Walked on the Milky Way

Tonight we stood in the Milky Way…

    For those of you that have never experienced it, this is the only way I can describe it. We stood in the Milky Way. And I promise you, this description fails in comparison to what we actually experienced.

    Tonight my bestie and I went exploring, seeking another mind blowing adventure like we always do. There seems to be no shortage of these on this island. It is indeed a magical place, as many of you have seen in my pictures. However, what we discovered tonight could not be captured on film. Trust me, we tried over a dozen frustrating times.

    Tonight’s lunar cycle was a new moon, meaning no moon, and no ambient light. So we trekked into the ocean during low tide. We walked out into the shallow pools left in the coral produced by the receding tide. It was there that we discovered a beauty too great to be captured on film.

    As we walked out through the pools, the water came alive under our very feet. Each step, every splash of water, revealed thousands of tiny, glowing neon lights. It was as if the milky way was lighting our path. We paused and looked up into the moonless night sky, illuminated by millions of twinkling stars, only to realize that the light show under our feet exceeded that beauty by a million times.

    Every step of the way revealed this brilliant display of bioluminescent light that supersedes anything your mind could fathom. As we walked through the shallow pools, each step revealed more of God’s beauty. It was as if every step, or every splash of water electrified millions of tiny LED neon lights. It was surreal.

    Turns out this phenomenon is caused by plankton and called “Ocean “phosphorescence”. It can be seen at night when the water is disturbed, largely due to the dinoflagellates; they occur ubiquitously in the oceans as planktonic forms, responding to mechanical stimulation when the water is disturbed by emitting brief bright light. It is actually a defensive mechanism used to alert when predators are in the area.

    We tried many times to capture this brilliant display of magical light on film. Numerous videos captured pure darkness. No mater how bright the phosphorescence display beneath our feet illuminated the area, my camera was unable to capture it. The millions of natural glowing neon LED’s were invisible to technology, yet lit up our world like surfing the milky way.

    As frustrated as we were to be unable to capture and share this, we accepted the fact that on this night, at this time, at this specific place, God revealed this special, beautiful magic, solely for us. Tomorrow you may go out to the same place and discover something different, or nothing at all, but tonight what we experienced was special, and just for us.

    As is life! You see God has a special plan for each and every one of us. At times, especially the hard times, we can find it difficult, or even impossible to appreciate this. But we have to trust in HIM! He knows our fate, even before we know the beginning. This was reminded to me tonight. No matter what your belief, no mater what God you chose to worship, I can assure you that what we had the honor of witnessing tonight was NOT the result of a big bang! This was a display of the ability of microscopic organisms to try to deflect the attempts of predatory crustaceans to devour them. This takes logical thought and does not happen by accident. So when you are at a point in your life where there seems no end in sight, trust in Him. God has it all mapped out. He knows our fate before we comprehend the beginning.

Skip the Resolutions!

Fit Facts

Skip the New Year’s Resolution!

So are you one of the millions of Americans that will make the New Year’s resolution to lose weight or get fit? If you are, don’t waste your time. That’s right, I said it. Skip the New Year’s resolution. More than half of the resolutions made by Americans are to lose weight or get in shape. In fact, it is the number one resolution made. Sadly, various studies show that only about 17% of those are a success.

You should not embark on the journey of living a healthier lifestyle because it is a New Year’s resolution. You should commit to it because YOU deserve it and it’s how you will feel the best. If you truly want to be successful in your quest to be healthier you must make a commitment based on deep seated personal reasons, not because getting fit is some January fad. Your motivation must ne intrinsic.

To start, you need to realize that your road to a healthier lifestyle does not have to wait until January 1^st to start. It starts right now, today, and it starts with that first step. Make that decision to take back control of your life.

One of the three D’s in 3D Fitness is Decisions. Every decision we make either takes us towards or away from our goals.  One of the main reasons people fail at their resolutions is because they are not clear on their goals. They say they want to “lose weight” or “get in shape”. What does that mean?  In order to know if you reached your goal, the goal must be measurable. So decide what getting in shape means to you. Does it mean dropping 30 lbs. or 4 pants sizes? Does it mean being able to run up the stairs or after the kids without being winded? Those goals are both measurable and obtainable. Do some self-reflecting and determine what a healthier life actually looks like to you. Be specific, but realistic. You will not lose 60 lbs. in a month, at least not in a healthy way.

Next set a plan to accomplish your goals. Every goal that is accomplished is done so by completing smaller objectives. So your plan, or objectives should look something like, “I am going to exercise four times a week” and “I am going to eat smaller portions”. Then schedule your workouts. If you plan them and pencil them into your schedule, you are making them a priority and more likely to stick with them. I can assure you that if you just try to squeeze your workouts in when you have time, chances are you will not do them. If you need help figuring out how to accomplish your goals hit me up or check with a local personal trainer in your area.

Now that you have your plan in place to reach your goal(s), set a time frame. Thirty days is a good place to start. Now granted, you may have to make smaller goals to reach the big goal. So if you wanted to lose 30 lbs., aim for 10 lbs. the first thirty days and repeat until you reach your big goal. Just remember if you fall off the wagon, don’t get run over. Meaning, you will have bad days, you will slip and fall, but don't let it ruin you. Get up, dust yourself off, and move forward towards your goal. No looking back, no guilt! Just never use it as an excuse to give up.

The key to being successful long term and keeping off the weight is to make changes to your physical activity and eating that you can live with. Depriving yourself of everything you love to eat is not maintainable. You will eventually binge and fail. Just start with cutting back, making smaller adjustments along the way. That's why “diets” never work. You can only starve yourself for so long.

So to wrap this up, lets review. Forget about January 1^st and New Year’s resolutions. Start now by taking back control of your life. Look deep inside you to determine what your goals are and set goals that are measurable and obtainable. Develop a plan with the objectives needed to accomplish your goals, and finally set a timetable. This helps with measuring your goals as well as holding you accountable. Now all you have to do is make it a priority. Remember, YOU deserve this and YOU are worth it!