For today's update and thoughts, let me start off by saying that my small commitments are still going strong. While listening to scripture this morning in Jacob 4, I heard instruction to, "seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand" which had me thinking about how I pray. How often do I approach the Lord with the outcome I want and petition for it, as opposed to asking the Lord to help me navigate a given situation even with outcomes other than those I prefer. I'm worried it may be sign of laziness and lack of faith on my part. It's so much easier to ask for what I want than to ask for answers, when answers don't always seem to come clearly. I'm afraid I may be more like Laman and Lemuel who when asked by Nephi if they have inquired of the Lord responded to the effect of why bother, He maketh no such things known to us.

I am keeping up with small and simple steps of daily scripture study, kneeling prayer, and workouts. Today's workout had pull-ups at the base with biceps curls and backflyes for added targeting to those sections of the back and arms. I am likely ready to raise my standards in what is considered a valid effort, or adding to the things I do.

Yesterday I had an annoying ankle issue that flares up from time to time show up. Sometimes when I'm lucky I can just walk it off, but other times it sets in for a more protracted period and then moves down the side of my foot and starts aggravating the bottom of my foot making each step excruciating. Still, I managed to get over 17000 steps yesterday, but today it's definitely grumpy so walking it off didn't work yesterday. Even though my workout this morning was an upper body workout having the pain shoot up from my foot and ankle made things more challenging and setting up for exercises took longer than they would have otherwise. This had me thinking about how spiritual injuries set back our progress toward becoming like the Savior. The same ambition and drive that can help us be go getters to do the Lord's work can also be the same attributes that drive us after money or chasing lusts and so on. Sometimes "walking" it off by refocusing on the attributes that can lead us to Christ will carry us through to a better place, and sometimes the attribute may take us in the wrong direction and we need to reevaluate. I'd encourage all of us to evaluate where we are at and what spiritual injuries we are working with, some chronic and recurring I'd expect - what course corrections do you need to allow healing to take place? If continuing the same course has been creating reinjury, a different path likely needs to be explored.

This morning I woke up around 5:30 am to get ready for some fitness clients at 6:00 am. I received a message they weren't doing well today, so I took the opportunity to get outdoors for a nice morning stroll. It was lovely whether and so nice to catch the early morning rays . Upon returning from my walk I enjoyed a great pulling workout complete with pull-ups, biceps curls, back flyes, Posterior deltoid kick backs and trap 3 raises. It was nice not to feel rushed. I then moved on to dishes and listening to scripture.

Still going strong with scripture listening, reading at night, little workouts sprinkled throughout the day and especially in the mornings, and kneeling prayers. This is not to say that I can't do better, I can and need to improve - the point is that by letting small changes take place in him greater changes are being made and I am becoming more consistent all the time.

I seem to be back to struggling for time in the morning to go into greater detail and know that I won't get to posting in the evening. My morning prayer was on my knees and on point, and my morning workout felt great and I'm seeing results. I also finally got some things in my place cleaned up enough following a plumbing failure in my  home to where I could access my weight vest and add load to my push-ups.

Still working through Isaiah chapters as I listen in the morning. It's clear if one believes Isaiah is speaking to our times that the consequences for wickedness are rife with suffering and the blessings of righteousness, while not avoiding suffering, are filled with tender mercies. It let's me know that the time is at hand for me to repent daily.

Whew, I felt that workout this morning! I elevated my push-ups a touch so that I was doing them with my hands in my Powerblock dumbbells which created some extra chest stretch at the bottom and man did that make a difference in how much I felt my chest working. I could only get 33 reps in that first set as opposed to my usual 40+. My legs are also still killing me from the split squats I did on Wednesday, but it feels good to have reminders through the day that I'm working on bettering myself and if I choose to let it, it can remind me to stay the course with other things as well - kind of like when I'm fasting and hunger and thirst cues remind me to pray for what I'm fasting about through the day, delayed onset muscles soreness can act to remind me to make better food choices and even refocus my thoughts on that which is right and invites the spirit.

Just a quick update today. My morning workout was lovely, just some back work using rest-pause sets. I listened to some more Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi while putting away dishes this morning. I am learning to trust the Lord more all the time and certainly need to put my trust in Him now more than ever.

Still gong strong! For this morning's exercise I had four rounds of two-minute wall sits to get through with two minute breaks between rounds. During the period between wall sits I opted to also add 1-minute planks. By the third round of wall sits my thighs were screaming at me, but I persevered and it was great.

I'm succeeding at going through the motions of my plan, I'm not sure my heart is always as in it as it should be though. I think to an extent this is to be expected at times and I'll take going through the motions over outright neglect.

You know, it's amazing how useful having this accountability section is for me as it draws my attention to little slips I would otherwise easily let pass and not really catch until potentially my patterns had been undone by simply letting myself believe I am on the right track while slipping by not accounting for each committed opportunity. As such, I am noticing that I am bad at remembering to say my morning prayers when it's not a routine day. I get up and rush off to other things and realize later that I missed it. It gives an opportunity to correct it when I realize it, but also helps me see that my patterns aren't as firmly entrenched as I can tend to let myself believe. This morning was one of those. I got up and did my workout and listened to scriptures while doing dishes and sat to down to share an update upon realizing that even with having made my bed which should act as a trigger that I simply went on my way without a morning prayer (I've had one now, but see room for improvement).