Gratitude

'E' here:
For different reasons, I too was unable to workout yesterday but am grateful for the time later this week to make it up.

A number of posts back I began with the word, stress.  Let me begin this post (sort of) with the word, gratitude. 

Gratitude - I believe - is both gift and choice.  Some days gratitude can just ooze from our hearts with no effort while other days, we have to choose to find it.  Today, I had to choose.  Allow me to share the things that I am most grateful for:
1.  The gift of my faith
2.  Family and friends
4.  Health 
5.  Employment and the ability to provide for the basic needs and then some
6.  Sunshine and any temperature over 45 degrees in November
7.  Life challenges that remind me of all I ought to be grateful for

Today's workout was a combination of cardio and resistance training.  It's the kind of workout that pushes the heart and lungs to their maximum - making conversation nearly impossible.  You can bet that the topic at the beginning of the workout will be the topic at its conclusion - as it takes that long to get the words out.  An added challenge of being 40+ is trying to recall where the conversation ended before it became impossible to utter another word.  Here's the gist of today's conversation/lesson....any momentary defeat will not define our outcome. 

We were both "defeated" yesterday - Mama having it much worse (or perhaps those around her:-)  However, when 3:40 pm hit today, we were back at it - and with hearts of gratitude!

Tips for a stronger/healthier heart:  Cardio exercise and exercise of gratitude 

What are you most grateful for?