"Can You Take Back Your Power and Trust Your Process?"

Who Is Behind Your Wheel?

My summer is soon to end, and I fell short of my commitment to create a post at least once a month. I am a bit bummed because, I actually started a post last month planning to complete and post it before the first...and, I come to find out today that apparently my work was not saved. It was my desire to share and facilitate self-reflection about taking action in your life, yet surrendering to your Higher Power, and trusting your process. I guess and I choose to trust today's words will be more meaningful to my readers, than my previous draft.

I'd like to suggest retrieving a memory of a time when you may have rode your bike with no hands, and also the last time you chose to drive your vehicle on cruise control??? Explore what your purpose was in your experience . Did you have a destination, and if so, where were you headed? Can you recall your environment, your thoughts, and your feelings???

When I reflect on riding my bike when I was young with no hands, I know fear was an emotion upfont. I recall my love of nature, adventure, the sun beaming down on me, a the wind blowing against me. My purpose and destination was to face my fear, push through my limits, and accomplish riding my bike with no hands from point A to B. Was I scared? Heck yeah! Did I know for a fact I would not stumble? No. Fear itself, can become so crippling in life! Life is a process. Our path is a journey; and along our journey we have destinations...we create our stop and go. No one walks a perfectly  straight path. We all make mistakes, stumble, and fall.

"Failure provides you with a great opportunity to decide how much you really want something. Will you give up? Or will you dig deeper, commit more, work harder, learn, and get better?" (Jon Gordon)

Do you coast when you use cruise control, or have you ever tried it? I recently took a road trip and used my cruise control. My destination was Austin, and I was focused on the road ahead of me. I glided with speed, freedom, and caution for changes on the road. This analogy for me, can have a double meaning...Do you coast through your life, going through your habitual motions? Or, do you live with passion, adventure, take risk, and take control of your setbacks??? You see, I believe that we live in a state of continuous change. One may feel and perceive that they have hit a plateau or experience tunnel vision in their life...however, if you are not taking baby steps forward, you are in fact slowly drifting backwards. So, choosing to be lukewarm and to coast within your comfort zone does not guarantee a life with upgrades.

My second perception of when one chooses to utilize cruise control is as follows:  they surrender to a set speed, release their control over the accelerator, and steer the direction to which they desire to move.  For me, I align this to my journey with walking in Faith.

We are all given a free will. You make a conscience choice to ignite the engine to you car each time you desire to drive somewhere. Along our journey and flow through life, we will have many paths and destinations to choose to pursue. Exercising our free will in choice is expressed through the story we choose to write about in our lives.Our choices last, and our actions that follow create who we become. The speed to which one chooses to flow through life can create a world of impatience. In America we live in such a fast pace, "gotta get'er done" mentality, that we live in a constant flux of instant gratification. We want and we want it now...However, our God extends to us an offer of a personal relationship with him. So just as we keep our hands on the steering wheel in our vehicle, we are free to accept or reject God, good, or evil. When we choose to surrender to God's timing and steer our lives in a direction of good, that is when we receive our clarity and blessings in life.

In conclusion, no matter what life circumstance you are facing...I encourage slowing down for self-reflection. Life gives us warning signs, and no success is worth losing your health to. Blurry things, uncertainty, being lukewarm, and drifting backwards all can change and be brought into focus. We must TRUST the process and timing of our God. We must seek clarity and take ACTION.

With all this I ask, " What story will you choose to write about your life, and what masterpiece will you create in your life???"

Note: Below is a clipping I chose from Pinterest for a Transformation Workout Plan. High Intensity training being my favorite mode...I share with you. Execute with caution and at your own risk. Enjoy!

What is Your Life Masterpiece?

So here I am in the midst of my summer break; my first time off in several years. Before it even arrived, my mind was busy with ideas of work I could offer with my time off. Well, apparently the good Lord had something else in store! 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I am grateful for this time to rejuvenate, relax, and self-reflect..."What does my life masterpiece look like? Am I being the best version of myself?" One thing is for sure...without my own personal health, I cannot work on my masterpiece. I cannot share my craft or give to others as my heart desires, if I am not being the best version of myself first! 

"What is your life masterpiece? What does your life look like when you are at your healthiest, strongest, and best? What does your family, work, and relationships look like? What matters most? What drives you each day?" (Jon Gordon)

These powerful questions and many more will be resourceful for your self discovery and progress forward... I have a developed a good habit of seeking and life learning; however, I have horrible habit of not always completing my studies. My attention span and excitement tend to get scattered and I struggle at times with focusing on one thing at a time. This summer I am reading a few books at once, and have continuing education for both my teaching position, and as a trainer. 

So, lets return to my topic of reflection and purpose. "Whom or what do you invest most your time in?

What craft do you have to share? Whom do you choose to surround yourself with? In what areas of your life do you desire change and transformation?"

Let us question and meditate daily... "What will it take today for me to be my best version: physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually?" (Matthew Kelly)

God calls us to empty ourselves so that He can fill us up. His will of us being the best version of ourselves does not come easy. However, the more we empty and open up to His guidance...the more we will receive.

Whatever obstacles and challenges you may be facing... pause, reflect, seek clarity, and act! My ongoing life challenge, separate from my bodily disease, is my nutrition. I am currently studying Nutrition Periodization. Our filed of nutrition is constantly changing as our diet fads our exhausting. 

I have always lived a very active lifestyle, and until recently, usually separated my activities from my nutrition intake. Well, that was not smart of me and that light-bulb moment occurred in my studies. Nutrition should support a person's physical activity and provide the body with the necessary nutrients at the right times to support positive physiological adaptation . The new focus should be, "eat to train, don't train to eat." Rather than thinking of food as a reward or an enemy, the nutrition periodization program serves as an ally to achieve health, fitness, and performance goals. 

Your nutrition intake should support the body's energy needs associated with the different exercise volume and intensity variables throughout your year to elicit positive physiological responses (Bob Seebohar). So, I approach this new train of thought with action exploring my changes to share. I encourage you to explore..."Does your food intake support your life variables?"

Here is a diagram for body weight exercises to get you going... enjoy!

The Only Limits We Have Are Those In Our Minds

What Limits Are You Creating???

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Being conscious of the thoughts that flow through your mind and taking control of them is a process. To practice Mindfulness and moving forward requires just that...practice. What we choose to turn our most focus to, is that to which we choose to give life to. So many of us have no idea what our true potential is because, we limit ourselves starting with our thoughts. I encourage you to slow down, be mindful, and choose clarity before you begin making your choices. What "what ifs" can you put to a stop? What truth and faith do you surrender to?

Imagination is a gift we all have. To be successful at making change, we must first believe we can make change successfully. "We have to be the change we want to see in the world." (Gandhi)"

"Above and before all: Get Wisdom! seek Understanding!" (Prov 4:7)

From our thoughts come our words. Our words can be blessings; and our words can breathe fire. What we feel inside often shapes the words that come from our mouth. With our words we can create healing and seek clarity by speaking up. With a lack of words we can create assumptions, confusion, and build walls. And with our words we can pierce a soul, be revengeful, lash out, and create harm on others. I encourage you to reflect on how the words of your past have impacted your life: positive and negative. Seek clarity and details of what specific words trigger what emotion within and why...Our words have the power not just to wound others but also to knit us more deeply into the narrative of our relationships as we desire. What do you choose to knit?

First you make choices...and soon those choices begin to shape your life. That's why you must make smart choices...or face the consequences of making bad ones. (Food, Fitness, and Faith)

There goes that saying..."Actions speak louder than words." Our actions turn into habits which shape our character; and when we are trying to break a bad habit, YES actions matter most. Someone can apologize for a wrong doing over and over again, however, if their actions are not making progress their words have no value. Yet, someone can be physically abused and heal quickly. And verbal abuse can create open wounds for years! So, just as I stated in the beginning...our thoughts, words, actions, and character can all be interwoven so tightly.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

Our habits start and manifest themselves deep within our mind and become ingrained through repeated actions. The key to our success and building good character is to replace destructive habits with successful habits. We must face our fears and stop our self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. We must understand that it is never too early, or too late. We have the power to choose the power to change!

"...Nothing can be changed until it is faced." (James Baldwin)

What character are you creating, changing, and living? What destiny are you paving the way for?

                                           Take a Plunge...Have Fun! No Gym needed.

Are You Willing or Waiting???

Be Willing to Receive and Take Action Now!

Are you willing to receive? Are you willing to take ACTION? Are you waiting around until "the time is right?" Are you waiting and waiting in your comfort zone for change to come to you??? As we come to an end in our season of Lent, a season of renewal, I encourage you to reflect on what changes you may have or have not made within the last month. No matter what category your desired changes or undesired changes fall in, all require action to get on the other side...

It has been quite some time since my last post. I have desired to share more consistently, yet have been experiencing some re-prioritizing in my life. :) Through my life process it has become more and more evident how BIG of a culprit stress can be on us physiologically! In the midst of our stress, we must stop, look inward, and be willing to seek our solution to take action. You must receive your clarity, persevere, and climb over that mountain! 

So many of us become exhausted, depleted, and wind up with our health failing all due our constant giving and not enough self-care. Boundaries and saying "No" is not easy and that is for sure part of my life process! Yes we are to be selfless and serve others, however we cannot give if we have nothing left...We must frequently and consistently self-check our very being: physically, spiritually, and mentally. It is our choice to be willing to receive and/or create our restoration, healing, and balance in life. I think it can be quite miraculous to reflect on our physiological life...how our body is designed to communicate to us when something is just not right!!!

"In a world of chaos, sickness, and nonstop chatter...when will you choose to STOP, reflect, seek clarity, and create your peaceful and
healthy balance???" One of the Mysteries of God is that he allows darkness. He gave us free will. That same Mystery of God promises to be with us always, in the midst of our darkness, always waiting, always ready to take us back. "His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome" (Jn 1:5).

May you all receive your clarity, strength, and wisdom to take one step closer towards your chosen path of Healthy Living!                                                                              

                                                             ~ Peace be with you All

                                                         Surrender, Stretch, Silence... 

It is never too early or too late to start over and challenge yourself! Be safe and CHALLENGE!

Building Healthy Habits for Your Total Well Being!

Moving Upward

The New Year has arrived! How many of you have set intentions, created resolutions, and/or mapped up your plan for success? How many have you thought or verbally expressed, "My Healthy Lifestyle begins now!" .... Or, "My new beginning stars Monday!"  ???

Upon reflection of your past promises for positive change: Did things go well for a few days, a few weeks, or perhaps a month before you fell back into your old habits again? YOU ARE NOT ALONE!   Perhaps a place to begin questioning may be...Were your healthy promises made to someone else out of feeling pressured into doing so? Did your promises root from your own heart's desire to change? And/or did you vocalize your desire to change to someone for having required accountability?

Maybe you have heard the saying that it takes 21 days to change a habit. If you believe you can honestly and consistently do anything for 21 days straight, there is a high chance you will succeed at continuing it the 22nd, 23rd, 24th day, and beyond!

To begin creating and planning your Road Map for your Healthy Lifestyle and Total Well-being we must begin with a foundation. As mentioned earlier, where is the root source of change coming from? With God as our foundation, His wisdom will be light upon our feet.

With God as our foundation, we can begin our planning in light for today, tomorrow, and in confidence with light in our future!
The next step in creating your Road Map is evaluating your Priorities to create a healthy Balance. The bridge between our Foundation and our future in Balance, we must meditate on this:

"The balance of affirmation and discipline, freedom and restraint, encouragement and warning is different for each individual and season and generation, yet the absolutes of God is necessary  and trustworthy no matter whom the individual or space in time."

Inclusion with Balance and as we plan, we must remind ourselves that sometimes we require a "trial and error", process of elimination, or persistence to persevere. The commitment to oneself is the not giving up, taking one step at a time, and knowing that we all make mistakes and CAN still start over!

For Total Well-being and creating your Healthy Lifestyle I suggest you evaluate and prioritize from some or all of the following topics: God, Family, Career,  Staying Active (aerobic  & strengthening exercise), Healthy Food Choices, Relaxation/Stress Relief, Friends, etc.

This IS your Starting point and a place of reference you CAN return to always!!!! As you all may know, I am very much a visual person and love pictures! So, below I will share some tools that I have received or sought out while in the process of creating my Healthy Lifestyle choices. Also, if you desire more tools to facilitate your decision making:

- I do have some links posted under my Mission page

- Check out my previous post

- Visit my Facebook page at Celina Nicole Acosta

- Check me out on Twitter at Fitnessnspirit

- Search through my Pinterest Boards at Celina Acosta

"May you all be OPEN to Change, receive His Light, and Believe in Yourself!"