I was planning on writing an update in February, but it was a crazy short month. I’m telling you, I blinked and the month was completely over. I wanted to take the time and summarize… More
A Year of Focus
Hey Everyone!
When I started this blog, I wanted it to be an encouraging place for not only myself, but to whomever was reading it. Over the past couple years, I haven’t devoted the time to focus on it as much due to traveling (apparently internet is not the greatest in Mozambique and Brazil). Now that I’m back in the states for a bit, I want to get back to writing.
I decided that the theme for 2019 will be focusing on my health and wellness. Since traveling, I let all that fall by the wayside, and have seen the consequences of it. When I returned to DC, I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted and its began to affect my day to day. By the end of the year (by December to be exact, so the VERY end of the year), I knew I had to press into God and pull everything back together. So fortunately for you, you get to join me on this ride!
A few things I have started doing to in 2019 to help include:
- Waking up at 4:30am. This helps me accomplish a few tasks before I leave for work at 7:30am (I’m currently writing this at 5am). I’m not necessarily a morning person, but my brain functions better in the morning than it does after work, so I have to listen to my body, and work with it and not against it.
- Reading a book called “The Elimination Diet”. Now the purpose of this is not to lose weight (even though it’s a great bonus). I have a lot of food allergies and intolerances, so I’m trying to figure out what I should and should not consume so that I function optimally. I haven’t started the actual diet because I have to mentally prepare myself for the lifestyle change; BUT I am excited to get rid of constant fatigue, bloating, headaches, foggy brain, and other little symptoms I’ve noticed that I assumed were part of a normal way of living.
- Reading the Bible daily. One of my friend’s at church started a group on YouVersion to read the entire Bible in 1 year. I did this several years back, and I’m excited just to get closer to Jesus. One thing I love is that I’m able to listen to The Word, and meditate on it while getting ready, doing weights, or on my way to work. This really helps start my day on a positive note.
There are other things that I’ve included to 2019, and I’ll talk about those as they pop up. If you haven’t already created a theme for the year, I highly advise it, it helps keep you focused on one thing. I want to thank the whole focus method to a video I watched by Jordan Paige, she gives a lot of good advice to people who are a bit scattered like I am.
In closing, here’s to 2019, the year I finally focus on my health and wellness!
With love,
Tifa
December 30 Day Challenge: Wake-up and Bedtime Fitness Routine
Those who know me know that I LOVE carbs and carbs LOVE me. Every time I travel to Africa, I tend to come back heavier than when I left due to consuming a copious amount of carbs. Since being home, I’ve been so excited to eat foods that I didn’t eat while in Mozambique (aka Chick-fil-a), and I kinda gained a bit more weight. And on top of this the holiday season continues to add to my waistline (who else out there enjoys white fudge Oreos?). As a side note, I love my body in all its many stages, BUT I don’t like buying new clothes and I like the ones I already own. Soooo, you can say this is my “get back into your pants because it’s cold outside/you’re going to Brazil for five months starting February” challenge.
On November 30th my mom and I took our measurements and decided we are going on a 30-day fitness challenge (included below). I have never participated in a weight loss challenge/program, but I don’t lose weight as fast as I did in my 20’s, so here’s to putting in some real work and effort. The main inspiration for this are all the mom’s out there who are snapping back after having children, this includes my older sister and my friend Katondra. They have been so dedicated to getting healthy, I realized I need to get it together.
With all this being said, my first 30-day challenge started on December 1st. The plan has been to do the “Wake-up and Workout” and the “Before Bed Workout” which I found on Pinterest. I was going to couple the workouts with a heroic attempt at somewhat getting back into running. For those who have been following my blog for at least a year, you will know my distaste for winter running and it hasn’t changed. I was doing pretty good and staying consistent with the morning and evening workout for the first two weeks (minus the running because it’s too cold to function), and all my efforts were halted due to the horrific cold/flu going around. The symptoms started Sunday with a headache and congestion and hit me with a vengeance by Monday morning. Thanks to being sick and delicious holiday snacks, we can all conclude that I have not lost any inches or weight in the past couple weeks, but I do intend to continue the morning and evening routine once I’m 100%. Now the only thing I need to figure out (because I’m not going outside), is what kind of cardio to do within the comfort of my home. If you have any good cardio routines I can try, please comment below. I still have 15 days to accomplish something, but for now, back to my cookie and hot chocolate!
With love,
Tifa
| Weight | 156.4 lbs |
| Right thigh | 26 in |
| Hip/Butt | 42 in |
| Stomach | 36 in |
| Waist | 32.5 in |
| Chest | 36.5 in |
| Right arm | 11.5 in |
Tea With Tifa 