Bucket List Report Item One: Exercise

October is approaching and so the dead line for my mini Bucket List is nearing. It seems to be time to start reporting my progress.

In my bucket list I talked about my plans for exercise. So far I feel like I'm making progress on that. I'm still doing my yoga every morning during the week. I've also added in some toning moves from a WIC pamphlet for post-pregnancy. Those added moves are some leg lifts, some light crunches, and a round of Cat-Cow moves.

In addition to that, I've started implementing the fitness program from the Change One diet book. The Change One diet is a 12 week program and the fitness program is an 8 week regimen. I'm currently on week 5.

The full 8 week program looks something like this:

As you can see, it starts out quite easy and gets progressively harder, but still do-able. For me, it's the added walking that feels like it's making the most difference, but that is what I've been doing the most of. And the boys love our walks to the park.

The new stretches are quite easy to do right after my usual yoga. Today was my first strengthening session, again right after my yoga. The steps are clearly illustrated in the book and for the 5 step routine, don't require any added equipment. The 8 step toning exercises only call for a resistance band and a jump rope. No weights needed for these toning exercises! Which is great since we don't have any yet. Fortunately I recently acquired a set of resistance bands from my mother. So I am set.

It's kind of funny because I'm starting this exercise program at the same time as doing our Whole30 diet, so it's hard to really tell how much of my toning is happening because of the diet cleanse and how much from the exercise itself. I expect to keep seeing results in the following weeks as I do more of the toning routines of the 8 week program.

Face Mapping and Why I'm Doing a Whole30

In my Bucket List post I talked about doing a Whole30 diet and I want to work on fixing my face as well. It turns out that these things go hand in hand.

Some time ago I found a link on Pintrest that piqued my interest because, like so many others, I have my troubles with acne and would love a cure of some kind to this ill. Face mapping seems to give a guide to underlining cause to one's spots.

I've seen a few different maps that say different parts of the face point to different bodily issues. But a theme arises. The very fact that it there is a connection between the face and distinct underlining causes tells me that simply dabbing various potions isn't going to do much on its own.

That is why I'm doing a round of the Whole30 diet right now.

(Note: I'm not affiliated with the Whole30 program directly. This is a free program that anyone can do on their own.)

The Whole30 diet in a nutshell:

Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health.

I love this idea of hitting a reset button. And it's a button you can hit as often as you feel a need to do so. We did this once already back in February 2015 and I felt it was time to do it again. Mostly because my face has been giving me some rather red flags. I believe this linked to systemic inflammation.

Systemic inflammation is a condition where your immune system is constantly working to try to get to a baseline healthy state but is overworked so it can't put any focus on a variety of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions like:

high blood pressure • high cholesterol • type 1 diabetes • type 2 diabetes • asthma • allergies • sinus infections • hives • skin conditions • endometriosis • PCOS • infertility • migraines • depression • bipolar disorder • heartburn • GERD • arthritis • joint pain • ADD • thyroid dysfunction • Lyme disease • fibromyalgia • chronic fatigue • lupus • leaky gut syndrome • Crohn’s • IBS • Celiac disease • diverticulitis • ulcerative colitis 

The list really goes on and on. This is also known as "silent inflammation" because we don't usually know what to "listen" for. But since systemic inflammation starts in the gut and then goes everywhere the blood stream goes, it makes sense that the whole body can be affected in different ways. 

And that's why, according to face mapping, I have spots all over my face right now. 

I was already planning to do a Whole30 back in May. That was before our travels in June and then the rest of our summer activities. After eating more junk than I'd like to admit, my face feels like it has been exploding. 

We are only a week and a half into our 30 days (40 with the Reintroduction phase) and I'm still waiting for my face to be fully clear. At least I've seen fewer new spots appear.  

It isn't an easy diet, to be sure, but it is worth it.

Why Do We Love To See The Temple?

For those of us who are familiar with LDS Primary songs, we are familiar with the title "I Love to See the Temple". It is a very sweet song. For those who aren't as familiar with this song, here are the lyrics:

1.  I love to see the temple.
   I'm going there someday
   To feel the Holy Spirit,
   To listen and to pray.
   For the temple is a house of God,
   A place of love and beauty.
   I'll prepare myself while I am young;
   This is my sacred duty.
2.  I love to see the temple.
   I'll go inside someday.
   I'll covenant with my Father;
   I'll promise to obey.
   For the temple is a holy place
   Where we are sealed together.
   As a child of God, I've learned this truth:
   A family is forever.

It amazes me how much doctrine can be fit in such a small package as a song. And it's all true!

The goal is to be worthy to go to the temple to receive the ordinances and make special covenants therein for oneself first and then we get to go back again and again to do the same ordinances for the death by proxy. This is the sealing power at work. And it is a sacred duty to do our part to also do the family history work to find those of our ancestors that have not yet received this work. The youth of today are getting very good at that part of the work and they are blessed for it.

We also go to the House of the Lord to be closer to the Spirit at times when we feel an especial need for personal revelation to help us in our daily lives.

But I think the best parts are the sense of love that permeates this holy buildings. Not only is this because it is a place of service but the sealing of families is a paramount purpose of the service.

Our most recent experience of going to the temple was to support my brother in receiving his own endowments in preparation of going on his mission. It was an interesting experience for me because it was the first time I did Initiatory work for the dead. I received my own Initiatory prior to receiving my own endowments before my temple marriage but had not done that work for the dead in the five years since. It was a great reminder of more of the covenants and blessings we receive in the temple. I feel that when I do this work for the dead I also re-receive some of the blessing for myself, if only in the form of a remembrance.

But my favorite part was when my brother joined us in the Celestial Room at the end of the endowment ceremony and we were able to welcome him with open arms. That is what I imagine death will be like. All of our deceased loved ones are just on the side of that other veil waiting to be reunited with us.

And just a brief word on the temples chosen for my title image: We were married in the Rexburg Temple and are soon to be in the Star Valley Temple District after it is dedicated in October (and I'm in one of the dedicatory choirs). All the other temples are ones that we have been to together since getting married. If I included the ones we've been to separately I'd add the Columbia River Temple, the Nauvoo Temple, and the Boise Temple.

What temples have you been to and what do you love about your temple experiences? Leave a comment.