For the Aspire and Inspire Buddy Support Group Challenge for July, we get 100 points if we write a blog about our progress last month and our goals for this month.

Well, I just came back to SparkPeople after a long hiatus so I did little to progress in the right direction last month, at least as far as my weight loss is concerned. I did begin to be much more mindful about my eating, especially after reading Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh. It's come in handy now while I've been experiencing "digestive distress" (the term used by the dietician here on SparkPeople).

I'm absolutely lousy when it comes to setting and achieving goals. I have a tendency to do the best I can to circumnavigate any goals I set, so I'm not going to even begin to set a goal for July. I've read a good deal about how a goal is something definite, measurable, and concrete.

I know me well enough to know that if I want to succeed, I have to have a vision of where I'm going, but I better leave the specifics up to God! Make a plan--watch God laugh!

But I did commit to doing the above mentioned challenge. And I am willing, one day at a time, to do my best to complete the challenge, support my teammates, and enjoy the process. That's as close to a goal as I'm going to set.

No lists of how many push-ups I will do each day will be made, although most days I do complete a routine of stretching that includes some counter push-ups. Some days my mental and/or physical health is such that the bare minimum is what I will succeed at doing.

I've been attempting to increase my aerobic exercise, but so far my ankle/foot injury isn't cooperating with that plan. I did request that my husband help me fill up the tire on the canoe trailer as well as inflate the bike tires. And I do have a stationary bike, but 7 minutes was all I could stand before my ankle said it was time to stop! God willin' and the creek don't rise (although it would be nice if the lake level rose; it's seems to be dropping, though, in this heat), I will put some effort into trying to accomplish those activities, but only if my body cooperates!

I admire those of you who are persistent and consistent in achieving your goals and hanging in here on SparkPeople. I really am! Somewhere down the line, I missed out on those qualities. However, I'm committed to discovering what strengths I do have that I can use to lose weight and gain health with God's help! My body is the only physical temple I have to house the Christ within after all.