Wednesday Shades of Blue

Have you ever noticed how many different shades of blue a Blue Jay is made up of. I briefly glimpsed a link to an article the other day, but got distracted and never got to reading it. A couple of Blue Jay's have been frequenting my backyard and I have the perfect window to watch them. They are very pretty with their different shades of blue.

This week I've felt a few different shades of blue. First, PMS always seems to rain on the parade, so hey I got that going for me. Second, Monday was the anniversary of my Grandma and Uncle Brian's deaths. It's not as if I was all of a sudden overwhelmed. I wasn't. I think about them just about every day. I can feel a little down any time, missing them. Third, yesterday would have been my Uncle Brad's birthday. We lost him in October of last year.

 It's interesting to me the different shades of blue or grief we experience. Grief changes as time goes by and according to what we do with it. It becomes less overwhelming and distorting. We find away to accept it and make peace with it. It doesn't in anyway cheapen it or erase it. It becomes less of a wound and more of a scar. Grief not only changes, but we change too. Anything we experience changes us, but what we hope for is that it makes us better. Maybe it makes us more in tune to things. Maybe we become more patient and compassionate. Maybe we learn to count our blessings and slow our roll. Hopefully it grows our faith and anchors our hope.

There are many beautiful shades of blue. I find comfort in the photographs, joy in the memories, and pain in the separation. There are tears full of love and the laughter that once sustained us. Knowing Heaven is their home and they are free from this place and it's entanglements, is well with my soul.

-helmschick

Turning the Page

Remember when you were a little kid and had those books on tape, where you listened and followed along? The recording would say something like.. And you will know it is time to turn the page when you hear the chimes ring like this. Then the little sound bit would go off. This morning when I stepped out my back door and heard my Uncle Brian's wind chimes gently sing, for some reason that is what was brought to mind. You will know it is time to turn the page, when you hear the chimes ring.
Right now a page is turning in my book. I am realigning my priorities. I am becoming more in tune to little pieces that God is showing me. I'm letting go of what holds me back or distracts me from turning the page. I am spending more time in prayer and studying His word. I am starting my day with intent. I am also ever learning, it is such a constant learning, that sometimes the order of my plans change and that is okay, because the intent has not. I don't want to miss out on any glimpses or fall out of tune. Realigning. Intent, discipline, obedience, patience, love, faith, self-control are all words chiming along with me and the turning of this page.

-helmschick

How you live

"Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken..."
"Have what you want, but want what you have.."
"It's not who you knew, and it's not what you did, it's how you live."

 -a few lyrics from How you Live, by Point of Grace

This week I've  been focusing more on feeding my soul and mind. I upped my quiet time and Bible Study. I've been reading the book Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance and listening to the Named by God, Bible Study.

Today I was listening to the Point of Grace song, It's how you live and a few lyrics really grabbed my attention. This song also ties into the things I've been studying.

"Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken..."

Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Forgiveness doesn't mean reconciliation either. Forgiveness is for you. Forgiveness is so you can let go, grow, and not become bitter.

"Have what you want, but want what you have.."

Satan wants you to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. He wants you to overlook your free will and freedoms. He likes to plant doubts. He is the father of lies. He wants to create a foothold so you will sin. The grass is not greener. Be grateful and cultivate what you have.

"It's not who you knew, and it's not what you did, it's how you live."

Breathe life and love into the relationships and people God brings into your life. Tell the truth in love. Be a good listener. No one has all the answers, if you honestly don't know the proper advice to give, just say I don't know.  If someone is in pain and/or grieving, don't add insult to injury, just show up. Keep healthy boundaries. Pray for your family and the people in your community. Focus on the good in your life and be thankful. Spend time with your loved ones. Life is short live it well, body, mind, and soul.

-helmschick

Hope

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." -Hebrews 6:19

"In Christ alone, my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm."  -In Christ Alone

"But those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint."  -Isaiah 40:31

 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Hebrews 10:23

"Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words 

And never stops, at all "  - Emily Dickinson

"My hope is in you Lord,

 all the day long, I wont be shaken by drought or storm

A peace that passes understanding is my song

And I sing, my hope is in you Lord."  -Aaron Shust, My Hope is in You

Today we say goodbye to another member of our family. We 

will celebrate the life of Uncle Brad and reminisce. We will 

also grieve the loss of him here with us. I think that is the 

hardest part in loosing someone you love, how life keeps 

going and you have to figure out howto adjust. It's so 

interesting how some of the simplest things you shared with 

someone can be the biggest things you miss. 

Hope is what anchors us and keeps us going. Hope in Christ,

is what gives us strength and comforts us. Hope that one day 

there will be a huge family reunion in Heaven and that this

is not a final goodbye, just a see you soon. 

Helmschick, Beachbody Coach

I have reached the next step of my journey and I am excited to announce that I have become a Beachbody Coach.It is amazing and exciting to see not just how this journey has shaped me, but the impact it is having on others. I have found the courage, faith, and strength, to take even more baby steps. I am helping others with healthier recipes and shopping tips! I am ecstatic and energized to now provide: challenge groups, accountability, and encouragement to help support others!

It is with great joy that I reveal my first Challenge Group!

Are you looking for Spooktacular fun with fitness? Just after Halloween and right before Thanksgiving, I am offering a free Challenge group for 5 to 8 people that lasts 21 days using Beachbody’s 21dayfix Program! Treat yourself to accountability, encouragement, and healthier recipes! All you need is the 21dayfix program, a set of light and heavy weights, and a yoga mat.Challenge starts November 1st!

Follow me onhttps://www.facebook.com/helmschickliveitwell for more details! Feel free to private message me there also or contact me by email Helmschick@gmail.com

Getting Chiseled and finding my Hammer strength!

How about a quick Hammer and Chisel Update!

Day 29 - Total Body Chisel, Ab Chisel, 30 min walk, Yoga Retreat Week 2 Day 1

Day 30- Hammer Glutes, Hammer Abs, Yoga Retreat Week 2 Day 2, 25 min Swim, 

Day 31- Chisel Balance, 35 min walk, 10,000 plus steps!

Day 32- Yoga Retreat Week 2 Day 3, Yoga Retreat Week 1 Yoga Abs, Yoga Retreat Week 1 Day 5 

Day 33- ISO Speed Hammer, Yoga Retreat Week 1 Day 2, Upper Fix

Day 34- Rest Day

Day 35- Chisel Endurance, Total Body Hammer, Yoga Retreat AM Yoga, Yoga Retreat Yoga Abs

Day 36- Chisel Agility, 15 min glute Chisel

Day 37- Active rest day- Yoga Retreat Week 2 Day 4 and Day 5

Day 38- Hammer Conditioning, Hammer Abs, 40 min walk

Day 39- Rest Day- Yoga Retreat Yoga Abs

Day 40- Chisel Cardio, 15 mins of Yoga, Country Heat: Country Swing

Day 41- Hammer Power, Yoga Retreat AM Yoga and Abs Yoga

Day 42- Chisel Balance, Ab Chisel, Yoga Retreat AM Yoga

Day 43- Hammer Strength, Yoga Retreat Week 2 Day 6

Now that I have filled you in! I can only try to explain how amazing this experience has been for me! I can't believe that I am doing a program like this! I love how it is helping shape me in more ways than one. I am building muscles and getting stronger. I am getting better at, and stronger with my pushups. I am building the strength for better balance and moving up from a few modified versions of  some of the exercises. (I did split jump squats on the floor this week! 20 on one side 19 on the other!) My form is getting better and my confidence is building. I am on my last two weeks of the program, but I will probably continue in it for another month.( I really want to get that chin up bar and see what I can accomplish with that as well!) 

Master's Hammer and Chisel

A  few months ago as I was determining what fitness program I would tackle next, I started reading a book called Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. You see I was contemplating 21 day fix Extreme or Master's Hammer and Chisel. In Unglued, there is a chapter where she talks about the Master's Chisel. She compares us to a block of marble and God using his chisel to shape us. Once I read this chapter I knew for sure that I was ready to tackle the Master's program. Not only do I want God to chisel and shape my character, but I also want to chisel and shape my muscles. This whole fitness journey that started just over a year ago has been so rewarding on so many levels. I learned so much from 21dayfix and lost almost 30 lbs. So, I have been very excited to see where this new program takes me. Today marks one month of hard work with Master's Hammer and Chisel. It is been tough but so much fun and I can't believe how far I've come! I am doing some exercises that I never thought I would be. Now there are still some modifications I make and I don't have a chin up bar yet so I have been doing a few different exercises with dumbbells until I can get one. I still have another month to go with this program so hopefully I will have a chin up bar before the program is over. If not, then by the time I do the next round!

This is Week 4 of Master's Hammer and Chisel recap and any extras I did.

Day 22: Master's Chisel Balance and 10 min Chisel Abs

             35 min walk 

Day 23: Rest Day

             Day 6 3Week Yoga Retreat and I repeated Day 5

Day 24: Max Hammer Strength

              40 min walk

Day 25: Chisel Cardio

              Day 7 3Week Yoga Retreat Take 10- AM

Day 26: ISO Speed Hammer and 10 min Chisel Abs and 15 min Glute Hammer

Day 27: Chisel Agility 

              Day 7 3Week Yoga Retreat Take 10-AM

              Day 7  Abs Yoga

Day 28: Hammer Power and Ab Hammer

              Day 7 3Week Yoga Retreat Take 10-AM

              Day 7 Yoga Abs

              Day 7 Yoga PM