Kara

Birthday Giveaways!!! (FREE Stuff for YOU!)

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On my birthday, I like to giveaway a prize to one of my social media friends/followers on IG and/or Facebook.

This year, I’m giving away TWO!

Yesterday I did an IG giveaway for one of my new tanks. That one is closed, but if you still want a tank, you can purchase one here.

And now for our BIG giveaway this week:

One of the newest RevWell Instructor graduates is a lady named Claire. She has more artistic talent in her pinky finger then I have in my entire body. Seriously. She’s gifted, y’all. And not just at art, but also in speaking and teaching and getting to the real heart of the matter. I could tell from the very beginning that this girl is anointed.

She is incorporating these two talents and has opened her own Etsy Shop called RebelJoy Designs.


In her shop, she is selling something called TRUTH CARDS.

These are a stack of 50 beautiful handmade cards on a ring containing Scripture,
encouragement, truth about your body and food (in line with the Gospel),
and generally full of good news.

These contain truths such as:

and

and

These 50 high quality, beautiful cards will remind you of GOD’s TRUTH to help you refocus your eating on HIM and the freedom that we find when we submit ALL things to His control.

You could stick these cards in your purse to have on-the-go, hang them on your refrigerator to be your reminder when you’re tempted to overeat, or even on your night stand.

To see more of Claire’s creations, you can visit her Etsy shop at: RebelJoy Designs .


Now, for the info on how to enter to win a set for FREE:

1- Go to the Wellness Witness Facebook page. Make sure that you have “LIKED” the page.

2- Near the top, you will see three dots. Click on these three dots and a drop-down menu will appear.  Click on SHARE.

3. Once you’ve done this, a new box will pop up.

In this box, give a reason of why you like Following/Reading the Wellness Witness facebook page and click SHARE PAGE.

4. Last step- Go to the Wellness Witness page, and find the status that gives details about this contest. Comment on that status and tell me that you have SHARED the page and then give me the reason that you listed when you shared the page.

Make sense?

If you’re trying to SHARE THE PAGE using your mobile device, it will look a bit different. See picture for info:

To win, you must be in the Continental US and have done each of the above steps:
Like the page, Share the page with your reason of why people should like it, too, and then comment on my post and tell me what your reason was.

You’ve got until Friday, July 31st at 12:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, let me know. Good luck!!!

Lessons learned upon turning 34- Letter to my 15 year old self

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Several years ago, I had a personal blog called The Road Home. It was
my lifeline when I was staying home with two young children. I wrote a
post called “30 Things” right before my 30th birthday, which was what I
would’ve said to my 15 year old self if given the chance.

(Picture of me as a 15 year old: young and naive)

Since then, I add on new items each year as I turn another year older. Hope you enjoy reading through them.

34 things I’ve learned upon turning thirty four:
If I could have written myself a letter nineteen years ago, these are the things I would have wanted to know.

1- It’s really NOT about YOU. When others do hurtful things, most of the time it’s really not about you. But you know what IS about you? The way you choose to react.

2- You cannot control how others treat you, but you can ALWAYS choose the way you respond.

3- Stop worrying and planning about your future- what to major in, if you willmake the basketball team, if you’ll ever find someone to date and marry. God has got it ALL figured out and is working a plan that is somuch better than any you could imagine! My life verse is Eph 3:19-20 and it is absolutely true time and time again that God can do abundantly, exceedingly more than all we ask OR imagine!

4- Know what you don’t know and don’t be afraid to admit it! Life is all about learning.

5- You don’t have to have it all together, all the time. Life is about feeling safe enough in your own shoes to be able to be transparent with others and not worry about their perceptions or judgments. LOSE THE MASK, sister. Throw it away.

6- If you’re feeling really comfortable where you are, it’s time to move on. The only way to grow and do BIG things is to get out of your comfort zone! Out of your comfort zone? Good- that’s where the magic happens.

7- Love is NOT a feeling. It is a choice, a conscious act. Don’t zip through life simply relying on the emotional high that comes with new love. Find someone and commit to loving them even when you don’t “feel” like it, even when they seem unlovable. Even when it’s the last thing you wantto do. Do it anyway.

8- Postpartum hormones are no joke. When women say they’re struggling and you think ‘whatever, suck it up’, you will soon learn how wrong you are! Instead of judging or talking about it, why not offer to help that new mom?
Give her an hour’s break to run errands or to let her catch a nap.Good news- postpartum depression/anxiety WON’T last forever. I promise.

9- Give more than expected. Even when you don’t want to.

10- STOP. WORRYING. Seriously- stop it!STILL working on this one. It’s a moment by moment choice at times.

11- Parenting is hard work. That mom that you see at the store who has kids running wild and acting crazy that you think is absolutely the worst parenting example ever? You’ll find yourself in that position more than once. I promise. There will be times your kids can drive you to tears, in the middle of a store or even at a cookout with your friends. It gets better. Their behavior really ISN’T a reflection of you or your parenting capabilities, and anyone that judges you based on a cranky toddler’s behavior probably isn’t who you want to be impressing anyway.

12- Seek out mentors. Learn from them. Listen. Accept what they say.

13- Invest yourself by mentoring someone else.

14- Marry your best friend. There will be days that you don’t really like your husband/wife. If you’re relationship is grounded on friendship as well as common values and a true commitment, you’ll be able to stick it out through whatever comes.This will not be easy. It will be worth it.

15- You could be angry at times, even justified. But wouldn’t it be easier to just move on and be happy? Your anger at them is only eating away at yourself. Do yourself a favor and forgive, then move on!

16- Pregnancy affects every single bit of your body, not just the parts you would expect. It’s also the most amazing experience ever. Totally worth every single stretch mark, episode of morning sickness, and swollen ankles!

17- Invest your money in experiences instead of ‘stuff’. When you’re older you won’t sit and think about that beautiful purse you had, but you will remember all the fun you had on your cruise to the Bahamas!

18- It’s all about relationships. Everything. Pour yourself into the lives of those around you. Build relationships and appreciate them! Dive in and be “messy” in your relationships. When you lose the mask and let your guard down, you’ll learn what real community really is.

19- People are going to let you down. They will. Practice grace with them and cut them some slack. I guarantee you will let them down, also.

20- There are two things in life you can never have enough of… baby wipes and band-aids! I would add to that coffee and peanut butter.

21- Most friendships are built around commonality. Shared seasons of life, workplaces, churches, etc. True friendships won’t be built on being in the same stage of life or even location. It will be with someone who loves you even when they don’t ‘feel’ like it, that still believes in you even after you let them down, and someone who truly wants the best for you in life. This is RARE and hard to find. Once you do, hold onto it!

22- Things can be hard AND be holy. Difficulty doesn’t mean you aren’t heading in the right direction. Feeling called but experiencing huge push-back? Keep going.
23-No matter how bad things seem, they always get better. Always. “Sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning”.

24- Attending church regularly is ESSENTIAL. Not because this can guarantee salvation or earn you ‘good behavior points’, but because you need to be hearing the Word and you need to be committed to a local body of believers.

25- On that same note, TITHE and watch what happens. The only time in the Bible that we are told to test God was in tithing. We aren’t simply recommended to tithe, we are commanded. Do it and watch God work!

26- You are never going to please everyone. And there will always be someone who doesn’t like you. Make up your mind to be happy, regardless. Don’t change who you are to make yourself more acceptable to others.

27- Our Christian walk isn’t simply about going to church and sitting to be “fed”. It is SO much more! I lived for many, many years before I realized that I had never fully grasped what it meant to be a follower of Christ. It should change EVERYTHING about you and your life. If you’re really walking with Him the way you should, nothing will be the
same. Period.

28- A good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee can make anything seem better. Anything. The season of sleepless nights with little kids will pass. Before you know it, you’ll be able to even sleep til 7 a.m. or later on the weekends!
Hang in there, sweet sister. Better days are coming!

29- Eat right, most of the time. You’ll feel better, look better and have moreenergy. And trust me, even if you think you have cellulite and stretch marks now, you have NO IDEA how good you look compared to what you’ll
look like after having a few kids 😉

30- All of this life is temporary. One day, our ‘job’ on Earth will be over and we will be accountable for everything we have done or said, and for what we have done with the spiritual gifts that God has given to each believer. Make your life count! Don’t worry about being afraid and being unaccepted. This world is NOT our home. Get out there and get
going.

31- It’s really not about what you look like in the first place. Steward your health well as your offering back to God, as an act of worship. We are His tools and can use our health as a means of praise.

32- Dream big. Find what God is planting in your heart and then pray about it. Ask those you trust to pray with you. I’ll say it again- He can do ABUNDANTLY, EXCEEDINGLY MORE than we ask or imagine. Is your dream so big that it scares you? Good. GO FOR IT.

33-Be there for others when it really counts, and sometimes even when it doesn’t. The death of parents, the births of
children- these critical times to support one another. But so are the days when a friend may feel down, burnt out, or lonely. Learn to look for opportunities to speak truth and love and for ways to show up when
it counts and no one else sees it.

34- When God created you, there were no mistakes. You were given an original design by the Maker Himself to be used to impact this world for Him. Others think you’re weird? It’s okay. Others think you’re too much of this or too little of that? Don’t sweat it. Seriously. You are made, shaped, formed, and LOVED. Walk FREE, sister.

The last year has been beautiful, hard, amazing, messy, and incredible. Looking back I can’t believe how much has changed and yet looking forward I’m so excited to watch what God’s going to do next that I can hardly stand it.

He’s so good, friends. We can trust Him.

 

Last day as a 33 year old

 

Tanks, Tshirts, and Hoodies are on sale!

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Many of you have been asking when the next Wellness Witness shirts would be available, and now they are!

From now until Midnight on Wednesday, July 29th, you can order your choice of a:
1- Flowy, loose fitting Bella brand tank in Black or Blue


2- Hanes tagless tshirt (preshrunk) in Purple

3- Gildan heavyweight hoodie in Blue



I’m trying a new format this time and using the website TeeSpring, which means you’ll order directly from them, pay them, and they will be the ones to ship the shirts to you.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

The direct link to go order is HERE.

These shirts are a great conversation starter and can testify of your love for fitness AND Jesus without you having to say a word!

Thanks for all of you that support me and this little ministry. I’m so grateful for you.

Workout Wednesday…Sprint Intervals

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Hey, friends!

It’s WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!

This week I don’t have a new video for you, but wanted to remind you of THIS one.

If you’re looking at this in your email, click HERE to see the video.

This video was filmed about 18 months ago, but it’s still a good starting point to teach you some info about incorporating sprint intervals into your training plan.

You can use almost ANY form of exercise with these. My favorite is running, but you could use swimming, biking, walking, jumping jacks, elliptical, mountain climbers, etc.

Whatever activity you choose, be sure to go ALL OUT for 20-30 seconds and then let your heart rate recover. Then repeat.

They’re hard, but SO good for your body!

(Note: I never do these more than about 2 times per week because they are hard on your joints, particularly if you’re running. For other forms of exercise you could possibly use more often).

Hope this gets you out there and gets you moving.

If you’ve been working hard exercising and feel stuck at a plateau, these would be great to add in to get you moving in the right direction again.

Good luck!!!

 

New Hair and how to donate yours!

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I decided it was time to cut off this long hair and of course, turned to all of you for advice.

I posted this picture on the facebook page, and asked for feedback.


Y’all were pretty divided between the four choices and I enjoyed reading through all of your comments. I received a message in response to the post from a lady named Michelle who told me that she has Alopecia. She also told me about an organization called Hair We Share that would not only accept color treated hair, but also hair that isn’t the required 8-10″ that other organizations ask for.

I have always wanted to donate hair, but there has never been a time it hasn’t been color treated so I was thrilled to find an organization that I could donate to!

I did a little research looking into Hair We Share and was super impressed with the organization.

So that I could send as much hair as possible to this organization and in honor of this sweet new friend, Michelle, I decided to go a bit shorter than originally intended.

Here’s the before picture with my holding my old ponytail:

And here’s the AFTER:

I can still get it into a tiny ponytail and it seems like it’s going to
be pretty easy to maintain. I think I will probably get a bit more
layering in the back when I go back next time, but it’s a good change.
(We’ll see if I still think that after I’ve had to wash/dry/and style it
myself. Hairstyling is NOT my strength).

If you have hair to share, please check out this amazing organization. And if you want to help contribute, THIS LINK will take you directly to Michelle’s campaign page where she is trying to raise funds to offset the cost of her own wig.

Have a great day, friends!

1 year later…W3 celebrates! (And why you should, too)

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As I’m sitting here reflecting back over the past year I am completely humbled and in awe of what God has done.

Here’s the quick version for those that are new to the blog:

On July 8th, 2014 I posted on Facebook and asked if any of my friends were willing to show up and meet me at a local park for a group workout. The original plan was to collect donations and to earn enough money to pay for my plane ticket to Revelation Wellness Instructor Training.


 I really had no business leading a group at this point and not much of
an idea of what I was doing. (You can read the full story with details
about that day HERE.)
I had no real training, but I knew that God has asked me to step out in
faith…To be willing to offer up the little that I had so that He
could make much of it for His plans and His glory.

We set the first workout date for July 15th, and 15 brave women showed up.

 We moved, we laughed, and although I may have missed some of the cues and choreography, we had a great workout. Our scripture focus was on John 15 about on ABIDING. To STAY, to REMAIN, the CONTINUE the course with Jesus.

And looking back over the past 12 months since that day, I can see how that is what I and these ladies have been asked to do: To STAY rooted in His Word and His plans, to REMAIN even when it’s been hard or discouraging, and to CONTINUE the course that He has set us on.

Our little group has gone through times of huge growth and times of decline. We have gone from being women who weren’t quite sure where we fit to now having formed our own tribe of women who are willing to be real and to struggle through the hard things in life together.


At one point or another I think all of us have had days where God’s Spirit has moved so powerfully that we’ve been brought to tears, and there were days when we showed up even when we really didn’t want to.

As we have learned more and more about who HE says we are, we have been able to set down the idols of fear, of striving, of trying to earn our worth through our outward appearance.

We have learned that it won’t matter who good our physical condition may be if our hearts are far from God and we’ve challenged each other to believe that YES WE CAN do hard things because of who HE is IN us.

After our first workout on July 15th, 2014, when the ladies all left
I sat and wept at God’s faithfulness. And today, I sit here and do the
same. He is faithful, Friends.

When He called, I had NO real talent in leading groups, no real training in how to do so, and no idea how on earth I could do it. And yet He provided.

Our little group has grown from that first faithful 15 to having groups as large as 67. There have been over 150 women that have come at one point or another, and with each class we are doing our best to humble ourselves and to draw deeper into relationship with Him as we steward our health well for HIS glory.

We have girls as young as 7 that come to workout with their Mamas, girls in college, women that are single, women that are married with kids, grandmothers, and all stages in between. We’ve found a way to create a community where ALL sizes, ALL shapes, ALL ability levels are welcomed and celebrated, and friends, in this crazy fitness industry, that is rare.

If you currently attend, or you have ever come to even one class,
thank you. THANK YOU. You are quite literally an answer to my prayers.


If you’ve not been able to come but you’ve supported us through kind messages, purchasing a t-shirt, sharing facebook posts, including this ministry on your prayer list, or even just speaking an encouraging word to me, THANK YOU. You have kept us going, whether you realized it or not.

As we enter into our second year, we’re doing so with open hands.

People have asked me repeatedly since I found out that I would be pursuing this ministry full-time, “what’s your plan now?”

And the only answer I can offer is this: obedience.

That’s the plan.

Waiting on His timing and going where He leads.

I know enough to know that this is only going to work if I fully follow hard after His plans for this ministry and offer up my own.

You may not be called to lead a fitness ministry, or to blog, or to speak or write, but friends, I can promise you this: YOU ARE CALLED to do something.

There is a work ahead of you that God is equipping you for even now that is meant for only you. He has gifted you uniquely to be ready and able for this work. Sometimes, He calls first and then equips as you are willing to step forward. (Case in point: THIS MINISTRY!)

If you feel Him leading you and telling you that it’s time to step out in faith, will you let this journey be an encouragement to you and just step?

I read a quote today that the hopeful are the ones who stare up the staircase in front of them, but the FAITHFUL are the ones who BEGIN CLIMBING and STEP UP THE STAIRS.

Your mission is ahead, friend. I can’t promise you that it will be easy but I can tell you with all certainty that IT WILL BE WORTH IT. HE is worth it.

So, today, we celebrate. We celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness and the journey He has led us on. And you should, too. He has set your journey before you and is encouraging you, even now, that it’s time to begin if you haven’t yet, or it’s time to take that next step if you’ve been stalled for a while. CELEBRATE His faithfulness. Celebrate His goodness. Celebrate His provision. He’s already said that you are ENOUGH and He has provided all that you will need for whatever lies ahead. Celebrate with each step. Set down markers of His faithfulness and continue marching.

As always, I’m here, praying for you and cheering you on!!! You’ve got this, friends, because He’s got you!