EmpowerMoms

There are 10 personal accountants in this book from women who have been through horrible, emotional trials; but who have been able to forgive and find strength in the Lord.

“With the help of this book, you too can find strength in the Lord-the giver of grace-to see your mistakes and others’ through the lens of forgiveness”.

I have always been very sensitive to others feelings and situations so I knew this book would be hard for me to read. Reading each women’s personal stories and how they overcome their trials and learned to forgive themselves or others, was very powerful to read. A lot of prayer was definetly a theme through out this book.

I cried in the very first story of the first chapter. I was devastated! I couldn’t even imagine going thru that experience and that mother’s pain.

I skipped part 4-sexual abuse section because I knew I couldn’t handle reading it.

I am grateful for these strong, courageous women who shared their stories of heartbreak to the world so they could help others going through the same struggles to find hope, forgiveness and love from God.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Covenant Communications in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
Are unresolved feelings of anger, resentment, and guilt keeping you from living your best life? It’s time to let go of the pain and make the life-changing decision to forgive. A stirring new work from best-selling author Ganel-Lyn Condie, I Can Forgive with God features the personal accounts of an incredible group of women who have harnessed the power of forgiveness after enduring the furnace of affliction. From divorce and death to addiction and abuse, these sisters’ experiences are linked by one common truth: the power of absolution is available to all through hard work and faithful reliance on our loving Heavenly Father.

You can purchase a copy of the book here:

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Today, Monday August 8th starts week 5 of the 6 week Jessica Smith Summer of Strength challenge.

You can join in at any time!

Here’s week 1 schedule and specifics about the challenge:
http://empowermoms.net/2016/07/week-1-alternate-workouts-for-jessica-smith-phase-3-walk-strong-2-0-calendar-summerofstrength.html

Week 2:
http://empowermoms.net/2016/07/week-2-alternate-workouts-for-jessica-smith-phase-3-walk-strong-2-0-calendar-summerofstrength.html

Week 3:
http://empowermoms.net/2016/07/week-3-alternate-workouts-for-jessica-smith-phase-3-walk-strong-2-0-calendar-summerofstrength.html

Week 4:
http://empowermoms.net/2016/07/week-4-alternate-workouts-for-jessica-smith-phase-3-walk-strong-2-0-calendar-summerofstrength.html

These are WEEK 5 suggestions for an alternate Walking Strong 2.0/Phase 3 calendar if you don’t have the DVDs listed on the calendar. I made up these suggestions entirely on my own and I hope you will find them useful! If you do, please recommend my blog and these posts to others so they can join the fitness challenge.

You can do these suggested workouts along with the 2.0 calendar to get a 60 minute workout; or you can do these workouts in place of whatever dvds you don’t own right now.

I went thru the Walk Strong 2.0 calendar week by week to then find alternate free Jessica Smith TV YouTube workouts that were similar in style and time length. Each alternate workout suggestion is either cardio or strength exactly like the calendar suggests, and is within 5 minutes more or less of the suggested time.

MONDAY: (need chair)
“Interval Mix” CARDIO workout from Walk Strong DVD Set (30 mins)
OR
High Intensity Interval Training Workout – HIIT It (31 mins)

TUESDAY:(need hand weights and mat for TWO workouts today)
“Poise and Grace” STRENGTH workout from Build Balance and Inner Strength DVD (30 mins)
OR
20-Minute Barefoot Fusion Sculpt (26 mins)

AND

“Total Body Training” STRENGTH workout from Walk Strong DVD Set (30 mins)
OR
Total Body Fat Burning-Chisel & Burn (30 mins)

OR
Single Sided Strength Total Body (23 mins)

WEDNESDAY: (need step)
“Stride and Step” CARDIO workout from Burn Fat and Have Fun DVD (30 mins)
OR
Indoor walking workout with a step (36 mins)

THURSDAY: (TWO workouts today)
“Core Control” CARDIO workout from Build Balance and Inner Strength DVD (30 mins)
OR
Cardio Core Flow (25 mins)

OR
Cardio Mat Fusion (34 mins)

AND

“360 Abs” CARDIO workout from Walk Strong DVD Set (30 mins)
OR
Abs Cardio Workout: 30-Minute Kickboxing Cardio Abs

OR
20-Minute Belly Fat Blasting Cardio Ab Workout

FRIDAY:(need a ball)
“Have a Ball” CARDIO workout from Burn Fat and Have Fun DVD (30 mins)
OR
30 min Cardio Ball Blast

SATURDAY: (need hand weights and mat)
Circuit #3 “Total Body Focus” STRENGTH workout from the Boost Metabolism & Muscle DVD (35 mins)
OR
Total Body Toned (26 mins)

SUNDAY:
Active Rest Day

ADDITIONAL WORKOUT SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTIVE REST OR STRETCHING:

Active cardio flow/Yoga workout (not slow stretching pace) 20 mins:

8 Minute Total Body Stretch with hand towel after a workout (not cold muscles):

30-Minute Stretching, Flexibility Routine: Stretch, Rest and Relax:

10 Minute Flexibility Training Workout:

>>>Be on the look out for Week 6 (OUR FINAL WEEK!) to be posted here on my blog soon! I will be posting my daily workout pictures and progress on my Instagram page, so make sure you follow me there. I’d love to hear how you are doing with the challenge as well.

Foam Roller For Muscles by Live Infinitely-17″ x 5″- Features First Ever Unique Spinal Channel- Made From High Density EVA Foam & ABS Inner Core- Best Deep Tissue Massager For Instant Relief Plus Includes Detailed How To eBook

“Myofascial release is a hands on technique that many therapists have been using for years. To achieve this release, you would want to apply minimal pressure with a long duration dragging force across layers of soft-tissue in the body. By applying pressure to precise points on your body you are able to aid in the recovery of muscles and support in returning them to normal function.”

My foam roller by Live Infinitely came quickly from Amazon and as described. I love that it comes in 3 bright colors! After my purchase, an email was sent to me with an ebook printable with 8 pages of foam rolling techniques and intro to foam rolling.

Unlike my other foam rollers, this one has raised areas for better pressure on specific areas and is hollow inside. I am amazed how sturdy it is!

I really like rolling my lower body. That is where I feel the most sore and get the most relief when rolling.

*Rolling my shin area*

*Rolling my calves*

*Rolling my quads*

If you haven’t tried foam rolling, you are definitely missing out!

I like the quality of the Live Infinitely-must better than the other ones I already have at home. Very study and the colors are bright and fun!

I received this product complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

Product Description
Did you know that almost 85% of adults will experience mild to sever back pain? How about the fact that 70% of that was directly a result of how that person was treating their body?

Take care of your muscles , health and fitness and your body will reward you!

How can a foam roller help with this you may ask? Well it is quite simple, sore muscles and knots are merely lactic acid build ups that need broken down and expelled. A simple 15 minutes massage routine pre or post physical activity can be the difference on how your entire week is going to go!

So what separates Live Infinitely’s Foam Roller from the competition?

✧Industries Only Recessed Spinal Channel – Everyone knows to not push directly on your spine, so why does every other foam roller do exactly it, well don’t worry we fixed it! Zero spine pressure while still receive a full back massage

✧Raised finger tip pressure points on both sides of the channel- The most common area for muscle soreness is right along both sides of your spine. So, we specially raised our roller to target this zone.

✧17″x5″ Larger Size – Most rollers on the market are 13×5 over even smaller. In pictures they may look good, but they don’t function. We again fixed this

✧Only Quality Materials – We used a schedule 40 ABS plastic inner core and a high density EVA foam outside to assure this roller will exceed your expectations for years!

✧Every purchase includes unlimited access to our online massage guide eBook and in depth muscle roller how-to videos

You can purchase one here:

About Live Infinitely
When we started the Live Infinitely brand we had one thing in mind, YOU. Our mission is to produce only the highest quality products and provide the best customer service in the market. We stand behind all our products and are here to help you reach your goals!

There are 12 chapter contents to this book. Some of which: “I will respect him when he earns my respect. (The concept of unconditional respect)”; “All he wants is sex. (when you long for romance)”; “I would be happier married to someone else. (The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence)” and more!

Most of the book is written by the author Rhonda, but towards the end of every chapter, her husband writes some paragraphs from his perspective about the current chapter. I think that having the husband’s perspective along with the wife’s perspective on every chapter is really informative and greatly adds to content of this book.

Also at the end of every chapter she includes a “thinking it through” questions and “living it out” questions. All the chapters suggest scripture references to read as well. You can also go to her website to hear audio clips from each chapter. They can be found under the free resources tab.

I really enjoyed this book-it was very easy to read! I personally needed to read chapters 2 and 3 which I feel will help me become more kind, loving, more respectful, and more appreciative of my husband.

This is a wonderful Christian marriage book and almost all the advice in each chapter boils down to our love and obedience to God.

In chapter 5 titled “I would be happier married to someone else”; they list eight practical ways to cultivate a happy marriage.
1. Have a realistic expectations.
2. Your husband is not like you.
3. Think the best about your husband.
4. Be kind to one another.
5. Refuse to fantasize about being married to someone else.
6. Your husband is not your enemy.
7. Love Christ more than you love your husband.
8. Determine that divorce will never be an option.

“The key to having an all out love for your husband lies in how well you love God.”

“It is never too late to transform your marriage by applying God’s principles to your marriage relationship.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
If My Husband Would Change, I’d Be Happy: And Other Myths Wives Believe (Harvest House, August 2015)

Like most brides on their wedding day, you no doubt were filled with love for your husband and the hope of a happy life together.

But perhaps today, as the realities of life together have settled in, those happy expectations are going unfulfilled. And it’s tempting to think, “If only my husband would change, I’d be happy.”

That myth is but one of many that Rhonda Stoppe dispels in her easy-to-read exploration of what it takes to experience a truly happy marriage. In the process, she addresses such important topics as

-understanding your husband’s need for your unconditional respect
-rekindling the love that drew you to your husband in the first place
-refusing to believe the lie that you’d be happier married to someone else
-learning to be content in the midst of financial struggles
-thinking about sex from a biblical worldview

If you desire to rekindle the love and hope you felt on your wedding day, this book will go a long way toward making that dream come true.

Contains discussion questions and personal reflections at the end of each chapter.

Purchase a copy:

About the author:
Rhonda Stoppe is the No Regrets Woman. She is an author and speaker dedicated to helping women live life with no regrets. With more than 20 years’ experience as a mom, mentor, and pastor’s wife, Rhonda’s wisdom and experience helps women discover significance in God and His specific purpose for their lives, connect biblical principles to everyday decisions, develop a loving marriage that others dream about, and influence the next generation by raising children with integrity.

Have you heard about these new races being offered by the City of Salem in October? I signed up for the 8k race and my son is doing the kids race.

I LOVE that they are offering an 8k race. Alot of race venues offer 5k or half or full marathons, but sometimes I like doing longer races than a 5k but not commit to a half marathon. Last month I did a 4 mile race on the 4th of July and that was alot of fun.

I have partnered with the City of Salem Parks and Rec to offer you some promo codes for this race! You can save 20% off the half marathon or 8k race by using my code: BLOG20

You can walk or run the 8k race and its a total of 4.97 miles of beautiful City of Salem scenery! And if you sign up now, you have 2 months-plenty of time to start training even if you’re a beginner.

They are also offering a KIDS race! My 6 year old will be doing it and is so excited! It’s only $20 and he gets a tshirt, medal and chickfila sandwich at the end of the race! AND you can save $5 off any kids registration by using my code: KIDZ5

Stay up to date with all the fun info on their Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/SalemHalfMarathon/home

About the race:
Why should you decide to run the LewisGale Salem Half Marathon? Simple! Salem is known as the “Championship City,” which hosts various NCAA Championship tournaments. We have brought that championship mentality to this race. This course allows you to see Salem and experience why we are called the “Championship City.”

The scenic race will take you through all the sights and sounds of Salem, “Tour of Salem”. This race starts on Main Street, takes you through beautiful Roanoke College, quaint neighborhoods, on the popular Roanoke Green-way, the two different sport complexes, then finish on Main Street with all your family & friends cheering you on as you finish. This race will be something that you don’t want to miss!

As you finish, come celebrate with us at the After-Party! There will be live entertainment, food, & drinks. Our very own local craft beer, Parkway Brewery, will be supplying the suds.

Event details and schedule
Saturday, October 15th- RACE DAY!

9 a.m. Half Marathon & 8K Start
9:15 a.m. Kids Mile Start
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Post-race celebration at Salem Farmer’s Market
1 p.m. Course closes

Every runner in the Half Marathon, 8K & Kids Mile will receive an official race t-shirt, a custom medal at the finish line and admitted to the special post-race celebration, and a memorial race experience in scenic Salem, VA. There you will be greeted at the finish line by the race director, family, friends and other spectators to congratulate you!

Expo:

Packet pick-up will be available at the Roanoke College Race Expo held at the Bast Center on Friday, October 14th from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m.

The address to the Bast Center is:
310 North Market Street
Salem, VA 24175

A photo ID is required to pick up your race packet. You may pick up a race packet for another pre-registered runner, provided you have a copy of their photo ID.

How to sign up:
http://www.active.com/salem-va/running/distance-running-races/lewisgale-salem-half-marathon-2016?int

LewisGale Salem Half Marathon – Half Marathon Pricing Tier Three (Expires October 11th) $90.00

Virginia’s Blue Ridge 8K – Virginia’s Blue Ridge 8K Tier Three (Expires October 11th) $50.00

G&H Contracting Kids Run – G&H Contracting Kids Run Tier Three (Expires October 11th) $20.00