Our 80's Zumbathon

The Zumbathon today was a big success regardless of the weather today! Next Saturday, March 7th, we have Victory for Congo at Victory Ministries and Sports Complex from 9 am - 12 pm! Registration is any donation. 

Discount Code for Hospital Hill

Have you ever ran the Hospital Hill Half-Marathon, 10K, or 5K?  It was named one of the top 20 races in the nation (http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/downloads/RW_Feb_2013.pdf).  My husband and I ran this race in 2012.  It was a ton of fun, had great pace setters, awesome race swag, and amazing race support.

I was given a discount code to share with my followers.  If several sign up with my code, we may earn two FREE registrations to give away for future races!

If you go to http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/ to register, use HUGHES10 for a 10% discount.  This code will also work for the Re-Run races unless the races sell out.  

Comment if you register so we can track how many use the code.  God bless!  

Praising God

1 Thessalonians 5:7 says to give thanks in all circumstances. And I am so thankful for the date night He provided my husband and I over Valentine's weekend at Victory. In addition, we rarely get photos taken beside random cell phone pictures because we are the ones with the camera most of the time. 

God is so good and blesses me with not only an amazing husband but awesome family members to pray with at Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission and Victory Ministries and Sports Complex. 

Total Body Workout

Nike Training Club has some great short and longer workouts you can do about anywhere you have room to move. 

Here is a 15 minute total body workout you can do with a medicine ball and a set of dumb bells. 

http://youtu.be/hlmUlCDbTgA

Stay Connected to the Vine

In John 15:1-2, 4-5, Jesus is talking to the disciples before he is arrested.  He tells them this:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful...4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

If you try to succeed in your own power or drift away from daily connection with God, you will fail because you aren't connected to our life source - Jesus!  

Colossians 2:6-7
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Victory for Congo

This a little glimpse of the ministry you can help by attending the Victory for Congo Zumbathon on March 7th at Victory Ministry & Sports Complex.

http://youtu.be/fc6fMkDWryE

The Run Around - Are You In? Challenge

https://www.facebook.com/runaroundjoplin/app_403834839671843?ref=page_internal

Alternative Ingredients for Indulgent Foods / Beverages

Do you like to indulge every once in awhile on brownies, sweet flavored tea, or cappuccinos?   Try this ingredients as a replacement so you don't have to cut your favorite item from your diet.  Make sure to try these in moderation.

http://youtu.be/n6k49jhPrl8

Crunchless Abs Workout - Crunch Free Ab Workout Routine

What is charity?

Charity – What is it?

The dictionary says charity is "the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need."

What does God say about charity? 

In Acts 20:35 it says: "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

In Hebrews 13:16 it says: "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

In Proverbs 19:17 it says: "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed."

In Deuteronomy 15:7-11 it says:  “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly[a] on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’"

In Matthew 6:2-4 it says: 

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

In II Corinthians 9:7 it says: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

In Matthew 25:34-40 it says: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

So when did God say anything about the state taking tax payer money to help the poor? 

Effective charity starts with you and me. If we all were practicing what God commanded us, we wouldn't need the government welfare programs that seem to be creating chronic poverty and entitlement issues.  

Setting Goals

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3 NIV)

When setting fitness goals or life goals, we need to commit ourselves to the Lord and ask Him for godly wisdom. He can provide us a plan and help us soar to new heights. 

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights...(Habakkuk 3:19 NIV)

Core Strength

Since the torso muscles referred to as the core, has minimal skeletal support, it must rely on the strength and stability provided by the multiple layers of abdominal wall musculature. 

This is why we need a strong core! Here are some core exercises to try. In addition, the Nike Training Club has several core workouts 7-15 minutes or longer if you have the time. 

Victory Over Our Fitness / Life Goals

I Corinthians 15:57 says, "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Therefore, we can claim the victory with our fitness and life goals. In fact, Jesus says, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13 NIV)

So, ask Jesus to help you with your goals. He is a gracious and powerful God and when you use the blessings for His glory, nothing is impossible! 

Zumba fitness at Victory Ministries and Sports Complex - Tuesday / Thursday 5:30p.m. Www.victoryjoplin.com 

Short High Intensity Body Weight Training

I just finished this short cardio video after I warmed up with a couple of Zumba routines. Then, I cooked down with a short yoga routine. Try this! It is only 3 rounds of 4 twenty second exercises. It got my heart rate up and gave me a good sweat in only 6 minutes. 

http://youtu.be/nLJ503CinLQ

Upcoming Zumbathons

February 28th: Relay for Life Zumbathon in Pittsburg at the YMCA
https://www.facebook.com/events/337439463111581/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

March 7th: Victory for Congo Zumbathon at Victory Ministries and Sports Complex - Joplin, MO
https://www.facebook.com/events/440687292753302/443735102448521/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity


March 22st: Back to the Oldie's with Nicki - $7 at the Joplin South YMCA
https://www.facebook.com/events/335755896633287/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

March 28th: MS Zumbathon at the Pittsburg High School

May 9th: Hope for Honduras Zumbathon
https://www.facebook.com/events/335755896633287/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Snow day workout at home

http://www.mensfitness.com/training/workout-routines/10-home-workouts-build-muscle-under-20-minutes#sthash.gFflBL2P.gbpl

Or try this ab workout:

http://youtu.be/1919eTCoESo

Poverty Notes

In my mission to serve Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission, I have transcribed some video of our executive director James Whitford this week.  After going through the material I felt like this section could be used for a devo and I should share on my blog:

"I was in Pine Ridge at the first of the Month when the benefits were being handed out. So that’s when all the checks arrive, right? And alcohol sales are prohibited on the Indian reservation, so thousands of Indians travel south two miles to the northern community of White Clay, Nebraska. If you have ever been there, you know White Clay has about 10 businesses. Four of them are liquor stores; 3,000 cans of beer sold everyday from one store on average. How sad it was to see! And these are the things we see in concentration there, but you and I see them. We see the same problem happening for the same reason in many cases in our own communities. How sad it was to see these Indian people laid out on the sidewalks, sitting in the ditches along the roadway, and staggering down the street.

I was there to serve a group of about 40 local mission leaders who were, for the first in an unprecedented way, putting not only their heads together but their hearts together to try to solve a problem.  They said it has never happened before like this. They have for decades been banging their heads up against a wall trying to figure out how to help the Lakota people. And, in our discussions together, it became very evident that federal benefits weren’t helping the Lakota people. And, not only that, short term mission trips weren’t helping them either.

This was confirmed when I had a conversation with a guy named Bruce who leads a ministry called Lakota Hope. And, he said, “It’s time, James. Short term mission trips really aren’t helping. Boy, they come and work hard, and they paint, and clean up, and they do all sorts of stuff. And, they have great intentions but the consequences are not so good. We think it might actually be perpetuating the problem rather than solving it.” He said, “I am changing the way I am doing things. Every short term mission trip leader that contacts me that wants to have a group come to my mission to help. I am writing him or her a letter and it’s going to say, ‘I no longer want you to come and do for the Lakota people; we want you to come and be with the Lakota people.’”

And I thought Bruce has got it, and it resonated with me. It seemed like Christ. And though when we look through the gospels and we see all the things Christ did and the miracles He performed, we are awe struck and wowed by it.  I’m afraid that sometimes we forget all He really wanted to do was be with His people. He did not deliver the demoniac just to set him in his right mind. He wanted to be with him. He didn’t touch the leper just to cleanse him; it was He first loved him and wanted to be with him.

Then I thought about the joy was set forth with Christ. The reason for which He endured the cross was to be with us. And, I thought about the cross again, just like you and I thought many times, and we have wept as we think about the agony and the blood and marring. And I have never pictured this before, but for the first time ever, as I pondered on this, I thought there was surely a joy in His heart that probably could be seen on His face when you were close enough and heard in His voice as He turned to the man hung beside Him and said, 'I tell you today you- will –be- with -me.' That was His joy."