January 4, 2008

Well.....the day has arrived. Well actually it is the day before the day but whatever. What day is it you ask? Well Monday, January 5 will begin THE YEAR OF BRENDA. Huh? What in the heck is she talking about? Well the time has come for me to take control of several habits that have been forming over the course of last few years and even decade. The problem:

MY WEIGHT IS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL AND I HATE WHAT OBESITY IS DOING TO MY HEALTH, ENERGY LEVEL, AND LIFE IN GENERAL!

I am not professing to be the 2010 Sports Illustrated cover model or anything. I am realistic in my expectations. I have given birth to 3 children....those stretch marks are not going away. That being said, having given birth to 3 children does NOT equal being fat. I have been using that as a crutch for too long. My "baby" will turn 6 next month.

So tomorrow morning at 4:30 am I will be at Boot Camp (http://www.fitnessbootcamp4u.com/) having my THIGHS MEASURED (the horror!) by a man that could bounce a quarter off of his abs. Let me say for the record right now that I would rather have a root canal then have my fat body measured by someone like that (or anyone for that matter). After they do body measurements there will be a pleasant little workout that I hear makes people barf. I'm not kidding. And when you do complete your barf-o-rama (Think: Stand By Me barf-o-rama) he makes you COME BACK TO CLASS to complete your workout. And I am driving myself to this place voluntarily? I hope I gain my mind back as I lose the weight!

But I have a secret weapon that I'm not sure I want to tell you about. Oh, don't be jealous....you have this same secret weapon, too. I have not used this secret weapon as the powerful weapon that it is. I have kept it hidden and I'm not sure why. No, I do not have a Bowflex in my home gym. I do not have a miracle diet drug (I tried those once and the results were fleeting). I do not have a personal chef to cook for me.

I have...................(are you ready for the big reveal?)..........

I have the power of Christ within me! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Phillipians 4:13 tells me that. God's word tells me "His Word (the Holy Bible) is TRUTH" in John 17:17. Well since His WORD is true then I can believe, no I can CLAIM that I can do all things through Him! Isn't that amazing? The same God that breathed life into Adam, hung the moon and stars, and created you and I.....that is THE SAME GOD who will help me transform myself during The Year of Brenda.

So The Year of Brenda is not about Brenda making changes in her life and getting skinny and becoming an underwear model. That would truly be a sitcom. :) The Year of Brenda has some basic goals:
-prioritize my daily living
-make changes that affect my health and body
-make my relationship with the Lord a priority over all other relationships

Let me elaborate on my goals, not really for your sake but for my own. I want to read over this blog a year from now, declare the year a complete victory, and like Joshua and many others, set up an altar in HIS name and give Him the glory and fame for what He has done. I'm not sure what the altar will physically look like but I'm hoping it will be located out in the country somewhere (more on that later).

Specific goals:
-Lower weight from 235 to 175
-Lower BMI from the "obese" category to the "healthy" range. To do this I either need to grow about 7" LOL or weigh 175
-Maintain a consistent daily quiet time
-Read through the bible using the One Year Bible plan
-Spend a maximum of 1 hour on the internet per day
-Spend a maximum of 1 hour having my brain sucked out by the television per day

The Year of Brenda is about becoming dependent on God for all things, claiming victory over obesity in HIS NAME, and making some changes in my life that reflect my belief that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

So that is about it for now.

Goals for tomorrow:
-Survive Day 1 of Boot Camp
-Not kill the Boot Camp instructor
-Not throw that fat measurement thing-a-ma-bob into the lake
-Read my January 5 daily bible reading
-Set up a weight loss goal chart to hang above the scale
-Peel and cut up all the carrots in the frig
-Throw away that creamy salsa in the frig (it is just too tempting)
-Do not eat any of the brownies that are in the frig but instead send them to work with Barry (that will be a tough one)