Lindsay's Ramblings

"Jesus is not impressed because his name is on your bumper sticker, or because you have Christian music on your ipod, or because you never miss a weekend at church, or you give to all the right causes. And those things are all good, but they are only good to the extent that they are done out of love for Him. Jesus says that He wants us to love Him with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength. And then He says, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ It is love that reveals us to be real followers of Jesus Christ...Jesus wants you to love Him enough to take up your cross. So for you, which is it? What road have you chosen? Fan, or Follower? It all comes down to love ." (Completely Committed Followers Facebook)  

Just like everyone else, I struggle with insecurities and self doubt. I have days when I don't like the way I look, when I feel puny, when I'm self conscious of my little legs, or I wish that I had bigger shoulders or a leaner stomach. I realize that it's silly...I mean, is that really what I want my life to revolve around, what I want to consume my thoughts? Is that what matters most to me in life? Does my self-worth come from having ripped abs or rounder shoulders? No, it does NOT! So when I have those days(which are becoming more fewer and fewer thanks to God!), I remind myself of what really IS important in life, and it's not our outer appearance. I also remind myself of why I do this, which is to be healthy and strong .... and because I LOVE it! I love being strong. I love throwing iron around! I love sweating and pushing myself hard in the gym. It makes me feel good! Of course I want to look good on the outside, and it's nic...

I got a few of my photos back from the photoshoot with MUSCLETECH!   This was really a dream come true and something that I never expected to happen. I have worked  extremely hard for a long time to get to this point.... and I must admit, it feels pretty amazing to have your efforts rewarded.   I am truly SO  thankful and honored that I was chosen to be a part of this team!     They didn't want any smiling pictures, hence the serious "intense" look! I'm definitely more a smiley person! ;)

Well, it's officially the first day of Fall. I'm a little sad that Summer is over and really not looking forward to what comes after this....but I did find myself really getting into the Fall spirit last week with the cooler weather we've been having. I made some turkey chili and even put up a few decorations around the house. And I couldn't resist getting a caramel apple the other day at the grocery store! ;) So I wanted to share a couple of things that I'm loving lately. I have to tell you, MuscleTech's Phase-8 protein is pretty awesome stuff. Tastes SO good. I usually have it as a bedtime snack, in the form of "ice cream" or my protein frozen Reese cups! If you need something to curb a sweet tooth, this does the trick. Plus, I always like to have a slow digesting protein source before bed to feed my muscles and Phase-8 is perfect for that! This girl is trying to grow, remember? For the "Reese cups", I blend a scoop of Phase-8, a ...

Everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. Romans 11:36 "The purpose of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified. Because this whole thing is His. -Francis Chan I've been a Christian pretty much my whole life. I've had a relationship with Christ from a young age, and that has influenced who I am today and how I've lived my life. However, it's only in the past few years that I've felt closest to God than I've ever felt before. As I've grown older, my relationship with Christ has deepened and my faith has grown stronger, as it should. As I've grown closer to Him and more mature in my faith and understanding of Him, the more He begins to teach me and challenge me in my faith. It's a little uncomfortable at times because I'd rather just live in my little bubble and stay comfortable... But I don't think that God just wants us coast through life, ...

We've been having some gorgeous Fall weather here in Kentucky the past few days! As much as I love summer and wish it lasted longer, I do have to say that I am ready for the change in weather. There is just something about Fall! It's a great time of year in Kentucky. Plus, my husband and I first started dating in the Fall, so it always brings back memories.   I definitely foresee lots of caramel apples, chili, and pumpkin muffins in my future. :)   We had my sister and brother over yesterday for a cookout since the weather was so nice. I'm trying to get together with them more often, since I used to hardly ever see them and that was just stupid. Mom's accident and Celeste have definitely brought us closer, and I just hope it continues.   Celeste has gotten so big since I last saw her a few weeks ago. She is almost 2 months old! I'm going to be babysitting her two days a week starting next week, so that should be interesting! Not...

Just because I haven't done this in a while!   What I Ate :  8:00 Meal 1: Protein oats (1 scoop protein, 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter) + coffee with cream 11:30 -PWO- Meal 2: 1 1/2 cups Apple Jacks with almond milk, 1 scoop whey protein NitroTech vanilla whey + 1 tbsp. butterscotch pudding is amazing ! 1:00 Meal 3: 5 oz roasted red potatoes, 2 eggs + 2 whites, 2% cheese One of my absolute favorite meals! Meal 4: 1 can tuna with a tsp of mayo, Fuji apple Meal 5: 4 oz Italian seasoned ground turkey with pasta sauce, 1 protein oat flour chocolate chip banana muffin Yummy!! Meal 6: 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 cup  2% cottage cheese Workout: LEG DAY!   1)Overhead squats-just with light weight for warmup & mobility 2x6 2)Trap bar deadlift (cluster sets): 5x5@150lbs , 20 second rest between sets, then 2 minute rest and repeat 3)Bulgarian split squat: 3x10 with 20lbs each hand 4)Barbell hip thrusts: 3x8 w/135lbs 5a)Standi...

So after about 10 days of perfect eating and a few days of carb depleting(note: a FEW days) for the photoshoot, I've been enjoying eating whatever I want and not tracking macros. I may go back to not tracking....but then again, I do kind of like seeing what I'm taking in and making sure I'm getting enough calories, so I may go back to it! We'll see. Here were a few of my weekend meals: Saturday's "treat" was shredded barbecue chicken thighs. This may now be my favorite treat meal! SO good. Sunday we had salmon patties made with ground oats. This was always one of my favorite meals my mom would make us growing up! I took the picture before I slathered them in ketchup. :) Monday, my husband and I grilled out a yummy Labor Day meal that consisted of steak, pork chops, corn on the cob and squash. Unfortunately, we got rained out, so we had to take it inside. We also went to Krispy Kreme to try out their caramel chocola...