Marsha Apsley
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fitness Archives - Marsha Apsley

So You Can Glorify Me ~ Sunday Devotion

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15 (NKJV) God wants to help you. He is available to you…

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Transformations ~ Sunday Devotion

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His…

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Defining Progress ~ Sunday Devotion

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 1 Timothy 4:15 (NIV)  What are you diligent about? What are you persistent…

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Inside Out Fitness ~ Sunday Devotion

“So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way,…

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Body and Spirit ~ Sunday Devotion

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” 3 John 1:2 (NLT)  To do God’s…

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In It Together ~ Sunday Devotion

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) Bring them together, and the Lord will be there. …

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{Sunday Devotion - What Wonderful Things God Has D {Sunday Devotion - What Wonderful Things God Has Done}⁠ ⁠ “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1 (NKJV)⁠ ⁠ Set free from weight loss worries.⁠ ⁠ Given a second chance at marriage. ⁠ ⁠ Blessed with friends and family who love me. ⁠ ⁠ A lump that turned out to be nothing of concern.⁠ ⁠ Safety when I was miles away from home on a mission trip. ⁠ ⁠ These are just a few of the wonderful things God has done for me. ⁠ ⁠ When we focus on the many and amazing ways God has blessed us and the wonderful things He’s done for us, we can’t help but have a better attitude. ⁠ ⁠ Do you have a gratitude practice?⁠ ⁠ I started one several years ago with a small notebook where I simply jotted down three things at the end of each day that I was grateful for. Eventually, I got a daily planner that included a spot for gratitude. ⁠ ⁠ Some days I wait until the end of the day to record what I’m thankful for, and other days I make notes as it happens. ⁠ ⁠ Because of this practice, I’ve become more aware of the goodness of God and the wonderful things He is doing in my life on a daily basis. ⁠ ⁠ Once you begin a regular gratitude practice, you’ll become more aware of the wonderful things God is doing all around you all the time, and you’ll more easily give Him praise. ⁠ ⁠ Action Step: Take some time to reflect on the wonderful things God has done for you and begin to notice the wonderful things He’s doing for you today. ⁠ ⁠ Praise Him by sharing something with us in the comments. ⁠ ⁠ Happy Sunday! ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #devotionsforwomen #sundaydevotions #gratitudepractice
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the st "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26 (NIV) "I fell off the wagon." "I'll start over Monday." "I really messed up this time." "I'm never going to get it right." Have you ever said any of those things? Something close to it? Have you ever felt like a failure...as a parent, as a spouse, on a project, on your healthy living journey? I have, in all those areas - and more than once! We're going to mess up. We'll get it wrong. Part of any process - how to parent or how to become a better spouse or how to live a healthy life - includes some bumps in the road. "My flesh and my heart may fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." But God. Because of God's strength, we can try again. Because He gives us all that we need, we can get back at it and keep on going. On our own, we will fail. Even with Him, we'll struggle. But He'll be there with strength and with all we have need of to move forward on the path that He's leading. I'm not sure what area in your life you feel like you've messed up, but I know that God has what you need to refocus. Action Step: Progress over perfection. Your life and this healthy living journey are never going to be perfect. Be okay with slow and steady progress. There might even be pauses along the way. That’s okay. Take your walk today. Consistency is key. {It's Day 20 of "50 Days of Faith and Fitness." Pick up the devotional. Flip to Day 20 and join us for the rest of the journey. Get bonus content in my free Facebook group.}
Saturday (October 10) is World Mental Health Day. Saturday (October 10) is World Mental Health Day. Each of us, no matter our circumstances, need to pay attention to our mental health. Simply put, mental health is our overall wellness. It includes the state of our body, mind, and spirit. How we are eating and drinking affects our mental health. Our sleep and activity has an impact on our mental health. Our past and our present plays into our mental health. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. I want you to know the importance of caring for your mental health. Let this World Mental Health Day be a time for you to take a moment to evaluate your own mental health. Reach out to someone if you need to. My prescription for the care of your overall health is to get a daily dose of Jesus, fresh air, and movement. Your mental health matters. Include it in your approach to how you care for yourself.
It’s National Run for Mental Health Week. As you It’s National Run for Mental Health Week. As you know, my running came to an abrupt halt on May 16. That was 5 months ago! I tried a little running a few times during those 5 months but eventually decided I had no hope of returning to it unless I had my knee cleaned up. And I did that last month. This week I’ve added some very short jogs and some jumping to test things out. So far, so good. Next week, I plan to start following a more intentional return-to-running plan. Running is a huge part of my life because it’s provided me with so many benefits. It helps clear my mind. It’s a social experience. My best friends are my running friends. I’ve met so many people and have gone so many places because I run. Solo runs often become prayer time. Running boosts my confidence and challenges me. To be a runner, you don’t have to run a certain time, distance, or pace. Just get outside and go. If running isn’t your thing, walking is just as good and provides just as many benefits. This summer, I’ve logged hundreds of miles on my bike to get my cardio fix. But I’m still craving the days when I can get back to my early morning runs and meet up with my early morning running buddy (unless he’s getting to used to sleeping in!) Get outside and get your daily dose of Jesus, fresh air, and movement (whatever type you enjoy). It’ll benefit your spirit, mind, and body.
More than any amount of weight loss or acceptance More than any amount of weight loss or acceptance by my peers, I craved freedom. During all of my years of worrying about, watching, and obsessing over my weight, I knew there had to be a better way. Surely, I could live a healthy life without being consumed by it. I mostly wanted to be free! It took years. It took the Lord’s lovingkindness toward me and His patience with me as I came to terms with my role in this ongoing bondage—the sin of pride and of making my weight an idol in my life. But when I, like the Israelites in the desert, finally obeyed God by turning north (see Deuteronomy 2:3), I took the first step onto my path of living fit and free. That was nearly fifteen years ago. Every day I must be intentional about continuing on that path of freedom. Living fit and free is a choice. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. The peace that comes with it is greater than any amount of weight loss. And the beautiful thing is that it is possible to live a healthy life without being bound by all the negative things that can get us off track to freedom. This book is dedicated to helping you live fit and free. But to do that you must first let go of whatever it is that is holding you hostage. Each of the thirty-one days of this book will have you consider something that might be holding you back. I dealt with most of these things and had to learn to let go of them. With God’s help, I did. And you can, too. Here’s to living fit and free—one day at a time! Get your copy from Amazon or locally at Three Sisters Books.
{Sunday Devotion - Glorify Him}⁠ ⁠ “Call upon Me i {Sunday Devotion - Glorify Him}⁠ ⁠ “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15 (NKJV)⁠ ⁠ God wants to help you. He is available to you and will hear your cry for help. Call out to Him. And then when He answers that cry (He says that He will), what will you do? This verse says we are to glorify Him. ⁠ ⁠ God not only wants to deliver you from your struggle but also He wants you to take that opportunity to glorify Him. ⁠ ⁠ Why would He want us to glorify Him? He deserves our praise for sure. But when we glorify Him, others learn what He can do too.⁠ ⁠ He delivered me from body image struggles and constant pursuit of weight loss. That changed my life. ⁠ ⁠ That’s what He does. God changes lives. But He doesn’t want to only change yours and mine. He wants others to seek Him and allow Him to deliver them as well. ⁠ ⁠ The only way for others to know what He can do for them is for us to share what He’s done in our lives. ⁠ ⁠ I know what it’s like to be in bondage, and I know what it’s like to be set free. I thank God for delivering me, and I want every woman to know that God can set her free. I want you to know that He can set you free. Free from your body image struggles and weight loss worries. He made you for so much more! ⁠ ⁠ Action Step: When was a time you called on God and He delivered you from trouble? There’s likely someone in your family or circle of influence who has gone through a similar struggle. Give God glory for how He came through for you. When you do, you will be showing others that the same help is available to them. ⁠ ⁠ Happy Sunday!⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #sundaydevotion #devotionsforwomen #fitandfree
How often do you celebrate your wins? Does it have How often do you celebrate your wins? Does it have to be something big before you celebrate? The thing that keeps us moving forward is recognizing progress. Even if it’s something small. Small steps forward are what keeps us going. The next time you’re outside walking try this. Walk normally. Then increase your stride. Next stride out as far as you possibly can. What do you notice? For most people, you can put one foot in front of the other walking “normally” forever at a steady pace. When you start increasing your stride, you might cover a bit more distance, but you also might start to wobble or tire out. When you stride out as far as you can go, you will likely have to stop and catch your balance before you can move on. You might even fall to the side or backwards if you try to stretch too far forward. Do you see how that can translate into the way that we notice our progress? Taking smaller steps allows us to keep going. No interruptions. Before you know it, you’ve reached the point that you would’ve by taking a large leap, but it didn’t take everything out of you to get there nor did you have to stop and regroup. Just keep moving along. One foot in front of the other. One step at a time. How’s your progress? Share a win so you we can give you a high five and cheer you on.
I wrote and published “31 Days of Faith and Fitnes I wrote and published “31 Days of Faith and Fitness: How to Live Fit and Free” to help you discover what might be holding you back from freedom so that you can let it go and start living fit and free. Every day, you’ll get a Scripture, devotional content, and an action step. At the end, you’ll be asked to consider something to let go of. This might be the very thing that has kept you stuck and not allowed you to freely move forward on your faith and fitness journey. If you are tired of thinking about and trying to lose weight all the time, this book is for you. If you are wondering if it’s possible to live a fit and healthy lifestyle without being obsessed by the number on the scale, I’m here to tell you that you can! And that’s what this book will help you do. Get it on Amazon and (soon!) at @threesistersbooks
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart t "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him." Psalm 28:7 (NKJV) This week in my FB group we've been focusing on improving flexibility. We have to stretch our muscles so that we can stay flexible and mobile. Following is part of the devotion you'll read if you pick up 50 Days and open it to Day 11. I’m so thankful for the Lord’s help in every area of my life. He gives me the strength to do what He asks of me, and He shields me from harm. I can trust Him, and you can too. We’re bombarded by messages about weight loss from an early age. We’re groomed to always be worrying about our weight and led to believe that our life’s goal must be to lose weight. Now more than ever, it’s time for you to trust the Lord with your health and fitness. It’s time to let this go. Don’t put your trust in the empty promises of yet another diet, pill, or quick fix. Because He’s done it for me, I know the Lord can give you the strength to do the right thing for your body without being swayed by outside pressure or feelings of guilt and shame. He can be your shield from the ads trying to get the best of you. The truth is that no amount of weight loss will heal what’s happening in your mind and your spirit. It takes putting your trust in the Lord to find peace and freedom in regard to your body image. Action Step: Pray that God will give you the strength to do the right thing in terms of caring for your body and that He will shield you from the distractions that are trying to take your eyes off Him. If you find yourself still searching for a quick fix, please reach out to me. I want to help you like the Lord helped me. {You can still pick up "50 Days of Faith and Fitness: A Walk Through Psalms" and join me in my free FB group for bonus content to help you embrace your age and stage of life.} Photo cred: @graceherperphotography
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    I am not a doctor, nutritionist, certified personal trainer. I share from my heart. I share what has worked for me along this journey of health and fitness and mindset shift. I am a counselor, but I am not your counselor. I do not know your personal story or situation. Please recognize the fact that it is your responsibility to work directly with your physician before, during, and after seeking nutritional or exercise advice. Therefore the information on this blog is for information purposes only and no guarantees are made concerning the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of that information. The blogger behind this website accepts no responsibilities for errors or omissions on the site. Remember that any advice, tips, or recommendations you receive from this blog are not to be substituted for professional advice, please consult with a medical professional before starting any new exercise or diet plans. Visitors should take action based on the information provided at their own risk, as the blog owner is not responsible for any losses, damages, or injuries, that occur as a result.

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