Base, Push, All Out!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1)."

At Orangetheory Fitness, we coach students in a wide range of fitness levels. One thing that stays the same no matter if you're a walker, jogger or runner is that each student moves among three different paces on the treadmill: base, push and all out.

While each person's base pace may be different, the move to the next level follows the same parameters. In unison, each member takes the plunge from their comfort zone and each does so with the same dreadful gasp, hoping they may whip their legs back and forth quick enough to keep the tread underneath their feet.

No matter if it's your first OTF workout or your 100th, you won't be able to get a good grasp on how you did in the workout if you don't commit to a base pace and stay there throughout the 60 minutes.

After suffering through several OTF workouts and coaching them, I've concluded that this entire concept correlates with our spiritual walk. We must be on beat with the Holy Spirit and set our pace to His pace in order to see any progress over time.

If you haven't had your own Orangetheory experience, the following OTF principles may help you understand the correlation.

On the treadmill, everyone chooses whether they will walk on an incline (PW), jog (J) or run (R). From there, we coach you through three paces:

1. Base: The lowest speed/incline level that you set for yourself — something you can maintain for about 20-30 minutes. You should be at about 71-83 percent of your max heart rate (75% effort).

2. Push: About 1-2 mph faster than your base pace (J/R) or 4-9 percent incline (PW). This pace feels uncomfortable. You should be at about 80-91 percent of your max heart rate (85-90% effort).

3. All Out: At least 2 mph faster than your base pace (J/R) or 10-15 percent incline (PW). This feels like hell. You should be death-glaring your coach and visualizing scraping their eyeballs out. Oh, maybe that's just me ... Excuse me (100% effort).

"You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess (Deuteronomy 5:33)."

The Lord calls us to invite His Spirit to walk with us every day. We have to choose to be on his level and strive to imitate Christ by demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit. We have to choose our pace in life, and if we choose God's pace, he guarantees blessing.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10)."

When I get on that treadmill, I fight the urge to decrease my pace and constantly challenge myself to bump it up a little more each time. I'm inspired not only by a desire to improve my physical fitness and physique, but also because I believe there's a peace and joy that develops after suffering. It's more than just a relief that it's over, but it's an awareness that because I am free in Christ, I can be joyful in all circumstances.

So, next time you're on the treadmill next to me and I'm screaming or glaring or fatiguing, remind me to "Bump it up," and I'll do the same for you!

To book your free first class at Orangetheory Fitness Coppell, call 214-300-9983. Tell them you're a part of Team A.M.Fit and they will let you know when I'm teaching. For more information on A.M.Fit services, browse the tabs above or email me your inquiry. 

'Fearless and Fit' Program Now Available!

It's nearly Independence Day, and I feel like summer just started. Nevertheless, you still have time to hit the pool and steal some sun for a few more months. Actually, this time of year is my favorite time ever because the days linger on until 8 or 9 p.m. I love it!

If you're one of those grumpy people who dread summers because of the relentless heat, I don't know what to tell you. We're in Texas! But if you dread summer because you're insecure about getting in a bathing suit, I have good news. I can help you!!

The "Fearless and Fit" Program is a lifestyle-oriented plan to inspire you to overcome your insecurities and change the way you think about fitness and food. If you can change your mind, you can change your actions, which in turn, helps you establish healthier habits that will keep you looking just as fit on the outside as you feel on the inside.

What does it include?

>> Daily Meals with a flexible eating plan and grocery list
>> 20 Recipes for dinner, sides, shakes and even dessert
>> 6 Workouts with a glossary of exercises
>> List of Recommended Supplements and HealthKick Discount*
>> Fearless and Fit tank top**

How do I purchase it?

1. Copy the text below and paste it into an email with your name and shipping address in the subject line. Mail it to me now!

I would like to purchase the "Fearless and Fit" program and I agree to pay $50 in exchange for the digital document. I also agree that I will choose to see myself as a pretty princess who deserves to be taken care of, treated right and desired. I believe that I can and I will reach my goals to live fearlessly and get fit from the inside out.

2. Wait for me to send you the digital document and an invoice for $50 to be charged via PayPal***

*Discount applied to purchases made at HealthKick Nutrition in Coppell, and limited to supplements recommended on Team A.M.Fit.
**Tanks and sizes limited to availablitiy; first come, first serve.
***If you are in the DFW area, you may give me a check or cash or discuss other options with me individually.

Book Your Party with A.M.Fit!

Many of you have experienced the flirty and fun workout we call "Cardio Dance Party." Now you can totally take it to the next level by inviting all your friends and showing them what it's all about.

Whether it's for a birthday, bachelorette, wedding, graduation or just a girls' party, you won't find another way to combine a kick-butt workout with a ton of entertainment. Cardio Dance Party is a 1-hour workout featuring a series of popular songs with simple yet athletic dance moves to get your butt bumpin and your heart pumpin'!

Choose from the following classes:

• Cardio Dance Party
• Kickboxing
• Pilates
• Yoga

No matter which class you choose, booking a private party is a unique idea to surprise a friend, daughter or sister, in order to make their day extra-special.

Other services offered for private parties include:

• Nutrition education
• Cooking demonstration
• Healthy Refreshments (custom to your desires)
• Props/Theme Attire
• Photography

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes at Cypress Waters, Rob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orangetheory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.

3 Mistakes Made in the Weight Room

1. You're Lifting Too Light.

Where's your purse? Seriously. Go find it. Pick it up and guess how heavy it is. My guess is that it's probably close to 10-12 pounds. And you carry around that sucker everywhere you go and maintain the physique you currently have.

If you want to change your physique, you're going to have to lift something heavier than your purse.

2. You're Lifting Too Slow.

If you can barely make it through one set without stopping to rest, then you're probably not keeping your heart rate high enough for an extended period of time. This is the only way you can maintain your fat burning metabolism post-workout. You must keep your heart rate high enough so that you stay at about 75 percent of your maximum heart rate (220 - your age) for 25-35 minutes and about 15 minutes worth of pushing it to the next level at 85-90 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Don't stop. When you feel like an idiot running from one machine to the next, you're doing it right. When people think you're crazy, you're doing it right.

3. You're Not Lifting Free Weights.

Free weights engage your core a little more than machines. For instance, let's look at the difference between the squat rack and the Smith machine. One has a free bar with plates that go on either end. You and only you (maybe you're friend Sue) are the only stabilizers underneath that weight. It's up to your body and balance to shift the weight down and up. The Smith machine is for kids.

Well, maybe that's a little harsh. The Smith machine just takes away the core stabilization technique required in order to lift the weights without the help of the pulley.

Using dumbbells forces you to use your core with no help from a machine. Plus, free weights are usually a little more true to the number on the side. A 30-pound dumbbell is usually more accurate than 30 pounds on the cables.

*4. You're Not Lifting at All.

This point is obviously a bonus point ... And it's one that probably doesn't apply to you if you're still reading this. However, if you're reading this and you have no idea what I'm referring to in points 1-3, you may need to keep reading.

The importance of weight training is crucial to building a better body from the inside out. Yes, I'm a huge advocate of cardio and lots of it. But what I can honestly say, is that it wasn't until I started lifting weights heavy and focusing on strength, that I noticed my body finally transform into a shape I liked.

Lifting weights and putting your muscular endurance and strength under pressure can actually re-shape your body. Turn your ghetto booty into a blue-jean-poppin' bubble. Tone your arms and shoulders to establish an upper body frame, which in turn makes your waist look smaller. If you are curveless - like me - you will appreciate this new shaping repercussion more than you know!

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes at Cypress Waters, Rob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orangetheory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.

Mexican Rice Recipe

Don't you hate it when you look in the fridge and can't find anything you want to eat?

Or, what about when you're scrambling between classes/work, and you know you're going to be starving later, so you're searching to have something prepared lest the food monster emerge from within your dark and eerie soul...? Anybody?

I just love when diet desperation blossoms into a beautiful kitchen creation.

I'm telling you, guys, this frozen cauliflower will work wonders. I've posted several recipes or little meals featuring cauliflower subbed for the typical bread/potato/rice carb, and you can bunch this one right along with the others. Maybe it's my tattered and abused palate but you just can't mess this up.

Mexican Rice (Feat. Cauliflower)

Ingredients:

• Frozen cauliflower (1 bag)
• Diced green chiles (1 can)
• Bell pepper (I used one red one)
• Mrs. Dash Chipotle Lime seasoning (tons of it)
• Garlic salt

Optional:

• I used some frozen okra (about 3/4 cup).
• I added some pre-cooked chicken breast to it (awesome). I'd also try canned chicken.
• If I had some, I would have thrown in some salsa.

Directions:

Mix all ingredients around in a casserole dish. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. The mushier it is, the easier it is to take a knife and chop it up like rice. Uncover the dish, chop up the ingredients, and serve with salsa, fat-free sour cream or even atop a bed of greens.

I wonder what it would taste like mixed with some beans???

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes at Cypress Waters, Rob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orangetheory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.

Pizza Poppers

My biggest struggle for my inner-fat-kid is the unique flavorishesness (new word) of the Italian cuisine called pizza. People all over the world crave the pallet-pleasing combination of cheese and bread. It doesn't matter if you're Italian, Greek, American, Mexican, African, Pomeranian ... We all desire a slice (or seven) of the most famous cheat-worthy meal of all.

But, we can't all afford to give into that craving every time we get it. In those instances, we make pizzalicious posers like this.

Seriously, y'all, this ain't your sister's cauliflower crust pizza (I happen to love making that but ain't nobody got the time for that when you teach umpteen classes a week). This is the bomb dot com.

Ingredients:

• Tofu-like, egg-like, whatever-they're made from - Won ton wraps

For Sauceless Spinach & Cheese (makes 4-6)

• Frozen spinach (one bag frozen)
• Fat-free cream cheese (one 8 oz. block)
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, salt, garlic)
• Cheddar seasoning/Ranch seasoning

For Pepperoni & Cheese

• Canned tomato sauce (1 can)
• Canned tomato paste (1 can)
• Onion/Pepper mix (frozen blend) (1/3 cup)
• Fat-free mozzarella
• Italian seasoning
• Reduced-fat turkey pepperonis

Directions:

Mix all components of each stuffing batch together in separate bowls. I cooked the tomato sauce on low in a sauce pan first. I cooked the spinach and cream cheese in the microwave for 5 minutes. Then, I added other ingredients as I filled the wraps.

Pinch the corners of the wrappers together with wet fingers (dipped in water). Place on greased baking sheet at 400 degrees in the oven. It took about12 minutes for them to get crispy and golden and scrumptiously super-cala-fraja-licious-expi-aladocious!

You can't mess these up! I'm like the equivalent to a four-year old in the kitchen! Watch this video on YouTube here. Follow my Youtube and IG channel for more easy-breezy beautiful recipes like this. You might catch some behind-the-scenes action from my all-star videographer husband too.

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes at Cypress Waters, Rob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orangetheory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.

Free Fitness Classes in June!

I have been a home-owner and hobo in the past year, and I can now come full circle by becoming an apartment-renter at The Neighborhoods at Cypress Waters. Come check out my new crib (and more importantly new studio) in your next training session, private party or free class.

Did someone mention "free?"

Yes! All classes held at Cypress Waters will be free for residents and their friends/family for the month of June. Check out which classes you can attend by viewing my coaching schedule below.

Other classes include sessions at Orangetheory Fitness. If you have a question about class or an idea for class, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm always open to new ideas and welcome feedback from my fearless and fit friends like y'all!

If you would like to be on my contact list for the most up-to-date changes to schedules and sessions, please email me and let me know. 

Called to Love, Not Compete

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

On stage during the Ronnie Coleman Classic.

Last week I competed in my fifth fitness show, a competition where athletes are compared according to muscular physique and overall attractiveness. The division I compete in, called “Bikini,” is the newest division to these bodybuilding shows, and often compared to a beauty pageant. I like to say it’s a beauty pageant for girls who lift weights rather than girls who run.

In all five of my fitness shows, I have been disappointed with my placement. After months of killing it in the gym, sacrificing weekends, eating saltless fish and endlessly explaining to friends and family what the heck I’m training for, I can’t help but feel a little disenchanted with losing. Rejection is a tough beast to tackle — especially five times in a row.

I keep getting this nauseating feeling .... This is it? This is what I’ve been training for? … Did I miss something?

Fortunately, God is faithful. He has placed encouraging people in my life to remind me why I train hard physically and spiritually. I have to remember why I started training for fitness shows in the first place. My motivation and goals may not be the norm … like training to win a local show, take top 2 or 3 at nationals, and then be rewarded a pro card, going on to be a sponsored athlete and shoot scandalous yet sexy advertisements for whey protein in my booty-bearing Nike shorts.

My husband and I are all hugs with our friends from the gym after finals.

I’d still be sitting there with a trophy and pro card, saying, “Uh, so what can I do with this lil doo-hickey again? Do I get a free gym membership?”

For me, the fitness shows were a pit stop on my journey to get fit from the inside out. 

Sure, they have helped me set a hard goal to achieve a certain level of fitness at an appointed time, but they are not the mountaintops for which I’ve been striving. I’ve been caught up in the hype of being on stage, performing for my own glory instead of staying true to why I started … for God’s glory.

Prejudging at the Europa Supershow.

The past two weeks have been a good measure of my trust in God and more importantly, his patience with me. I’ve been convicted of drawing my worth from what other people think about me and trusting myself to perform well enough in everything I do, that I can make people like me … that I can make people want to exalt me.

What I need to fall back on (and what I’ve been reminded of after losing again) is that every time I’m exalted, God slips into the background. But every time, I’m on my knees, God receives the glory.

You see, we have to understand that we all have a calling on our life, and those who honor God with that calling, he will honor (1 Samuel 2:30). Once I understood that my value as a fitness trainer is not defined by whether or not I win a fitness competition, my worldview changed. I don’t want to live my life well for the betterment of my self, but I want to help others live well (1 Corinthians 10).

Honoring the calling God’s given me involves enriching other people’s lives by them just being around me. 

People should be brighter, happier, full of life, just being in our company because we are so saturated in God’s presence.

What I’ve come to realize is that these shows have had a tendency to steal my joy and make me move out from underneath God’s covering. If there’s still a place for these competitions in my efforts to honor God with my calling, I’m totally open to it, but I’m not going to purposefully train for a show just to compete and compare myself to others. I’m going to train because my body does not belong to me. It belongs to God, which means I need to work my butt off to keep it clean and in prime condition.

“Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19, The Message) 

Everyone has a ministry, a message and a mission, and for some reason, God revolves those elements around fitness and the body for me. 

Today, it’s relatively easy to see how God is working all things out for my blessing. ... Not everyday is as clear. Some days I feel frustrated and tired and sore, and I may even question God. But instead of comparing myself with those around me or the other trap — comparing myself to what I think I should be — I’m choosing to do three things with my calling. I’m going to trust God steadily, hope fervently, and love extravagantly. Everyday is a journey, and the closer I get to God, the clearer it becomes to me of who I am.

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes at Rob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orangetheory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.

How to Turn a Healthy Discipline into a Holy Desire

I often coach my classes and clients reminding them that they are in control of their body, and they tell their body what to do — their body doesn't rule them.

Here I'm summarizing the 5 zone heart rate interval training program at Orange Theory Fitness. 

While most of the time, I'm emphasizing proper form and hoping that my instruction will remind them to keep their back straight and head up in a dead lift, my statement has a two-fold meaning. Your will determines how you live your life, and your willingness to change your body begins in the mind.

God gives us free will ... the power to choose. In everything we do, whether we realize it or not, we are making a choice. Some choices we make out of habit and others we take more time to consider our options.

The choice to wake up at 5 a.m., and work out may not be something I feel like doing, but I make the choice to do so (or sometimes I do) out of discipline, because I trust it will not be done in vain but rather done as an investment in the future of my physical body. What I've discovered about my physical disciplines, is that the more I connect it to my spiritual disciplines, the more blessed I am.

I think clearer. I feel deeper. I rest easier. I receive wisdom. I literally glow — or so I've been told.

In Ephesians 5, Paul tells us how to open up our heart and mind to the power of the Holy Spirit, so that our will mimics his for our life. He tells us to speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, urging us to discipline ourselves to live in worship. This passage struck a chord with me ...

Fitness is widely agreed to be a physical application of discipline, but worship? I've never thought of worship as something I might discipline myself to do. When I worship God, I usually do so because I feel like it. But what about when I don't feel like it?

We must instruct ourselves to humbly worship and tell our soul to not grow weary.

Even when we feel tired and frustrated and restless and anxious, if we lean on God's promises and choose to discipline ourselves both physically and spiritually, his word is always fruitful. He is always faithful.

We don't always feel like working out or eating healthy. But, just because you don't feel like it, it doesn't mean it's acceptable to to not do it. What if we always did what we felt like? I feel like our society would look a lot more like the one in The Purge. ... Not so pretty.

Here I'm giving a cooking demo on how to use whey protein in simple recipes.

Living the healthy way may not be your first choice according to your flesh. Shoot, when it comes to my flesh, my first choice usually involves sugar and frosting and a braid-shaped roll.

Do it out of discipline at first and soon enough, it will become your desire.

Just like we must learn to make habits out of healthy eating and exercise, we must learn to make habits out of worship. We expect to get stronger after choosing to work harder in the gym, and we should expect to get stronger when we choose to humble our hearts and worship God.

It may not be your first choice to put everything else on hold and praise God, especially when circumstances have you confused or even angry with Him. But your spirit controls your mind and your body. You tell it what to do. Command it to worship. Command it to grow. If you do it out of discipline at first, God has a way of shaping it into your desire.

Practical Tips for Physical & Spiritual Disciplines

• Spend five minutes in the morning praising God and claiming his victories in your life.
• Jot down 5-10 foods that trigger you to lose self-control and toss them out of the house.
• Organize your closet and/or drawers, so that your workout clothes are near the front.
• Make one small change to your nutrition a week (i.e. eating breakfast consistently).
• When you catch yourself getting stressed, stop and vent to God before venting to anyone else.
• Instead of immediately giving into a food craving, tell yourself you will wait until the next day before eating it, and if you wake up still wanting it, you will allow yourself to have it. Most of the time, you wake up and the craving is not near as strong.
• Make appointments to work out with someone who positively influences your attitude.
• Keep yourself accountable by telling people when you're going to exercise and what your goals are.
• Download the Bible app and listen to the audio version while lifting weights.
• Make a playlist of worship songs with a high tempo and beat.

My hope is that my stories inspire you to press on with your own story, and that my heart song plays loud enough that you know that this journey keeps us all engaged at our own level. None of us ever reaches the end because that would indicate we could reach our full potential. I believe our God is consistently sparking a light in us that may waver in the wind but never, ever burns out. We are constantly growing in Christ and deepening our relationship with him. 

My prayer is that you find how to write your heart song of worship in a way that speaks to your passions and your hobbies, as well as a place that gives you a desire to worship the Lord with your body, and get fit from the inside out. 

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes atRob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orange Theory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.

3 Reasons You're Not Making Progress in the Gym

The number one reason you may not be making progress in the gym is that you're not working outside the gym. 

I've said it before, and I'll say it 'till I'm blue in the face ...

The only way to be truly healthy is to get fit from the inside out. (That's tweetable.)

It's a journey. It's a progression. You have to constantly be improving, seeking change, making a difference, evaluating, re-evaluating, experimenting, and reflecting.

1. You Haven't Become King of the Kitchen.

Most people who kill it in the gym but still aren't seeing results are lacking the same control at the kitchen bar that they have at the squat bar. They're allowing food to rule over them. You have to remind yourself daily that food is simply fuel for your body. You're the one in charge of what you feed your body. Food doesn't rule you.

If you feel confused or like you don't know what you may be doing wrong in the kitchen, ask for help. While there's a ton of information out there to school you on proper nutrition, it's often overwhelming to try to make the necessary changes to our habits and busy lifestyle. Part of becoming better involves humbling yourself, becoming smaller and constantly learning from others.

2. You're Going the Distance. But, You're Not Going for Speed.

I'm not going to say that you may be overtraining, because I believe a few hours spent training per day is not going to kill you when we, as 21st century citizens (and may I say majority 1st world-ers), spend 15-20 hours sitting on our rears. However, you may be spending too much time training the wrong way.

Let me tell you a very short story. Once there was a girl (me) who started running outside everyday when she noticed she lost some weight spending a half hour or more jogging every day. That girl deducted that the longer she jogged, the leaner she'd become. Thus, that girl spent the next five years running up to 25 miles every week. It wasn't until she decided to try something different (bodybuilding) that she learned she had been wasting away her muscles, not to mention her time, running and running and running.

You don't have to spend an hour on the treadmill, elliptical or any other cardio machine to get lean - or even skinny. 

The only thing pure steady-state cardio like that will do for you is condition your heart over time to make it insanely hard for you to raise your heart rate into 85-90 percent of your max heart rate and keep it there for 12-20 minutes, which in turn, puts your body into EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption), which is a long, wordy term used to describe the state in which your body can burn extra calories for 24-36 hours after your workout while you're just sitting there. Can I get a hallelujah?

So, the moral of the story is.... Keep going the distance, as in never stop pursuing a healthier lifestyle, but don't neglect your speed. You need to change it up. You need to freak your body out once in a while. Practically speaking, interval training, sprinting, plyometrics and weight-lifting all need to be included in your gym routines.

I save my leisurely jogs and cardio machines for my appointments with God. Steady-state cardio is not part of my workout, although, it's an essential part of my healthy lifestlyle, which brings me to my next point ....

4. You're Working Out for the Wrong Reasons.

You must come to terms with yourself and all of your flaws, mistakes, bad habits and hurdles before you can expect to get past them. You must be able to see that Crap in yourself (because we all have Crap), grab it by the scruff, and look at it square in the eye, saying ...

"I see you, and I'm not going to allow you to define me. I'm thankful that God redeems the broken and he uses Crap like you to humble me, make me relatable and give me a testimony. Although I know you, Crap, will keep piling up, I want you to know that my God is bigger, and he comes to scrape you away every day. I choose to honor him by honoring my body, and in turn, giving him the glory!"

Remind yourself that God created you in his image and you are perfectly and wonderfully made. God calls you his masterpiece. You must learn to see yourself the way he sees you.

If you are not a good steward with what God has given you now, why would God bless you more? While we can ask ourselves that question in regards to many areas of our lives like finances, business, and family, we can also apply that principle to our fitness life.

If you can honestly say that you have been working hard at conditioning your physique and fitness level, but you continue to verbally abuse it or not fuel it properly, why should you expect to see any progress?

Start setting apart time to meet with God, and thank him for your body. He is the giver of life and all things good. Ask him to give you a pure desire to pursue fitness and improve your physique. He is faithful, and he will produce results.

If you or someone you know struggles with getting fit from the inside out, consider contacting me for fitness/nutrition consulting. If you're in the DFW area, stop by one of my classes at Rob's Fitness, Granite Park or Orange Theory. If you're a girl, and you like to have fun, consider booking your next party with me. These and other services are provided by Amber Michelle Fit, LLC.