Intentional Motivation

One Sunday morning my husband and I were on our way to church when we got behind what used to be called a “Sunday driver.”  He was trudging along about 10 mph below the speed limit with seemingly not a care in the world.

Coming to stoplight on a four lane street, it became safe and convenient to pull around him which we intended to do. All of a sudden when the light turned green, this gentleman revved his engine 10 mph OVER the speed limit, intentionally not allowing us to pass.

My husband joked, “He must have realized he was late.” (Yeah right  . . more like ego.)

I, of course, immediately connected it to a motivational post. I remarked, “Man, I wish my patients had been that motivated at times!”

I thought back to when I worked with doctors. A few of my younger patients had always thought they’d improve their diet later.  After all, I have time to live it up, so don’t bug me! My system can handle junk & fast foods just fine. For now, they hadn’t a care in the world.

That is until they were diagnosed with obesity combined with diabetes or other illness. All of a sudden they had a reason to become healthier.

One, “Sherry” wanted to try out for the cheerleading team but realized she hadn’t enough energy to attempt that. Besides that challenge, all that junk food was affecting her skin and she suffered from severe acne which in turn make her self-conscious.

“Chuck” had already tried out for the basketball and later the baseball team but was winded after completing a few sprints. He never made either team. Now he was gaining weight. When his father began noticing a change in his demeanor, a doctor diagnosed Chuck with Type 2 Diabetes. His father brought him in for nutritional counseling.

These two teens faced similar challenges but achieved different outcomes.

Sherry had been bullied over her weight gain by typical mean-girls found in high schools all over this country. The more they teased her, the more junk food she ate to numb the pain. Her self-esteem was plummeting but I could still see a fire in her eyes. She desired to turn her life around and took to heart my pro-active nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes. Gradually she learned that no food could fill the void in her heart, only the Lord could. Months later I gazed upon a confident and independent young woman who decided to run for and got elected to her student government.

On the other hand, Chuck wanted to please his dad, which is one reason he tried out for the teams. But Chuck’s athletic skills didn’t equal his father’s expectations. Since his dad thought he was smarter than God, the twig didn’t fall far from the tree. Each session Chuck sat glumly, listening. Consume a variety of better foods? “I already know that,” Chuck responded. Really? Then why wasn’t he doing so?

“You believe in God? Good – even the demons believe that and shudder.”  (James 2:19)

Head knowledge isn’t heart knowledge. The demons had no desire to submit to God’s control and neither did Chuck.

There had to be a reason Chuck was self-destructing. Questioning a possible veiled reason brought a tense, “He’s not a basket case!” from his father.  I didn’t see Chuck after that and fervently prayed he didn’t advance to drugs to numb the pain of perceived unacceptance.  We are all unique with different talents and gifts given by God.

What is your motivation? It should be to first honor our Lord. Become a New Creation!

 

 

A Tribute to Our Little Walking Buddy

I’ve been putting off this post for weeks because of my broken heart.  Our beloved Lhasa was only 10 years old when she unexpectedly developed bladder stones last month and had to be put down. Our other two Lhasa Apso’s lived 16 1/2 years and we had no reason to expect she wouldn’t live as long. It was with a heavy heart we made that decision rather than have her endure an intricate painful operation which  provided only a 50% chance of survival at best.

For many years she was my little walking buddy. She kept me on my toes literally. Our two mile walk in Arizona was one I wrote of frequently. She rode shotgun beside me on the passenger seat while I drove the 2500 mile drive from Arizona to Ohio.

I used illustrations I saw in her and our beautiful 14 year old Cocker Spaniel’s behavior many times in my blogs.  It became easy to relate canine behavior to our relationship with God and health. She inspired me to write about trust, discipline and eating habits among other topics which can be found via my search engine on my webpage.

When she was a puppy she was so sweet and affectionate! She would climb upon my chest, wrap her little paws around me and give me an actual hug.  She was a favorite at the dog park at the RV resort we lived in at the time.

Then something happened after we moved into our new home. In most Arizona communities, people went to work, drove home, entered their enclosed garage and sat out on their private patio afterwards, enclosed behind a 6 foot high fence. We failed to keep her socialized and she became over-protective and sadly mean-spirited with strangers.

This was a terrible mistake on our part but we learn from our mistakes. Dog owners aren’t perfect, neither are parents or individuals. I needed to forgive myself and instill necessary changes. So I vowed last year after our beautiful Cocker Spaniel passed, that we would absolutely socialize our transitional pup, “Mr. No-no.” Happily he has become the most loving of pets.

Five years ago when I began this blog, I had no idea what God had in store for me – that He’d ask me to become a pastor’s wife 3 years ago. (You want me to do what God?) I never expected His leading to take me down this pathway. But I began to listen to my Master’s Voice, trust HIm and grew in a closer relationship with my Lord.  Throughout the decision some tough choices had to be made. Now here I am in northeast Ohio surrounded by family and friends, being more blessed than I ever imagined.

It takes an enormous amount of faith to trust God, even through sorrow, knowing that He only has our best interests at heart. Life is messy, hurtful, unfair at times. She was my last tie to my daughter and for that I will be forever grateful for having her in my life.

Someday I’ll know why God’s pathway has lead me to where He wants me to be now, even amidst sorrow. For I’d rather have memories of my little Lhasa buddy than to never have had her in my life at all.  Until then, He has His arms around me, soothing me with comforting Words. All I need to do is trust and learn not pull on my leash. Trust – it’s a liberating word.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

 

 

 

“You believe whaaaat . . . ???

There have been many myths regarding nutrition; many I have already written about over the years.

My Litmus test for truth has always been, “What does God say about it?” Would God instruct us to consume anything in moderation and then say,”Whoops!” I doubt it because my God doesn’t make mistakes.

My go-to for accuracy has been the Bible. Contrary to science and some intellectuals, it holds no mistakes. The Bible declared the Earth round, a fetus has a beating heart and man lived with dinosaurs long before science had to retract their theories.

Over the past 15 years some “bad” foods have come back into acceptance again. Yet some diets still declare certain ones off-limits. For example, the Paleo diet plan claims lentils, beans & potatoes are forbidden. Silly, if God made it for food, it shouldn’t be unless you’re allergic to it.

Let’s address some nutritional fallacies you might have believed in the past.

Nuts: Yes they are loaded with calories but all foods should be eaten in moderation. Walnuts especially are helpful in reducing the bad LDL cholesterol while increasing the good which protects against heart disease.

Red Meat:  Do you know that red meat is one of the few places we can find B12, a vital nutrient in fighting fatigue and neurological damage? When given to dementia patients, most saw improvement. It also contains zinc, iron, B6 and niacin among other important elements. But choose wisely: select anything labeled “round” or “loin” as the best cuts for health. A 3 ounce serving is approximately 150 calories and 4 grams of fat which is less than dark meat chicken.

Eggs: When I first began my career in 1990, eggs were considered unhealthy. I wondered how a God who made everything good could make a mistake. Well, as I researched I discovered that eggs contained, A,D,E, B6, B12, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, zinc, iron, choline, folate, selenium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and vital amino acids among other nutrients. Does that sound like something we should avoid? Of course not, my God doesn’t make mistakes!

Chocolate: Any food becomes fattening when we lose control and overindulge but chocolate has gotten a bad wrap. It’s like giving a child a bunch of crayons and when he draws on the walls, blames the wall. Use common sense and set up boundaries. An ounce or two of dark chocolate chips or two Hershey Kisses won’t destroy your health plan. Losing control does and that’s a counseling challenge!

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”   (James 1:14)

Chocolate contains many vital nutrients such as magnesium, iron,  selenium,  and  phenylethylamine which actually affects weight management, stimulates the nervous system and assists in digestion aid. It also of course emits the same emotion as love. When God told us to consume every green plant and tree in the garden, it didn’t surprise me to discover that the cocoa bean comes from a tree.

Pizza:  A good source of calcium and iron if you make your own with limited cheese and plenty of mushrooms, peppers, black olives, etc.. Pizza can be fattening if one consumes an overabundance of sausage, pepperoni, and 80% hamburger. However if you order one with Canadian bacon and pineapple why not enjoy a couple slices?  BBQ chicken is excellent too.

Shrimp: “Too much cholesterol,” they cry! It might surprise you to discover that the cholesterol in shrimp works to increase the good HDL while lowering the bad LDL type. Over the years, similar revelations were found with butter, coconut oil and nut butters.

Anything is fine in moderation (1 Corinthians 10:23) so choose wisely and enjoy God’s Bounty!

Make Your Weight Loss Goals Foundationally Sound

It’s the middle of summer and once-determined dieters are falling by the wayside every day. Why? Because they’ve had their cruise, wedding, vacation, class/family reunion or other event and their goal for losing weight has ended. Now they are creeping back toward their unhealthy habits and wondering what went wrong. It’s a common occurrence.

It’s important to unmask the primary emotional and psychological reasons why one eats uncontrollably or the underlying challenge returns. Until someone asks, “Why am I doing this?” they fail to recognize the true problem. It’s like slathering paint over moldy dry wall hoping for new results.

The “why” of your goal is the foundational question. One needs a personally capable, strong foundation and an honest evaluation to complete any weight loss program successfully. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to have a goal and many want to lose for a special event. Keep in mind , those are temporary, however. When the event is over, so is the motivation. Real change is a forever desire. Don’t you always want to feel vibrant and healthy?

Many build their diet on false physiological concepts. The diet plan sounds good but are only half-truths with no strong scientific and metabolic truth. These diet programs are the equivalent of  sandy foundations.

Those who seek them are the ones who follow the latest fad because they’ve already tried everything else: the Cabbage Soup, Atkins, Cottage Cheese, fruit or Rice Diet, liquids, magic pills, even in my opinion, the Paleo Diet. These come and go, popular one day, out-of-fashion the next. No one can remain on them forever because they aren’t foundationally sound. The body rebels due to an unbalanced chemical need. These diets wash away with the sands of time as quickly as they come, until the next sand castle concept.

Why are they false? Because these diet plans do not hold to absolute physiological Truth. What if I told someone he could jump off a 50 story building and he’d fly simply by flapping his arms? It ain’t gonna happen! But false diet gurus are professing exactly that crazy mentality and people buy into it. “Lose ten pounds of fat in ten days!” Sorry, physiologically not true!

A firm foundation will stand the test of time: the Mediterranean, DASH and Volumetrics. All of these are built solidly on the rock of physiological truth and nutritional balance so it doesn’t topple your metabolic dwelling.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  (Matthew 7: 24-27)

The bottom line however is that many factors contribute to success or failure. Apathy, discouragement, boredom, peer pressure, family distractions . . . all influence decisions. Know what triggers yours. Continue to strive for health because God desires excellence from us . . . in all we do, especially our dietary habits. We control what goes into our bodies, so if we choose to self-destruct, that’s a psychological issue. Figure out why.

Become your best self for Him for he sacrificed all for us.

The Importance of Sleep, Heavenly Sleep

 “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”  (Psalm 127:2)

Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance who worked shift work, had too many activities to sleep, or joked, “Well, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”  First of all that’s bad theology and second, they didn’t recognize the importance of sleep!  Sleep is essential for life’s regeneration and for renewed mental health and weight control.

Even God insisted on rest: Genesis 2:2. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”  A God of Balance, right?

In this high-tech world of computers, Kindles, iPods and cell phones, if we didn’t recharge our battery-operated devices every so often, they would eventually run out of steam.  Same with our physiological electrical systems as well.  In order to work properly, our bodies need recharging and sleep is how we do it. Sleep boosts our immune system, reduces stress and restores energy levels.

Our pineal gland, located in our brain, releases the hormone melatonin which monitors our sleep cycle. As we get older, our hormone levels and other systems start to decline. Thank Adam and Eve for that.

When one can’t sleep, it creates stress. We tend to toss and turn and our minds can’t relax! This produces physiological changes, increasing the risk of heart disease and a weakened immune system.

For sleep, we can take melatonin supplements but I recommend them only for a short amount of time, 1-2 weeks. Here’s why:  Current research is professing that if the body is receiving hormones from pills, medication and supplements, the body will stop creating its own hormone and begin to rely on outside sources. So be cautious about using any hormonal supplement for too long a period.

Some foods naturally contain melatonin so  I would highly recommend getting your supplementation naturally.  Melatonin is an amazing hormone and isn’t simply for sleep. It’s powerful benefits include antioxidants, cancer & heart disease fighters as well as anti-aging properties.

Here a list of nutritious foods to incorporate into your diet to get a good night’s sleep:

1. Cherries! It’s cherry season and this wonderfully delicious fruit contains a great deal of natural melatonin. Try consuming a handful of cherries about an hour before bedtime.
2. Having a small bowl of magnesium rich cereal has been known to help some people fall asleep at night.
3. Tryptophan,a calming amino acid found in milk and turkey, is a solution too.
4. Black and other beans, bananas, dark green vegetables contain a lot of magnesium which relaxes the body.
5. Salmon, (also chicken, wheat bran, peanuts, apricots)  helps convert vitamins B3 and B6 ( found in bananas, rice, shrimp, carrots) into melatonin.
6. Add oats, sweet corn, tomatoes, barley, chicken broth, avocados to your diet.
7. Herbs like lavender, lemon balm, juniper or passion-flower will produce a soothing relaxation to your bath water.
8. Having a cup of chamomile or Sleepy Time tea in the evening has seen results as well.

Sometimes our bodies can’t rest because we have too much on our minds. So have a piece of paper beside the bed, write down your anxious thoughts and get to them in the morning!

Best of all, when you can’t rest; pray, count your blessings or sing a hymn in your head and it’s amazing how quickly you’ll fall under His protection and sleep like a baby!

What in the World is Metabolic Syndrome???

If your doctor ever told you had metabolic syndrome, you probably wondered what that means. The term metabolize is simply how your body processes calories for energy. But what is metabolic syndrome? Is it good or bad? If diagnosed with it, you might be wondering, how did I get it and what can I do about it?

Let me provide a simple illustration to help you understand this term:

Have you ever seen dominos set up in intricate patterns before? Think about how those dominos line up and then fall after the first domino is pushed over.

Now relate the domino effect to health because it’s similar to how metabolic syndrome works. Many factors are involved in creating this pattern.

For example, the first domino could represent insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone which regulates blood sugar. Insulin resistance is the term for insulin’s failure to be utilized (metabolized) properly. This can eventually lead to diabetic challenges, diabetes produces nerve damage, nerve damage leads to stress, stress to weight gain, which creates heart disease and on and on. One health challenge advances to many others.

This exact pattern can be applied to those who continually eat fattening foods, creating plaque which hardens and narrows arteries, which then creates extra stress on the heart, causing heart palpitations, chest pains and eventually heart attacks.

“Scary stuff. Okay, I’m in – how can I change my risk pattern?”

If you truly want to see improvement, change your lifestyle. Only you can do that; and only if you’re ready! As much as I want you to be healthy, you must want it more!

Metabolic syndrome is usually linked to obesity s0 improve your eating habits.Begin today to clean up your menu with more fibrous whole foods which will escort toxins and bad cholesterol out of your system. No need to suffer. Eat sensibly and balanced. (Avoid quick-fix, fad diets!!!) Add flavor with healthy herbs and spices instead of fat.

Do you consume many fast-food meals, donuts, and fatty meats like cold cuts or sausage? How about processed snacks like potato chips, Twinkies, or Cheez Doodles? STOP! This raises dangerous LDL cholesterol levels.

“LDL? HDL? What??? It’s Greek to me!”

Good cholesterol, HDL, (healthy) protects the heart and blood test results should be over 60mg/dl. (LDL (lousy) should be kept low. Strive for 130-150 mg/dl in a real world. Triglycerides are the blood fat levels created by consuming donuts, pies and other sugary snacks.

High blood sugar insulin is usually a sign of early diabetes. I’ve lowered many a diabetic patient’s levels simply by increasing their high fiber food intake; whole grains, beans, cruciferous vegetables, legumes, sweet potatoes . . . Still on the Adkins or Paleo Diet? Get. Off. It!

Another change I’d recommend is to incorporate sufficient exercise into your lifestyle. Finding exercises that are enjoyable to you is essential: dancing, swimming, tennis, walking, badminton, etc. If you get your children involved, the entire family benefits.

With each fall of a domino your risk of Metabolic Syndrome increases. I’d rather not play Russian roulette with my health and highly endorse the pure enjoyment of a high-energy lifestyle. Sure, sometimes there’s a genetic factor involved but don’t get discouraged. I inherited my mother’s osteoporosis and father’s familial cholesterol. Therefore I take medication, but also fight to be healthier with weight bearing exercises, avoiding dangerous fats while consuming a balanced Mediterranean diet.

“I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.” (Psalm 139:14  HSV)

Your life, your choices. Please choose an abundant life!

Should We Expect Rewards for Bad Behavior?

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”  (1 Corinthians 9:27)

I haven’t posted about our pup, “Mr. No-no” in a while. How quickly times flies. He’s 17 months now and still mischievous. Honestly though, he’s so gosh-darn-fluffy-cute & affectionate, I can’t stay angry at him long.

Unfortunately I must be more stubborn than the pooch or I’d have a very spoiled dog and no one likes that. He gets away with some bad behavior occasionally, but mostly he’s a  joy to be around, sweet but challenging.

In spite of all the toys he has to play with, we’ll still catch him chewing on the edge of our carpet. We know he realizes right from wrong because as soon as I gasp at what he’s doing, he’ll run into his crate and give himself a “time-out” and look absolutely  sorrowful for what he’s done.

Or is perhaps the real reason he’s miserable, is because he got caught?!

How like unruly pooches we are too. Many of my patients were extremely sorry after consuming all those chemically-based, fattening foods which evolved into heart disease or diabetes. But were they really  (???) . . . or was it the fact that their behavior caught up with them and they had to face the consequences of their actions which caused the sorrow?

Everyone realizes that choosing unhealthy foods MOST of the time isn’t good for us – that’s a “duh” statement. But we do it anyway, don’t we? It’s the main reason I enjoy counseling because getting to the root of  why we self-destruct with foods must come first.

Our American diet has become so unhealthy: Breakfast of bacon, 3 egg cheese omelette, hash browns, buttered toast followed by fast-food double cheeseburgers, French fries and shake for lunch. Then for dinner fried chicken and a “diet” coke. (Or the equivalent daily.)

Recently we were visiting at someone’s house and our dog kept jumping up, demanding a treat. I asked the friend not to give it to him unless he sat first. The man laughed, shook his head and stated, “Oh that’s okay, he’s just a puppy.” and promptly gave Mr. “No-no” a treat. So what did our dog learn? That jumping is acceptable and you’ll be rewarded if you keep it up.

That’s so contrary to Scripture. What if God laughed at our ungodly behavior and smirked, “Well, that’s just Fred. He’s a new Christian. Here’s a treat . . .”

No! Actions have consequences. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)  Or as we say in today’s terms, “Garbage in, garbage out.” God stated anything is permissible. but not everything is constructive. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Sure consuming BBQ ribs, fries, milkshakes, steaks, etc. is permissible. Simply eat less and balance  nutrients out. Personally I avoid most fattening foods because fat actually coats the tongue which prevents us from really tasting our food. Therefore we eat more, trying to derive more flavor. That first bite of ice cream or donut might taste fantastic but after a while, we don’t reap as much enjoyment because our taste buds are covered.

80% of the time choose healthy nutritious foods. What God created in Genesis 1:29 and 9:3, He preferred us to eat. He provided us with excellent and varied choices for our best metabolic function. We should always attempt to honor God with our lifestyle and diet. If we abuse our bodies, remember it was our choice.

Discipline your body! Don’t create an idol out of food, because actions always have consequences.