Have you ever tried to completely change your eating habits, trying to become healthier by cutting out processed foods but find you still don't lose weight or burn fat where you need it most? First of all I would say... GREAT JOB making such an important change for the better by eliminating processed foods. That's probably the BEST thing you can do for your health and bettering your chances of living a long happy life. "But why am I not seeing any weight loss or fat loss..." you might still be saying?
It might be that you are not paying attention to the kind of foods you are combining together. We all know we should eat a good combination of carbohydrates, good fats and proteins, but did you know the way you combine these foods and what time of the day you eat them is just as important?
If you want to eat in a way that will help your body become a fat-burning machine 24/7 then consider the following ways to best combine foods when you eat each meal.
Eat protein at every meal... especially if you are performing high intense weight training on a regular basis (3-4 days a week). Protein is needed to help muscles rebuild, repair and become stronger after a workout. Digesting protein also requires a greater amount of energy for the body than does the digestion of other macro-nutrients in the body and therefore causes a greater metabolic effect/environment in the body.
You also want to combine the protein that you eat at every meal with either a carb or a good fat source but never both a carb and a fat together with your protein.
Eat you carbs only in the morning for breakfast and then eat a lighter portion at lunch. Eliminate all carbs after lunch. It would be great to get your work out done in the morning too if possible. The carbs you eat in the morning will give your body a good amount of energy to finish your workout strong and your workout will use up the energy in carbs so your body won't store them as fat. Even doing a quick 10 minute workout will do wonders! (See previous post... 5 Fat Blasters for Busy People, for ideas).
Never combine fats and carbs together at any time. This combination is guaranteed to create an environment for deadly fat-storage. When you eat fat, fatty acid is released into the blood. When you eat carbs insulin is released into the blood to shuttle blood sugar to storage sites. So avoid fat storage by NEVER eating the 2 together at the same time.
If you stick to this formula all week then on your 7th day take a cheat day...by the way... this is not optional.. It is a must to help your body consistently run like an optimum level fat-burning machine. How so? When your body goes for 5-6 days on a lower calorie diet it begins to slow down metabolically. To keep your metabolism raging you need to eat a higher calorie and higher carb diet every 7 days in order to "trick" your body from believing it needs to hang on to fat stores by slowing down your metabolism. When the body thinks it might be in a time of famine it slows down and stores fat. When it thinks it's feast time it speeds up metabolism and therefore fat doesn't have a chance. A cheat day would include ANY food you desire to eat in any combination! (yes, oreos included!) Having a cheat day is always fun to look forward to and doesn't prohibit you from ever eating your favorite foods again just because you are "dieting".
So here is a weekly plan you might follow...
Day 1-6 Breakfast... eggs and oatmeal (protein and carb) or protein shake with fruit and oatmeal (use whey protein isolate powder) NO BUTTER in oatmeal.
Mid morning snack... banana with peanut butter (organic brand).. great for post workout snack. Or some nuts... only a handful. (protein)
Lunch... lean meat sandwich with lettuce and tomato and whole grain bread. (protein and carb... no mayo plz... that would be combining fat and carb which is a no-no always!)
Mid afternoon snack.... yogurt or cottage cheese. (protein)
Dinner... lean piece of meat with tons of veggies (drizzle olive oil over veggies, cook meat in grape seed or coconut oil.... great fat source) or have a salad with green leafy lettuce and other raw veggies of your choice, include a hard boiled egg and a sliced up chicken breast and sprinkle slices almonds over the top... drizzle with a dressing made with 2 parts olive oil, 1 part balsalmic vinegar or lemon juice, and 1 packet of stevia sweetner. SO Good! (protein and fat)
Day 7... Pig out on whatever you want all day!!!
When I first started a diet similar to this I was hungry at night without my beloved carbs... however a few weeks into it I no longer felt hungry after dinner and actually felt and continue to feel incredibly energized because I don't have that bloated full feeling that often comes after eating a meal heavy laden with carbs and more importantly my body is receiving all the nutrition it needs. Many times when we are addicted to processed food or mainly carbs and that's all we eat our diet isn't balanced and our body isn't getting all it needs nutritionally, so therefore still feels hungry after we eat because it's craving what it needs and is trying to communicate that it wants better quality nutrition. When the body is satisfied nutritionally it will turn off the hunger pains and will feel satisfied. So again, the best time to eat your carbs is early in the day when you body needs the most energy. For most of us evening time is wind down time and our body no longer needs the energy that carbs provide. So fill up with veggies instead.
Give it a try and see if optimizing your nutrient combining and strategic overfeeding one day out of 7 give your the extra edge you need in your pursuit to lose weight and burn fat!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
When Self Defeat Sets In...
I had such a great week last week... what happened to this week? On bad days (in any arena in life.... physical, spiritual, social, emotional) do you ever wonder how you could have possibly been in such a great spot one day and then to find yourself in such a pathetic place the next? Do you wake up some days and feel like a total disappointment to yourself or to others or even to God? And when we have a bad day or week why is it so easy to beat ourselves up and sink into self-hatred, thinking we somehow deserve to be miserable?
On the flip side if someone you know confides in you about something "bad" in their life... what is our first response? Rarely would we bash them and make them feel they deserve misery as a result. I believe most of us understand and feel compassion for our confiding friends and want to do what we can to help them sort through the thing and give them a different way to frame their situation so they can emerge out of it a stronger person. In my experience helping friends sort through things, never once do I think... "Wow, God must really be shaking his head at her now... I wonder if He will forgive her?" NO WAY.... instead I'm usually trying to convince her that God's love never changes and He will always love her... no matter how hard her struggle.
So why are we so gracious with others while so hard on ourselves? In my failure I always feel like I must be a total disappointment to God and how will he ever accept me... I wouldn't blame him if he hated me... He must be so tired of dealing with me! Ask my husband Rick... so many times he has heard me say... "Just take me out in back and shoot me!"
Maybe you don't struggle with thoughts like these... I hope you don't... If you don't, you probably already live out the principles I am trying to wrap my brain around and get a better handle on for times when self-defeat sets in.
These principles come from a favorite author of mine... Brennan Manning. If you struggle with self-defeating thoughts or a scarred image of yourself I HIGHLY recommend his books! (Ragamuffin Gospel, Abba's Child, The Wisdom of Tenderness, The Furious Longing of God)
I LOVE THIS MAN'S STUFF!
so anyway... he has tons of priciples, I want to focus on one...
Understand that we are the greatest obstacle to our own nobility of soul... How so? By refusing to believe, embrace and live out what is already true about who we are. Brennan says... "Sanctity lies in discovering my true self; moving toward it and living out of it." I think the most important piece of this principle is understanding that what is true about us has always been true... there has never been a time when you were not loved by God... there has never been anything in your life that has caused God to begin loving you or that has caused him to stop loving you... HE ALWAYS HAS AND ALWAYS WILL! Nothing can ever change that! To me that's a mind blowing truth I need to live out of... I have worth that has been going on in God's heart for eternity past and eternity future just because the thought of creating me brought him delight? Whoa! That perspecitive changes a lot of things in my thinking, believing and ultimately in my living. If He loves me like that I have the freedom to love me too... warts and all!
Does that truth lighten your load like it does mine? When understood and embraced everything else in life can spring from this strong foundation. When we fail to see it or understand or distance ourselves from this truth we supress what could be. We become slothful... which is a refusal to go on the inward journey--a choosing to protect ourselves from passion. We miss out on what is true, right, noble, excellent and praiseworthy about reality and instead we let our fascination rest in worthless pursuits in an unreal world that is passing away.
Think about it.... understanding love is there... forgiveness is there and always has been and always will be... why would we choose to live anywhere else? Even when we feel we have "crossed the line" of God's love, we have to get beyond that and believe what is true! What helps me to believe (regardless of my feelings) is taking my eyes off of me long enough to instead focus on God's love in action... "he sent his only son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it." Do I believe this massive sacrifice on the part of God is a good enough work to save me?
On bad days I have been trying to pray something like this to help defeat lies... "Dear God, even though I feel like a failure and loser I am choosing to put these feelings aside and instead focus on the massive work you did for me... I am choosing to have faith in that work and pray anyway even though the lies say you would never listen to a loser like me and instead I believe you hear me based on the fact that you simply love me and the work you did is enough. It's for these very failures that you did the work so I could come to you anyway." ... and then I go on with whatever it is I want to say to God that day.
The work Jesus did on the cross I could never do for myself... that's why it's ridiculous to think there is anything I can do to earn my way into God's heart...it just wouldn't be good enough. He did it all for me! Anything He does IS good enough and worthy to be believed and marveled over by his creation. When we BELIEVE it re-programs our brains to live free of condemnation... he doesn't condemn me, so why do I condemn myself or anyone else for that matter? God loves me. Period. I can learn from mistakes and ask forgiveness but never have to feel condemned.
I talk a lot about physical fitness in my blog because that is my line of work and I believe God has placed that passion in my life to be lived out... but if we only focus on our physical fitness and ignore our spiritual fitness (I have been guilty of this very thing) we're really missing the boat in becoming and living to our full potential. I am most fulfilled when I have balance in my pursuit of grasping what is means to be fully alive both physically, (because we are physical beings and so much of life is affected depending on how we are doing physically) and spiritually (because we are spiritual beings and life is even more affected depending on how we are doing spiritually)... sometimes the consequences of neglecting spiritual health seem not to show up as much and we keep plugging along without it.... but eventually it will catch up to us and we do well to pay attention and invest spiritually so that the passion of God can well up as we move toward, live out, and discover our true selves.
What can you do today to begin an investment spiritually? I have an idea... read one of Brennan's books! ;O) His insight has been a great renewal for me! Have a great day!
On the flip side if someone you know confides in you about something "bad" in their life... what is our first response? Rarely would we bash them and make them feel they deserve misery as a result. I believe most of us understand and feel compassion for our confiding friends and want to do what we can to help them sort through the thing and give them a different way to frame their situation so they can emerge out of it a stronger person. In my experience helping friends sort through things, never once do I think... "Wow, God must really be shaking his head at her now... I wonder if He will forgive her?" NO WAY.... instead I'm usually trying to convince her that God's love never changes and He will always love her... no matter how hard her struggle.
So why are we so gracious with others while so hard on ourselves? In my failure I always feel like I must be a total disappointment to God and how will he ever accept me... I wouldn't blame him if he hated me... He must be so tired of dealing with me! Ask my husband Rick... so many times he has heard me say... "Just take me out in back and shoot me!"
Maybe you don't struggle with thoughts like these... I hope you don't... If you don't, you probably already live out the principles I am trying to wrap my brain around and get a better handle on for times when self-defeat sets in.
These principles come from a favorite author of mine... Brennan Manning. If you struggle with self-defeating thoughts or a scarred image of yourself I HIGHLY recommend his books! (Ragamuffin Gospel, Abba's Child, The Wisdom of Tenderness, The Furious Longing of God)
I LOVE THIS MAN'S STUFF!
so anyway... he has tons of priciples, I want to focus on one...
Understand that we are the greatest obstacle to our own nobility of soul... How so? By refusing to believe, embrace and live out what is already true about who we are. Brennan says... "Sanctity lies in discovering my true self; moving toward it and living out of it." I think the most important piece of this principle is understanding that what is true about us has always been true... there has never been a time when you were not loved by God... there has never been anything in your life that has caused God to begin loving you or that has caused him to stop loving you... HE ALWAYS HAS AND ALWAYS WILL! Nothing can ever change that! To me that's a mind blowing truth I need to live out of... I have worth that has been going on in God's heart for eternity past and eternity future just because the thought of creating me brought him delight? Whoa! That perspecitive changes a lot of things in my thinking, believing and ultimately in my living. If He loves me like that I have the freedom to love me too... warts and all!
Does that truth lighten your load like it does mine? When understood and embraced everything else in life can spring from this strong foundation. When we fail to see it or understand or distance ourselves from this truth we supress what could be. We become slothful... which is a refusal to go on the inward journey--a choosing to protect ourselves from passion. We miss out on what is true, right, noble, excellent and praiseworthy about reality and instead we let our fascination rest in worthless pursuits in an unreal world that is passing away.
Think about it.... understanding love is there... forgiveness is there and always has been and always will be... why would we choose to live anywhere else? Even when we feel we have "crossed the line" of God's love, we have to get beyond that and believe what is true! What helps me to believe (regardless of my feelings) is taking my eyes off of me long enough to instead focus on God's love in action... "he sent his only son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it." Do I believe this massive sacrifice on the part of God is a good enough work to save me?
On bad days I have been trying to pray something like this to help defeat lies... "Dear God, even though I feel like a failure and loser I am choosing to put these feelings aside and instead focus on the massive work you did for me... I am choosing to have faith in that work and pray anyway even though the lies say you would never listen to a loser like me and instead I believe you hear me based on the fact that you simply love me and the work you did is enough. It's for these very failures that you did the work so I could come to you anyway." ... and then I go on with whatever it is I want to say to God that day.
The work Jesus did on the cross I could never do for myself... that's why it's ridiculous to think there is anything I can do to earn my way into God's heart...it just wouldn't be good enough. He did it all for me! Anything He does IS good enough and worthy to be believed and marveled over by his creation. When we BELIEVE it re-programs our brains to live free of condemnation... he doesn't condemn me, so why do I condemn myself or anyone else for that matter? God loves me. Period. I can learn from mistakes and ask forgiveness but never have to feel condemned.
I talk a lot about physical fitness in my blog because that is my line of work and I believe God has placed that passion in my life to be lived out... but if we only focus on our physical fitness and ignore our spiritual fitness (I have been guilty of this very thing) we're really missing the boat in becoming and living to our full potential. I am most fulfilled when I have balance in my pursuit of grasping what is means to be fully alive both physically, (because we are physical beings and so much of life is affected depending on how we are doing physically) and spiritually (because we are spiritual beings and life is even more affected depending on how we are doing spiritually)... sometimes the consequences of neglecting spiritual health seem not to show up as much and we keep plugging along without it.... but eventually it will catch up to us and we do well to pay attention and invest spiritually so that the passion of God can well up as we move toward, live out, and discover our true selves.
What can you do today to begin an investment spiritually? I have an idea... read one of Brennan's books! ;O) His insight has been a great renewal for me! Have a great day!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
5 Fat Blasters For Busy People
One of the biggest reasons most people cannot reach their fitness goals is because they struggle to find time in their busy schedule. They assume if they don't have an hour or more to workout then it's not worth it and they give up. I believe that anything worth doing can be done in a reasonable amount of time and can still deliver great benefits over the long haul. WHY? Because what's more important isn't getting an hour long workout in when you can, but instead being consistent every single day with good habits that don't have to take massive amounts of time. How about 10 minutes? Anyone can afford to spend 10 minutes!
Here are 5 exercises you can do everyday for 10 minutes that will help you develop a fat burning lifestyle. Think of it as something you just do everyday like they way you eat and sleep... you do it without question because it's vital to your well-being. Adopt that kind of midset too about the following practice... Read the descriptions with the pictures below! :O)
3. Burpees... Remember these from junior high PE class? We also called them squat-thrusts. Start in a standing position, then bring hands to the floor as you jump your legs out behind you coming into a push-up position. Jump legs back under the hips and stand ending with a high jump at the top. These are a great all over body exercise and really works to get the heart rate pumped up!
4. Side Step Squat with Push Press... Start in standing position and step right leg out to the right as you sit back into a squat position. As you come back to standing kick y
our right leg in front of you over to the left... at the same time use a small dumbell or medicine ball and push it over you
r head as you kick to the left. Pull the weight down to the chest level on the way down. Repeat on the other side. Go 50 seconds on one side then 50 more seconds on the left. So it's squat down, kick over and press up at the same time. Repeat
5. Mountain Climbers... Get back into push-up position with hips low! Alternate hopping your right foot in toward your chest then the left foot... this is a quick movement with the lower body as you keep the upper body still and stable. Great again for core strength and all over fat burning.
At the end of this mini-workout your heart will be pumping and oxygen flowing not to mention great strength builders for just about every muscle group! If you have time go through all 5 exercises again 2 or three times for a total workout time of 20-30 minutes. OR try it again in the evening while you are watching TV... get your kids or spouce to do it with you... again as something you just plan to do everyday to develop fat burning lifestlyes.
First thing in the morning do these 5 exercises for 50 seconds each, resting for 10 seconds between each exercise. These exercises will shock your nervous system and jump start your metabolism at the start of each day! Great fat burners!
1. Free Squats... Start in a standing position. Imagine there's a bench behind you and you are trying to sit back into it. As you lower you bottom down keep the weight in your heels. As you stand back up feel a contraction in your glutes. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Repeat... for 50 seconds doing as many as you can with good form. Inhale down and exhale up. Try holding a dumbell to increase the intensity!
2. Traveling Planks... Get into a push-up position except come down to your elbows... keeping your hips low lift your right elbow and right leg and begin to move to the right allowing your left elbow and leg to follow... travel to the right for about 5 "steps" and then travel back to the left. Go as fast as you can for 50 seconds. Feel the strength of your core and upper body as you keep hips low and your upper back rounded... don't "wing up" in the shoulder blades.
3. Burpees... Remember these from junior high PE class? We also called them squat-thrusts. Start in a standing position, then bring hands to the floor as you jump your legs out behind you coming into a push-up position. Jump legs back under the hips and stand ending with a high jump at the top. These are a great all over body exercise and really works to get the heart rate pumped up!
4. Side Step Squat with Push Press... Start in standing position and step right leg out to the right as you sit back into a squat position. As you come back to standing kick y
our right leg in front of you over to the left... at the same time use a small dumbell or medicine ball and push it over you
r head as you kick to the left. Pull the weight down to the chest level on the way down. Repeat on the other side. Go 50 seconds on one side then 50 more seconds on the left. So it's squat down, kick over and press up at the same time. Repeat5. Mountain Climbers... Get back into push-up position with hips low! Alternate hopping your right foot in toward your chest then the left foot... this is a quick movement with the lower body as you keep the upper body still and stable. Great again for core strength and all over fat burning.
At the end of this mini-workout your heart will be pumping and oxygen flowing not to mention great strength builders for just about every muscle group! If you have time go through all 5 exercises again 2 or three times for a total workout time of 20-30 minutes. OR try it again in the evening while you are watching TV... get your kids or spouce to do it with you... again as something you just plan to do everyday to develop fat burning lifestlyes.
Determine today to start this quick and easy workout to begin a journey to greater health and wellness! You'll be glad you did!
Monday, August 1, 2011
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
A few posts ago I shared some non-negotiable workout/diet/mindset ideas to help reduce your fat levels to a degree that would eventually reveal 6 pack abs if you are consistent and committed enough. Another non-negotiable to add to that list has everything to do with including cardio exercise in your weekly routine. If you're like me the very thought of cardio exercise... pounding it out on the treadmill or the pavement for 30-40 minutes is depressing... and boring... and miserable. I just don't really like doing it.
Well, I have good news! You can replace that long boring workout with a 20 minute high intensity interval training session and get even better results both in your cardio function and your fat-loss goals.
What is high intensity interval training (HIIT)? I'll tell you what it's not... it's not easy... but it is effiicient. HIIT takes you through 6-8 sets of a high intensity intervals followed by lower-intensity intervals. So for example you could do the same treadmill run but instead of the steady pace you usually stick with for 30-40 boring minutes you would start out with a slow jog for 3 minutes to warm-up. To begin your first high intensity interval you would pick up the speed significantly for 1 minute... just go all out as fast as you can... you need the "interval up" to be tough for you. Then slow down again for 1.5 minutes. Pick it back up again for 1 minute going all out and continue with that pattern for 6-8 rounds ending with a 3-5 minute walking cool down. The best part is your done in 20 minutes as opposed to 30-40 minutes.
The more intensity your workout requires the greater expenditure there is per minute. That's the kind of mindset you want to have for any workout you do... Don't just mess around in the gym while your there... have a plan before you go and work hard! Try to get more done in less time and do exercises that require a large range of motion. Work hard enough so that your body has to do the hard work of recovery after your workout. Make it your goal to be sure you keep burning calories long after your workout is over and begin to watch the fat melt right off. At the same time you will begin to reveal the lean shapely muscle underneath the fat because you are also including strength training in your routine... right?
You might also try the same workout outside on the pavement... I prefer being outside to being inside the gym when I do cardio. I have a rectangular shaped area that I run that is 2 blocks long and wide. The shorter side of the rectangle is when I do an all out sprint... then the longer side is reserved for my slower recovery jog. I do 8 rounds of this and finish in about 25 minutes... followed by a 20 minute yoga session. (Oh, I must speak of stretching soon... so important).
You could also do the 6-8 rounds using any kind of cardio exercise... swimming, rowing machine, Jacob's Ladder, biking, eliptical, heavy ropes, TRX cardio moves, dancing... anything as long as you kill it during the interval up! Please note... if you are just starting out killing it might make you throw up... so work up to it so that doesn't happen...
One more thing before I go... if you want a great tool to help you count calories try going to "loseit.com". You can plug in your weight and age and how much weight you want to lose and it will give you your calorie limits for each day. You also can type in the foods you eat and the exercise you do each day and it will compute it for you to help you stay on track! Give it a try! It's free!
Have a great day!
Donna
Well, I have good news! You can replace that long boring workout with a 20 minute high intensity interval training session and get even better results both in your cardio function and your fat-loss goals.
What is high intensity interval training (HIIT)? I'll tell you what it's not... it's not easy... but it is effiicient. HIIT takes you through 6-8 sets of a high intensity intervals followed by lower-intensity intervals. So for example you could do the same treadmill run but instead of the steady pace you usually stick with for 30-40 boring minutes you would start out with a slow jog for 3 minutes to warm-up. To begin your first high intensity interval you would pick up the speed significantly for 1 minute... just go all out as fast as you can... you need the "interval up" to be tough for you. Then slow down again for 1.5 minutes. Pick it back up again for 1 minute going all out and continue with that pattern for 6-8 rounds ending with a 3-5 minute walking cool down. The best part is your done in 20 minutes as opposed to 30-40 minutes.
The more intensity your workout requires the greater expenditure there is per minute. That's the kind of mindset you want to have for any workout you do... Don't just mess around in the gym while your there... have a plan before you go and work hard! Try to get more done in less time and do exercises that require a large range of motion. Work hard enough so that your body has to do the hard work of recovery after your workout. Make it your goal to be sure you keep burning calories long after your workout is over and begin to watch the fat melt right off. At the same time you will begin to reveal the lean shapely muscle underneath the fat because you are also including strength training in your routine... right?
You might also try the same workout outside on the pavement... I prefer being outside to being inside the gym when I do cardio. I have a rectangular shaped area that I run that is 2 blocks long and wide. The shorter side of the rectangle is when I do an all out sprint... then the longer side is reserved for my slower recovery jog. I do 8 rounds of this and finish in about 25 minutes... followed by a 20 minute yoga session. (Oh, I must speak of stretching soon... so important).
You could also do the 6-8 rounds using any kind of cardio exercise... swimming, rowing machine, Jacob's Ladder, biking, eliptical, heavy ropes, TRX cardio moves, dancing... anything as long as you kill it during the interval up! Please note... if you are just starting out killing it might make you throw up... so work up to it so that doesn't happen...
One more thing before I go... if you want a great tool to help you count calories try going to "loseit.com". You can plug in your weight and age and how much weight you want to lose and it will give you your calorie limits for each day. You also can type in the foods you eat and the exercise you do each day and it will compute it for you to help you stay on track! Give it a try! It's free!
Have a great day!
Donna
Monday, July 18, 2011
Freedom Celebration
I think a lot about life being like a journey~ traveling a road that twists and turns, is sometimes smooth and enjoyable, taking us to breath-taking places where we stop and rest awhile, soaking in refreshment as we easily express thankfulness for a content and blessed existence. Other times it feels like a challenging uphill agony, becoming confusing as we spin our wheels, struggling to gain our bearings, longing to see things clearly, deciding which direction to go next.
For a time, I was happily traveling along a fairly smooth enjoyable road, feeling good about myself and my life, when I unexpectantly happened upon a bumpy road full of pain and disappointment. I tried to turn down different roads but they all led to more shock, surprise and instability which led to anger, resentment and continual attempts to gain control and steer myself back to where I used to be. Tired and feeling defeated I gave up, retreating from the pain rather than struggling to fight against it.
This pain of the past has brought an unsettling restlessness that persistantly pesters me, confronts me and demands my attention. I want to ignore it, replace it with other interests and responsibilites but it relentlessly invades my attempts to avoid it like a necessary but unwanted confrontation. As a matter of full disclosure, the restlessness had to do with some of my experience with the church. Not a good place to be when you are the Pastor's wife, but no denying it... it was there... front and center and certainly not going away any time soon. I had loved everything about the church and my role in it for years and now I faced a new reality. I became a pretender... which I wasn't very good at... showing up every Sunday with my smile and "HI HOW ARE YOU'S?" All the while wondering who I could trust, who would leave next, who would be our next accuser, who else had been involved in the gossip and who else was just pretending? Each time completely dumb-founded and blind-sided at the accusations and things I'd hear about. Feeling the sting of the pain all over again every time I'd see someone else give me "the look" of suspicion. My heart would sink deeper as I thought... "No, not them too!" I also became more desensitized as I concluded nothing could surprise me anymore and that I should just prepare for the worst in an attempt to control the pain from becoming unbearable. It all made me stop dead in my tracks, pull back, protect my heart, and put my guard up high. I was left with lots of questions... questions like...
How does God really see me? Does he love me? If trying to live right only leads to pain like this what does it matter? Aren't good things suppose to happen to good people? What have I done wrong? I still loved God but my passion for God and the things of God all but seemed to dry up like a pile of leaves in the Fall, brittle, and no longer good for anything but the fire. All I could do was be honest with God and keep asking him to re-kindle what I felt was slipping away.
Fast forward to today....
We recently retreated to the Mountains (my second favorite place in the world) for an extended time of rest... allowing the cares of life to fade, embracing instead other interests and activities, being refreshed in our togetherness! Times of healing for me usually always involve reading a great author who somehow has an extra measure of insight into the heart of God. Timothy Keller is my latest new favorite author who fits this description. He has a great book called "Prodical God" that brought me to tears. As I read I could see myself at various places along my journey playing out the very roles he presents. It also brought hope for the first time in a long time that it really might be possible for me to get out of my present "stuckness" (is that a word?). The theme of the book went something like this...
The book is based on the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible (Luke 15). It challenged me to not focus solely on the younger brother "the prodigal", as I so often do when I read this story, but also to learn from the other 2 very important characters in the story... the Father and the Older Brother. You probably know the story too... if not take some time to read it now.
For a time, I was happily traveling along a fairly smooth enjoyable road, feeling good about myself and my life, when I unexpectantly happened upon a bumpy road full of pain and disappointment. I tried to turn down different roads but they all led to more shock, surprise and instability which led to anger, resentment and continual attempts to gain control and steer myself back to where I used to be. Tired and feeling defeated I gave up, retreating from the pain rather than struggling to fight against it.
This pain of the past has brought an unsettling restlessness that persistantly pesters me, confronts me and demands my attention. I want to ignore it, replace it with other interests and responsibilites but it relentlessly invades my attempts to avoid it like a necessary but unwanted confrontation. As a matter of full disclosure, the restlessness had to do with some of my experience with the church. Not a good place to be when you are the Pastor's wife, but no denying it... it was there... front and center and certainly not going away any time soon. I had loved everything about the church and my role in it for years and now I faced a new reality. I became a pretender... which I wasn't very good at... showing up every Sunday with my smile and "HI HOW ARE YOU'S?" All the while wondering who I could trust, who would leave next, who would be our next accuser, who else had been involved in the gossip and who else was just pretending? Each time completely dumb-founded and blind-sided at the accusations and things I'd hear about. Feeling the sting of the pain all over again every time I'd see someone else give me "the look" of suspicion. My heart would sink deeper as I thought... "No, not them too!" I also became more desensitized as I concluded nothing could surprise me anymore and that I should just prepare for the worst in an attempt to control the pain from becoming unbearable. It all made me stop dead in my tracks, pull back, protect my heart, and put my guard up high. I was left with lots of questions... questions like...
How does God really see me? Does he love me? If trying to live right only leads to pain like this what does it matter? Aren't good things suppose to happen to good people? What have I done wrong? I still loved God but my passion for God and the things of God all but seemed to dry up like a pile of leaves in the Fall, brittle, and no longer good for anything but the fire. All I could do was be honest with God and keep asking him to re-kindle what I felt was slipping away.
Fast forward to today....
We recently retreated to the Mountains (my second favorite place in the world) for an extended time of rest... allowing the cares of life to fade, embracing instead other interests and activities, being refreshed in our togetherness! Times of healing for me usually always involve reading a great author who somehow has an extra measure of insight into the heart of God. Timothy Keller is my latest new favorite author who fits this description. He has a great book called "Prodical God" that brought me to tears. As I read I could see myself at various places along my journey playing out the very roles he presents. It also brought hope for the first time in a long time that it really might be possible for me to get out of my present "stuckness" (is that a word?). The theme of the book went something like this...
The book is based on the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible (Luke 15). It challenged me to not focus solely on the younger brother "the prodigal", as I so often do when I read this story, but also to learn from the other 2 very important characters in the story... the Father and the Older Brother. You probably know the story too... if not take some time to read it now.
Very early he points out that most people tend to live out life either as an "older-brother type"-- staunchy, moralistic and usually judgmental or as a "younger brother type"-- free-spirited, careless and self-focused and how both these camps rob us of the true freedom God meant for us to live in. What draws us to a life of real freedom on the other hand is when we choose to focus on the character of the Father in this story and understand the reality that God's love has the same radical, unconditional, outrageous qualities.
We live like the older brother when our service and moral conformity are born out of obligatory motives.... at one point the older brother says to the Father... "I've been slaving away for you all my life!" What he's saying is everything he had done for the Father was really all about him and his need to control... An older brother's inbedded belief is this... if I obey God and "slave away" for him it will obligate Him to give me a good life and a good standing among others. He says things like... "you owe me God!" (wow... I've said something similar to that before... yuck!)
An older brother also becomes bitter and judgmental of others because anyone who does not conform to his way of doing life is wrong and so it sets the older brother up in his own mind as "better than". What he may not realize is pride reeks in his life and he is sabatoging his own faith, his own freedom and the beautiful abundance God seeks to give him. For the older brother he believes he is just fine... he's the good ol' boy, he's doing everything right and darn it someone better notice! He doesn't see that he's really living in bondage in hopes of having total control... living for appearances and saving-face.
The younger free-spirited brother is the alternative and many delusional, embittered older brothers fall into this role when they realize they cannot control their lives and that... no, God does not owe them. Confusion sets in as they try to make sense out of what they thought God was like. They go for wild living or secretly have a whole separate side of their lives no one else knows about in an attempt to numb the pain. They deceive themselves but their real lives scream out.... "To hell with it all! I don't care about God and certainly don't love him since he let so and so happen. I'll do what I want." This too in reality is bondage even if it feels good and free for a time. Eventually it will rob and destroy the development of anything real, true, living or lasting.
So, if it's not about being a good, upright and moral person or the opposite... a free, reckless and wild person what is real life? Have you ever found yourself stuck here? I have...
Both of the above lifestyles are based on selfishness and are full of pride and arrogance... truth says God will oppose the proud. It's toxic living, hurting not only the one who lives in pride but also the ones who collide with it. Humility on the other hand sets us free! Truth says God gives grace to the humble. Who is the humble one in the story? The Father!!! In the story he is incredibly humble with both brothers. In pride the younger brother had rebelled against the father wishing he were dead, but then later in humility came back because he had lost it all and knew of nowhere else to go. The Father didn't judge him at this point and didn't even let him say a word about how wrong he had been. Instead he was running to him while he was still a long way off with tears and joy, seeing not a rebellious son but only the the son he loved and cherished and terribly missed!
The Father was also humble with the older brother who was furious that the Father had forgiven the younger son and was even planning a party to celebrate his safe return. The older son enraged at the Father humiliates and disrespects the Father in public. We don't see the Father pridefully getting defensive with the older brother but instead he humbly pleads with the older brother to change his mind and join in the celebration of unconditionally loving and forgiving his younger brother. The story does not reveal what the older brother decides to do. We can only hope he was able to get beyond his blinding, hard, deep-rooted pride and let go of his bitterness and enter the freedom celebration.
When a certain newspaper entitled an article "What's Wrong with this World?" an older brother type would have all kinds of answers that certainly would address the big bad world out there while he sits priding himself that he's not a contributer to such things. The younger brother would deny anything being wrong at all... it's a big party where everything is acceptable. If everyone would just loosen up life would be grand! Then there are others reflective of G.K. Chesterton, an old Catholic Priest, who actually wrote in response to the article...
"Dear Sirs... what is wrong with this world?-- I am!"
~Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton
What a humble man... Pointing not the finger at anyone but himself, having peace because his focus is on the God who loves him anyway~ even if he's the cause of all that's wrong in the world. That is the perspective that can set us free... G.K. Chesterton does not judge older brothers or younger brothers because he knows he's been like both along his own journey. Judgment only worsens circumstances for everyone.
Younger brother types are especially hindered from recovery if all they experience when they try to return is judgment from older brother types. It's vital at the come back for a younger brother to experience the extravagant grace of the Father through us. The guilt of what he has done is heavy enough to carry. If when he returns he is enfolded with humble acceptance rather than crippling judgment it will completely blow his mind and radically change his view of the Father and in turn the entire direction of his life forever. He already knows he's a loser and it's only grace that could save him. Right when he is expecting to be confronted with judgment he instead sees only open arms of love and forgiveness-- the intensity of it blows him away... the mercy is so great as he stands in his brokenness and nakedness. Understanding anew the unconditional love of the Father.
The older brother who is "untouched by life", on the other hand, is in more grave danger than the younger brother for he unknowingly thinks he's his own savior and somehow better than the younger brothers of the world. These were the type of people Jesus had the most frustration with because they not only held themselves back from the grace of God but also hindered others who were trying to embrace the grace... Jesus himself said to them... "The prostitutes and tax-collectors are entering the Kingdom of God before you are", when in fact they already thought they were "IN".
Don't believe the lie that you are good or are exempt from certain kinds of sin. I like the lyrics of a song by Casting Crowns that says... "Be careful if you think you're standing... you just might be sinking!"
At the same time a younger brother type or recovering younger brother must guard against judging older brother types too. Even if they appear to shun others or come across arrogant, offering grace is possible if we have a heart like the Father that pleaded with the older brother... he saw the pride and it broke his heart.
Remembering we are all on a journey, are at various places along the way, and that God is patient no matter where we find ourselves on our journey helps me to extend that same patience to fellow travelers along the journey... I have been like both brothers on my journey and hope now to become more like J.K. Chesterton... humbly recognizing that even though I am the problem in the world the Father is always running to me to pour on grace when I mess up and that I need not even judge myself because he took care of the condemnation of my messing up and I need only to embrace the grace of forgiveness... and if I become prideful and arrogant thinking myself to be good enough or, heaven forbid, better than others, he pleads with me to take the nearest exit and return to the humble road that leads to the ultimate freedom celebration!
I'm never sure how to end my thoughts when I write... this time all I would say is please read this book... ("The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith"... by Timothy Keller). It has changed my whole view on Christianity and hopefully is the beginning of some much needed healing for me in my faith journey!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Six Pack Abs
DID YOU KNOW...
70% of the population today is overweight or obese which leaves just
30% in the normal or lean weight range... within this 30% of lean people only
2-3% have a low enough body fat percentage to be able to see visible abs.
Dispite such low percentages of people who ever actually accomplish developing a set of six pack abs, our culture continues to admire and consider the abdominals as the centerpiece of the human physique and try all sorts of strange things and spend all kinds of money in their obsession to be one of the 2-3% of the population with great abs. As a trainer, most clients I see ask about how to work to develop asthetically pleasing abdominals. Most expect to hear answers involving performing exercises that specifically target the abdominals, and even though I do recommend doing abdominal strengthening exercises it is not the exercises alone that will help develop the ab area. You can do all the crunches you want but if you don't also include the following suggestions chances are you will never see the results you hope for.
The information shared here for each suggestion could actually take up enough space to fill an entire book! I love researching this stuff but because I am limited in space here and time in my busy, crazy life my ideas will be brief but hopefully helpful in kick-starting you on to better habits for health and wellness.
The reason most people fail to achieve fitness goals or any goal for that matter is they ignore the most important starting point. It involves the power of your thinking... How you think is most likely how you live out your life... Do you believe you can achieve your goal??? Mine is to be one of the 2-3% of the population who can see visible abs! (not my only goal or my most important goal in life but just for fun I want to see if I can achieve it... and I believe I can... so far I'm still working on it and have seen some progress!). When you fail to believe you usually fall into procrastination, laziness, and poor mental attitude. A few steps to take to overcome your unbelief...
1. Decide exactly what you want... (tighter abs, more energy, more confidence etc...)
2. Document goals and what you will do to achieve them.
3. Visualize your achievement.
4. Take massive action to begin.
Don't underestimate the importance of this step and taking time to motivate yourself to go for it and to frequently re-visit this step as needed.
Another reason most fail to achieve their fitness goals is because they fail to understand the overwhelming importance of their diet! If your goal is to lose stubborn body fat, exercise alone will not be enough. The truth is just about everybody already has a set of six pack abs... the problem is there are layers of fat hiding them... If we could burn off that fat then we could reveal our own aesthetically pleasing set of abs too! I feel sad when I see people training like crazy but because they do not change poor dietary habits they never reduce body fat (this was me for many years). Why bother with all the work if you do not decide to combine exercise with good nutrition? Not only do you need the right foods to burn fat but when you are a very active person your body needs power packed nutrition as part of your overall workout regime... it needs the nutrients found in a good diet, so like a potent elixir it can be delivered to your muscles and bones so they have the ability to repair, rebuild and become stronger as a result of the hard work you do and therefore reveal a more beautful body composition.
Changing dietary habits is hard work I know! But I think the key (it's really helped me) is educating yourself and again having the right mindset about what we are actually doing to our bodies when we mindlessly eat a doughnut or down a pack of greasy french fries. Find out what different types of food are actually doing inside your body. Actively think about the negative cellular processes and you will stand a better chance of being turned off by junk food. I have found the better I eat over time the less I crave junky high processed food and instead go for an apple or raw vegetables for snack options... the great thing about health food is you can have as much as you want with no guilt or regret!!!... and you can feel good about pressing on with your goal! (If you want more suggestions for a specific diet to try... check out my last post).
After you set yourself up with a right mindset and find a sustainable healthy way to eat, be sure you evaluate your training routine. People fail to reach fitness goals due to ineffective training routines. For example if you are aiming for a tighter ab area (like most people) and all you include are crunches in your workout routine it will most likely be ineffective. Instead most of your focus when working out should be centered on a full-body workout strategy. Full body workouts involving multi-joint exercises elicit a strong fat-burning and muscle building hormonal response as well as a metabolic rate increase... whereas just training your abdominals or doing less intense single-joint exercises will not deliver the same response.
What do I mean by multi-joint exercises? They are exercises that move through a larger range of motion using mainly large muscle groups. For example a "clean and press" is a multi-joint exercise that moves a weight from the floor to an overhead position as opposed to a single-joint exericse like a "leg extension" which moves through a smaller range of motion from the floor to only the knee level. Obviously the clean and press forces you to perform a greater quantity of work than a leg extension resulting in more calories burned, more muscle groups worked, which more effectively creates the metabolic environment that stimulates change.
Unfortunaltely the way most people train involves single-joint exercises for selected muscle groups in addition to 30-40 mins of moderate-steady cardio work. Better than nothing, but a better way to workout will deliver a residual metabolic elevation for hours even days after the workout is over. You want to put the WORK back into your workout! You want to work hard enough using large range-of-motion exercises so that your body will have to do a lot of work to recover and therefore burn calories even while you sleep. You want to go away knowing you worked every muscle in your body as opposed to just a couple small muscle groups. If you work out 3-4 days a week at this intensity you essentially increase your resting metabolic rate 24/7. The result of all of this is you get leaner quicker!
So go for multi-joint exercises than require a greater range of motion and use larger muscle groups. Some examples are... squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, push-ups, shoulder press... or even better, try combining some of these exercises together, like a pull-up then going right down into a push-up and then powering back up into a pull-up. That's a huge range of motion! Try a set of ten of these and see how hard your whole body has to work! Whew!... I'm tired just thinking about it!
I have so much more to say but I will have to save "all things cardio" (which is another important key to saying goodbye to a mushy middle) for my next post... for now remember... a right mindset, a sustainable and nutritious diet plan that helps burn fat (see last post), and an effective multi-joint exercise workout strategy will begin to help you see your body composition line up the way you want it to... including becoming part of the 2-3% of the population with visible abs!
If you'd like some help designing your own multi-joint exercise plan... visit me on Facebook! I would love to give you some ideas!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Try this for Fat-Loss~
Ever hit a plateau in your fitness pursuit? I have... many times. I workout and sometimes see nothing new, no new results, no new strength and begin to get bored with my workouts.
Recently I have been working a little harder to try new eating habits to see what happens. I have to be honest and say I emphasize working out more than I do diet when it comes to my own health and wellness, not that I am a junk food addict or anything... but I don't put tons of thought into what I eat, and I do eat my share of whatever I feel like maybe a little too often. I like what one fitness professional said... "Try new things... and evaluate how it's going. If you don't see results try something else until you find what works." So I have decided to get a little more serious about my eating habits.
I would categorize myself as an ectomorph when it comes to body type... small frame, and unfortunatley not much shape but pretty boyish looking... oh well, we work with what we have and are thankful we are healthy and have 2 arms and 2 legs. Anyway, part of my boyish looking frame stems from my belly. Every bit of anything gained goes straight to my belly.... never anywhere else... just my belly. The rest of my body is skinny and not really in a good way. I work to build up some shape in my arms and legs but it's the belly that always suffers the most. So with this in mind when I think about dieting I cringe because I dont want to lose anything anywhere but my belly, but unfortunately that is the area that the weight comes off last. So I have to decide, do I want a skinny belly and risk losing any shape I have in the rest of my body or do I want some shape in the rest of my body and deal with a little more around my belly? I know... pretty ridiculous huh? ...just trying to be real here.
Well, I have finally realized, looking into diets more closely recently, that the diet I need is not a weight-loss diet but a fat-loss diet. Maybe you already knew the difference but to be honest I didn't. I am not a dietician.
My new fat-loss diet is finally giving me the results I'm looking for. Keep the muscle I work hard for and burn the excess belly fat! So you wanna hear about it? Keep reading....
What I like most about it is it's SIMPLE!
Drink a protein shake in the morning... include a raw egg (don't say gross, you know you eat cookie dough... that has raw eggs), spinach leaves, greek yogurt, almond milk, blueberries, oatmeal, a scoop of whey protein which you can get at a vitamin shoppe and a packet of Stevia sweetner. Use a blender to mix it up... we have the Montel Williams blender... it works great!
For snack have nuts... but only a handful about 2 hours after breakfast.
For lunch have one apple...
For dinner have a lean source of protein and tons of veggies with olive oil drizzeld gernerously.
If you get hungry between meals... eat veggies!!! or a few more nuts...or another apple.
Now here's the best part... every other day you can have whatever you want for lunch! So for me... today is my burn day... I had an apple for lunch and yes I am a little hungry right now... I have nuts on my nightstand and will have a few to tie me over before dinner. But tomorrow I can have whatever I want for lunch as long as I have an apple a half-hour before I eat and finish whatever I decide to have within a half-hour time frame. For lunch every other day be sure to get an adequate amount of carbs. In feeding yourself a larger calorie meal every other day you are ensuring that your body does not go into starvation mode and instead keeps your metabolism high and burning fat adequately. If your body thinks it is in starvation mode it will hang on to fat stores for dear life... so be sure you eat enough on your feed days so you trick your body from believing lies.
So it's...
Shake (breakfast)
Nuts (snack)
Apple (lunch)... or whatever you want if it's your feed day!
Protein and Veggies (dinner)
More veggies if you get hungry at any point... that's it!
Another great thing about this diet is that it is sustainable because you don't really deprive yourself of anything. You can still enjoy your favortie foods on your feed days and you can decide to adopt this way of eating for a lifetime... where other diets are just not sustainable for the long-haul and you end up gaining everything back as soon as you quit your diet. Try it and see if you too begin to shed a little more around your middle! I would love to hear how it goes or if you have any questions let me know...
Blessings!
Donna
Recently I have been working a little harder to try new eating habits to see what happens. I have to be honest and say I emphasize working out more than I do diet when it comes to my own health and wellness, not that I am a junk food addict or anything... but I don't put tons of thought into what I eat, and I do eat my share of whatever I feel like maybe a little too often. I like what one fitness professional said... "Try new things... and evaluate how it's going. If you don't see results try something else until you find what works." So I have decided to get a little more serious about my eating habits.
I would categorize myself as an ectomorph when it comes to body type... small frame, and unfortunatley not much shape but pretty boyish looking... oh well, we work with what we have and are thankful we are healthy and have 2 arms and 2 legs. Anyway, part of my boyish looking frame stems from my belly. Every bit of anything gained goes straight to my belly.... never anywhere else... just my belly. The rest of my body is skinny and not really in a good way. I work to build up some shape in my arms and legs but it's the belly that always suffers the most. So with this in mind when I think about dieting I cringe because I dont want to lose anything anywhere but my belly, but unfortunately that is the area that the weight comes off last. So I have to decide, do I want a skinny belly and risk losing any shape I have in the rest of my body or do I want some shape in the rest of my body and deal with a little more around my belly? I know... pretty ridiculous huh? ...just trying to be real here.
Well, I have finally realized, looking into diets more closely recently, that the diet I need is not a weight-loss diet but a fat-loss diet. Maybe you already knew the difference but to be honest I didn't. I am not a dietician.
My new fat-loss diet is finally giving me the results I'm looking for. Keep the muscle I work hard for and burn the excess belly fat! So you wanna hear about it? Keep reading....
What I like most about it is it's SIMPLE!
Drink a protein shake in the morning... include a raw egg (don't say gross, you know you eat cookie dough... that has raw eggs), spinach leaves, greek yogurt, almond milk, blueberries, oatmeal, a scoop of whey protein which you can get at a vitamin shoppe and a packet of Stevia sweetner. Use a blender to mix it up... we have the Montel Williams blender... it works great!
For snack have nuts... but only a handful about 2 hours after breakfast.
For lunch have one apple...
For dinner have a lean source of protein and tons of veggies with olive oil drizzeld gernerously.
If you get hungry between meals... eat veggies!!! or a few more nuts...or another apple.
Now here's the best part... every other day you can have whatever you want for lunch! So for me... today is my burn day... I had an apple for lunch and yes I am a little hungry right now... I have nuts on my nightstand and will have a few to tie me over before dinner. But tomorrow I can have whatever I want for lunch as long as I have an apple a half-hour before I eat and finish whatever I decide to have within a half-hour time frame. For lunch every other day be sure to get an adequate amount of carbs. In feeding yourself a larger calorie meal every other day you are ensuring that your body does not go into starvation mode and instead keeps your metabolism high and burning fat adequately. If your body thinks it is in starvation mode it will hang on to fat stores for dear life... so be sure you eat enough on your feed days so you trick your body from believing lies.
So it's...
Shake (breakfast)
Nuts (snack)
Apple (lunch)... or whatever you want if it's your feed day!
Protein and Veggies (dinner)
More veggies if you get hungry at any point... that's it!
Another great thing about this diet is that it is sustainable because you don't really deprive yourself of anything. You can still enjoy your favortie foods on your feed days and you can decide to adopt this way of eating for a lifetime... where other diets are just not sustainable for the long-haul and you end up gaining everything back as soon as you quit your diet. Try it and see if you too begin to shed a little more around your middle! I would love to hear how it goes or if you have any questions let me know...
Blessings!
Donna
Friday, March 4, 2011
Inspire me!
As I walk through the club most mornings on my way to teach fitness classes the loud and steady humming of treadmills and eliptical machines remind me how crowded the gym is at this hour... this insane hour at 5:30am. I climb the stairs continuing on my way. Turning the corner I smile anticipating what I will see... from the balcony I witness a huge room packed out with avid and dedicated fitness enthusiasts, all huffing, puffing and sweaty, well on their way into their workouts and already full force into their day! Something about it, no matter how may times I see it, inspires me and I even imagine myself grabbing a bull horn and yelling out to the crowd... "Hey... way to go everyone... way to peel yourself out of bed, to fight the urge to sleep and instead to start your day in such a dedicated way! Nice job! Don't give up!"
Here's a sample of my daughter's talent... :O)
Stop today and take time to look for gifts of inspiration. What is it in the people, places or circumstances around you that can bring inspiration, encouragement and a smile to your face? You might create an "inspiration" journal and ask God to increase your awareness of what's been divinely placed in your life to help you re-gain a better perspective and inspire you to purposefully press on.
I'm inspired by their dedication to push against the tide!
There are other things that inspire me... my son Joe... even from an early age he has hyper-focused on what he wants to master and become good at. He used to love watching Robin Hood videos. One morning at the age of 4 he asked if he could have a bow and arrow, "Just like Robin Hood Mom!"... I remember him saying. I gently explained that having a bow and arrow would be dangerous and that there was not enough space between our neighborhood homes to safely use it outside. Robin Hood lived in a forest and the forest was a safe place to play with a bow and arrow. However, that didn't discourage him from the idea of having a bow and arrow. Immediately, his wheels began to turn as he hunted for a plastic hanger and wooden pencil, attempting then to launch the pencil as an arrow off the plastic hanger. I felt bad as I watched and thought to myself there is no way he would ever make it work, but I did not discourage or interrupt him from trying. Two hours later, with undying determination, he was still trying to make the thing work. Ouch... it was painful to watch! BUT... as you might have guessed... later that day he came bounding into where I was and announcing he made it work!.. something I would have to see to believe. Not only did it work but it flew all the way across the room! Way to go Joe! I was so proud of him for not giving up. We celebrated with ice cream sundaes! Presently he has used this same determination to become a very gifted and passionate piano player.
I am inspired by Joe's stick-to-it-ness!
My husband inspires me... He assumes a leadership role in his job... He is a Pastor. I believe a pastoral leadership role is the hardest kind of leadership out there. In his leadership he endures a lot of critism. But he hangs in there... a lot longer than I ever would have. He can do it beause he genuinely loves our church and the love he has stems from his love for God and the love he knows God has for him. He has a deep strength that can only come through God's Spirit and an assurance that nothing can separate us from His love. He has an enduring peace regardless of circumstances and stands like an unmovable rock in the storms of life. I love to watch what he will do next... His example helps keep me grounded in the things I know are good, right and excellent.
I am inspired by his deep grounding and unmovable resolve.
My daughter can draw! WOW... can she draw! When she draws she seems to lose herself in her creativity, beginning with a doodle yet finishing with an expression of something deep inside, similar to the way a simple flower bud emerges into a fantastic display of beauty and reveals something of it's creator if you take the time to notice. She doesn't yet realize how talented she is. She has a humility about her drawings and likes to keep to her gift to herself, to be used as self expression and exploring rather than for displaying. She even insists she doesn't draw well... Very frustrating for me to hear her say, but I so appreciate and respect her humility about it.
I'm inspired by her ability to express hidden beauty in creative, humble and beautiful ways.
Here's a sample of my daughter's talent... :O)
Stop today and take time to look for gifts of inspiration. What is it in the people, places or circumstances around you that can bring inspiration, encouragement and a smile to your face? You might create an "inspiration" journal and ask God to increase your awareness of what's been divinely placed in your life to help you re-gain a better perspective and inspire you to purposefully press on.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Say... "I Love Me" this Valentine's Day!
You might be thinking about how you want to dish out an extra measure of love to special people in your life this Valentine's Day... that's great, that's needed... I applaud you! But have you considered yet how you might show yourself some love too?
When it comes to self-love how would you rate yourself? Do you beat yourself up allowing negative self-talk to bring defeat or do you remind yourself of what is true, right, noble and excellent? Do you worry about things, agonizing over issues that are out of your control or are you content knowing you did all you could? Do you allow yourself to eat junkie food just because it's there or do you think carefully before you put just anything into your body? Do you lash out at loved ones, then scratch your head as you wonder "what is wrong with me" or are you relieved you were able to practice self-control during a frustrating interaction? Do you easily blow-off spending time filling up with spiritual truth and being thankful to God in prayer or do you long for more time to pursue deeper spiritual understanding? Do you skip your workout too many times in a row because you just don't feel like it or do you remind yourself that mentally you'll want to give up everytime and you instead choose to push against that? Some mornings do you wish you could climb right back into bed and stay there for 4 days or do you remind yourself that each day is a gift?
If I'm honest I have chosen the negative examples above probably more times than I'd like to admit... except staying in bed for 4 days... thank goodness... not saying it isn't beyond possible for me though. None of us are beyond anything. But If I allow these tendencies to continue without stopping long enough to evaluate what's going on and taking action to turn it around... that's when habits slowly begin to become a way of life until I wake up one day and wonder how in the world did I arrived at such a place.
Stopping, evaluating and taking action is self-love. It involves taking preventative measures to ensure we maintain a healthy lifestyle in every area of life... physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally etc... so we can be the best "ME" possible. The ME God made us to be... fully alive, respecting ourselves and the nature of the way God made things to work best. I want my life to work out as best as it possibily can... it involves trusting that God's ways are best! How can I seek to be fully alive?
God says we reap what we sow... what are you sowing physically, spiritually, relationally, or even intellectually? How are you investing in a practice that will help you become a whole, healthy balanced person?
Here are some ways you might say "I Love Me" this Valetine's Day...
Go take a brisk walk (or run) outside in the fresh air... even though it's cold that fresh air will do wonders for you physically... or at least take deep, long, full breaths anytime you happen to be outside... like when you are walking from your car into the grocery store etc...
As you are out running or walking try filling your mind with everything you are thankful for and begin to cultivate an appreciation for so many things God has blessed you with... Being thankful is healthy and helps you let go of bitterness and gives you an ability to look on the brighter side of life.
If you begin to become more active you will feel hungry more often. Decide now to grab healthy power-packed nutritious snacks and eat noting but healthy food for a whole week and then take note how it affects you.
Compliment each person in your family every day and watch their faces light up. You have the power to love!
Read Scriptural truths everyday to help realign your thinking... I have a great devotional called "Morning and Evening Daily Bible Readings" by Charles Spurgeon. I love his insights and it always encourages me as I start and end each day.
Write down all your loved ones names in a journal and list 5 things you can pray for each of them everyday... Take 5 minutes to bring the list before God each day... I have been consistently doing this everyday in 2011 and have been blown away by how specifically God has been answering my small, simple prayers in unimaginable ways. He is that good and is waiting to hear what's on your heart.
The Bible says..."We have not because we ask not..." Try asking him about what's on your mind. We have God's permission to cast off every thing in our lives that weighs us down. Cast it all off by talking to him about it and letting him carry it for us. He is able and nothing is too difficult for Him. Stress is a killer... God knows how it weighs us down and he wants to be your outlet for stress... Give it to Him and feel the tension lift off your shoulders.
You might think of other ways to say "I Love Me" this Valentine's Day... add to your list regularly and catch yourself when you start to neglect self-love so you can keep pressing on to become healthy, whole and balanced.
When it comes to self-love how would you rate yourself? Do you beat yourself up allowing negative self-talk to bring defeat or do you remind yourself of what is true, right, noble and excellent? Do you worry about things, agonizing over issues that are out of your control or are you content knowing you did all you could? Do you allow yourself to eat junkie food just because it's there or do you think carefully before you put just anything into your body? Do you lash out at loved ones, then scratch your head as you wonder "what is wrong with me" or are you relieved you were able to practice self-control during a frustrating interaction? Do you easily blow-off spending time filling up with spiritual truth and being thankful to God in prayer or do you long for more time to pursue deeper spiritual understanding? Do you skip your workout too many times in a row because you just don't feel like it or do you remind yourself that mentally you'll want to give up everytime and you instead choose to push against that? Some mornings do you wish you could climb right back into bed and stay there for 4 days or do you remind yourself that each day is a gift?
If I'm honest I have chosen the negative examples above probably more times than I'd like to admit... except staying in bed for 4 days... thank goodness... not saying it isn't beyond possible for me though. None of us are beyond anything. But If I allow these tendencies to continue without stopping long enough to evaluate what's going on and taking action to turn it around... that's when habits slowly begin to become a way of life until I wake up one day and wonder how in the world did I arrived at such a place.
Stopping, evaluating and taking action is self-love. It involves taking preventative measures to ensure we maintain a healthy lifestyle in every area of life... physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally etc... so we can be the best "ME" possible. The ME God made us to be... fully alive, respecting ourselves and the nature of the way God made things to work best. I want my life to work out as best as it possibily can... it involves trusting that God's ways are best! How can I seek to be fully alive?
God says we reap what we sow... what are you sowing physically, spiritually, relationally, or even intellectually? How are you investing in a practice that will help you become a whole, healthy balanced person?
Here are some ways you might say "I Love Me" this Valetine's Day...
Go take a brisk walk (or run) outside in the fresh air... even though it's cold that fresh air will do wonders for you physically... or at least take deep, long, full breaths anytime you happen to be outside... like when you are walking from your car into the grocery store etc...
As you are out running or walking try filling your mind with everything you are thankful for and begin to cultivate an appreciation for so many things God has blessed you with... Being thankful is healthy and helps you let go of bitterness and gives you an ability to look on the brighter side of life.
If you begin to become more active you will feel hungry more often. Decide now to grab healthy power-packed nutritious snacks and eat noting but healthy food for a whole week and then take note how it affects you.
Compliment each person in your family every day and watch their faces light up. You have the power to love!
Read Scriptural truths everyday to help realign your thinking... I have a great devotional called "Morning and Evening Daily Bible Readings" by Charles Spurgeon. I love his insights and it always encourages me as I start and end each day.
Write down all your loved ones names in a journal and list 5 things you can pray for each of them everyday... Take 5 minutes to bring the list before God each day... I have been consistently doing this everyday in 2011 and have been blown away by how specifically God has been answering my small, simple prayers in unimaginable ways. He is that good and is waiting to hear what's on your heart.
The Bible says..."We have not because we ask not..." Try asking him about what's on your mind. We have God's permission to cast off every thing in our lives that weighs us down. Cast it all off by talking to him about it and letting him carry it for us. He is able and nothing is too difficult for Him. Stress is a killer... God knows how it weighs us down and he wants to be your outlet for stress... Give it to Him and feel the tension lift off your shoulders.
You might think of other ways to say "I Love Me" this Valentine's Day... add to your list regularly and catch yourself when you start to neglect self-love so you can keep pressing on to become healthy, whole and balanced.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Big Thinking
Since thinking is something you do everyday you might as well decide to "think big".
When is the last time you did some big thinking? Why do we tend to fall into small thinking, keeping us in the same places in life... doing the same thing without new growth or change because we limit our thinking and allow it to become so conditioned.
Ever envision yourself beyond the realm of possible, dreaming of living life in the realm of the nearly impossible? What does your heart speak of? What have you always wanted to do or become? Dreaming about these things is fun and takes us to places out of the ordinary ruts we settle for.
If you can dream it you can do it!... Walt Disney
Thinking big equals going big, thinking small equals staying small... you decide. Be outrageous-- let your imagination fly for a while... allowing yourself to stretch and believe in the beauty of your dreams.
Allowing yourself this kind of freedom is healthy and brings new life where there once might have been stagnation, negative thinking and/or unhealthy patterns. I believe we were made for much higher purposes than we allow ourselves to believe or experience and it's so easy to digress into the lowest of the low and feed ourselves negative destructive thinking patterns. If we don't push and fight against it... like everything in existence... we will suffer decay and live life below our God-given potential. Phillipians 4:8 says... "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovley and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." I love that because it reminds me how powerful our thinking is and how it is the catalyst that guides our actions and therefore the reality of our lives.
Today is my day off... I'm sitting here... allowing myself space to dream a little... I'm dreaming about my kids and the lives I hope for them... praying they allow God to work in their lives to will and act according to His good purposes... I'm reflecting on all the ways God is answering my prayers for them. One of my specific prayers for each of them is that God would develop a great love of learning in their lives... that they simply enjoy learning and that it comes easy for them in this season of their lives. Just yesterday Abbie, my youngest, shared with me in great detail the tradgedy of the Great Chicago Fire. She shared it with great interest and concern for such a horrible time in history. As I listened I remembered my specific prayer for her to develop a love of learning and my heart burst with thanks that God would delight in answering my prayers! You must understand Abbie never shares much about school other than "it was BORING!"
Why do I share that? I'm not sure... other than to share some ways you might create space for yourself too to dream, pray and believe bigger than you might currently be allowing yourself! Refuse to think small and stay in ruts of discouragement... you were meant for more, so go there and live bigger, better and according to God's great purpose for you!!!
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