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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                       = Moon

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                                    = 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