January 13, 2011

 Spiritual Prep

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45 and Matt 12:34).  Did you know that in this country, what we class as the poverty level; people in that class may own a TV, microwave oven, cell phone, have air conditioning and may have more living  space than people in Japan and Europe.  There is work available in this country that will produce money to feed our families.  Just not the work some are willing to do until there is no other option and maybe not then.  That is not the case in Haiti.  There are people willing to work and do any job to earn money (just a few dollars a day) but there are few Jobs.  So, how do you feed a family when no job exists?  Who do you not care for in your family when there is not enough to go around?   Who in the family goes without food that day?  That week?  How do you care for sickness, disease, the elderly and the handicapped when there is no doctor, medicine or social services and very little to go around?  When there is no clean water and you must drink.  Do you drink what is available even though it could make you sick and maybe lead to death.  Stand up for a moment, brace yourself and answer those questions as though you are there–just like “they” will have to answer them today. 

Lord, I am grateful for my circumstances and plead for the Spirit living in me to remind me of the comfort I enjoy daily so that my heart will be full of gratitude and it will show in my speech and conduct.  Keep me from becoming complacent so I will not grumble or be dissatisfied with my circumstances.  How can I ignore others when You have been so generous to me.  It is not the wealth and richness of life I honor because they and I will soon be gone.  It is the generosity of your grace.  You desire to have a relationship with me, with everyone and you offer an eternity in your care and presence.  I ask for endurance so that we all might finish that which you have put before us each moment-of each day.   In your Name.    

Training Prep

I had a great Christmas with family and food.  Hope you did, too! Now it’s time for me to get back in the zone.   I am not talking about the “elite” zone, just a good healthy one.  A quick reminder of the main purpose for exercise and proper nutrition—Good Health.  It is amazing what a little exercise and good eating habits will do for your health, sleep and endurance.  It really takes little physical effort.  It does take time and a commitment to find the time.  If you are like me basics are always a good reminder.  Good health really starts with understanding and counting calories (or at least good ball park estimates).  I think all our foods now have to post the ingredients and calories on the box or package.  Make it a habit to be aware of the numbers.  But the real trick is the portions size.  Sometimes we read on the package 150 calories and we don’t see the serving’s size.  “Who would have thought that little package had 4 servings inside, there was so little”.  I would encourage you to chart or at least be aware of how many calories your take in a day. 

Calories should be considered fuel.  Just like gas to our cars, we truly eat for fuel to run our bodies.  I know that is a foreign concept to those of us who really like to eat.  We like the taste and the feeling we get when fully satisfied and suddenly, we are eating more for pleasure and less for fuel.  Then we don’t burn all the fuel we take in and our body stores up what we don’t use.  It is a simple equation.  If we take in more calories than we use, the extra leads to excess weight.  This leads to poor health.  Not a hard concept to understand, just hard for me to control. 

But you and I can control it by being aware of what is going on and paying attention.  Yes, I know who wants to pay attention.  There is so much to pay attention to but I promise once in the “zone” it gets easier and more natural.  Learning what food is more filling, better for you and knowing-not guessing what you are doing with food is the key.  Mindless eating is out of control behavior and leads to bad stuff someday. 

Ok, enough for today.  Tomorrow I will start on exercise.  Stick around, exercise is the easy part.  Get started on the hard part, counting the gallons of gas (calories) you are filling up with each day. 

Ms Baker’s room  5^th  grade-1962-plaque under the clock said:  A habit is like a cable, we weave a strand each day and soon it will be so strong we can’t break it.  

Let’s weave together!