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Clare Smith

Training Body & Soul

2016 Christmas Fit List! (Clare’s Favorites)

November 28, 2016

Hey all! I thought I would compile a few of MY favorite things that I love to help you with your Christmas list. If you are anything like me, the older you get, the harder it is to tell people what you want, however there are things that would be awesome to receive that you may not even think of! Some of these items I have and use (or have similar things) while others I also have on my list! Let’s get started! (Click the images to find out about them!)

 

A Crockpot

Goodness- I don’t know what I would do without mine! If you have one, why not add another? (Or get an adorable one!)

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Vegetable Tray

And another tool I use in the kitchen EVERY DAY–a veggie tray! I load this up at the top of every week and usually mid-week! (I use one that I received from Pampered Chef 12 years ago!)

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Or try this individual size one for when you go to work or travel!

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Monthly Exercise Subscription

Changing things up with your exercise routine is so important but it’s so hard to do that if you don’t have a lot of knowledge in that area. Monthly exercise subscriptions are a great way to try this out and insert something different! Check out Refit Revolution, Revelation Wellness, or FitnessGlo to name a few!

 

Activity tracker

I used Garmin’s tracker and wrote a review on it last year, but have since upgraded to Garmin’s Vivoactive watch which is a smartphone, activity tracker, and GPS tracking app for running, biking, swimming and more! I absolutely love it and wear it all the time. (I do not have the heart rate strap)

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Coaching Calls

Sometimes you just need someone to process your health struggles with and help you get some clarity and a “next step”. Well, I would love to help you out! You can purchase 1 or a package of (3) calls and we can get started on your health journey! (I also talk about a number of other things, so check out this link to find out more about them!)

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Essential Oils

I posted on Black Friday a promotion for the Premium Starter Kit but I am going to extend it! So $25 off of the Premium Starter Kit and this month, Young Living is throwing in an additional oil (Christmas Spirit!) so that’s 12 oils + a diffuser+ samples for $135 + tax and shipping (after the $25 cash back from me after purchase!) If you want more info, email me or check out my page on essential oils!

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Protein Powder

I’ve used quite a few protein powders but I am just really loving this one from Primal Kitchen! I love the chocolate coconut flavor!

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Flavored Stevia

I love carrying one of these around with me in my purse. I use flavored stevia drops for many things! (Check out this post) But this may be a good addition to your kitchen or purse! (STOCKING STUFFER!)

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Portable Cell Charger

This is one of my favorites because I’m always running out of cell juice and this is a beast for charging!

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Jogger Pants

I bought a pair of these last year from The Gap and I love them! They are warm and comfy yet work great for running errands (or volunteering at your kid’s school!) after a workout! This isn’t the brand I have, but there are so many on amazon to choose from!

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Books

I’m a book junkie! You should see my office! I have gotten into many books this year and so I want to share some of them with you!

A Women of Strength and Purpose by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias

God gave me this book after I had been praying about my wiring in regards to personality and how that influence how I process life and relate to others. I was kind of down about my strong, focused, and “nothing will stop me” personality but soon after that, I heard about this book on a podcast and it was exactly what I needed to read. If you are strong-willed or maybe have a strong-willed daughter, then you need to grab this!

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Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot

I have referenced this book so much. I love Elisabeth Elliot’s writings and this is a book I’ll come back to time and time again. In a world where it is easy to have a busy and anxious heart, “Keep a quiet heart” is a breath of fresh air.

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Don’t Follow Your Heart by Jon Bloom

NEW FAVORITE BOOK. I might be doing a book review on it later but it is rocking my world and will become one I read many times a year. I’ve already screen shotted and sent much of it to friends!

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And don’t forget about others that I’ve written reviews on: “Your Sacred Yes” and “Women of the Word“

Other Notable Deals for Cyber Monday (effective 11/28/16)

  • FREE shipping for Elivate (which is where I purchase much of my gym equipment) Perfect time to fill out the home gym!
  • $5 off of these PJ sets using “ctcpjs” from Cross Training Couture

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  • One of my absolute favorite online boutiques, Blooms & Linen is running a Cyber Monday promo : 20% off + free shipping! www.bloomsandlinen.com

 

What do you have on your Christmas list? Post away in the comments below. I’m always looking for new things!

Posts contain affiliate links!

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Filed Under: Live Free, Reviews 1 Comment

About Clare

Comments

  1. Nan says

    December 2, 2016 at 1:12 pm

    Thanks for these great suggestions! Many are things I like but have been looking for alternatives for such as the protein powder. I can’t wait to try that. Great gift ideas🙌

    Reply

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I’ll keep this short because I want you to read I’ll keep this short because I want you to read the poem. We can bring our burdens many places nowadays- friends, Instagram, Facebook, text, to gym, to work, to sleep.. you get the point. But let’s make sure we bring our burdens first to Jesus. After the week.. month.. year.. many of us are having, there’s no better time to do this than now. #sweetunfailingrefuge

(I found this tucked in an old book at my family’s 100 year old farmhouse that we were selling this summer 🤍)
•My house was a mess with everyone being home to •My house was a mess with everyone being home today
• I only had ingredients for one batch of soup
• I don’t drink alcohol on Mondays
• Hubs had the sink totally apart in the middle of a project
• The kids were in and out of our deep conversation

Sometimes the quick stop to say hello turns into a therapy session with dinner and wine. Everything was stacked against me – so I thought- but the mayhem is often beauty and normalcy to the person’s life who is spinning. Sometimes “the plan” goes off track... but it’s not off track in God’s eyes.

Living life knowing that the minutes of your day are not yours but for God to use to encourage and be there for people who are hurting changes everything. It changes who you marry. It changes how you spend your money. It changes what you do with your time. Dinner portions may not be what you planned but God always finds enough to fill those who come to His table to be loved on and heard.

If I know one thing – it’s this. People are hurting right now. Some things are private and some are public. What would it look like if our homes became safe places for people to land? For our hearts to enter in the pain? For our embrace to provide the temporary relief needed? We can be people who talk about bringing the kingdom here on earth or we can be people who do what we can with the little we have to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 🤍
I’ve been on a “physical” comeback over the I’ve been on a “physical” comeback over the past few weeks. Between an insane December, Covid recovery, Ohio winters, and the mere fact I don’t have the bounce back that I used to (#thisis40) it’s been a slow go for me to get to feeling where I feel best physically. It’s been discouraging to say the least and I feel like I just turned a corner last week. 

While a lot truly was physical exhaustion, it was more of a mind game I was playing. I had to be my own #hypeman and tell myself to keep chipping away at the goal. I had to tell myself that the only way to the end was through it…no shortcuts. Just time and steady work. I often dismissed the small wins I had because I hadn’t hit the finish line. Well that thinking wasn’t helping me and one day had the “aha”that while I wasn’t yet at the goal, I was BETTER.

Each of us have something in our lives where it’s not what we want. We are on the path to achievement but it sure ain’t there yet. It can be with some of the obvious things such a health or financial goals but I see this often with people regarding relationships. The marriage, friendship, child or community in which we live falls just short of “perfection” and so we just settle instead of putting in consistent, hopeful work, which allows room for the Holy Spirit to work. 

I just want to encourage you to keep chipping away because while things may not be what you want, they can be better. In fact the way we reach what we want is not by snapping our fingers and it magically appearing but by a process or journey which involves ups and downs, straight stretches of boredom, and then finally a renewed energy as you see the end in sight.

What have you given up on achieving because it hasn’t come to fruition in the time you wanted? Remember… things can be BETTER. And that counts for something. 🤍
I was recently telling someone my journey or where I was recently telling someone my journey or where I am today in regards to what I do for a living... the crazy road I’ve travelled over the last 10 years to get me here. It’s changed a lot and if you’ve been here online with me, you have seen it! If you would have asked 18 year old Clare what she saw herself filling her days with at 40 years old, it would be about 5% of what I’m doing. Goodness...none of this was even around when I was 18!

I look back and see all the twists and turns. All these tiny moments and conversations. Many open and closed doors. Things that I thought were just random or not a big deal, but in hindsight, they were a huge deal. I appear to be a very type a “has her stuff together and a plan” type girl but the truth is, I am (was) taking everything day by day.

All I know is that everything I stepped into prepared me for the next thing. Many times I didn’t even know it! But I look back often and am like, “ohhh, God, I see what ya did there!” 

My encouragement to you is this- no matter what age you are- trust the path you are on. Let peace be your guide... not some assumed plan an “expert” or author told you. Sure- be wise with your time. Put in the work with diligence wherever your feet may have you, but be open to the nudges of where to go.

Maybe I’m crazy but living a life of faith in God is one of the most exciting and fulfilling things. I don’t know what He has for me in 5 years let alone 1...and for whatever reason, that thought alone gets me up and helps me live with a holy anticipation. I trust Him.  I live less with resistance to the unexpected now. God is indeed preparing you for what he has prepared for you. What a loving Father!
We all know this but it’s so easy to forget. Rem We all know this but it’s so easy to forget. Remember that seeds are buried and “in the dark” before anything springs forth. Our journeys in life can often feel like that. Do the daily work. Tend your “heart garden.” Time is on your side. And when it’s time...it’s time. 🤍

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬
A few years ago I was the speaker for a women’s A few years ago I was the speaker for a women’s retreat in the Chicago area. I just finished a session & a lady ran up to me asking if she could ask me a few questions. She was early 50’s, striking in appearance… fit & confident. She started telling me that she resonated with my health/fitness message & wanted some encouragement on starting “this late in life”, but as we continued talking, her demeanor changed & tears started to fill her eyes.

She told me that was she was struggling with something that had been weighing on her since she was 18…the decision to have an abortion. The tears were streaming down her face, the clear guilt she carried from it weighing heavy on every part of her beautiful stature. Not many knew about it. Her current husband did not…many friends did not. She felt it was keeping her from this life she saw that was just within reach. The more she sat in silence, the heavier the chains felt. She needed to speak and I watched the tears fall like visible chains.

We chatted a little longer, prayed & hugged, & as I walked away I couldn’t help but think of many women I’ve encountered with this same story but I would’ve never known. Walking through life seemingly fine, yet carrying a deep wound inside, questioning every bit of her worth and ability to make a difference. Heartbreaking. 

If you relate to that woman, I want you to know that you are loved & seen. Your past, as hard as it has been, has formed & shaped you into the woman you are today, & a woman that God greatly desires to use. He wants your broken, fragile heart. He will bind it up and heal it. He will walk with you in the shadows. He will lead you beside still and soul-quenching waters. There may be many words you can attach to your situation but there is one more powerful than all that I want you to keep remembering…RESTORATION. Jesus is renewing and reviving something within you that will bring light to yourself & others.

For the rest of us who may not have this as a part of our story, let’s remember that we are walking amongst those who have & that we are to be healing arms, not ones of judgement & legalism...but ones of compassion & grace. 🤍 DM me if you need prayer!
This came up on my Facebook memories and I just fe This came up on my Facebook memories and I just feel it’s always applicable! There is always something in our lives that if we could just “get our hands on” would work to our favor. We dream about what it would be like if we got that thing/person etc. We think about the 2 tweaks that need to happen for it to occur. We pray about it. Perhaps obsess over it.. sound familiar?

But we also start to resent our current lives. We stop living in what God has fully given us. We live everywhere but the here and now and alongside that dream of yours comes a side dish of anxiety and sadness. So then we get our hands in it, perhaps without God’s “OK” and then we see a mess unfold. We’ve all been there. If only we had waited. 

This is the grind of living in reality. We are pulled from living what is before us into living into a dream we have deep within. Here’s the cool thing. We don’t have to choose.. reality or dream. It’s not an either/or but both/and. We can live fully here while also giving energy to our hopes. The difference is how tightly we hold into those things and how much they get elevated in our hearts.

If you are here this morning I just want to encourage you that you aren’t alone! I truly believe with everything I am, that God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) I believe in His sovereign timing. I believe that the work He started in you (and everyone else in your life) will be completed. (Phil1:6) Keep praying, stay faithful to where you are now, walk in the “peace path” and hold onto Jesus. He will lead you. 🙏🏻
My daughter’s 6th grade class worked this week o My daughter’s 6th grade class worked this week on “words for the year” and this is what she was given to create and talk about. I had to laugh when she brought it home as she explained that we do not always have control over our things in life but we can control how we respond. I was like, girl, can you say that louder for the people in the back?! 👏🏻 

I know many of us have health or financial goals for the New Year regarding self-control but I believe 2 areas we often forget are our emotions and words. There is no better time for us to look introspectively and see if the things we say and do (and “like”) are from a position of wisdom and pause or one of an emotional whirlwind. 💨 

There is no doubt that this is a practiced skill. We have to come to the day knowing that our ability to “control self” will be a challenge but that we can make headway. I love this verse in Proverbs as it gives such a great visual.

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Proverbs 25:28

We are EMPOWERED because we are HIMpowered. We truly can live with self-control because we have the Holy Spirit!
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