Why Evening Workouts Work

That evening you decided how it was time to "get fit," and you were oh so inspired to make it happen, setting your alarm the next morning for 5:30am, planning to wake up and get sweating. And then you fall into a deep sleep, and wake to the sound of your pungent alarm roaring at you and 0% of you wants to get up. How could you go from so inspired to so not so quickly?

This, has happened to me. It sounds so good in your head. Wake up, stretch, work out, shower, be ready for the day. Until you hear your alarm and you're like OH HEECK NO.

I have found that evening workouts, after dinner is digested and right before bed, work infinitely better for me. Here's my main points on why.

1. It's right before you go to sleep, so why not work yourself as hard as you can, anyways, you're just going to shower and hit the hay afterwards. Whereas in the morning, I feel like I am just going to have tired legs for the rest of the day.

2. Cold Showers. They sound hideous before you workout, and then after, when you're covered in hot sweat, they are the most refreshing thing ever.

3. Who wants to get all gross in the morning, then have to put makeup on and look decent for the rest of the day? This is why evenings are so much better, you can wash your face, sweat it out, shower, and go to bed!

4. Sleep better and get there faster. Working out makes you tired.

5. You're less likely to have a little snack fest in the evening with your TV if you know you're working out right after.

6. This is just me, but I love slow mornings. Either waking up early, sipping tea, watching TV, making breakfast, I just would rather take it easy than wake up to a slow death by exercise.

I'm making morning workouts sound a bit worse than they actually can be, but that's just from my experience. I'm also not used to rigorous morning activity as some people are, and that also makes it a bit worse when I try. But regardless of my experience, everyone has their preferences and habits, and I'm experimenting with making evening workouts a part of mine!

Thanks for reading!
Photo Cred: NTC

Make-believe

It reads, "The fact that we cannot see the wind doesn't dismiss it as make-believe. We can feel it around us, playing with our hair, we hear it, sometimes we can even taste it. Not everything is meant to be seen. Just as invisible as the wind, God should not me thought of as make-believe. If you want to see Him, open your eyes. By the mountains we see him, the vast oceans and seas, and through the mystery of a baby being shaped in the womb. God is in our everyday."

Foggy Saturday Songs:

Even the Darkness Has Arms ♪ The Barr Brothers
Homecoming Heroes ♪ The Head and the Heart
Let's be Still ♪ The Head and the Heart
XO ♪ John Mayer
Live Forever ♪ Drew Holcomb

On Beauty

What is it about beauty that is so desirable? We are drawn to beautiful people, beautifully made items in stores, products that claim to make us more beautiful. Why has something so simple so easily become an obsession? Why is beauty so sought after, so yearned for?

The further you get drawn in by the world's image of beautiful, the further it ensnares you. Why be left disappointed and hurt after chasing all the world has to offer you when you could instead be wholly filled with joy. To seek after God and to learn to see yourself not through your own eyes, but through His, is simply easier said than done, but oh so rewarding.

Ezekiel 28:17

"Your heart has become proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor."

When we look deeper than our outward flaws, what is in our heart? When we accept ourselves for who we are, when we stop wanting, we can start building joy. A joyful heart can look past flaws, rise above others scrambling for low-line beauty, and be free. Be free from the desires of outward fancy and complicated disappointment. Understanding that God has crafted you and has chosen you to be His since before time existed means something. So let go of your desire to be pretty, because it leads you nowhere. But to seek beauty as a daughter of God, to desire closeness with your Creator, will lead to places you never imagined you could get to. 

Don't be the World's beautiful, be God's beautiful.

Romans 8:6

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

Iced Green Tea

Just the other day I was going out to run errands and was really wanting an iced coffee. However, me wanting an iced coffee equals a McDonalds' iced coffee, and that also equals me wanting all the sugar and cream. Go big or go home, right? (Half sweet is for the weak!) So I decided to do something good for myself, and choose a healthier option. However, as I sat in my car looking out at the menu, I wondered if there even was a healthy, refreshing drink I could get. 

I hope you are not expecting something life-changing because I just got a green tea over ice..(drum roll slows down awkwardly..) But it was actually super good! They use a Higgins&Burke green tea bag which I've never had before, but I really enjoyed it. It was a really refreshing, healthier alternative than the iced coffees, and went perfectly with the sun and my tunes.

And do you ever just have those moments when your food just looks so pretty you have this urge you need to take a picture of it?

Yup.

University is Tomorrow...What?!

I have my first university class ever tomorrow morning. To be honest, I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I want to get the first week over with! I am super anxious to start and don't really know what to expect. University of the Fraser Valley is small, with classes around 22 students, and my class tomorrow is in Mission, the total boonies. All in all, I am very excited to see what all my classes will be like, but most definitely want to get on with the semester and slide into normal routine. After Christmas I am flying to FRANCE for a Ywam Dts, and I must say I am slightly more excited for that than I am UFV. But wish me luck as I embark on this new chapter of life!

Good luck to anyone starting school of any kind soon as well!

Thrifty Finds #1

  These days I've been noticing that literally every component of my outfit is thrifted--and believe me there is nothing wrong with that! Thrifting is a major money saver, and it's super fun, you just never know what you're gonna get. Today I went to New Student Orientation and wore:

  And I'm throwing in another thrifted outfit that I bought over the summer. The floral shirt is a sort of rough, crinkly fabric (very cool for summer), and along with the linen pants they're perfect for a super chill, casual day out.

  Happy thrifting & have a wonderful day! Stay tuned for more blog posts on thrifting/fashion, food, inspiration, and total spontaneity.