Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Enjoying the Halloween Candy! Should I or Shouldn't I??

With Halloween almost here I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the topic of enjoying those candy treats. It's Halloween, so on this particular holiday I don't feel like you are missing out on anything if you don't indulge in the sugar overload. Now, if you are going to a party, taking your kids trick or treating, or going to a harvest fest, I say have a great time and that can include eating some "treats." The real issue is not the candy itself, but how you think about it and how it will effect you.

If you can enjoy a few pieces of candy without having discussions in your head about the said candy - then you can choose to eat it, enjoy it and that will be that!

But if you are already thinking about Halloween, and all that candy, and if you are going to eat it, or how badly you are afraid you will binge on it -- then maybe it would be a good idea to exercise some self control and abstain from the candy all together this year. If your mindset is not in a good place then eating the candy will only cause you harm, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. If eating the candy will cause you to feel guilty, out of control, like a failure because you don't feel you are in control,, etc. -- if that is where you are now, then acknowledge that. If that is where you are, please don't feel guilty, it's simply where you are and that means this is an area you need to grow in.

I have been there, where I couldn't help myself in front of a plate of cookies! It's not a fun place to be! No inanimate object should have any power over us, right? It takes time, properly nourishing your body regularly, some re-wiring of your brain and changing how you associate with food.

So this Halloween, if you choose to indulge in those treats, please don't let it be a self-destructive behavior. And if you know it will be, then acknowledge that and choose what will serve you better.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Excerpt from my book, Fit Mind, Body and Spirit


                                          A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing,  
                                                          but a broken spirit dries up the bones.                                                                                                      Proverbs 17:22
 
            The first step to making any changes in your life is awareness. This can be the most difficult step because it means you need to be completely honest with yourself. Every client I have worked with, each person I encounter on their fitness journey and myself included are all working to improve not just what we look like, but how we feel and who we are inside and out. It’s not about trying to become some image of who we think we are supposed to be. It’s about becoming aware of what’s going on within our minds, bodies and spirits so we can let go of the negative things that are damaging us, and grow more each day into the person God has designed us to be.
We can’t have a healthy body with a mind that is infected with self-destructive, negative, worldly thinking. And we can’t have a perfectly healthy mind and body with a non-existent relationship with God. These things are impossibilities. One without the others will never be complete or lasting. You may be able to reach some weight loss or fitness goal but if nothing else changes you will still feel the same now as you do then, maybe even worse. Working towards bringing all these areas into balance is what we need to do.
Will we ever get it perfect? On this side of Heaven, of course not! Does that mean we shouldn’t even try? Of course not! Our health is a major factor in how we experience life, and how we impact those around us. What you think about who God is and who you are will drive how you think and behave.
Draw near to God and He will transform your mind, and as your thinking changes, your behaviors will change. When you begin to see yourself as His beautiful creation, it becomes easier and easier to live a healthy lifestyle.


 

Spiritual Awareness Questions 

1.      Who do you think God is?
2.      According to you, who are you?
3.      Who does God say you are?
4.      What has God promised you?
5.      What miracles has He worked in your life?



Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 John 1-2