A Healing Touch

Looking at my calendar this week I can hardly wait for Thursday to arrive. In big red letters I notice...

"1:00... MASSAGE APPOINTMENT."

WooOOo-HooOOoo! I'd forgot I made the appointment and now it's just a few days away.

Although massage services deplete what little I carry in my wallet, I am convinced the benefits of an occassional massage far outweigh the cost in the long run. The gains physically and mentally add years to life. How so?...


In our stress filled lives, there is no doubt touch is one of the most pleasurable ways to relax our hardened muscles and tense, worrried minds and allow the flow of life to course through our body again. When muscles are relaxed all our physical processes show improvement and work more efficiently so that we even clarify our perspective... On the other hand tense muscles and sluggish lymphatic systems can cloud perception and create a less than accurate perspective on life.

Stress, in engineering terminology, is defined as "the deformation or change caused on a body by the internal forces that work on it." The same definition can obviously be applied to humans. Humans are rather like rubber bands, they can only be stretched so far before they snap.

We need the healing effects of relaxation, sometimes coming in the form of massage, to counteract the negative effects of life stress. Remember that stress whether it is good stress or bad effects the body in the same way and without setting yourself up with outlets for stress release, the negative effects will threaten your physical, emotional and mental wellness. The healing effects from touch are a gift from God and are one way to help allieviate the hard knocks of life and usher in a more peaceful existense.

A massage assists the mind/body connection to produce endorphins... the body's own natural pain relievers. A massages effects on the muscle are the most obvious physical benefit... especially after exercise. Have you ever experienced a condition called DOMS after exercise? It's known as DELAYED ONEST MUSCLE SORENESS and is that oh... so wonderful deep muscle pain we feel apporximately 24 hours later. The soreness comes from microtears in muscle tissue from the contracting and resisting work we experience during exercise. After exercise our muscles go through a process of repairing muscle fiber which also involves inflamation. Water build up puts pressure on sensitive pain receptors in muscle fibers and the massage process helps assist the movement of fluid through the body and relieves some of the pain associated with DOMS.

Massage benefits not only muscles but also bones. When muscles are tense they pull on bones and place them under pressure. The pulling muscle can cause less circulation to the bones because capillaries and veins are contracted. Our bodies need all the oxygen they can get so massage is a great way to help assist in delivering oxygen more effectively. Massage also aides in removing toxin build up in stiff joints caused from overwork and injury which if left untreated can lead to arthritis (number one debilating disease in USA). Massaging affected areas can bring relief and healing to those who suffer joint pain.

Massage can also...

*Normalize blood pressure.

*Reduce the output of adrenline.

*Assist to slow down rapid breathing.

*Relax the nervous system.

*Bring clarity for rational decision making and...

*Bring out healthier glowing skin.

So does massage add years to life? ...absolutley and a resounding YES! In fact, massage is an ancient, centuries old, time-tested and true preventative approach to health and wellness (as evidenced by ancient Egypitan wall paintings etc...). With the development of synthetic medicine the western world became increasingly critical of healing methods such as massage and reflexology and other popular alternative therapeutic practices. No doubt, the medical world has come a very long way over the centuries and I totally respect and value the gains, however, tackling wellness using a "treat the symptom" approach without equally embracing preventative approaches is like playing russian roulette with your health. Why would anyone want to take chances with their most valuable possession when instead odds could be improved by taking a preventative approach (massage, stress relief exercises, reflexology, etc...) in combination with using "treat the symptom" medication when needed? Something to think about??? Be preventative! It's the future wave of tackling health and wellness!

Looking forward to THURSDAY 1:00!!!

Donna :O)

A Potent Call

Ever feel like you are spread too thin? You wonder if anything you do makes any difference because everything you do is done in such a rush to get to the next thing? You have no time to focus on doing any one thing very well because you are too exhausted trying to do it all. If you are like me I tend to easily fall into this pattern of living. No matter how much I try to reign it in I hear myself saying... "Oh sure I can do that," while in the back of my mind I'm thinking... "WHAT DID I JUST SAY?" I struggle to say that oh so simple word... "NO!"

I have heard many wise people speak a word about SIMPLICITY. Don't you just love the sound of that word? I long for the simple, unrushed, peaceful and refreshing benefits that would come from a life lived in simplicity. Sometimes I do walk in simple places but more often I stumble back into the complex chaotic life of frenzy. The temptation to add more and more to my life traps me every time. Our culture screams at us that a busy life is an important life. Even the church can subtly lure us into thinking a busy life is a godly life. Hardly true...

Someone once said... " YOU WILL MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT IN YOUR LIFE BY BEING POTENT IN YOUR CALLING" Ohhh, I like that! Be Potent! The dictionary defines potent as having authority or influence, powerful, rich in a characteristic constituent. Being potent involves being single minded and intentional about one or two things not the five or six I often find myself trying to juggle. But how does one decide what those one or two things should be?

Someone else once said... "What is it that only YOU... Donna Wagner can do?" As I thought about it, only I can be wife to Rick... only I can be mother to my four children... only I can truly know what's inside that makes me tick. There is a passion God places deep in the fiber of our beings. Things we love to do that are energizing. We may have even dreamed of living out these passions as a child. Think for a while... as a child what did you pretend to be? I believe what we were naturally drawn to as children are clues to lead us into what we are designed as adults to pursue. Could it be God created us with a unique design to carry out a specific calling that he especially equipped us to do? I think so.

It's up to us however to search our hearts to find out what that deep seeded passion and calling is and then to set up our strong boundaries and focus in on being potent in that calling. We are potent when we say no to anything that does not line up with helping us successfully accomplish our unique calling. We say no to anything that would distract or steal away time that would have been spent investing in the call.

As I contnue to plug away at becoming more potent in my one or two areas I remind myself there is GRACE. Aren't you glad God sees us all as works in progress? We are on a journey and the journey takes us down a winding path of learning and becoming... sometimes failing, always being forgiven and as a result becoming stronger more beautiful and useful to Him. Do you know your process is sacred to God? He uses everything that happens to us for something good. I love that! He loves to see what we will learn along the way and he delights in our process. So get rid of the image of God who is impatiently wondering if we will ever arrive. We already have arrived through faith in His Son's work on our behalf... AMAZING!

I tried to stay potent and focused in this post by sticking to one topic... I kinda went off, but hopefully you get the drift... Give some grace... I'm still in process, right?

~Donna~

Performance Perks

Ever consider that there are specific foods that if consumed pre-exercise will work best with your body dynamics during exercise and that there are other foods that aid recovery and refueling after exercise? It's true!

Today I am killing two birds with one stone by sharing with you some exciting performance perks that I will need to regurgitate in about two weeks for a personal trainng certification. I figure writing about what I am learning is the best way to study ...right? ... Oh yes, nothing better than writing!

OK... back to ... "It's true!" ...Ever feel like you don't have the energy to finish your workout or that you start to feel weak or even a little dizzy? It may be the food you are eating or not eating before you exercise is the culprit. Some foods will provide a longer sustained entry of glucose into the bloodstream and give you the energy you need to press on and finish your workout. These are the foods to consume prior to exercising. This prolonged entry of glucose helps boost carbohydrate energy and reduce insulin surges. If you have high insulin levels this will contribute to low blood sugar levels and the potential of hypoglycemia may result if combined with exercise. So what are these great pre-exercise foods? Foods such as lentils (yum... you know you love them), apples, oranges and raw carrots make good snacks before exercising and will set you up with more energy so you can avoid the weak feeling and make the time you spend working out count as you push harder during your workout. We have to make that precious time count!

Conversely, there are other foods that are realeased more quickly into the bloodstream. If you feel depleted of energy after a workout it might be you are not refueling enough. Foods you want on hand after a strenous workout to help recover are bagels, pasta, raisins, and baked potatoes. It's recommended you eat at least 50 grams of higher level glycemic carbohydrate as soon after exercise as possible. Then two hours later eat another 50 grams to carry you through your day with more energy as your muscles repair themselves. Your body uses a lot of energy to repair itself. Without powerpacked carbs your energy will fizzle out like a candle without a flame. If you are involved in prolonged endurance training, foods high in electrolytes are also needed for recovery. Good choices are potatoes, yogurt, bananas and orange juice.

Next time you exercise consider what you are eating before and after your workout. See if you feel any difference and if your body responds in new ways as a result of what you do to set yourself up with these power-packed pre and post exercise food recommendations.

Let's do it right!
Donna :O)

Exercise for Your Mind

I had to share this link with you... please check it out when you have time to really think about it afterward... It will move you to worship and will stretch your mind to try to comprehend just how HUGE God must be! ...and how small we really are.

http://www.crazylovebook.com/ then click on "AWE FACTOR" which you will see on the left side of the page. ENJOY!

Love, Donna

The Golden Fuel

What is something you do every day without thinking,

happens to be the most important bodily function of your day,

if done right feeds every cell in your body...and

is something you can't do without for more than one minute

without panick setting in?

If you guessed breathing you are right! Pumping your body with enough oxygen is something we rarley think about but is a concept vital to health and wellness. Oxygen is the first and most important fuel in your body. The ultimate and most vital ingredient in wellness. The feeder of the internal fire... yes, the golden fuel! The big kahuna... got the picture? No description can do it justice.

The oxygen you take in has a big job to do. We need enough oxygen to feed every cell and muscle. That's no small statement when we realize we have over 75 trillion cells in our bodies. The sad truth is most of us don't get enough oxygen, don't think about working to improve our intake and don't give enough credit to this life-giving source. Cells and muscles live on oxygen. Imagine what happens to cells and muscles that don't get enough oxygen. Add to that excess body fat, weak muscles and cardio system, and an acidic blood stream caused from eating too much junk. This is nothing more than a fertile breeding ground for disease to flourish, for mutating cells to fester and a weak immune system to develop.


So how does oxygen help that sorry looking picture? It helps tremendously... but the key is getting enough! How do you get enough? It's not through normal, shallow, everyday breathing. The kind we don't think about. The breath must be deep and labored enough to fill your lungs completely... in and out, in and out, for 30 minutes or more 3-5 times a week. The only way to nourish your cells and muscles with this penetrating breath of life is through movement! YES... that means exercise! Cardiovascular exercise to be exact.

Cardiovascular exercise is any exercise that elevates your heart rate and intensifies your breathing. It's any movement under the sun that you enjoy. Walking is a great place to start... or try swimming, biking, running, hiking. Whatever you love to do that gets your heart and lungs working to distribute that oh so vital energy source... oxygen.


If you are just beginnng or have been at it forever an important concept to keep in mind is YOUR OWN FITNESS LEVEL. For beginners it is easy to let the cardio exercise slip by because when your cardiovascular system is not fit the winded feeling can feel like torture... it's easy to understand why people back off so quickly when they attempt to begin cardio exercise. Feeling winded 30 seconds into it and realizing there are 30 minutes to go might make anyone think that even death would feel better than that... But, OH... can I encourage you to stay on it? You already know why... but now you need to know how... I believe the key is to MODIFY!!!!


We modify when we face up and accept our current fitness level... not getting depressed about it and giving up, but simply starting at a level of intensity that provides an appropriate training effect for our current fitness level. When exercising, consider when the threshold of pain or exhaustion is unbearable and modify so we can stay at it for 30 minutes or more. That might mean taking a jogging pace down to a walking pace or eliminating arm movements from a cardio class.

We LISTEN to our bodies! We aren't wimps when we start slow... we are smart and will more likely be in it for the long haul because we listen to our body and have a goal of carefully and consistently building up to the next fitness level. You do what you can in your current fitness level to make your heart and lungs stronger so they have more endurance to work harder the next time. That's the beauty of it all! The energy we expend today will give us more energy for the next time we plan to move! This consideration of fitness level is what will help you to be more consistent and succesful. In other words... don't compare yourself to someone else's fitness level... respect your own.

We also consider modifying UP when we do become more fit. Always evaluating our current fitness levels and pressing into higher fitness levels through challenging ourselves to ramp it up... no plateu effects! Always thinking... stronger, faster, better!... RIGHT?

Oxygen... it's the golden fuel. Infuse your cells... the building blocks of your body...with a strong dose of it through cardio endurance training as soon as you can, as often as you can, and for as long as you can.

Love and Hugs ~
Donna :O)