Doing Good - Starting with Me

Perhaps it is selfish, perhaps it is just plain prophetic, or perhaps it just is.

Today is the first day of attempting to really live into the General Rules (see my earlier post today) and I decided to start, of all places, with me.

No I didn't go to the spa or take some extravagant shopping trip to some quasi local galleria type mall. Instead, I began with my own health.

For the past couple of months I have really enjoyed Los's blog found at http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/. One of the things that Los has going on is the Ragamuffin Top Challenge where his readers are challenged to do something about their weight, shape, and fitness. After 3 years of pastoring two rural churches, all the while attending 12 hours of graduate work, I have noticed that my mid section is much larger than everything else...it has all settled to the belly!

About two weeks ago I received a home gym, thanks to my wife's job, and recently set it up (actually finished the last bench last night!). Since I spend so much time behind a computer, driving, sitting, visiting, etc., I thought that the greatest good that I could do (beginning with me) was to get back into shape and take better care of my health.

To that end, last week Erica and I cooked more (ate out or ate poorly a lot less) and enjoyed some really fabulous meals. Today, with the beginnings of better eating and the home gym assembly tackled, it was time to begin with workout number one after a number of years (I won't tell you, because it is just down right embarrassing!).

At day one, I weigh 185 pounds (again, with a large portion of this misappropriated to the belly area) and am not in the greatest shape. I began with a very short beginners program on the home gym today. I did seven exercises all with 40 pounds of weight at 2 sets, 10 reps each. My goals for the upcoming months/years are to continue to build strength through increasing both weight, sets, and reps. I am hopeful that this will allow me to relocate some of the misappropriated pot lucks on my body!

As time goes on, I will be adding ab exercises and other weight exercises to my routine. My weight/strength training will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

In addition to this I will be running on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I will be taking Sundays off!

I don't want to lose weight...in fact, I expect that I will gain a little by the time all is said and done...I just want to rearrange it and be healthier for God, myself, my wife and my Bailey girl.

I will measure my goals regarding my strength training with the amount of weight, sets and reps as the milestones. I will measure my running goals (aerobic exercise) by the time and distance that I run. By the end of the year, I hope to complete a 10k run with my District Superintendent!

Let me know how you are doing good to your body, what your goals are and how your journey to those goals is going!

Until next time, grace and peace.

Russell