Mind: View challenges as gifts

Never take the path of least resistance - the most difficult way is the most rewarding. Stressors come and go but a strong fortitude is permanent. To be better ---- Do better :-)

You have the mental power to look at difficulties as chances to learn and grow!
 
I am feeling great about my past week's food choices and amount of exercise!
 
This is a new challenge (TO STOP USING FOOD/ALCOHOL to comfort and de-stress).
 
I must remember that it makes me feel so good to feel like I am in control.

Mind/Spirit: alcohol and junk food -- not worth it!

Interesting info from NIH.gov/news :
"Unhealthy alcohol drinking patterns may go hand-in-hand with unhealthy eating habits, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Examining diet quality of individuals who drink any kind of alcoholic beverage, researchers found that people who drink the largest quantities of alcohol — even infrequently — have the poorest quality diets. Conversely, people who drink the least amount of alcohol — regardless of drinking frequency — have the best quality diets. A report of the findings appears in the February 15, 2006 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology."





I think this has to do with acknowledging the  big connection to taking care of your body and feeling good! If you "get" that then you "get" it for the total picture. When you are responsible for the body that you are given then you are not wanting to fill it up with nutritiously bankrupt foods or harmful alcohol.  

A great day of healthy meals makes you feel great!
Alcohol is not getting anyone closer to their goals - I hope I develop a greater appreciation for my health- through diet and exercise, and a deeper commitment toward taking care of this one body. It is counterproductive to weight loss/maintennance to take in high fat and or high caloric food or drink!

Here are the facts about metabolism and alcohol:
from www.extrametabolism.com   Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7:12pm



Alcohol is simply bad for the body. It is bad for your liver, lungs, kidneys, heart, brain, memory and to your body metabolism.


When you refer to the collective biochemical complex reactions of any living thing, it is termed as metabolism.


Our energy is the result of our foods intake being broken down to bits and pieces through our body digestive system and being subjected to a rather complex biochemical process to produce sugar in the form of glucose that fuels the energy of our body.


This process by which our body produces energy is called metabolism. Our body has different metabolism, depending on the nutrients. We have carbohydrates metabolism, fats metabolism, and protein metabolism.


Drinking alcohol will give a negative effect on the metabolism of the body particularly to the aspect of fats metabolism.


The amount of energy that fats can give to your body through the process of metabolism is limited by the effects of alcohol that you take in your body.


The ability of your body to bring on lipid oxidation or the burning of fats will be greatly hindered by even just a small amount of alcohol. This was the findings of researchers and as published in the American Journal of Clinical Research.


Further research on this matter revealed that when alcohol passes through the liver, acetate is formed. And the body, instead of burning fats for energy will burn the acetate instead of fats.


The other bad effect of alcohol in the body is that it prevents the proper processing of vitamins and minerals which are needed in the natural function of metabolism.


This is because of the process by which the liver converts alcohol to acetate. During this stage, minerals and vitamins that are supposed to be processed by the liver will be over shadowed by the system of detoxification and would be wasted through this process.


When you urinate after several bottles of intoxicating alcoholic drinks, magnesium and calcium will be excreted from your body through your urine because of alcohol.


These two nutrients are needed by your body to function properly. Added to this will be the fact that alcohol will aggressively compete with other food nutrients to get absorbed into the bloodstream, thus preventing these nutrients from being metabolized.

Indeed, drinking alcohol is very bad for the body. So please, do not drink alcoholic drinks – your metabolism will be much better off without alcohol.

Spirit/Mind: prescription for peace: prayers to repeat when needed-

Image by loswl via Flickr

I have a deep feeling that prayer should come from the heart, but I have recently found it beneficial to memorize a few prayers and recite them either aloud or to myself when I am tempted to overindulge or when I am finding myself to have a negative attitude. I think it is helpful to have a mind shifter such as an image or a memorized prayer to get back on the right spiritual track (re-focusing the mind). I am sharing a few of these prayers in the hopes that you will also find them to be a helpful tool to use in your time of need.


God,
Help me acknowledge what you want for me. Please help me promote peace in ALL relationships.--- Amen


Dear Lord,
Thank you for the wonderful treasure of your Holy Spirit inside me. I praise you for the good news and the power I receive from you and now hold inside me! --- Amen


Heavenly Father,
Please help me continue my growth toward living a spirit-filled life, a spotless life, a blameless life, and help me turn my thoughts toward you now and throughout the day. I want to know you completely.--- Amen


Dear Savior,
Please allow your glory to fill up the "temple" of my body! --- Amen

God,
Please let your truth penetrate my innermost thoughts and allow me to find satisfaction in You. Fill up my empty places, and help me realize that what I really crave is a relationship with You. Help me drink from the Living water when I am yearning for something intangible. ---Amen

Lord,
Please let me reap the harvest of your fruitfulness. Feed me with your Word, and allow me to drink from the cup of the Holy Spirit until I have peace like a river. --- Amen

Body/Spirit: Athlete's mentality-

What is an Athlete's mentality? I think this Jesse Owens quote sums it up-Image by mikebaird via Flickr

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. -Jesse Owens

Did you hear about Belgian runner Stefaan Engels who set a Guinness World Record after crossing the finish line of his 365th consecutive marathon?

That's right kids 365 days of running 26 miles every single day! This info is taken from an article that I read on CBS News.com which was published on 2-05-11.I am in awe of his athletic feat! Okay, and maybe his feet too- because can you imagine the punishment they endured? I believe that this is a definite mind over matter type of thing. He had to have what Jesse Owens was talking about in the above quote.




Stefaan has been dubbed the "Marathon Man", and I am really wondering how he did it.
Here is one thing he said about why he did it:
"After running 20 triathlons in one year, I was not ready to go back to normal life," he said. "I also wanted to inspire people by showing that if I could run a marathon a day for an entire year, that anyone could run or bike a little each day or do something about their weight problem."

WOW!The 49-year-old Engels ran a total of 9,569 miles.
 Well I for one love it, and I am totally inspired!
It takes the idea of what I thought was  possible for exercising the human body and blows it out of the water.


The human body can take so much more than we think it can!
(Even more amazing),
Stefaan was a child that grew up suffering with asthma and decided to overcome the ailment in his early adult years. He had the idea to run a marathon everyday for a year to promote physical activity. He wanted to share what determination could make possible-- but after the accomplishment he was quoted as saying "There were a lot of moments when I thought 'Today, I won't finish,"' he said. "One of the hardest moments was in Mexico City after a long flight, the altitude and I had gotten sick from eating something, and I thought 'What am I doing here?"'
 But he kept going and you know he wanted to stop!
We all have those moments where we are wanting to quit---- Stefaan did not quit and was so happy that he didn't. He didn't quit because he wanted so much to inspire YOU! If you are about to quit your healthy eating regime or work-out schedule; think about what is possible and keep on going, yes keep going on past that.  Stefaan has shown us that you can do even more than you thought possible!

Body: Foods that help your body lose fat

Image via Wikipedia

Bananas - Potassium has been said to help limit sodium in your body. As we know too much sodium can cause bloating which can be mentally defeating when dieting. Yay bananas!
Berries- Anti-oxidants, antioxidants, antioxidants!! Berries improve blood flow which can deliver more oxygen to muscles!!
Yogurt- Increases the growth of "good bacteria" in the gut. Which can also decrease bloating and other issues.
Oranges- Vitamin C in fiber-filled oranges can help your body zap more fat during a workout.
Green tea- the compound ECGC in the tea makes it easier for your body to burn fat.
Skim milk- promotes muscle building. Drinking it post-workout has been proven to speed recovery.

Image via Wikipedia

So in conclusion; Having yogurt once a day, having 3 cups of green tea instead of coffee, having either banana, berries or oranges as your fruit servings most days, and drinking a nice cold glass of skim milk after a work-out are doable changes that may make a difference in how your body uses food. Woohoo!


Grocery store time!!!

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Related articles

• Health Facts About Bananas (brighthub.com)

Mind/Spirit: Psalm 19

Image by ...anna christina... via Flickr

Psalm 19 --- C.S. Lewis favorite verse:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,

refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The decrees of the LORD are firm,

and all of them are righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the honeycomb.

11 By them your servant is warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

12 But who can discern their own errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Mind: Chronicles of Narnia (re-reading and re-watching movies)

Cover of C.S. Lewis

Generations of readers have fallen in love with the magical world of Narnia. I believe that one of the reasons that they have been so popular for so long is because the characters are always experiencing some sort of freedom through their adventures but are still safe because they ban together. This is a wonderful combination. It is also evident that C.S. Lewis was very rigorous in his work. I recently found out that he was in fact an Atheist when he was a young man. He had lost his Mother at the age of 9 and was shortly thereafter sent away by his father (for a formal education).  He was a cynic, skeptic and people that were "high" on life annoyed him. While at Oxford later in his life he would meet with a group of men to philosophize and bat around ideas for books (one of these men was JRR Tolkein). During this time with all these discussions he surrendered to God and became a Christian. What is so inspiring to me is that we can positively influence someone to change their perspective.
From that point forward he showed gratitude for being saved possibly like no other author since. He wrote alot of books. His most famous by far has been The Chronicles of Narnia.
The newest excitement comes from a discovery that once again exclaims Lewis' genius. He profoundly made the books represent the 7 planets. Before telescopes it was thought that our universe was made up of 7 planets. The Moon and Sun were a part of this scheme. Michael Ward has written a book about this discovery.
His book is entitled Planet Narnia.

The idea that each book represents one of the planets shows that what seems obvious and simple can be layered and complex. The best literature cannot be taken in with a glance but must be digested and thought about until a new meaning is found. I plan on re-reading each book and glean out the hidden symbols, signs and mentionings of each planet.
I watched the documentary called The Narnia Code. Wrapping my mind around all the concepts and history of Lewis' life is great mind work. We should never quit learning!!





here is what each book stands for:

 Image via Wikipedia

                                              = Venus
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                                   = Jupiter
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                           = Mercury
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                      = Mars
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                       = Sun


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Image via Wikipedia

                       = Moon

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Image via Wikipedia

                                    = Saturn

So think about it for a minute there are 3 levels embedded in these books-- Children's book level (fairy tale) and religious parallel level. Now there is the Meaning drenched universe level. Everything has meaning purpose and value!! Just when you think you know the make-up of these stories (and even life concepts) there is more!

Cover via Amazon