Have you ever done a Burpee before? How about foam rolled? How about ran sprints or wall sits? If you haven’t or have no idea what I am talking about, click on this links above and try one. Thank me later.

None of these exercises are my favorite. They are uncomfortable. My body doesn’t get super excited by my 20th burpee, nor the last seconds of a plank or wall sit. Yet,we do them. We know the pay-off will be worth it. We know that if we sprint hard that it will pay off. We put faith in the exercises. We push into the uncomfortable willingly.

Why don’t we do this with our brains, our work, our relationships, our ideas?  Why don’t we put in the uncomfortable work to refine & renew.  Why don’t we take the time to assess our health in these areas and give them a mini workout. Most of us have trouble even sitting with the uncomfortable thoughts or dreams, that we distract ourselves. With food, with busyness, with our phones, computers, televisions.

Maybe you think you don’t have the tools or the right equipment. Wrong. You have everything you will ever need within. Now it’s just matter of discovery.

All you need is a minute or two to assess your heart, your thoughts, your work? First off all SLOW down enough to hear yourself thinking and breathing. Even if you have to lock yourself away in the bathroom for quiet, give yourself the gift of 5 minutes. Start by downloading. No judgment let the truth hit the paper and then after you are finished take a peek and circle what areas you want to  ”put through a workout”

Start here. Burpee your brain. Feel free to email me if you get stuck, or if you aren’t clear. Let’s choose to not just go through the motions. I don’t want to sit anymore just going alot what life hits me with. I want to set forward motion towards my dreams and this “brain” exercise always clears the clutter and sets my feet in right direction.

Here is where I start my so called, Ginaism. Friends, after reading my self portrait project post a couple months after I wrote it I really realized that I resonate with my own words and for some reason even more when I talk to myself in third person. So that is what I am going to do and the end of some posts, just for me. Read if you would like, but no obligations.

Gina use your tenacity and heart in your workouts to transfer into the brain and heart work too. Think of the last 15 seconds of a plank when you are experiencing tough things. Know that it’s just there to work through, make you stronger and come out on this other side. And if it’s really tough think of the push-up planks that you detest, yet you do them. Push through. Push through. You have the strength, you have the knowledge, just tap into it.

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This quote was read at my wedding this weekend.

As you sit side by side through the roller coaster of life, remember to:
Scream from the peaks, hold hands through the dips, laugh through the loop-de-loops, and enjoy every twist and turn – - for the ride is better because you share it together.

Not only did this warm my heart and make me excited to share with my husband. It is such a great description of what everyday looks like. Twist Turns, Peaks, Dips, loop-de-loops. So many of us with our constant feed of social media look at other lives with the “grass is greener” attitude. We automatically compare and assume that others have it completely together and we don’t. This discourages us because we don’t feel like we have enough or even are enough.  None of us are perfect, we are all flawed. Others might not show you their rollercoaster, but that doesn’t mean that they have it easy. Turn off the comparison compulsion, turn down our amount of social media use, start each morning with a thankful journal of what you have. Stay grounded.

This is something I constantly struggle with. I have caught myself in hours of facebook fishing. In other words looking for value, or comparison. This is such a waste, and a harmful use of our time. I want nothing more but to be grounded and centered in my faith and what God has already blessed me with. The best way I do this is writing. Writing through the happiness, frustrations, the pain and the loop-de-loops that make my whole world upside down.

In a journey to stay me, I am committing to authentically writing here. Really writing. Opening up about whats on my heart and without fear. Frequently.  Though it makes me completely nauseous to say this……Daily even. I am walking into this fear because I am sure God is behind me on this.

Join the roller-coaster of my life that I will be sharing here. I am committing to be authentic. I want to show you the broken as well as the put together. I want to learn from each others ups and downs and twist and turns by having active communication with each of you. It’s my life’s work to encourage and nuture others. I need to start this at a cellular level with me, so here we go…..

G. You can do this, give it everything. Work hard and make sacrifices to not let clutter get in the way of writing. Get to the gym to start the juices flowing. Push the envelope. Stand Strong in your faith. It’s scary. People will judge you, they might use it against you. Yet, if your words even bless one person they will be worth it. Your imperfections are what make you, You. This writing will help you love yourself more and in turn, give you more love to give to others. Know that your raw authentic rollercoaster of words is meant to be shared. You know that in your heart. I am so proud of you today Gina, you pushed through a lot of hard stuff to even write this post. Praise the Lord for his strength and the support system that continues to turn you to him. High fives and happy dance to the beginning of something big. You got this, put your hands up and enjoy the ride! 

So here I am upside down on the roller coaster of our unmade bed. Ready for adventure. Mya wanted to try it out too.

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