Get in on this free cardio/strength class!

We'll finish strong this Saturday as we wrap up our LoLa Fit Fitness series with a great cardio/strength workout! The class is free, and all women (ages 14+) are welcome to join us. We'll be at Liveoak Bible Church at 9 a.m. this Saturday, April 9.

Yvette writes:

"The work out I have planned is intense and will get your heart pumping and your muscles pumped up! That being said, the pregnant ladies or those with physical limitations will need to modify some exercises according to their needs. I will give alternative movements to those that need them so that all of us can work out together and have a super fun time doing it. All can participate."

Everyone should bring: a set of dumb bells (5 to 12 pounds, 8-10 being ideal), a water bottle, small towel, and a mat or beach towel (recommended for the floor work).

Keeping the party going...

We're extending our LoLa Fitness classes into the first two weekends of April! All women and teens are invited.

April 2 at 9 a.m. we'll have Zumba with Mylie!
April 9 at 9 a.m. we'll have Cardio/Strength with Yvette!

Come on out and join us for a fun time and a great workout. We're at Liveoak Bible Church at 7500 Woodrow Ave.

Fitness by Faith Study #2: Searching Your Motives

We continued our study on Saturday (Mar 12) and listened to the podcast entitled "Searching Your Motives." It was an interesting one, and I felt like we could have talked for hours about our discussion questions. Alas, we only had 1/2 of one. :) Here are some highlights from the teaching:

Ask yourself: Why do you want to live a healthy lifestyle?
-Short term goals (like getting a beach body, losing weight for a class reunion, etc.) are NOT enough to motivate lasting lifestyle changes.
-Be careful not to let an image be the driving force behind what you do, because the images are always changing. The models that look good today won't be what we're expected to look like in ten years.

Three Healthy Motives for Living a Healthy Lifestyle
1. To honor God with your body. (See 1 Corinthians 6:19 and Rom 12:1) In Romans, we're called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The Greek for the word "living" meant full of life and energy, robust, full of exuberance. Is that the kind of body we're offering God?

2. To have a healthy body to be able to do what God has called us to do.

3. You are worth it! You are valuable enough to deserve the time and money to take care of yourself. You aren't being selfish if you put extra money toward buying good food.

We are all on a diet...
-If you eat food, you're on a diet.
-Eat smart meals, and pay attention to frequency (eat 5-6x/day), quantity (eat smaller portions), and quality (eat foods with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients).

This week we're reading chapters 2 and 3. Join us for the podcast and discussion this Saturday, 10-11 a.m after the free fitness class!

Fitness by Faith Study #1

This week we kicked off the Fitness by Faith study after that kickin' Zumba class with Dimi! (So much kicking!) ;)

We started our 6-week study by listening to Justeina Brownlee's podcast introduction to the series. You can find that here if you missed it. She explained the goal of this study is to reach our fitness goals while experiencing contentment and freedom. She taught us, "The true you is a free you." According to Galatians 5:1, Christ set us free to live a free life!

So, as freed people, we can experience freedom:

• From how we look: more than likely we've compared ourselves to other people, which has caused discontentment in how we look. Let's not dwell on these unhealthy comparisons! We can strive to live healthier lifestyles, but we can be content on the way to our goals (see Phil 4:11-13).
• From Numbers: we don't have to let the scale determine our happiness or joy
• From Past Failures: these don't dictate our future. We can always get back up again!
  
• To Say No: When trying to live a healthier lifestyle, we ought to be asking ourselves, "Is it permissible?" AND "Is it beneficial?" A lot of things are permissible, but will they be constructive to our goals? If we did everything we could get by with, we'd be enslaved by our whims.
  
• To Offer our bodies to God: see Romans 12:1-2

If you missed our first meeting, you can still join us this Saturday for another podcast and discussion. Any woman (14+) is welcome! Getting the book is not necessary, but will help you get all the more from the study. Contact Karina at karinavenable@gmail.com if you have questions.

Zumba Update

We've had a change in the instructor for this Satuday's Zumba class.  Our new instructor will be ... Dimi Aldridge!  Yay for Dimi!  Remember to wear comfortable shoes without a lot of traction because we'll be on carpet.  Please arrive early so we can start at 9.  We are looking forward to movin' to the beat with Dimi and all of you!

Register for our Fitness by Faith Study!

A good friend of mine recently told me how freeing and life-altering it had been to remove the full-length mirrors that lined her bathroom. She loved not having to see every inch of herself stepping out of the shower every day. It made so much sense to me, but at the same time I thought, "She is so beautiful. Why is it that we live in a world where we are burdened by unrealistic expectations and discontentment with our bodies? I wish I was free enough from the expectations of this world that it didn't matter what I saw in the mirror."

That is one reason I am so excited about the six-week book study we are starting this March in addition to our free fitness classes! Liveoak Ladies invite all women (ages 14 and up) to participate in our study on Fitness by Faith by Justeina Brownlee! Through this study we will get to know ourselves and each other as we search the motives behind why we exercise, renew our minds about our bodies and the way we look, and much more. I'm excited about comparing the perspective I've gained about fitness from the movies and magazines with God's perspective.

The study will take place on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., after the free exercise classes. During our hour together, we will listen to Justeina Brownlee's blog-cast as well as discuss the assigned reading from her book, Fitness by Faith. You can get your copy of Fitness by Faith by Justeina Brownlee on Amazon or at trueidentityministries.com. As with the fitness classes, there will be child-care, and donations are greatly appreciated for our child care workers.

Please, come and invite your friends! Think of who you've been wanting to hang out with, and invite them!

Our first meeting will be Saturday, March 5. You don't need to read anything beforehand; the first blog-cast will give us a good introduction to the book. Can't wait to see you there!

LoLa Fit Class Schedule and Registration Now Online!

Here is the confirmed class schedule for the March LoLa Fit classes!  We are so excited to bring these classes to you ladies and we look forward to working out with you all!  Refer to the LoLa Fit page (see bar at the top of the website) for more detailed information.

Saturdays 9:00-10:00 am starting in March 2011

All classes will take place at Liveoak Bible Church, 7500 Woodrow Ave., Austin, TX 78757.

March 5: Zumba - Instructor: Hilda
March 12: Strength/Cardio Boot Camp- Instructor: Yvette
March 19: Mat Pilates - Instructor: Jenni
March 26: Intro to Ashtanga Yoga - Instructor: Kristin

Click here to register!

LoLa Fit begins this Saturday!

Come meet Karina at the church this Saturday at 9:00 am for walking and/or running in the Crestview neighborhood.  Bring a water bottle.  If you can stay a little longer after the walk/run, the church would love your help at the Work Day.  Contact Karina for more information.  See you there!

Welcome to the LoLa Blog!

 LoLa is the women's ministry of Liveoak Bible Church in Austin, TX.  Click on the "About Us" page at the top to learn more about who we are and what we do.  Also be sure to check out LoLa Fit, our new, exciting, free ladies fitness classes we'll be offering this spring!