Love and Life

It’s About the Cross

Today is a very special day, it is a day where I set aside time to remember what Christ did for me when He came to earth and died on the cross for me!  I am so grateful for such a wonderful Savior! I am humbled when I think that God loved me so much that he sent His Son to suffer and die in order to rescue me from my sins!

“The Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me! Galatians 2:20.

It's About The Cross | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

It’s not just about the manger
Where the baby lay
It’s not all about the angels
Who sang for him that day

It’s not just about the shepherds
Or the bright and shining star
It’s not all about the wisemen
Who travelled from afar

Chorus:
It’s about the cross
It’s about my sin
It’s about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again

It’s about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday

It’s about the cross
It’s about the cross

Verse 2:

It’s not just about the presents
Underneath the tree
It’s not all about the feeling
That the season brings to me

It’s not just about coming home
To be with those you love
It’s not all about the beauty
In the snow I’m dreaming of

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great
But it’s the ending that can save you and that’s why we celebrate

It’s about the cross
It’s about my sin
It’s about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again

It’s about God’s Son
Nailed to a tree
It’s about every drop of blood that flowed from Him when it should have been me

It’s about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday
So that you and I could have real life someday

It’s about the cross
It’s about the cross
It’s about the cross

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Love and Life

My Greatest Contribution to the Universe

The other day I was driving home after picking my kids up from school.  Out of no where my son asked, “Mom, how do you like being a parent?”  I told him “I absolutely love it, it is the BEST and hardest thing I have ever done.”  Ever since that conversation I have been thinking about it a lot.

Every day my first and most important responsibility is being a wife and mother.  Sometimes in the rush of daily life I forget that my children are not a distraction from my daily work, but that they are the most important work that I will ever do.

I have learned more from having kids than any other thing I have ever done in my life. While being a parent is the absolute best, yet hardest, thing I have ever done, it is also the most important.  I have learned that there are more important things in life than getting my own way.  I have learned that doing something for someone else makes you feel so much better about yourself.  I have learned that time flies by, and that they will only need me to do everything for them and be little for such a short amount of time.

Sometimes they are CrAzY!  Sometimes they wake up way waaaaaay too early.  Sometimes when I just want to get things done they get super silly and laugh really loud at every thing!  (Wow, isn’t it crazy how their laughing and being silly and happy can be an issue for me?!  What is my problem?!) Sometimes they say “Mommy?! Mommy?! Mommy?! Mommy?!” over and over again even when I am standing right next to them asking “What?”  Despite all that, they are a gift, a gift that I could never live without!

When I get upset or stressed out, I can always find peace in the fact that I have my family. They love me even at my worst, and they think that I am awesome, even when I am a hot mess.  So, on those days when things are not going as planned, and my house is a crazy mess, and I don’t have anything planned for dinner, and feel like I am failing as a mother; I need to stop and remind myself that I have a wonderful husband, and that no one can be the mother my kids need like I can.

 

My greatest contribution to the universe is my children. | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
I am so thankful to God everyday for the children He has blessed me with!
Flab to FAB · Health/ Fitness · Jillian Michaels Body Revolution

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Workout 6 Review

**Please see update below.

Phase 2 Workout 6 for Weeks 5 and 6

What will you need?  

  • Exercise mat
  • Medium resistance cable
  • Free weights (3, 5 or 8 lbs depending on your strength level)

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Review | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Just like workout 1, workout 3 is focused on the front of the body.  It incorporates some yoga moves as well as strength training.  Right away you will notice that the workout is more intense than 1+2, but you will also notice how much stronger you already are.
Where can you expect to be sore the next day?  

  • Chest
  • Shoulders,
  • Abs,
  • Triceps
  • Quads

The workout is broken down into 4 circuits; each of which are repeated once with  one minute of cardio  in between the circuit repetition.  Some of these things are harder to name/explain.

Here is a breakdown of phase one workout one

Warm-up

  • Alternating Swing Kicks
  • Speed Rope
  • Single Knee Thrusts Right
  • Alternating Swing Kicks
  • Speed Rope
  • Single Knee Thrusts Left

Circuit 1:

  • Bent Rows Wide Grip Heavy Weight (palms face forward)
  • Cross over Curtsy lunge with Bicep Curls with Medium Weight
  • Plank Rows with Heavy Weights
  • Super Mans with Light Weights

Cardio -1 minute Rock Star Jumps-repeat circuit 1

Circuit 2:

  • Stork Stance With a Low Row Right Leg
  • Reverse plank (I HATE this! You’ll feel this in the shoulders, lower back, arms, and glutes)
  • Stork Stance With a Low Row Left Leg
  • Cable press Heavy Dumbbell Curls, all the way up all the way down

Cardio -1 minute Plyo jump with knee grab-repeat circuit 2

Circuit 3:

  • Statue of Liberty Single Leg Squat with Reverse Fly (Medium Sized Weight in the left hand raise the left leg)
  • Lunge Chops Heavy Weight right leg (I hate lunges, but I love these!)
  • Statue of Liberty Single Leg Squat with Reverse Fly (Medium Sized Weight in the right hand raise the right leg)
  • Lunge Chops Heavy Weight opposite leg (I hate lunges, but I love these!)

Cardio -1 minute-Running Man-repeat circuit 3

Circuit 4:

  • Lat Pulls with a High Crunch medium weight
  • Reverse Crunch Hip Lift (don’t swing the legs!)
  • Windshield Wipers R/L
  • Swat Swimg with one medium weight (I love these, but you will feel them the next day!!!)

Cardio -1 minute- ZigZag Jumps-repeat circuit 4

Cool Down/Stretches

As usual I was super sore from the workouts the first two days, (Once again, I woke up in the middle of the night in pain because I rolled over and my muscles were so sore from the workout!) but thankfully, after that not much at all.  I knew I was going to be sore, so I took motrin before going to bed. 🙂
I will write a detailed review of Cardio 2 soon. (I LOVE Cardio 2).

If you are interested in my review of Workouts 1-5 and Cardio 1 click HERE.

Follow along with me as I journey from Flab to FAB!

I hope this was helpful if you are trying to decide if Jillian Michaels Body Revolution is right for you!

Here is one of my very favorite Jillian Micheals quotes:

“Your legs are not giving out. Your head is giving out. Keep going.”

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good

**Update:

Initially, I found Jillian Michaels’ approach to exercise and dieting highly motivational. Her intense workouts and strict dietary guidelines pushed me to achieve remarkable physical results, which fueled my motivation and determination. I embraced her no-nonsense attitude and believed that pushing my body to its limits was the only way to achieve success. However, as time went on, I began to realize that this approach was taking a toll on my mental health. The relentless pursuit of physical perfection and the constant pressure I placed on myself led to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and a distorted body image. It was then that I decided to change my perspective and adopt a more balanced and loving approach to my body. By prioritizing self-compassion, listening to my body’s needs, and embracing acceptance, I discovered a newfound sense of mental well-being. This shift in thinking allowed me to find joy in movement, cultivate a positive relationship with my body, and ultimately, achieve a healthier and more sustainable approach to overall well-being.

Flab to FAB · Health/ Fitness · Jillian Michaels Body Revolution

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Workout 5 Review

**Please see update below.

Phase 2 Workout 5 for Weeks 5 and 6

What will you need?  

  • Exercise mat
  • Medium resistance cable
  • Free weights (3, 5 or 8 lbs depending on your strength level)

Where can you expect to be sore the next day?  

  • Chest
  • Shoulders,
  • Abs,
  • Triceps
  • Quads

The workout is broken down into 4 circuits; each of which are repeated once with  one minute of cardio  in between the circuit repetition.

Jillian Michaels Body Revolution Phase 2 Workout 5 | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Here is a breakdown of phase two workout five

Warm-up

Sun salutation:
exhale-fold down touch the ground,
raise half way with a flat back and exhale,
jump back into a plank pose,
down into a chaturanga pose,
Flow into up dog, exhale
down dog,
bend the knees look up
jump up to standing

Repeat 3 times.

Circuit 1:

  • Push Ups with a side plank rotation
  • Deep crescent pose with triceps pulses using light weights
  • Jumping Squats -advanced modification add weights (I seriously HATE these!)
  • Repeat exercise 2 on opposite leg.

Cardio -1 minute-Mountain climbers -repeat circuit 1

Circuit 2:

  • Static Lunge with Lumberjack rotation using heavy weight – right side-advanced modification add heavier weights
  • With light weights, drop and hold sumo and do arm presses ?
  • Static lunge with Lumberjack rotation using heavy weight – left side-advanced modification add heavier weights
  • Scissor abs

Cardio -1 minute-High knees -repeat circuit 2

Circuit 3:

  • With the cable, create a loop, step through  into a deep crescent pose, pull the cable in and back to a “T position”
  • Crab exercise with right leg raised
  • Repeat the first exercise on the opposite leg
  • Repeat crab exercise with your opposite leg raised

Cardio -1 minute-Cable Punches

Repeat Circuit 3 with the exception of the cardio bit

At this point Jillian says she wants you to be able to have sex with the lights on and when your son ask you what that means you quickly tell him you don’t know what she is talking about and ask him to leave the room until you are finished.  Oh Jillian, thanks a lot!

Circuit 4:

  • Medium cable row while seated on the mat wrap cable around feet and pull-advanced modification-wrap cable around again
  • Line tricep press
  • Repeat exercise 1 on opposite leg.
  • RepeatLine tricep press on opposite side.

Cardio -1 minute-Speed rope (like jump rope only a lot faster!)-repeat circuit 4

Cool Down/Stretches

I am not going to lie, I kind of hate this workout, but I got through it and am so glad that I don’t have to do it any more!

I have already completed these first two weeks of phase two and now  I’ve moved on to the second half of phase 2-workouts 7 and 8.   As usual, I was super  sore from the workouts the first two days (oh my word so very sore!!!), but after that, not as bad.
I will write a detailed review of Cardio 2 and Workout 6 soon. (I have really enjoy doing Cardio 2!)

I hope this was helpful if you are trying to decide if Jillian Michaels Body Revolution is right for you!

Click here if you would like to follow along with me as I journey from Flab to FAB!

Here is another one of my favorite Jillian Michaels quotes that  I tell myself all the time when I feel like I want to quit, phone it in, or take an easier modification:

“Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going!”

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good

**Update:

Initially, I found Jillian Michaels’ approach to exercise and dieting highly motivational. Her intense workouts and strict dietary guidelines pushed me to achieve remarkable physical results, which fueled my motivation and determination. I embraced her no-nonsense attitude and believed that pushing my body to its limits was the only way to achieve success. However, as time went on, I began to realize that this approach was taking a toll on my mental health. The relentless pursuit of physical perfection and the constant pressure I placed on myself led to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and a distorted body image. It was then that I decided to change my perspective and adopt a more balanced and loving approach to my body. By prioritizing self-compassion, listening to my body’s needs, and embracing acceptance, I discovered a newfound sense of mental well-being. This shift in thinking allowed me to find joy in movement, cultivate a positive relationship with my body, and ultimately, achieve a healthier and more sustainable approach to overall well-being.

Quote

ANYWAY…

The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent M. Keith when he was a 19 year old sophomore at Harvard College.  Mother Teresa had this enlarged, framed, and hung in the front lobby of her children’s home in Calcutta.

ANYWAY | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,

LOVE THEM ANYWAY

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,

DO GOOD ANYWAY

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies,

SUCCEED ANYWAY

The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,

DO GOOD ANYWAY

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable,

BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY

People love underdogs but follow only top dogs

FOLLOW SOME UNDERDOGS ANYWAY

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight,

BUILD ANYWAY

People really need help but may attack you if you help them,

HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY

Give the world the best you have

And you’ll get kicked in the teeth,

GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU’VE GOT

ANYWAY.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good

Tips and Tricks

Things I Have Learned

I recently celebrated my birthday!

I had a wonderful day filled with indulgence in lots of delicious foods that I haven’t allowed myself to eat in a while. Look at that Stuffed French Toast!!!

Happy birthday to me! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

When I was younger I used to think that being “old” must be terrible.  I was totally wrong!

So far I have appreciated life during my 30s so much more than I did in my 20s.

A lot of that appreciation has come with natural maturity as well as lessons that can only be learned through living life.

Beautiful flowers I got for my birthday from my husband and kids. lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
Beautiful flowers I got for my birthday from my husband and kids.

Here is a simple list of a few of the things I have learned during the first half of my thirties…

  1. Always wear sunscreen!
    That beautiful smooth skin will not stay smooth and beautiful for long.  If you keep getting “just a little burn” everytime you’re out in the sun, it will turn into something less than beautiful as time goes on!
  2. Exercise is so fun!
    I hate to admit is, but before I was in my 30s, I didn’t see the necessity of daily activity/exercise.  I’m glad that this is a lesson I learned at the beginning of my 30s, and I plan to continue with this healthy lifestyle.
  3. I cannot eat whatever you want and stay thin/healthy!
    I really wisht that this wasn’t true.  Unlike the exercise lesson, this one I just recently really learned and I am glad that I have finally learned how to eat healthy.
  4. The book is always waaaaaaay better than the movie!
    I didn’t start reading for pleasure until I was 31.  It took me 31 years to realize that one of the most enjoyable things in my life could be found at the library!
  5. Don’t say I don’t like a food until I have tried it.
    I have always been a very picky eater!  On my 30th birthday, we went out to a very fancy restaraunt for dinner.  Instead of ordering the food “without this” or “with this instead of that”, I decided right then to for once just order it the way it was found on the menu. That meal was one of the best I have ever had, and itchanged my eating/ordering habits.
  6. People are NOT against me, they are FOR themselves.
    Stop and think about this one, this was an epic lesson!!! No one is actually working against me, they are working for what is best for themselves.  It is not about you, it is always about them.
  7. Stop doing things that make me unhappy.
    I’m not talking about necessary responcibilities, I’m talking about the added stresses we put onto ourselves.  If you don’t want to do it, just say no.  Once you say “no” a few times it gets a lot easier to say.
  8. Happiness is not determined by what is happening around you but instead by what is happening inside of you!
  9. It is ok to distance myself from relationships that are not healthy.
    We all have them, those people who we feel obligated to hang out with even though we don’t enjoy being around them.  I refer to these people as fattning food/nap people.  Because after spending time with them I feel like I need to eat something fattening and take a nap.  Just because you have known someone for several years doesn’t mean that you have to stay “close” friends.  If you feel depressed and tired after spending time with someone, it is time to let that relationship go! I always tell my children, you can still be kind to someone without having to be best friends.
  10. It is ok to be afraid, just don’t let fear be the thing that controls me.
    Be motivated by your fear to to things that make you uncomfortable.  Some things are not as scary as you may think they are.  You’ll be amazed at how strong you really are when your fear is faced and overcome. II Timothy 1:7 says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

These are some of the lessons that stick out in my mind.  I am sure that there are lots and lots more, but I will save those for another post.  I’m so glad that every day is an opportunity to start over and learn new lessons!

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Instagram and Facebook!