fit+faith

Hi there!  Welcome to my very first fit+faith blog post!  Actually, this is my very first blog post EVER.   I like to keep it simple, so today is a little introduction to who I am, what I believe it, and the drive and purpose behind this blog.

My handsome hubby, Kenny, and I at the NPC USA Championships last July.

My name is Felicia, and I'm a faith-filled wife, mom, personal trainer, sports performance specialist, fitness nutrition consultant, and bodybuilder.  I also lead a women's fitness-based ministry and have a huge heart for women, and lately, teen girls and young women.    Right away, you're thinking - wait, what?  A ministering BODYBUILDER?  It's crazy, I know.  I'm like the ultimate anomaly.  I love Jesus.  I lift weights.  And yes, every once in a great while, I get tanned to the max, paint on more makeup than a drag queen, and rock an itsy-bitsy bikini on stage.  In front of people.  In clear 5-inch heels.  There's this huge misconception that women who have accepted Jesus as their savior and surrendered their lives as disciplined followers of Christ must wear frumpy clothing, minimal makeup, and either exercise very little or accept overweight as a way of life.  Well, let me tell you - I don't know where that came from, but I've had many personal, private conversations with God about what I do.  Not once has He convicted me that I shouldn't be doing it.  In fact, He has shown me quite the opposite.  I'm using my fitness hobby and passion as a platform to reach and empower women, to change their lives for the better both physically and spiritually.

My beautiful daughter last Halloween

See, I lost my mom at 23, when she was just 47 years old.  She was unhealthy, and she did NOTHING to change it.  That's a huge story in and of itself, and another blog entry for another day.  I, too, have been unhealthy.  I've battled eating disorders, drug addictions, and unhealthy body image.  In my short time on earth, I've experienced both a failed marriage and a blessed one.  Again...all that is a blog entry for another day!  I have emerged victorious through Christ in each and every trial, heartbreak, and valley.  As a woman who has discovered who I am IN CHRIST, I am hungry to help other women come to know who they are in Him, too.

I stepped into the church I now call home a little over two years ago.  I was spiritually immature, just a baby feeding on spiritual milk.  I had grown up in church but failed to grow up in my relationship with God.  Almost immediately, I could feel God working within me - asking me to step up and step out in faith to do things.  The first thing He asked of me was to serve - so I began by serving in our infant and toddler ministries.  He began a deeper work within me, and let me tell you, I was grateful.  I love babies but usually from a distance.  My own child is one of very few exceptions to that rule!  I began to step out further - ushering, helping where ever I was needed...as long as it wasn't in that 2 year old classroom!  Around the same time, I had a business concept - basic fitness and nutrition seminars coupled with small group workouts.  I thought I would approach local gyms to market myself, but every time I sat down to work on it, I just didn't feel right...and finally, one day after prayer, I felt compelled to go to my Pastor and ask to start a small group for women.   one620 was born - we meet weekly, and we share a workout together and then have a Bible study or similar message.  We are women who are real with one another, who share our trials and triumphs every week together.  We've broken down social boundaries and our own protective walls and become FRIENDS.  We're in our second year, and we just had our first annual retreat, the fit+faith retreat, in June.  I am eternally grateful to Pastor Rick for trusting me and allowing me to dive in, headfirst, into something I was obviously not ready for!!  Sometimes the best way to get good at something is to simply do it.   Who knew?  Nike had it right alllll along.   (I'll let you in on a little secret...fitness and faith are so very similiar.  You may not be good at it now or even ready for it, but the best way to get good at it is to JUST DO IT.)

The women of the 2013 fit+faith retreat

I am still growing as a faith-filled woman, and I know that God has even greater things still planned for me.  In fact, this blog is one of them!!! It has been on my heart for several weeks now to do something bigger - something different.  Over time, I intend for this blog to be a place for workouts, health and nutrition information (no fads, no quick fixes - real, TRUE facts and data!!), recipes, devotionals, and my random thoughts.  It is, essentially, the place for fit+faith!!  I hope to post at least once a week, and sometimes, twice.  Thanks for stopping in and taking the time to read my crazy thoughts.

Until next time...

LIFT HEAVY - TRAIN HARD - FUEL YOUR BODY - FEED YOUR FAITH

F