We’re all made up of both a mind and a body, and we can’t fulfill our potential by feeding one and starving the other. What we put into our bodies dramatically affects our physical wellbeing and creates the stable platform needed for our mental wellbeing.

The Food Log challenge is very straightforward: for a month, track all the food you put into your body, noting the macros and how that food made you feel. Even if you think you’re being healthy, a lot can be revealed once you record every ounce of food that you eat.

I didn’t go into this challenge worried about the content of my diet because I’ve been blessed with a very strong health-minded mother. We cook our food at home and are trained from a young age about how to cook and what makes food healthy and unhealthy. I knew going into this project that I wouldn’t be needed to change what I’m eating, but how much I’m eating.

I’ve recently started weightlifting five days a week, intending to gain mass and strength while maintaining a relatively lean profile. As I’m still very much a weightlifting beginner, this challenge taught me a lot about the relationship between how much I eat and how much muscle and fat I have on my body.

Additionally, I plan to move out and start building my own future within three years, so this challenge also served as a rudimentary meal plan. It will be difficult having to cook all my own meals if I’m not married when I move out, so I should start thinking ahead now so I can have a plan then.

At the end of this challenge, I have two conclusions: the content of my diet is good, I just need to adjust the amount to fit my physicality goals, and my diet needs some more variety. I think I need to cut a little more calories out of my diet to slim down as I’d like to while gaining muscle, so I’ll be trying that the next few months. I noticed that I’m eating a lot of the same foods every week to try and get the macros that I need, so when I move out, I need to have a meal prep plan to vary my diet in a sustainable, efficient, and manageable way.

Overall, I really enjoyed this challenge, as it fit perfectly into the fitness journey I’m on right now. With the information I’ve gained, I know that I can reach my goals in the near future.

Volunteer Challenge

Service is never a waste of time. Additionally, we need to realize that those who are older than us have lessons from the walk of life that we can learn if we stay around them. Like a sponge, we can soak up their knowledge simply by taking steps to be with them.

This challenge was easy for me to do because I already volunteer at a non-profit organization called Whispering Grace Horses in Massillon, Ohio. It is a Christian equine therapy group that builds relationships between horses and people to help with the many problems in our world. There are two barns owned by the same couple: the first one bears the name of the organization, and the second, Freedom Farms, is across the road.

The WGH barn mainly works with kids and those with special needs. However, anyone is welcome to do sessions, no matter your situation in life. My siblings and I have all done sessions there, and it is the favorite part of the year for many of them. At this time, three of us, including myself, have been or currently are volunteering as session leaders there.

I started volunteering around three years ago as a session leader. I’ve worked with boys and girls, people with special needs, kids with abusive backgrounds, kids who just love horses, and everyone in between. I volunteer Thursday afternoons from around 3:15-7:00 every week, with each kid coming for 45-minute sessions every other week.

There are seven different horses at the WGH barn; I’ve done sessions with all of them and have learned to work with all of their unique personalities. When I’m not doing sessions, I help out with any odd jobs that need to be done around both barns or just hang out and chat with all the people there.

This opportunity has taught me a lot over the years. My communication skills have dramatically improved due to the huge spectrum of people types I interact with every week. I’ve learned adaptation in a lot of different ways. No two kids are the same, so I’ve learned that my regular routine or teaching program should be flexible and be able to change or even disappear depending on who I’m with.

I’ve learned horsemanship and how to communicate and work with these super intelligent creatures. My character has been improved due to the incredible, selfless people I’ve volunteered with. Overall, it has changed and shaped me into a better person than I’d be without this experience.

Although I will likely step back from volunteering come my high school graduation so that I can pursue my life goals, WGH has been a huge part of my life. Bill and Marcia Shearer, the founders and owners, are simply incredible people, beloved by us and anyone who knows them. They’ve told me many times that there’s nothing they would change about their lives; what they do and how much they give is rewarded by seeing the lives they’ve been able to change.

Their advice for the younger generation is that giving to others is not only the best thing you can do in life, but it’s also our duty sent from our Father in Heaven.

If you want to learn more, their website is whisperinggracehorses.org