About 10 years ago, I had just had my first baby and I was a happy couch potato. I ate whatever I wanted and never ever even thought about exercise! One day, I was out shopping, pushing my baby in the stroller, when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the store’s window. I was literally appalled by what I saw! 😱
Having never consistently exercised in my life, I didn’t know what to do or where to start; I just knew that I needed to start something! The next day I began my health and fitness journey with a one-mile walk at home exercise DVD by Leslie Sansone.
I slowly but surely got stronger and grew to love exercising! It all started with a one-mile Leslie Sansone workout. The rest is history!
Leslie Sansone will always have a special place in my heart!
Do you have 15 minutes to improve your day? Yes, you do, just do it! Your health and wellness are worth it! Remember to keep proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!
Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!
Isn’t it amazing when God gives us exactly what we are needing? Here is a wonderful devotional by Lysa Terkeurst that was just what I needed for today! I hope that you find it helpful as well!
photo credit Proverbs 31
WHEN CRITICISM HURTS
by Lysa Terkeurst
Proverbs 15:2
The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
“It was one of those voicemails that left me rubbing the sides of my head wondering, “Why me? Why today?” I was blindsided by the criticism and felt this would be the perfect time to find a hole and crawl into it.
Criticism hurts. No matter who you are, how many people are encouraging you, and how happy you felt before you got “that call” or “that email,” one drop of critical yuck spreads fast and furious.
Oh, how I wish I had a little “criticism antidote” to make it all better. I don’t. But I do have a little sermonette I preach to myself when criticized.
When someone criticizes, I’ve got to quickly discern if they are trying to help me or hurt me.
No criticism is fun, but it can be helpful if it is from a wise person speaking words that are truly intended to help us. Proverbs 15:2a says, “The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge …” To me, a wise person is someone who • Cares enough about me to get their facts straight and isn’t speaking out of assumption. • Has talked to God and reflects a gentle, caring tone in their communication. • And wraps their criticism with grace and humility.
This kind of criticism is given with the intent of sharing helpful wisdom that is constructive rather destructive.
If the criticism is destructive and hurtful, I must remember the second part of Proverbs 15:2b, “… but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.”
The definition of folly is a “lack of understanding or sense.”
We need to remember this kind of harsh and unnecessary criticism says a lot more about their insecurities than our inadequacies.
We can’t fix whatever hurt caused them to lash out. But we can decide to stay calm and not compound the hurt. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)
Photo Credit Bible App
No matter what kind of criticism we get—helpful or hurtful—it still stings. And we might not feel like being calm at first. When I returned the call that left my heart racing and my head pounding, I didn’t feel like being calm. I had to choose to be calm despite my feelings. I’m learning that staying calm is as much of a gift to myself as it is to the one criticizing me.
Dear Lord, I know You are not a God of condemnation and criticism. Teach me to hold my tongue and trust in You when I am hurt by those around me. I want to be able to take the criticism that is helpful and leave the criticism that is hurtful, but I know that only through You can I do this without the weight of condemnation. Thank You for Your gentle conviction and patience with me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
We all want to be happy, but yet often we are our own worst enemies! I know that quite often the only reason that I am unhappy is that I choose to be. Here are 6 quick way to ensure that you are unhappy!
1.Have Unrealistic Expectations
Unmet expectations will almost always be the cause of your unhappiness in life.
Unmet expectations are usually what causes anger as well. It is not always easy to admit that the true source of your anger and unhappiness is from not getting what you wanted!
Minimize your expectations, maximize your joy.
2. Have Uncommunicated Expectations
Guess what? No one is a mind reader! Can you believe it?! It is true.
If you want someone in your life to do something, first they need to know what you want from them. Don’t get upset when you expect something from someone that they have no clue about.
Give the people in your life the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to meet your expectations.
3. Don’t Be Honest With Yourself
Sometimes, I have to stop and ask myself “Why am I doing what I am doing?” Sometimes I know exactly why. Sometimes the answer is clear and positive. Sometimes I don’t really know what my motivation is.
Sometimes I have to really take a step back and be honest with myself, “What do I want out of this situation?” I don’t always like the answer that I have to give myself.
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:3
4. Don’t Be Honest With Others
So many ugly situations in life could be avoided if we were to live by the simple truth of “Say what you mean and mean what you say!”
Do you want to host Easter dinner? Nope.
Then when you are asked to host, be honest about it and say “No.” Don’t say you will host and then make it clear to everyone around you that you don’t want to have them at your house.
Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred. Proverbs 15:17
Are you upset because someone hurt your feelings? YES!
Tell them the truth about the way you feel, don’t say “Nothing” when asked what is wrong. If it is important enough to you to make you upset, it should be important enough for you to share.
Be respectful of the relationship and give them the chance to correct the situation.
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18
photo credit: Bible app
5. Assign Intent To Others
On a daily basis, we can find a something to get offended about.
What happened?
Your friend didn’t like your IG photo.
Your co-workers went to lunch without you.
Your sisters got together for a playdate with their kids and you weren’t included.
Two people you know were having a serious conversation and didn’t acknowledge you.
Your friends had a girl’s night out and you couldn’t go.
Don’t take things personally! Almost always, people are not against you, they are just for themselves.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13
Photo credit: Bible app
If you want to be unhappy give intent to the unintentional things that other people do!
6. Compare your life to others.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”-Theodore Roosevelt
In this world of social media, it is so hard not to get sucked into comparing ourselves with others. Due to social media, we see so much more of people’s “private” lives.
The problem is that we are usually comparing all of our flaws with the snapshots of an edited filtered picture perfect life. Their reality is that they also have flaws that we do not see.
Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,5 for each one should carry their own load. Galatians 6:4-5
Stop it! Be grateful for what you do have!
Follow these simple steps to have a completely unhappy life! 😉
Today’s tip is about A Makeup Mistake When Applying Eyeshadow That Makes You Look Older :
Tip 3: Choose the correct eyeshadow finish!
The term “eyeshadow finish” describes the texture and appearance of the shadow. There are 5 basic finishes: matte, satin, frost, shimmer, and glitter. The eyeshadow finish will affect the ease of use, color, pigmentation, and overall result of the final look.
When you are in your teens and twenties you can get away with almost every type of makeup look. The older, er um, I mean more mature, you get the more limited these looks seem to get.
I LOVE glitter, sparkles, and shimmer! I’m like a magpie and everything shiny catches my eye. But when it comes to eyeshadows there is a time and place for shimmer and glitter.
My tip is to use a matte transition shade as well as in the crease to frame the eyes. We want to draw attention away from our sagging lids! 😉
You don’t have to avoid shimmers and glitters, just use them on the center of the lid and in the inner corner of the eye.
“This petite palette has eight matte wet/dry shades that can be used as a liner, shadow, or brow powder for any look—from understated to amped up. Featuring a step-by-step guide for six eye and five brow shapes, it’s everything you need for creating eye looks on the go.”
You can read my complete review of Smashbox Photo Matte Eyes Travel Palette by clicking HERE.
Don’t want to spend $25 on a mini eyeshadow palette? Try out the ELF Mad for Mattes Palette. It is only $10 and has matte shades in it.
Let me know if you try it out this tip and what you think! If you are enjoying these tips every Tuesday you can check them all out by clicking HERE.
As I mentioned, there is nothing wrong with getting older, but there is no reason to make yourself look older than you are. Follow these few simple tips on which makeup mistakes to avoid. No one wants to purposefully make yourself look older than you actually are.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, we all make mistakes. 😉
I always enjoy these Fitness Blender workouts! You will be sweating! Take a few minutes and improve your day! Your health and wellness are worth it! Remember to keep proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!
There is no music, so if you like to workout with some tunes, you’ll have to provide your own. 😀
Workout Structure
45 Seconds Active 15 Seconds Rest
ABAB Structure
Warm up included; cool down and stretch is not (recommended; see suggestions below)
Up & Over Steps
High Knee Pulls
Butt Kicker Drops
Jumping Jack Squat
Plank Jack + Knee
Countdown Squats (4 counts up 4 counts down, 3 counts up, 3 counts down, etc)
Toe Touch Jacks
Center Hop Pushes
Up & Out Jacks
Lateral Hops + Knee
Alternating Lunge + Twist
Lat Pulldown + Standing Row
There is no cool down in this video, so if you’re not off to another video, make sure that you take the time to stretch.
Here are a few cool down options, pick one with a length that works for your needs:
Today’s tip is about Makeup Mistake That Makes You Look Older #2:
As I mentioned, there is nothing wrong with getting older, but there is no reason to make yourself look older than you are. For the next few weeks, I’m going to give some tips on which makeup mistakes to avoid making yourself look older than you actually are.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, we all make mistakes. 😉
Tip 2: Choose the correct color of blush! I LOVE blush! It is one of the magical makeup products that can be applied quickly and simply, yet will instantly add brightness and life to your face.
While adding blush to the apples of your cheeks can give the face a lifted look, blush can quickly go from magic to a tragic if you choose a color that is too dark. Depending on your skin tone, a soft peach or rosy hue can add a youthful glow to the face, but a too dark shade will make the face look dull and tired.
Let me know if you try it out and what you think! If you are enjoying these tips every Tuesday you can check them all out by clicking HERE. You can read more about my tip for proper blush application by clicking HERE.
“Lose weight with this Indoor Walking Workout that you can do at home, this is a specially designed walking workout for weight loss -it is a low impact workout which makes it suitable for every fitness level so it is a perfect beginners workout and also if you are going through rehab or obese this will be ideal. This is also suitable for Pre and Postnatal.So grab your trainers and let’s do this fun workout together. The benefits of walking are that it burns off calories and tones you up at the same time.”
Remember to keep proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!
Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!
While recently away in Florida on a family vacation, we did A LOT of driving. During these times in the car, we passed the time listening to old episodes of Adventures in Odyssey. My kids LOVE them, as both my husband and I did as children.
photo credit: daystar.com
Something about the episode we listened to the one night caught my ear and really made me think. The episode is called “The Devil Made Me Do It” It has three separate stories done in a “variety show” style each with the similar theme of resisting temptation.
While Adventures in Odyssey is made for children and done in an entertaining way, the concepts have such deeper meanings.
The Bible tells us the enemy is roaming the earth seeking people to destroy; it is also true that as Christians we have the power of God living inside of us. We already have the power to resist.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
Is it wrong to be tempted? Of course not, even Jesus was tempted by Satan.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15
We all have different hang-ups and different things that tempt us. Maybe you’re trying to get healthier and you are tempted by the bread basket or having second helpings of dinner. (My weakness is chocolate chip cookies!🍪)
Maybe you are tempted to compare yourself to others which in turn can lead to unkindness and gossiping.
Maybe you are a procrastinator always tempted to put things off until the last minute.
Whatever you’re tempted by God has given us the power to overcome it!
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Romans 6:12-13
When it comes to temptation does the “Devil make me do it”? No, but he’s definitely going to be ready to tempt you to sin. Put up a good fight and resist that temptation!
Hi, so this is a Tip Tuesday on Wednesday…I got my days mixed up, whoops!
Here’s another tip for Tip Tuesday:
Today’s tip is about Makeup Mistake That Makes You Look Older:
There is nothing wrong with getting older, but there is no reason to make yourself look older than you are. For the next few weeks, I’m going to give some tips on which makeup mistakes to avoid making yourself look older than you actually are.
Tip 1: Moisturize your skin and neck! You will never regret giving your skin some extra care. Even if you have oily skin you need to moisturize! (you can read more about my tip for moisturizing oily skin by clicking HERE)
If your skin is tired, oily, dry and cracked your foundation will sink into those lines giving your face an older appearance. Cleanse, tone and moisturize your face every day!
I have been doing this Barre Sculpting Arm Workout for the last few weeks and I have noticed a difference in the appearance of my shoulders! Use light weights or you will be kicking yourself tomorrow! (I learned that the hard way.😫)
Take a few minutes and improve your day! Your health and wellness are worth it! Remember to keep proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!
Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!
In the above photo, I am wearing 
Looking Joli Good 
