Free to Eat

Yeah… right…duh… Joyce did it again! She got my hopes up and then wham ~ reality!  Let's look at the scripture...

You may freely eat of every tree in the garden. Genesis 2:16

What was God  saying and what was Joyce Meyer echoing back in part, “We are free to eat.”   If you never thought of that before then think it, because however crazy it sounds, it’s really true. We are free to eat!  Every bite we take is a free choice, right? Right!

  

What are the results of freely eating? All we need to do is take a look at our physical selves and examine how we really feel. Maybe we look okay, but do we have stamina to make it through another day, hour, or even minute?

  

Think of all the different diets most of us have tried in our lifetime. We placed restrictions on ourselves that were not healthy. But, the claims all said these diets and products were healthy.  Did we have ticklish ears?  Did we want to believe in a counterfiet miracle?  Research after the fact of poor diets and dieter’s symptoms including sickness and sometimes even death were some of the results.  Many of the dieting supplements or dieting with severe restrictions of essential elements wrecked our bodies. The flip side of all that dieting abuse for most of us was as soon as we took away the products, we ballooned up bigger than what we were when we first began. Most of the time we were even much weaker than before starting those programs.

Oh my, what abuses we were committing, when all we really needed to do was pay attention to what foods God gave us naturally and limit the consumption. Better yet, we could have eaten freely of the foods God gave us and made sure we were active enough to be healthy. In other words God didn’t make us to be sedentary. After all the first exercise mentioned was Adam walking in the garden with God! What a cool thought that is! So it stands to reason that our unused body parts will eventually waste away. It’s called muscle atrophy. Once this process starts, it’s very difficult to reverse.  (I'm not sure we can reverse it entirely. I know first hand what wasted muscle mass is and I’m trying to reverse it right now! I don’t have near the strength in my arms and legs that I once had and it is from years of inactivity.)

I just reverted back to last week.  Exercise was my last blog topic, but this week it's balanced eating... so...

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t ever eat food combinations with enhancements or never have a luscious dessert or drizzle chocolate or have whipped cream over strawberries, etc. But, God constructed our bodies to be like living machines. We can’t operate unless we feed upon essential nutrients from the natural foods that God gave us. Have you ever seen a donut tree? Do you pick candy from a vine? Do we dig up baklava out back in the dirt?  Are processed vitamins growing on bushes?  I don’t think so…

Joyce gave many examples of abusive dieting practices in her book, Look Great, Feel Great chapter: Balanced Eating.   She spoke extensively of fats, foods that were considered bad years ago, proteins and cholesterol.  It is well worth a few moments to read her inspired words. What else did she say? Balance is the key!

We might know that we are supposed to eat more fruits and veggies but we aren’t doing it. We might know that whole grains are much better for our bodies but we aren’t eating them. We might know all the nutrition answers so that we can pass an exam if asked the questions, but we much apply this knowledge to ourselves in order to become strong and useful for the LORD’s work and His ultimate glory!

Think on this story from the first chapter of Daniel.

• But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
• Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
• Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
• At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king.  So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

Don't go crazy here and think that you have to eat only veggies!  It's a story!  It's a story to bring understanding to the complexity of eating right.  There were other cultural factors within this biblical story but that is an entirely different subject matter. 

Isn't it interesting how food can be compared to the various instructions that we receive whether they are good or bad for us.  Some of it is digested for our good use, some of it is stored and some of it simply goes out as waste. 

Then let's clear our thinking. 

Stop! We just need to stop! We need to stop thinking of food as just food. Stop thinking that yummy, gooey, empty fat producing calories is the only thing in life to enjoy. Stop stuffing our faces!

Start! We just need to start! We need to start putting into practice the marvelous things that we already know. Start reading up on more health wise things we aren’t quite sure of. Start taking responsibility for all that we have put ourselves through and make the changes necessary for a higher quality of life.

I'm ready...  are you ready?

Good Health Blessing

God fills our cup of life each day with gifts that make us strong,

He hears the prayers within our hearts and always rights each wrong.

God fills our cup of life each day and brings us to His door

To shine His gift of perfect health and fill our cups once more.

May the cup of God's blessing and His presence too

Bring the gift of good health to shine on you. ~ Patricia Ann Emme ~

Exercise

You know if I had been a close personal friend of Joyce Meyer, I probably would have tried to talk her out of writing the chapter of Exercise in her book, Look Great, Feel Great. You might be thinking, but her book wouldn’t have been complete without this chapter in it, right? Right! We all know exercise is good for us, but most of us just don’t want to hear that message again. Well, you guessed it! Exercise is the devotional topic for me this week.



I heard my pastor say on different occasions how Christians in America tend to view the scriptures. In general, we go about our walk as if we were choosing from a food bar. We pick and choose according to our desires and personal interests. It’s like going to a restaurant. We’ll pick our likes and leave behind the rest. If one restaurant isn’t up to our “standards” then we’ll stop going there and go to another one instead. It’s much the same way in God’s Word. If we don’t particularly like something, then we tend not to meditate on it, pray about it or obey it. If we don’t like the church or pastors, we pack up and go to attend another church. (After all church is normally just an hour or two a week, almost the same as a dinner out. What’s wrong with that picture?)



So if we don’t like it when we are told that God is holy and one day we will stand in front of Him, then we’ll only choose to know verses that keep us fat on God’s love. We will never get healthy on verses that teach us His righteousness. We don’t choose from the things that make us stronger but rather we continue to choose from the same things that keep us weak. But God gave us the entire Word and we aren’t supposed to pick and choose just what we like. We need to be fortified by choosing from all of His riches and that means even including items we don’t particularly like.



Here’s my dislike in the natural: exercise. This week I cannot ignore it... Up until now, each respective topic that Joyce has presented I’ve been able to make peace with and practice. The thought of exercise occasionally came to my mind in the past few months but my attitude normally dismissed it quickly with “I’ll think about it later. I’m not ready now.”



Ready or not… it’s time to make peace and just do it! So my verse of activation is this from Philippians 3:13-14:

· Forgetting what lies behind (that means all my lazy, "don’t have time for this" self-talk has to be forgotten.)

· and straining forward to what lies ahead I press on toward the goal (that means I must make and keep daily goals for exercise and do my best to check them off by the time I’m ready for bed each night.)

· for the prize of the heavenly call (I know that God is calling me out of bondage from myself. My physical chains and my mental blinders have robbed me of His call. I will listen.)

· (heavenly call) of God in Christ Jesus. (Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem me and it needs to be more than duty that I obey His Word to me. He says, “I gave my life for you. What have you done for me?” With His help I will make changes so that I can physically do more for Him. Amen.)



Again, at the end or her chapter, Joyce gives us five tips to get started. We can choose what best suits our life style but the fact it that we must choose something. Here suggestions are these: a daily walk; indoor exercise, strength training, running or biking, and/or swimming. We all can probably think of others ways to exercise… heavy duty cleaning and gardening are the two I think about. The only trouble with these is that they are pretty much seasonal and I need consistency.



In my research, I find that the best exercise is to alternate something aerobic on one day and strength training the next. It is best to start slow (even 5 minutes is better than none) and work up to more time in the process. In the old days it was suggested to exercise just three days a week. Well, new research says everyday. I’ve made a decision that I am going to alternate days and also devote one day to biblical rest.  Here’s my schedule. (Sorry if it bores you, but I’m more likely to do it, if I put it in print here first.)

• Sunday ~ aerobic walking
• Monday ~ strength training~ upper body
• Tuesday ~ aerobic walking
• Wednesday ~ strength training~ lower body
• Thursday~ aerobic walking
• Friday ~ strength training~ entire body
• Saturday ~ rest, read, reflect ~ blog

Let’s continue to get healthy for there is much to be done for His glory.

Let us shine for Him!

Maybe We Know This, Maybe We Don’t and Maybe We Just Need Refreshed!

The post is based on "Mastering Metabolism" from Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great, Feel Great.

James 1:22 scripture says, “ Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.” Some of us look at this and although we see it as a simple enough statement, we know it is not simple at all. How can I do anything that exerts energy when I am not physically able?

You and I have had this experience... Well meaning Christian friends  stick their fingers in your faces and tell you “their” story. They tell you  that you don’t believe God enough and that you just need more faith and so on… They will say things that they think are helpful but we still come away feeling even more defeated than before. It seems no one is listening and no one understands.  We might as well keep our thoughts to ourselves and pretend that everything is just fine.  Really?

Are you pretending to the world and at the same time knowing in your body that you aren’t physically able to move.  You can’t breathe or your body aches you to tears. Do you sometimes overexert yourself before your friends and family and then find a safe place to suffer in silence where they can’t find you?  Are you hiding out?

Metabolism, what does this have to do with being doers of the Word?  The answer ~ plenty!

   
WebMD online has this to say about metabolism:

"Your metabolism, experts say, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel."

So what does that mean?
 I’m learning that I have to know what the “problem” is before I can attempt to fix it. How often have I said I needed to get healthy and just picked anything from thousands of diets and start on my merry way?   You and I need to stop that!   It’s gotten us nowhere and when we talk to others, it’s gotten them nowhere either.

Last week, we looked at learning how to love our bodies. If you’re participating, we’re asking God to guide us.  I needed those beginning chapters of Joyce’s book to get me going mentally!  Inviting God to help us needs to be in place before we begin any of the rebuilding process. Without God I can do nothing, but He is not going to do for me what I am supposed to do for myself.  If I trust in Him, I know that He will step in when I have done all I could under his direction.  He will step in when I am obeying His Word!

This week, instead of focusing first on what is wrong with us, let’s learn how our bodies are supposed to work.  Let's get a better understanding about what our bodies should be doing instead of what they are presently doing. (I know I’m speaking as if our bodies are independent entities. You could say they are, after all the body I have is just where my soul lives and the Holy Spirit dwells.  It’s a shelter. It’s a house. So let’s learn about it and do our part to rebuild it.)

1. The body is supposed to break down our food and convert it into energy. All our energy comes from food. Pills and supplements can’t provide what we need as well as food sources can, so let’s not consider them at this point. (There are many who have medical prescriptions and your doctor is your best resource because he/she knows you. The pills and supplements I’m talking about are your across the counter ones that you can purchase without a prescription. We need to be careful what we choose to believe with regard to them. In other words, do your homework.)
2. The body has it’s own instinctive survival techniques and is supposed to send what we need where we need it and when we need it.
3. The body is supposed to store any excess energy for future use. (Yes, this is fat.)
4. The body is supposed to eliminate what is not used.
5. The body is supposed to be adequately rested in a 24 hour time period.
6. The body is supposed to be hydrated at all times.
7. The body is supposed to exert energy for cardio health, strength and flexibility.

Wow! These are only some of the things our body is supposed to do.  We  might need to tweak just one thing on this list for ourselves or we might have many.  I’m working on several right now, but I’ve been working on them since July. We all need to remember to take it one step at a time. Rebuilding our body will not be easy and it will take time. We all have to consider getting healthy as another job. The difference is that if we quit this job, we die early.  Let’s learn to live so we can bring glory to our LORD JESUS by being what He has called us to be.


Joyce says we need these things to boost our metabolism:
1. Exercise 2. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t skip meals~ your body needs fuel during the day) 3. Drink water 4. Sleep well 5. “Fidget” by making ways of being more active every day   Interesting list, isn't it?!

You need a “simple” plan to start.

If you need help with a diet plan, you might need to see a doctor, nutritionist or dietitian in the health field. If you need an exercise plan, you might need to see a doctor, trainer or coach , but you can do some research and learn a great deal on your own. (Don’t give up now because it seems overwhelming. It is overwhelming! That’s the point! Most of us are carrying around a ton of “whelm”. I just want to get rid of the “over” so I can eventually get rid of the whelm, too!        LOL (In case you didn’t know, whelm means to cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effects!   Isn’t that what being overweight does?)


No one has to follow my plan.  In fact I'd rather you find your own plan because you are different and your needs are different.  My plan came about after many years of stupid dieting, losing and gaining back,  and spending lots of  $$$ for “miracle diets”  My plan started out very simple this past July because I was actually too sick and tired for a complicated "hit it with all my might" plan!

The first thing I did was decide to do something. I looked online and found Sparkpeople to track what I was already eating. No diet at all at first. I was able to see the carbs, protein and fat percentages according to their pie chart. This was a major eye opener. I thought most of my calories came from carbs, but they came from protein. You might be surprised what you find out when you really attempt a truthful examination of your habits.

The next few weeks, I explored the Sparkpeople site and got involved.

o created a health page on that site and included a weight tracker

o made a few online friends and joined some teams such as Inspired and Challenged by Joyce Meyer, Managing Diabetes Group, Flylady:Peace Is Mine, Living Healthy in Our 50s and Beyond, Virginia Sparkers, and 50+ Females. (Just so you know, I had time this summer to explore and get serious so that it’s not as hard now to stick with the plan since I’ve gone back to work!  But, right now, I’m not visiting the site as often.  Yet I know it's there when I need a boost. Sending little encouragements, etc. to online friends when I get the chance is a great boost for me as well. We all have to figure out what we can handle. By the way ~ the subject matter of this blog is a direct result of the Joyce Meyer team on Sparkpeople.)

o Checked out and cooked up some good recipes

o Read a bunch of articles about health, diet and exercise

o Collected awards and points for fun (You’ll have to check it out to see what I’m talking about.)

o Made a mental plan for the next steps, including getting a full night’s sleep and consistent exercise. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it. I’d like to be able to walk with my school team at the end of the school year in the Relay for Life to help find a cure for cancer. (You see, this all started in my heart first because I really want to be a blessing to those around me according to what my LORD has directed. Now, it’s just getting my head to comply to my heart’s desire. Wonder if this is where the phrase for being hard-headed came from? I’ve got a lot to work out! LOL)

o Well, Sparkpeople is just one tool you can use.



The main point is that many of us need to make healthy changes for ourselves.  We need energy.  We need our metabolism to be on track so that we can have that energy.  You and I have a lot to share in helping one another and there is much to do! Our LORD wants us to be doers of the Word! Now, we all have an idea about that so let’s start putting positive things into practice. Let’s rebuild this body (His temple) and regain energy to make the world a better place. Let’s think and do things for others out of habit and impulse because we have been renewed. Let’s shine for JESUS!


Lastly, I’d like to thank those of you who have commented on my Sparkpage, sent emails or stopped by and talked to me about how you have been doing with regards to my devotional articles. I appreciate everything you’ve shared and pray for each of you to have an easier walk this week than you had last week. May GOD richly bless you on your journey in His Kingdom here on earth.



This devotional was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great Feel Great.
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