Rock N' Roll Virginia Beach - More To Life Than PR's

Pastor Rich running over to see his wife Katorah

This past weekend at the Rock N’ Roll Virginia Beach half marathon I broke no personal record, the weather was horrendous, and the race itself was a very difficult time for me personally, YET WE CELEBRATED!  I say we because I was not alone at this race…I was with three pastors who have all gotten serious about honoring God with their physical health.  So when I say we, I mean Pastor Rich Griffith who has lost 60lbs since January of this year! Pastor T.J. Wolfe who has lost 90lbs, 45 of those since January of this year! AND Pastor Josh Simpson who has lost 30lbs since March of this year!

The Team!

If this race was about me, if I was focused on a PR it would have been a very, very disappointing trip!  In fact it would have been difficult to forget the day…No, this day will not ever be forgotten…because the day was about something so much more important!

The day wasn’t about me.  It wasn’t about a PR.  Sure, any runner knows that PR’s are GREAT!  We love days that we run faster, or even further then we ever have…but this day was about 4 guys coming together to celebrate life and see people from another country, another continent (Africa) get blessed with the gift of life (Water wells) for their communities!

Pastor TJ Wolfe and Pastor Josh Simpson

I cannot put into words how special the weekend was.  What it meant to the WORLD!  What it meant to the Kingdom of God!  Four dudes who NO ONE would have ever guessed would run 13.1 miles together, and they did it in 81+ degrees, with the humidity making it feel mid 90’s, and a dew point of 77.  And we did it WELL…

As I watched Rich, T.J., & Josh cross the finish line I was the one being blessed.  These guys are a joy to coach, and whether they realize it or not they’ve impacted me as much as I have them, I am sure of that!

I love running fast…I love setting PR’s…I train to do so…but September 2^nd, 2012 will go down as one of the greatest running days of my life, not because of anything I accomplished but because of a team that I was (and hopefully continue) to be a part of!  Well done guys…Well done!

Tomorrow Never Comes!

Tomorrow Never Comes! - Breaking Unhealthy Habits

Don’t fall into the trap of oh well, I will do better tomorrow!

When it comes to diet and exercise we all fail from time to time.  You maybe surprised by the number of times I hear the excuse (OR EVEN USE THE EXCUSE), well I ate this, so I decided that I will start tomorrow.  Maybe we are facing a craving on day 1 of our “new diet” or were just trying to be healthier.  Then we find ourselves giving into a craving & figure well I guess I will just eat everything I crave today and tomorrow I will really get “hardcore”!  Tomorrow I will start!

My own thought is that this excuse / PATTERN is probably the number 1 healthy lifestyle trap…it sabotages a high % of people with good intentions for regaining their personal health!

When we make a mistake or give into a bad habit or craving it’s like falling off a bicycle.  When we fall, we MUST GET RIGHT BACK ON…if we wait until tomorrow we will find another excuse, or perhaps the fear of failure will sabotage our efforts again.

Don’t allow pain to set in and sabotage your goal!  Admit you messed up, confess it to God and MOVE ON!  NOT tomorrow, TODAY!

Get back on and KNOW THAT YOU CAN DO THIS THING!

Pray and ask God for the strength to endure your temptations…

Then sacrifice the desire to Him and allow His love to satisfy your cravings!

Goodbye 2011, HELLO 2012

2011 bye-bye...Welcoming 2012 FINALLY!

For a number of reasons 2011 seemed like a year of sustainability.  Many storms (family death, injuries, accidents) blew through 2011…through it all God protected us, healed us, and grew us in spite of these storms!

Now here we are two weeks into the year 2012 and I seem to be doing as much looking back on 2011 as I have been looking forward to 2012!  Today I am changing that...

New dreams, news of family additions, & career opportunities filled 2011.  I can only imagine what God has in store for 2012.

For 2012 I am expecting, believing, & asking God to make it the year of GROWTH!

I am not accepting merely getting by…

I am not accepting barely enough…

I am not accepting less then expected…

2011 is gone, and 2012 is upon us.  I am living each day expecting great things:

In 2012 I will complete things I couldn’t do in 2011!

In 2012 I will focus on grasping what / who God has called me to be!

In 2012 I will GROW!

Theme verse for 2012 

Philippians 3:12-14

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

What about you, is it time to release 2011 and move into 2012?  Is there something holding you back from welcoming in what God has in store for you in 2012?  Have you set your goals for the coming year?

Growth is not easy, but only happens when there is resistance.  Growth occurs when you fight the resistance, recover, and become stronger for doing so!

Worth Every Drop!

Truth be told I am very nervous about this coming Marathon4Missions! At the beginning of the year, (in January) I set goals, lofty goals, dreams may be a better description of them…ones so ridiculously out of reach it is almost embarrassing to even think about them!

I have been focused…
I have trained all year…
I put in the work…

Yet some things happened that impacted all the work that has been invested over the last 365 days.

Sometimes things happened that were out of my control and other things happen as a result of my own bad choices!

I believe many people have the misconceptions that running, working out, or other physically challenging things are “easy & fun” for me. If anyone is wondering running is the hardest thing for me to do physically, this is why I do it. I have never been & never wanted to be a runner. It used to be when people called me a runner, I’d deny it by responding, “I am NOT a runner!” almost as if I was offended.

4.5 years ago you could have caught one of the most comical sights, my SICK attempt at taking a run. “One mile, that isn’t very far”, I thought to myself. Less then 100 meters into the run I’d find out how far it really was, BUT THE COOLEST THING HAPPENED that day, I DID NOT GIVE UP! I slowed…I walked, but I kept moving forward.

At 321lbs YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW BADLY I WANTED TO QUIT!!!

Day after day I told myself it’d get easier & it did somewhat. Once it started getting comfortable though I knew it was time to push myself a little more…faster, further, the journey continued.

Fast forward somewhere around 1,642 and a half-day to today.

- I am closing in on my 10,000th mile since that 1st…what if I would have stopped?
- The first mile probably took close to 25 minutes to complete…I can now run 4 miles in that time!
-Today I have run everyday for 1,097 days in a row, averaging close to 7 miles a day or an hour a day during this streak!

Lately I have been reminded of where I have come from since that day which I attempted the first mile. I know that this journey has only been possible because of God’s grace, and conviction. With Marathon for Missions 3 looming I can honestly say that whatever happens on 7th & 8th of January 2012, I can be proud of one thing, I NEVER STOPPED! Regardless of how much it hurt, or how tired I was…when I felt like giving up I pressed forward and continued to fight for it.

It isn’t easy, BUT IT IS WORTH IT! If you’re thinking about changing this year, getting more active, losing a few pounds, eating healthier, getting healthier, You’ll NEVER REGRET IT.

Invest some sweat, tears (yes, there will be some), sore muscles (You can count on it), blood, & determination and make the change.

I believe Nike says it best, “JUST DO IT!”

Five Influences over your Diet & Health!

Five Influences over your Diet & Health!

Planning out your meals & snacks daily is the quickest way to nutritional success…

Plan ahead or plan to fail! Whatever your diet goals are remember that you will face obstacles and pitfalls daily in regards to your physical health and nutrition! Here are some common influencers you need to consider when attempting to live a healthy life:

Emotions – When emotions are high we typically turn to an old friend for “comfort”…Somehow we have bought into the lie that when we are upset, sad, happy, stressed, etc. the box of crackers in our pantry or the ice cream in our freezer holds the answer!
Emotional eating is NEVER good! Nearly every emotion prompts false hunger signals. Think about nearly every major event during your life…birthdays, graduations, funerals, baby showers, etc. all center around friends, emotions, and FOOD! The term, “Comfort Food” indicates this is true. DO NOT EAT BECAUSE OF EMOTIONS.

Convenience – We often eat junk because it is convenient. One key to navigating around this negative influence of convenience is to eat breakfast at home and pack your lunch along with any snacks for your entire day! If you do not plan your food out ahead of time you will ALWAYS be negatively impacted by the influence of CONVENIENCE! If you find yourself “stuck” remember there are PLENTY of low fat/low calorie options at your local grocery store. AND lets be honest…fruits and veggies are MUCH more convenient then the dollar menu from your local fast food restaurant!

Availability – When embarking on a lifestyle modification it is ESSENTIAL to keep the right foods available at all times! This includes your home, work, play, and travel locations. Always have something healthy around when you get that unexpected hunger...low calorie fruits, veggies, and (low fat, low calorie) protein bars work amazing for this option!

Time – Another negative influence is time restraints. We have bought into the lie that all food has to be “fast food” on the go. Again there are plenty of great options available at grocery stores, Wal-Mart’s, Target’s, even gas stations (not their own prepared fast foods, but fruits, lean meats, & other options) have great options vs. greasy fast food restaurants! Don’t buy into the myth that eating unhealthy is a time management skill!

Cost – While eating healthy can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be! Find healthy foods that are in your budget and stock up. Sam’s Club, Costco, Wal-Mart, and others have plenty of healthy options at a value price. With medical cost on the rise, the real question is can you afford to not eat healthy?

Again eating a well balanced, nutritious diet is strategic. Not only do you need to know what foods to eat, YOU MUST PLAN AHEAD! If you don’t these NEGATIVE INFLUENCES will impact you.

What is your biggest HEALTH NEMESIS?