My Road
(to Fitness)

Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Faith, what is faith anyway? Many say it is what carries you through the tough times and some say it is what makes the tough keep going. I was told by a very special lady that “Faith is simply believing without scheming”. Reflection on that statement has brought me comfort and courage – courage to do the things that over the years that have been what many folk would call tough. This particular time in my life would be impossible if it were not for faith. Right now I’ve made a decision. Right now I’m acting on that decision. Right now that decision
is not tough. What will I do when obstacles come – and they will! Will that decision stand in the light of the obstacles? Will I continue to act in agreement with the original decision or will I make adjustments that compensate for the obstacle? Will that obstacle be too great for me?

The truthful answer would be yes. Yes, it is too great for me to overcome – “But God” says, that if I have faith, if I doubt not -- then I can say to the obstacles, “Be thou removed” and it will be done. My road to fitness would not be complete if I leave out the spiritual side of me and for any one who should be reading this journey log the scriptures and references are what encourages me. I am learning that no matter what I see with my visible eyes as being impossible – my heart sees that God’s truth will always override the facts as I see them.

Visible fact one: I have been over weight all my life.
Visible fact two: I have read hundreds of books on weight loss.
Visible fact three: I have had success on every diet that I have utilized.
Visible fact four: I weigh more now that I ever have.
Visible fact five: I have limited mobility due to arthritis.
Visible fact six: I am a little older than I used to be.

My Road to fitness will be the mapping of these visible facts taking on what my heart sees.



I have chosen to place this journey into a daily log type of form. I am a wordy person and tend to write like I think and talk but there are times when I am more contemplative than others, you know when I’m not so talkative. However my pledge to my self is to be brutally honest with myself while recording the events. These first few days are being pulled up from my memory but the accuracy is there.

Did I mention that I signed my best friend (my loving spouse) up with me when I joined the gym? I didn’t even tell him until later that day. I am truly blessed to have the companion that I have been given. You know the old saying, “through thick or thin”? I swear God himself put blinders on this man because he loves me whether I have been thick or thin! OOP’S! My trainer and “The Fit Female Credo” says “NO BODY BASHING”!!!

Okay, here I go with my first few days and then I will talk later about an up coming decision that is to be made…

Day one:
This was decision day. I signed up with the silver sneakers program, learned about all the machines at the fitness center and met with a personal trainer. My gym gives you two weeks free with a personal trainer to determine if that is the route you would prefer or I could just use the equipment.

Day two:
I accepted the two weeks with the trainer and after a brief workout I was feeling pretty good. I walked out the door thinking; yeah this was a good choice. I drove to my house, got out of the car with a certain amount of difficulty (stiff muscles) and headed directly to the recliner where I proceeded to sleep for four hours!

Day three:
Bill was with me for day two but had to work this day. We do most everything together – where you see one you will usually see the other. I’m not quite as comfortable going places by myself these days so I had a decision. This was a Wednesday, I could choose to go by myself and maintain the three days this week with the trainer or I could wait and go on Friday with Bill. This was only a trial situation and there was no pressure to stay with the trainer if I didn’t want to – so, I’ll just wait until Friday and go with Bill. You know, after Bill left for work I could not be comfortable with that decision. I have been through this before and I know when the Holy Spirit is causing restlessness within me to move me forward. This is just a short side track but did you ever consider that God has connected us with hinges? Yeah, hinges that was designed for a peculiar kind of people for a particular kind of movement. Ever watched an old western on television and seen a wagon master or Calvary leader say “Forward Ho”? Now that is the command for which I am built. Yes, I know I can make myself walk backward but by design I am made to conquer that which is before me! I went to day three alone and that was a victory for me.

Day Four:
OMG! This was a big, big day for me. I not only had a huge workout – huge for me but some would call it minute. I got down to the floor! Our personal trainer, Jeff, is a really great guy and I know that God picked him out just for me, well Bill too. The second day at the gym, Jeff asked how I felt about getting on the floor. There was an exercise that he considered as appropriate for me – I declined stating it was difficult for me to get to the floor. He just smiled a knowing kind of smile and said okay let’s do something else. I was very relieved but little did I know that the smile I was seeing was not one of understanding the mobility difficulties of this old lady but the smile of true understanding that said silently “I know you can do this but I’ll wait until you know that you can do this”. Today was the day that I was told to get to the floor for the next exercise – I just looked to where on the floor he was pointing to and to the smile on his face. My mistake on day two when I declined to get on the floor, I use the excuse that I looked like a beached whale when I was trying to get down to the floor or up off the floor and I needed something to brace myself with in order to accomplish this feat. Well, today on day four my trainer was pointing to a place on the floor between two weight benches and so that I would not be uncomfortable down there by myself, in his professional discernment he assigned the same exercise to my husband! Now, I had not one support system in Jeff but my best friend was beside me to give encouragement. To step out of my comfort zone was a scary thing but I did get down to the floor, I did the exercise and I did get up off the floor. Imagine that!

In just four days of working with a trainer there is one truly important thing that I have been made aware of and that is this; I will not step out of my comfort zone to challenge myself. I need a professional trainer to safely guide me. Jeff sees beyond my physical mass standing before him to the physical mass that he knows that I can be if I will follow his leading. He does not allow me to body bash as I did about the beached whale and he is teaching me the importance of keeping positive people around me during this time and encourages me to no longer look at my weight but to focus on training and that will bring about the desired results. My last exercise for this day was to cool down with a slow walk on the treadmill. I stepped onto the treadmill and this really healthy looking lady on the next treadmill smiled and introduced herself to me then stated, “you know I weighed eighty pounds heavier when I first started here.” How’s that for a conformation regarding a decision?

Day four for me was really a challenge but it was also a day of encouragement. I really can’t help but think of the bible passage that says:
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

My Road to Fitness

My Road
( to Fitness)

Isa 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.



Two thousand pounds ago I felt really great! I was young, ambitious and ready to conquer any obstacle in my pathway. Amazing how far away those days can seem now as I reflect back on the adventures of this once “fair maiden.” My name is Phyllis --I am sixty five years of age (notice that I didn’t say old) and I weigh 256 pounds compounded by the fact that I am barely five foot one inch tall. My weight problems began day one when I entered into this dimension weighing in at nine pounds and eight ounces! This was quite a problem for my petite little mother but it was also the beginning of a very long relationship with food and those things called diets. Through the years of my life, I truly believe that I have lost and gained enough poundage to equate to those two thousand pounds previously mentioned.

I am a retired nurse. I’ve been in the medical profession as long as I can remember; I tell everyone “I was born at home (true) but raised in a hospital (also true)”. I have helped people in the food recovery processes, taught nutrition principals to my patients and helped people with special diets for nearly twenty years. Since I retired a few years ago my weight just kept creeping up, up, up and away. I found my self in denial so much that I avoided every full length mirror in the house and any one who had a camera in their hands. I don’t know truly how long this went on but one day I found myself barely able to walk across the room without huffing and puffing – I was far from comfortable with myself and I quietly said; “Lord, I don’t want to be like this – it just doesn’t agree with your promises for me. Help me!

Little things started happening: first I turned sixty five, second I started receiving all this junk mail from the entire list of Medicare insurance companies and third I actually signed up with one of them. When you do that they welcome you with two arm loads of books regarding their programs! I just put them into my do sometime in the future corner stack. The next thing, the fourth thing -- I found myself reading in the book of Isaiah and those very familiar words at the top of this page came alive. Let me share one thing with you first; I recently read a book by an old preacher who said “I live between the Holy buts.” Now this struck a cord with me when I read the passage from Isaiah – here I am feeling weak and this verse says “He gives power to the faint” and “to those who have no might He increases their strength” I noticed it said that even the youth shall faint and the young men shall utterly fall – do you see that first word in verse 31? There it is – the Holy but theory! You see, I was faint hearted, I was down cast, and I was many things but there was my answer: if I would cling to Him, I would receive new strength, and I would be lifted up and no longer faint or be weary because He will lift me above the obstacles. I can be like that young girl only this time I’ll not have to do things in my own power but through the power of the One who gives me permission to say to this mountain “be gone” and it shall utterly be removed!

Now, let me take you back to the Medicare thing I previously mentioned. It is called “Silver Sneakers” and this program became known to me shortly after reading the verses in Isaiah. I called, signed all the paper work and once again there is a young girl inside who is ready for a journey -- this journey. My Road to fitness begins here…