Armour Plated’s BodyBlog

Been a good day so far.  I’ve crossed off 2 of my tasks from my to-do list today.  I had a good work out with P90X  Chest and Back routine.  I didn’t think how much I needed breakfast before I started and tapped out a little more than half way through the routine.  Here’s the routine:

Exercise                  
    First round              Second Round

Standard Pushups:            22                     
     10

Wide Front Pullups               8                     Â
 Â Â Â  12

Military Pushups                   8                     Â
 Â Â Â Â Â Â 9

Reverse Grip Chin-ups          7                     Â
 Â Â Â  10

Wide Fly Pushups                15                     
    13

Closed Grip Overhand Pull-ups   5                     Â
 Â Â  6

Heavy Pants              12 reps of 15 lbs         8 sets of 25lbs

Diamond Pushups                  Â
  6                          3

Lawnmowers           10 reps of 30 lbs                    1
0 reps of 30lbs

Dive-Bombers Pushups             8                     Â
 Â Â Â  6

Back Flys                    
   15 reps of 15lbs                 15 reps of 15lbs

 

After my workout, I read 2 Corinthians 1-4.  Paul is much less stern with them than in the first epistle he wrote to them.

"You see, at just the right time when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" Romans 5:6.

I thank God for speaking to me in times like these, when I am feeling powerless, weak, scared, and/or confused. This verse tells me that I am not alone, that He is with me in my weakness, encouraging me to grow stronger and closer to Him, actually to remain in Him and not to sever my ties with Him.  Apart from Him, I can do nothing. (John 15:5) 

But the great thing is that Christ is no longer dead!  He has risen from the dead, giving new life to all who seek Him.  Seek Him now while you have time for the time is short.

Happy Thanksgiving, remembering those who gave their lives in defense of our country and world, those who have no family to celebrate with, and friends and family who are no longer with us in body but will always be in our memories.

Yesterday was a sad day for University of Georgia fans.  The beloved mascot, Uga VII, died suddenly of an apparent heart attack.  Just 4 years old and only served as mascot 18 months, Uga VII assumed the role of mascot from his father, Uga VI, who also died of heart attack, a condition common with English Bulldogs.  For more information, check out www.onlineathens.com headline.

Today, I am feeling great!  Yesterday, I seriously considered giving up my beachbody career. Unemployed, debts piling up fast, I was about to email beachbody Tuesday night to cancel when the Holy Spirit said to me, "Just wait one day, 24 hours."  And then last night after church, I came home and was on the computer when my phone rang.  It was a guy I had given my card to last week wanting to check out some of the products.  I told him that I could bring the DVDs and the equipment (pullup bars and pushup bars) and he could check it out.  I slept well last night, excited about the prospect. 

Then this morning, I chatted with a friend whom I have not seen in years.  She’s doing great, really blessed by the Lord in her career.  She inspired me and gave me ideas about a project that I’m beginning to work on. 

And to top today off, I’m going to see my girlfriend today and should be with her through most of the weekend. 

Thank you Lord!

Armour — what a knight wears into battle.  Plates – cushions fitting between sections of the armour to provide more protection and comfort.  My battle is of the mind and spirit, calling me to be more than I am, better than I am.  Only through the battle will I be stronger and more able to resist the enemy but only because my Armour is the Holy Spirit and the Plates, the Word of God.  When I put the two together, they add up to a confidence that nothing is impossible and that everything is possible through Christ who strengthens me.  Therefore, I am Armour Plated.

Armour is also my last name.  A name of strength and defense.  It is who I am, something I can never escape from.  Plates are also what we lift to become stronger and fitter.  The more I exercise, the stronger I become.  The stronger I become, the more confidence I gain.  With more confidence, the more I accomplish and the more I can encourage others to reach their goals. 

OK James

Today’s a new day.  Yesterday is gone, and I can’t change a thing I did in it.  Honestly, I can’t change a thing I did a few minutes ago; although I can correct the error, I still committed it. 

Today is the day of change, of improved motivation, of being active, and of not sitting on my butt looking at people who have spent hours upon hours in the gym and eating healthy foods.  Today I see the possibilities God has before me and today God helps me resist the negativities Satan tempts me with.  Today is a day of positive attitude, a day of "I can", of meeting challenges head on and demolishing them.  A day of setting goals and accomplishing them. 

So … get on with it James!

Last night I went to a birthday party for a friend; his cake was probably sugar-free, and he had banana split ice cream.  I had a slice and a scoop respectively.  Water to drink with chicken wings and tenders to eat probably from Zaxby’s.  I say this all because I believe the cake and ice cream aggrevated my already overactive bladder since I urinated probably 5 times through the night.  So I am tired, have been all day.  My mood has been down, and I’ve done almost nothing today except watch TV and play on the computer.  I did pick up limbs and pine cones in the yard and put them in a burn pile for later. 

Later today, I ate dinner (baked chicken, white rice, and canned biscuits, not the healthiest I know.)  About an hour later, I checked my blood pressure, and I was shocked more than ever before.  I checked it about 3 times for accuracy.  Each time it was around 140/90 when normally it is around average 120/80.  I realized I have to exercise more instead of sitting on my butt, stressing out because I don’t have a job.  I know and realized again that letting go of the stresses of life often inspires creativity. 

Then I went for a run around a local track.  It is 0.6 miles with a hill up on one side and going down a bit and then up a little less than it goes down, and finally down again and flattens out again til it goes back up.  I realized again how out of shape I am getting if by the time I start up the hill, I am encouraging myself to make it to the bench ahead, then the bend in the trail, the tree, the pothole in the road, down the hill … until finally I made it to my starting point.  What really got to me was that a friend of mine from the gym saw me, passed me, and then caught up to me again, saying he was running another 2 laps.  I finished my first lap jogging and then walked the next one and then came home. 

I feel a bit more motivated now.  My blood pressure is up, a friend lapped me while jogging.  What an embarrassment!  And now I’m blogging about it to add to the embarrassment! 

But I know that my friends here will support me and encourage me through the process and getting back into shape and better than before.  That is the reason I am putting myself through this discouragement so that others can lift me up.  I encourage others by commenting on their pics, and now I need some too! 

Thanks in advance my friends!

"This is the day that the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 

 

Today is the day of a new attitude.  Today is the day of hope.  Today is the day of a new start, of new confidence.  It is the day of setting goals and believing that I will achieve them.  Today is the day of forgetting what is behind and concentrating on what is ahead, on what I need to do…today.  Today is the day that I analyze where I am and dream of what I want to accomplish.  Today is the day that I determine what is preventing me from reaching those goals and taking action to demolish those obstacles.  Today is the day I start believing in myself and seeing my dreams come true. 

Not yesterday, not tomorrow … today.

 

I started out this morning about 7:30 and drunk a meal replacement shake before my workout.  Big mistake because I know I need to eat something solid before working out.  But I worked out, only did half of the workout before feeling a bit weak and queasy.  So I ate some breakfast although it was not a healthy one (a sausage, egg, and cheese casserole)  But I finished the workout after eating and some time on the computer talking to Eros64.  He’s a great motivator. 

 I can already feel my chest and triceps becoming sore.  Upper back and shoulders too.  So even though I took a break in the workout, it was a good one.

This morning I woke up and turned on the TV.  I was beginning to feel that if I didn’t get up and do something, I would not accomplish anything.  So I got out of bed and started to take a shower.  Before turning on the water, I remembered I needed to change the shower liner.  Then I realized that if I changed it after the shower, the liner would be wet which would not be good.  Then I called a former co-worker because he had been on my mind all day but left a message on his machine.  I also put some laundry in the washer.  Then I ate some lunch, some stew and homemade salsa,  yummmm very good!  I still need to finish cleaning though.