End of Week 8

2/3 of the way through

Wow! We are really doing it. We are moving along in this program, hitting our workouts and eating what we need to. We are feeling stronger all the time both in our bodies and minds. It really is mostly a mental challenge. What's cool though is that the body reflects the mind.

Well we are really embracing this lifestyle more and more all the time. We rewarded ourselves with some things to help us in this challenge. Liz has been working on some issues in her back that she has had for a long time. She's been getting chiropractic treatment and using a back roller to help straighten her back. We also got an armband to take my smartphone with us on runs. Liz uses it mostly for music but we can also track our runs. I also got some weight lifting gloves that help a lot with getting a good grip and lifting more weight. Along with some new workout clothes, we are feeling good and enjoying this lifestyle. I think it will stick. Our plan after completing this program is to do a 12 week sprint program. As a lot of you know, Liz is the head high school girls track coach. I help out once in a while too. So we want to be able to train these kids better. Liz and I were both distance runners and need to learn about sprinting. What better way than to train ourselves.

I listed 6 things last week that we need to work on to do better. Some of them were unsuccessful but we definitely stepped it up.

1. I was able to workout with Liz only once rather than twice. I think it will be more realistic to shoot for 1 workout together each week.
2. We did study form for our weight lifting and have greatly improved in this area. I can tell I am getting a better workout and will be less likely to get injured.
3. Portion sizes with food – Liz has been doing well with this but I have tried to make sure I am getting enough to eat and it is going well.
4. I do keep checking in on past winners to see what they have done. Mostly what I have learned is I need to trust the program. I think I'm basically doing everything I can. I keep wanting to do more but past advice has said to stick to the program. You don't need to workout more or eat differently than what the program lays out for you. Keep it simple.
5. I have not written anything yet for the final essay but I know it's still a little early.
6. I have been recording my meals better. I still need to make sure I record how much water I'm getting.

The final big thing was making sure God is with us. This is tough to measure. Of course one can always improve greatly in this area. I think this is where we can step it up the most though. Liz and I were doing devotionals and praying together each day for a little while at the beginning of this challenge. Now it is every few days. I am pretty sure that our only chance at winning this competition is to have God on our side. He has already blessed us so much through this challenge. He has given us amazing opportunities including the use of a full gym at no cost. He has kept us focused on eating right and training right. The series that our pastor is going through this summer has been incredibly relevant to us. It seems beyond coincidental that God is already with us in this. God has made it known to us that He is with us. I just want to make sure we finish strong WITH God and making sure we are living according to the spirit; not the flesh. The hardest part is having three little boys that almost always need our attention. BUT, that is no excuse because we can make the time if we really want to.

Finally, we did take 8 week photos. Since I did the 4 week comparison, Liz said she would reveal her 8 week comparison photos.