusing on goals. We’ve set a long term goal for ourselves, and each week we will set a short term goal for ourselves. We cannot make it to the long term goal without first accomplishing our short term goals. Short term goals are our little stepping stones, and finding success in them will lead us down the path to our long term goal.

Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Verse 25 goes on to tell us to meet together and encourage one another. Be intentional about including time in our schedule to meet with other believers. You may not realize the importance of you in a group like this. You’re here, doing good things for yourself. But, you’re also here for the women next to you, who need accountability partners. We’re here to encourage and support each other, and provoke good works, which is exactly what Bootcamp is designed to do! We’ll be spending the next 6 weeks figuring out how to be good, and it all starts with the Bible-our instructions, clearly written down for us.

We had a busy first week with Wimple Wednesday and then stretching it out on Friday. Never be discouraged if some of the moves or stretches are giving you a hard time. Just be good at what your body is allowing you to do. Remember: “Whatever you are, be a good one!!”

We’ll see everyone Monday morning at Ervin Park!

“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.”  Proverbs 4:23

We’ve talked so much on focusing on our thoughts and our words, but what do we do when we finally start to get it? We need to guard our heart, and guard it aggressively! There will always be poison surrounding us, but if we’re smart enough to just pay attention, we win. God is with us, giving us the strength to control our thoughts and our words, and thus our strong spirit, and ultimately we win eternal life. So, when we have something this precious, we need to do all we can to protect it! As you fill your mind the the Word and the Good News, watch as your attitude and your heart transform.

We finished up our last week of this session, and the final measurements and assessments were outstanding!! Apply this verse to your fitness journey on your week of rest. You’ve put in 6 weeks of very hard work, now do all that you can to protect it! We’re so proud of you Chix and so happy for all of your accomplishments!

“The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?”  Proverbs 18:14

We focused this week on keeping a strong spirit, because regardless of what battles we face, our strong spirit will sustain us. Sometimes, the issue is not that our problems are worse than those of anybody else. It’s that we are weak in spirit, and do not truly know God. By filling ourselves with the Word, we learn to let go and let God take control. When our spirit is strong, we can also be strong for those around us, making them feel better, as well as ourselves. We can all give compliments, we can all say ‘thank you’, we can all refuse to gossip. We can all refuse to think evil things and we can refuse to speak anything but life. We can all build up, encourage, support and love. When we are strong in spirit, our thoughts stay positive and our words are containers of life, and it’s going to take a lot more effort to bring us down.

This is our last week of Summer Bootcamp I, and we’re going out with a bang!! We’re so excited to see those finishing numbers. We know that your bodies are strong, and your spirits are stronger!

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8

We concentrated last week on our words, and this week we went a little deeper and talked about our thoughts. If our thoughts are positive, then our containers and our words will be effortlessly positive. God commands us to find these things that are praiseworthy and set our minds on them. It’s as simple as fixing our thoughts. Although sometimes, this is easier said than done. Our thought patterns are so deeply ingrained in us, that to change them can feel very uncomfortable. But if we ask God for the strength, He will make available all the power and resources we need to carry out His command. We will be alerted when our negative thought patterns are arising, and it’s up to us to make the choice to change it. Reading the Word is a very powerful tool to transform our minds, and making a habit of going to the Word, rather than the media, is what will get us there.

In our fitness journey, positive thoughts are key. Constantly thinking “I can’t do this” will ruin it for yourself and make it that much harder. Changing that to “I CAN do this!” will help you push through the tough work, thus making you stronger mentally and physically. Stay positive and encouraging, and always be happy when other succeed!

Amber brought a great kickboxing routine on Friday, and boy do my arms and legs feel great! We’ll see everyone on Monday for weigh-ins to keep track of our success!