Categories
Spiritual Health

3 Ways That God Will Answer Your Prayers

In Your Health & Life


 
There is a lot of misconceptions about being “faith-based” and using words like ‘surrender’ to convey the mission of what we need to do in order to achieve the health of dreams and purpose of this life.  
 
To someone that is new or perhaps skeptical of the Christian Faith, they might think that PRAYING for better health is rather naive or even lazy.  
 
The world would have us believe that work ethic is the only way to truly achieve.  It’s all about the #hustle mentality and not wasting any time praying to “some God that won’t give us what we want anyway.”  Prayer would seem like a wasted effort. 
 
On the other hand, some of the skeptics do have a point. Many times people do confuse prayer with action. Christians will get stuck in a period where they are praying and “waiting on God,” when in reality, God is waiting on them to get up and do something!  
 
God cannot drive a parked car, and He will not be able to grant you your greatest desires for your health while you’re sitting on the couch multitasking watching TV and scrolling through your phone.
 
Matthew 7:7 in the Amplified Bible I think illustrates what we are to do perfectly.  
 

“Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.” 

 
True prayer is actually all three of these actions. 
 

ASK —>  SEEK —> KNOCK

 
And because God is such a faithful, loving, and merciful God, you can confidently expect that He will fulfill the promise of this verse (and thousands more) that tell us He WILL answer our prayers.  
 
 

There are 3 ways that  God will answer your prayer in your Health. 
 

1. QUICKLY AND MIRACULOUSLY:

Especially early in our Faith, there are signs and wonders all around of God performing amazing miracles for our health and otherwise. 
 
The simple act of trusting and believing in God enough to pray for specific things in your life is an act of Faith that God will reward!  These can be things like healing that nagging back injury or knee pain, people doing random acts of kindness to help you, or providing you with opportunity you never would have been able to afford on your own.  
 
As we saw in the life of Jesus, He is a compassionate and loving God.  He absolutely can and is willing to heal you of your pain if you are willing to bring it to Him.  No one ever received a healing or blessing from Jesus that did not do their part in asking or willingness to receive it.   Often, God performs miracles to simply initiate and grow our Faith too.  
 
BELIEVE in this kind of love.  With your whole heart and ask away!
 
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  Mark 11:24
 

2. SLOWLY AND INTENTIONALLY:  

More often, God wants to not only give you the desires of your heart, but give you those things that you haven’t thought of yet.  Character values like humility, patience, and dependency on God all come through the slow processes of God’s fulfillment.  It can also make you enjoy, and not take for granted, the success you will ultimately see.
 
As much as we would love God to be as “on-demand” as the rest of our life is, that is not how God operates. Everything He does is in perfect timing and for HIS glory, not ours.  When we submit to His ways, they are not only good for our life, but good for those around us.  
 
I love the quote from Rick Warren that says, "While you’re working on your problem, God is working on you.”  
 
Another great one by author Elisabeth Elliot: “God doesn’t make the moves for us, He provides the means to discipline.”  
 
Learning DISCIPLINE is required for you to become a DISCIPLE.  God has greater plans for you than just your health, happiness and well being.  He wants your life to be “a light that shines before others, that when they see your good deeds, they glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matt 5:16) 
 
Now, is this process painful at times?  Yes.  But does God make you suffer the entire time?  No.  
 
Of course learning patience is never easy, but He gives you all of His power and fruits of the Spirit that make the surrendered journey one worth taking.  
 
JOY is a choice, and it will be up to you whether you grumble through your process or smile.  
 

3. PURPOSEFULLY AND PEACEFULLY:

Some prayers will go unanswered, as far as our specific requests go.  This is the painful truth, and I know you may have some of these where you’re wondering if you are still waiting for your process to go through or if it’s just never gonna happen.  
 
Paul tried to make sense of a prayer to remove what he called “the thorn in his flesh” that he tells us about in the 2nd letter to the Corinthians. 
 
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 
 "7Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
 
We can see that Paul came to grips with the fact that any human weakness he had to endure in life was for his Spiritual strength.  Jesus’ “power is made perfect in weakness,” and there are some things that will keep us humble with loving intention behind it.   We must choose to trust God in these unanswered prayers.
 
Know, however, even if God does not give you the answer you seek, He will offer you His PEACE with it.  That is for certain.  Just as we see that Paul was writing from a position of peace  and even joy over his troubles, you too will find peace and joy in life in spite of unanswered prayers.  They are a gift you must be willing to receive. 
 
Remember, though God may close one door, He will open another.  And if He closes that door, He will open a window.  Have no fear that you will suffer greatly under the power of God's love.  Know that any suffering you do endure will "never be greater than you can bear" and will be rewarded in heaven! 
 
 
I pray that God will use these 3 truths of how God will answer your prayers to encourage you today.  I hope you feel encouraged to pray bold prayers with confident faith!  I also hope that you are willing to do your part in learning the lessons God has desired you to learn to become the woman (or man) that God has designed you to be.  Take all steps with Faith knowing how deeply and perfectly loved and accepted you are. 
 
 

Grab Your Free Nutrient Guide Today!

Ready to SUPERCHARGE your nutrition in 2017?  

Get this FREE guide of the TOP 10 NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FOR LESS CALORIES.  

Studies are showing that some of the most common weight loss diets are also the least nutrient sufficient in the vital vitamins and minerals!  Other studies also show that multivitamins are NOT the answer, as huge metadata results indicate they are associated with higher mortality rates!

My FREE guide not only gives you where to find these most common deficient vitamins and minerals, but also gives you the serving size and nutrition data to help you get the least amount of calories per food choice!  

I even put all the information together into 2 days of menus that ensures you can get all the vitamins and minerals for UNDER 1700 calories!

Categories
Food & Nutrition

4 METABOLIC CLUES THAT YOUR NUTRITION IS WORKING FOR YOU

And what to do if it’s not…

 
 
 
When it comes to Nutrition, we all know that the #1 way to “officially” tell if your nutrition is working for you is IF you see the results that you desire, whether be it fat loss, weight loss, muscle gain, greater energy etc.  
 
However, as a Nutrition coach, I often have to help my clients curb their desire to “see results at all costs” in order to see their METABOLIC symptoms are in tip-top shape FIRST and foremost.  
 
The reason why these metabolic factors are so imperative is that they will help you not only see the results you desire, but help you KEEP the results that you get.  
 
Going about things with the “dieter's mentality” of cutting calories and increasing exercises to the greatest lengths your willpower can muster might get you quick results, but those results almost always will come right on back to square one, and your metabolism will take a hit when it happens.  
 
As they say, slow and steady wins the race and these 4 metabolic symptoms are how I coach all my clients to monitor their metabolism to ensure that they are BOOSTING their metabolism while going after some body or composition changes. 
 
And, by the way, don’t just take my word for it, I received these great ideas from the genius platforms of Dr. Jade Teta, of Metabolic Effect as well as Dr. Brooke Kalanick of Girls Gone Strong. 
 
So, as you are implementing your nutrition plan, whether it be something like my Nutrient Based Eating program or something else you’re trying, there are 4 MAJOR SYMPTOMS that help indicate that your metabolism is in “check” as Dr. Jade would say. 

 

The acronym I use is H.E.C.D. 

 
 

1. HUNGER:  

You should be experiencing hunger about every 3-5 hours during the day and should be able to go over an extended period of time, I recommend 12-hours, at night without eating.  

 
If you are NOT experiencing this regulated hunger, there might be a couple things going on.  
 
First, you could simply be used to going without eating and your body adapted to this circadian rhythm.  While intermittent fasting has certainly shown to work for some people, it doesn’t mean you should stick with that for ever. In fact, changing up you meal timing might be a way to get a nice metabolic boost!   Maybe for a season, you would try eating from 8am to 8pm.  Give your body time to adjust, and see if you don’t get more regulated hunger.  
 
If you are hungry ALL the time, this is a sign that your hunger hormones might be a little off.  You would want to play around with meal sizes.  Are you getting real meals, or are you snacking?  Are you getting enough water, protein, and fiber from whole sources? Those are the places to start there. 
 

2. ENERGY:  

Your food should serve as FUEL and give you a subtle rush of energy.  You should experience normal energy highs and lows according to your Circadian Rhythms.  Most people peak at 10am, for example.  With your food, you want to feel energized more and less lethargic and sleepy. 

 
If you are off in your sleeping habits and energy, this is an indicator that your hormones may be off as well.  Investigating adrenal symptoms with this article might be good.  
 
If you always feel tired after eating, you need to play around with your food choices and perhaps quantity too.  Sugar and high glycemic foods will always give you a “rush” of energy and then a crash shortly thereafter.  But a protein rich, vegetable, and smaller portion of starchy complex carbohydrates (a la NBE) might be a great combination to get a nice boost!   
 
It should be noted, that non-nutrition related factors like movement, exercise, and stress will also impact this symptom as well!  
 

3. CRAVINGS:  

While you’ll never fully get rid of you desire for sugar in some ways, whether it be the sweet form or the fried and crunchy form, but your cravings should be minimized and manageable.  If your nutrition meets all your needs, your cravings should be reduced.  

 
It should be first observed that many people will mistake cravings for hunger, which makes this symptom trickier to diagnose.  (See note below.)
 
But if you have super high cravings, this might be a sign you’ve cut your diet too drastically.  If you eliminated all sugar, all alcohol, and all processed foods and are trying to white knuckle it on a low-carb vegetable and protein diet or supplement resources, well, this plan is not going to be sustainable.  
 
Sure, cutting DOWN on sugar, alcohol, and processed foods is 100% the way to boost your metabolism and see fat loss.  But you simply need to be mindful of how MUCH you are cutting all at once. 
 
I recommend you focus on taking the “Next Best Step” approach to a nutrition habit.  Just make ONE change and monitor that you are consistent with that change at least 80% of the time (so not even perfectly!).  Stick with this ONE habit for at least 2-weeks as assess whether you’re ready to add on another habit in addition, or stick with this consistency of this habit for another two-weeks.  
 
Realistically, it will take some of the more challenging habits a full 63-days for you to implement consistently before that habit becomes automated. 
 
 
 

Hunger vs. Cravings

HUNGER vs. CRAVINGS: (see also my previous post HERE)

  • True body hunger is something you feel in your body as a slowly building sensation from your body or belly.
  • A craving is something you sense primarily in your mouth and brain.  You just “feel” like eating something sweet.  Your mouth waters, you see something right in front of you, or something just “popped into your head” and you decide you want it.  
  • Cravings are created from biochemical habit loops in our brain.  The sugar, fat, salt, or alcohol craving is something that our brain once enjoyed because it came with a host of “happy” neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. This is what makes them addictive, but not absolute. 

4. DIGESTION:  

Your nutrition should allow you to have a daily bowel movement and proper digestion of food.  
 
If you are not experiencing a daily BM or have pain or discomfort there a few things to consider.  
 
One, you can expect that eating more vegetables will give you some bloating and gas while your body helps build up more digestive enzymes to help break them down.  You can aid in this process by taking a supplemental form of digestive enzymes or taking HCl, which is what stomach acid consists of. This usually helps. 
 
Digestion issues may also be an indicator of not getting enough foods with the “good bacteria.”  You can eat foods with more pre- and probiotic content, things like fermented sauerkraut, some yogurts, and kefir.  Or, invest is a high quality supplemental probiotic too. 
 
Overall, fiber content is incredibly important.  You will get the most fiber from whole food sources like vegetables, some fruits, and whole grains.  Women should shoot for 25+ grams per day broken up throughout the day.  

Grab Your Free Nutrient Guide Today!

Ready to SUPERCHARGE your nutrition in 2017?  

Get this FREE guide of the TOP 10 NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FOR LESS CALORIES.  

Studies are showing that some of the most common weight loss diets are also the least nutrient sufficient in the vital vitamins and minerals!  Other studies also show that multivitamins are NOT the answer, as huge metadata results indicate they are associated with higher mortality rates!

My FREE guide not only gives you where to find these most common deficient vitamins and minerals, but also gives you the serving size and nutrition data to help you get the least amount of calories per food choice!  

I even put all the information together into 2 days of menus that ensures you can get all the vitamins and minerals for UNDER 1700 calories!

Categories
Food & Nutrition

Overcoming The Top 10 Nutrient Deficiencies

And Still Focus On Fat Loss…

Getting the right nutrients in your diet is essential. If you don’t you could experience various side effects depending on which nutrients you’re lacking. Now, there are lots of nutrients you need to ensure you’re consuming so it can be hard to tell which you aren’t getting enough of by yourself. Thankfully, there are tests from companies like Medicross that will tell you which you’re missing out on. Take a look on simon-adventures.com to find out more. It’s been found that people who go on diets will often be lacking the most nutrients in their diet.

How’s this for a statistic? “Analysis of the three popular diets (The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet, and the DASH Diet) found that an average calorie intake of 27,575 ± 4660.72 kcal would be required to achieve sufficiency in all 27 micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).” -Journal of Integrative Sports Nutrition, study conducted by Jayson B. Calton, 2010.

Whoa!

Before you make any changes to your eating as part of a New Year health goal, let’s talk through what real HEALTH requires from your eating and where to find what you need to be healthy! (HINT: this blog comes with a FREE printable download with all the information you’ll need).

3 MAJOR ISSUES WE ARE SEEING WITH WEIGHT LOSS NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENTS:

1. COMMON WEIGHT LOSS DIETS HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO BE ANYTHING BUT TRULY “HEALTHY”:

For the last several decades, we have seen a whirlwind of diet crazes take over society. These diets have largely only been focused on adjusting MACRONUTRIENTS as a way to lower overall calories and lose weight. When I was growing up, everything was “low fat” as I followed whatever Oprah Winfrey was talking about! Then, shortly after came the “low carb” diets which seemed to help people a lot more. The Atkins diet and the South Beach diet were diet book sensations that we’ve not witnessed since. Now, in this day and age, we see some modifications to the low carb diets with the wave of Paleo style eating all the rave. If you want to lose weight via the Paleo style, make sure you do your research before committing to it. Websites like paleosafe.org can give you a great overview of some of the key factors about the Paleo diet that can help you be better informed. As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I can assure you with 100% certainty, that there are over a dozen different ways that you can lose weight. You can probably lose weight with all 3 of the options I listed above! Focusing on your macronutrients is important so you can find the right balance of eating that gives you the right kinds of energy and helps you lose excess weight or unwanted body fat.

But, what we often confuse in this society today is the difference between being at a “healthy weight” and being truly “healthy.”

The first requires that you focus on ways to reduce your overall calories. Omitting complete macronutrient groups, such as carbs and fat, are certainly effective in this way, but is it really healthy? But being TRULY health means that you need to focus not only on what helps you maintain a health weight, but also what gives you boosted energy, a strong immunity and resistance to sickness and disease, and the quality of life that you not only desire, but deserve from this life. Yes, as a Faith-based health coach, I know that God has created you on purpose and for a purpose. And whatever that purpose is in your life will require the help of a thriving body, your high functioning brain, and your longevity. So, when we’re talking about making changes in your health, you can’t just concern yourself with MACRONUTRIENTS. We need to make room for the MICRONUTRIENTS as well, i.e. the vitamins and minerals. While I won’t get into all the details here and now, the information I am going to give you below has all the vital vitamins and minerals listed and described, as well Daily Recommended Values (DRI’s) for women to get per day. What I found simply astonishing from the study conducted by Jayson B. Calton (referenced above) was just how deficient these incredibly common these popular “weight loss” diets were in the VITALLY important vitamins and minerals that keep a body running efficiently and effectively! You can’t afford to eat 27,000 calories per day, but you also can’t afford to be so deficient in the vitamins and minerals you need to live well!

2. MULTIVITAMINS ARE NOT YOUR ANSWER EITHER:

Well, I know that the majority of you might be thinking, “Well, I’m good, I take my multivitamin every day!” You would be among the rest of the 50% of society who is with you, but unfortunately, you might be wasting your money. Studies are also showing that the supplemental form of these vitamins and minerals are not effective as they should be and could very well be doing more HARM than good. Studies (and here) of over 400,000 participants showed that those who took a multivitamin every day actually had an increased rate of mortality! Even if it’s not at risk for death, you might be at risk for reaching toxic upper levels which can harm you too and make the vitamins less effective, much like antibiotic resistance. Other studies reveal that when vitamins and minerals are taken out of the foods, or worse yet, chemically manufactured, they are not absorbed by the body effectively. It is the synergy of the vitamin and mineral in conjunction with other vitamins and substances naturally present in food that makes them bioavailable to be effectively absorbed in the gut lining of your small intestine, predominantly. There is not as much regulation over supplements, including vitamins and minerals, since the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) does NOT fully monitor the now nearly $50 BILLION (!!) supplement industry. Worse yet, Consumer Reports went on the record to show as of 2009 the FDA had never once surveyed the China ingredient factories, where the bulk of the ingredients come from that go into our supplements in the US. Vitamins, minerals and supplements are now well known to have traces of metals, like lead, that can prove to be toxic and life threatening at certain amounts.

How To Supplement the Smart Way:

The SMART way to supplement is to:

  • Only take those vitamins and minerals that you have been tested as deficient in, you can self test somewhat effectively, but for your best bet have your doctor check at your annual check-up.
  • If you are a special group such as vegetarian or vegan, you would want to take Vitamin B12, for example. If you live in a cold, drab city, you may need to take Vitamin D during the winter months, etc. If you are pregnant, it is recommended that you ensure you get enough folic acid for fetal development.
  • Choose whole food sources of supplements. Enquire into some good resources and be prepared that these whole food sources are going to be more expensive, but worth it.
  • Always remember to do plenty of research into the health and wellbeing supplements that interest you. For example, if you are considering using kratom, then researching common questions such as ‘where to buy kratom online?‘ and ‘what are the potential benefits of using kratom?’ can help you to work out whether this supplement might be right for you. Moreover, in case you were not already aware, kratom is a herbal extract that comes from the leaves of an evergreen tree (Mitragyna speciosa) grown in Southeast Asia. Accordingly, it is often used as a treatment for muscle pain, or to suppress appetite and stop cramps and diarrhea.

3. FIND WAYS TO GET WHOLE FOOD SOURCES OF MICRONUTRIENTS AND STILL FOCUS ON FAT OR WEIGHT LOSS:

So, you’re getting the picture that by cutting out whole food groups and macronutrients might help you lose weight but not make you HEALTHY… and a multivitamin isn’t the risk worth taking either!

So we see that, WHOLE, REAL foods are the answer to this problem.

But as you are thinking about that, you are probably also thinking about a number of challenges.

  • It’s a challenge to know what foods to get these vitamins and minerals from.
  • It’s a challenge to how much of each food you should eat to get the right amount for you.
  • It’s a challenge to ensure that when you attempt to eat these foods, you aren’t overly consuming calories that would cause you to gain weight!

WELL, I HAVE A SOLUTION!!


I have done the work of putting together the list of the TOP 10 MOST COMMON NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. You can download this HERE.

The reason why I focused on the nutrient deficiencies is I want to encourage you that if you live in a modern city and have access to and eat a couple servings of vegetables and fruit per day, you are not likely too deficient in some of the more prevalent vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, etc.

The Top 10 Nutrient Deficiencies that I found were:

Vitamin D (95% deficient)
Vitamin E (86% deficient)
Calcium (75% deficient)
Iodine (74% deficient)
Magnesium (68% deficient)
Iron (34% deficient)
Vitamin A (34% deficient)
Zinc (25% deficient)
Folate (25% deficient)
Omega-3 (96,000 deaths per year in US related to deficiency)

The good thing about this FREE Nutrient Deficiency packet is you will learn not only how much you need of each of these common deficiencies, but what foods you can find them in, how much of each food you need to eat to get the RDI, AND how many calories, fat, carbs and protein grams you’ll be ingesting to reach those levels!

So, for example, when it comes to getting recommended daily intake of Vitamin 5, you can ingest either:

1 Tbs of Wheat Germ Oil (at 120 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 0 grams of protein, carbs, and fiber) OR
2 oz of Sunflower Seeds (at 170 calories, 15 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein 6, grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber) OR
10 Tbs of peanut butter (at 950 calories, 80 grams of fat, 35 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of fiber).

You can see there is a wide variety of foods with a wide effect on your health because of the number of calories, and macronutrient breakdown!

To put it all together for you, I also have included 2 sample days that build all this information into a MEAL PLAN that would allow you to reach all your nutrient sufficiency, but to also stay under 1700 calories per day!

GET YOUR FREE “TOP 10 NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FOR LESS CALORIES” DOWNLOAD HERE.


When you are done reviewing this information, comment below and tell me what you learned, what you like and what you don’t like about this knowledge! I’ll respond to all comments and carry on this conversation!

Here’s to your health and heart in 2017!

Ready to up your nutrition & spiritual discipline in the New Year?

Join the A. Wright Fit Daniel Challenge, a 6-week Nutrition & Discipline course and Bible study that starts on January 9!

This course is a small-group format of like-minded women who are ready for FOOD FREEDOM in 2017!

As a group, we will be challenging ourselves to a 7 to 21-day Daniel Fast for the first 3-weeks of the course and then transitioning into the Nutrient Based Eating program, the signature nutrition program of Certified Nutrition coach, Amanda Wright!

Every week, we will also be meeting online for a small-group Bible study all on Spiritual Discipline! We will dive into the Biblical principles of becoming more disciplined in the areas of: prayer, time management, health and exercise, organization, finances, and our emotions! This group will be on Zoom every week and you will be given a daily Bible study format to follow!

If you are interested in learning more or purchasing the program, you can visit this link HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to reach Amanda directly at amanda@amandawrightfit.com.

Categories
Spiritual Health

The Discipline of Shame Resiliency and Other Emotions

Last week I shared with you openly about some shame memories I had been experiencing after listening a great audio book by Brene Brown called, “Men, Women and Worthiness.” 

So many of you responded back to me that you have experienced similar stories of feeling ashamed too, whether from being caught binge eating yourself, or shamed for your athleticism (or lack thereof), or shamed for your body. We all know it doesn’t take much to feel shame in our world.  

All it takes is the devil twisting the words of someone close to you to make you start telling yourself, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m bad.” It’s never about feeling guilty for bad behavior, it’s about feeling inadequate as a person.  

But, as I shared in my reflection, these stories of our past and odd memories that pop-up I believe are gifts from God.They serve as teachers to help us rewire the TRUTH of who we are through Christ.  

Brene Brown calls this “shame resiliency,” it’s all about rising above the shame-based thoughts.   She points out that resilience is the only win here, because there is no such thing as shame resistance. Our human, sinful nature and others impacting us will always keep feelings of shame knocking on our door.  

But practicing resilience, through the power of vulnerability and being willing to open up these stories to God and others who can help, will make us stronger and wiser for it.  Avoidance simply keeps us spinning.  

So, naturally, I can’t just leave my story there.  I can’t just say, “Well, I learned my lesson that one time and that was that! Problem solved.”   

If only it were that easy.  No, we have to find a way to continue to practice shame resiliency, which is really all about practicing emotional discipline.    

I hadn’t thought about our emotions as something we need to actually discipline in our lives until I started creating the 6-week Bible Study on Spiritual Discipline that begins January 9 (there’s still room to join, if you’re interested, click here).  

Becoming shame resilient is actually a discipline that you need to practice in order to be emotionally mature and stable.  

Emotional stability is so incredibly important to your purpose and call from God.  If you fall prey to the whims of your fleeting feelings, you will be prey to the distractions that keep us from your destiny.  

So, I wanted to open up the discussion of what it means to be emotionally disciplined and 3 things you will need to ask yourself regularly to start putting this discipline into practice.  

First,  being disciplined in your feelings is not being a disciplinarian it’s about being discerning.  

It’s not about invoking your inner critic to “stop feeling so much” in an effort to make you more stoic, logical, or controlling.  

Nothing could be further from what God desires for you.  The very fruits of the Spirit are ripe with emotion! You can’t experience the fullness of your Spiritual self without emotion. 

Now, I understand why we do this.  We think we can force a feeling, but we can’t.  

And when we realize we can’t force a feeling we think our only other choice is to “shut down” or “numb” our feelings with things like food, alcohol, drugs, or the thrills of chasing things like “success” or devious behaviors. 

All of this is self-protection from that monster in our mind.  

Rather, being emotionally disciplined is all about your discernment.  

It’s not about trying to change or judge your feelings but simply recognizing your feelings and discerning if they are based in truth or in fear.  

You need to ask yourself 4 basic questions with the help of the Holy Spirit:

Q1:  WHAT AM I FEELING RIGHT NOW?  

We all need validation, even self-validation, and identifying the exact feeling helps pinpoint that.  (Note: tired and hungry are NOT emotions, contrary to what every man thinks, so expand on that with feelings like: embarrassed, humiliated, scared, angry, bitter, resentful, jealous, anxious, feeling inadequate, etc.)

Q2.  WHAT EXACTLY AM I THINKING RIGHT NOW?

Our own thoughts create our feelings, not other people or circumstances.  So get quiet, breathe deep, and write down the actual thoughts racing through your mind.  

Q3.  ARE THESE THOUGHTS TRUE?

You will need to use the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit within you to test your thoughts against the Truth of who God is.  Your feelings are always valid, but the thoughts you are believing could very well be lies. Test your feelings and thoughts against who you are in Christ and see if this doesn’t offer greater peace. 

Q4.  WHAT IS MY PRAYER?  

If you have time to worry about something, you have time to pray about something.  Maybe someone did really hurt you and you are struggling with that.   Well, here is your chance to surrender it to God and let Him handle changing them, because frankly, you can't even if you tried.   Pray through it and you will receive the power and peace that only God can grant you.  

Now, this is where the discipline comes in— willing to actually DO THIS stuff. 

You know what they say about change right?  You won’t change any behavior about yourself until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change.  

In other words, there is going to have to be a “come to Jesus” moment when you realize your feelings aren’t your ALLY but are much closer to your ENEMY.  

More often than not, if we are experiencing painful relationship patterns, painful work patterns, or painful health patterns, our emotions are a significant reason for our pain.  Our emotions sabotage us.  

Identifying your feelings as the culprit is incredibly hard because we often confuse our feelings with our identify.  In fact, you can get so used to your shame that it feels like it’s a part of who you are.  

I’ve heard countless people tell me, “It’s just the way I’m wired,” when in fact what they are suffering from is often in direct violation of Who God is and the image from which we came.  

So, here is where some study, accountability, and a safe place to seek some relief and resiliency might be exactly what you need in 2017.  

Like I said, we are doing a 6-week Nutrition course that corresponds with this 6-week Bible Study on Discipline.  

Buuuuuut, if you’re not interested in the nutrition course (The Daniel Challenge) but ARE interested in doing the Women’s Bible study on Discipline, that’s now an option as well! 

It will be a weekly small group meeting on Zoom where we will be watching some Pastoral videos and then having a group discussion.  Then I will also be giving you a daily devotional and Bible study to do on your own.    The discipline topics we will be tackling are:   

Prayer and Reading the Bible
Emotional Discipline
Health 
Time Management
Organization
Finances and Money

The Daniel Challenge and Nutrition Course is $97 (which includes the Bible study for free) and then Discipline Bible Study & Course by itself will be $30, just to cover the cost of the materials purchased and workbooks you’ll receive.  You can buy the Bible Study by itself here. 

I hope this insight helps you think through what emotions you need to discern into discipline this year.  I'd love you to comment and tell me the #1 emotion you think tortures you the most!  Ready, Go!

Ready to up your nutrition & spiritual discipline in the New Year?

Join the A. Wright Fit Daniel Challenge, a 6-week Nutrition & Discipline course and Bible study that starts on January 9!  

This course is a small-group format of like-minded women who are ready for FOOD FREEDOM in 2017!

As a group, we will be challenging ourselves to a 7 to 21-day Daniel Fast for the first 3-weeks of the course and then transitioning into the Nutrient Based Eating program, the signature nutrition program of Certified Nutrition coach, Amanda Wright! 

Every week, we will also be meeting online for a small-group Bible study all on Spiritual Discipline!  We will dive into the Biblical principles of becoming more disciplined in the areas of:  prayer, time management, health and exercise, organization, finances, and our emotions!   This group will be on Zoom every week and you will be given a daily Bible study format to follow!  

If you are interested in learning more or purchasing the program, you can visit this link HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to reach Amanda directly at amanda@amandawrightfit.com.  

Categories
Food & Nutrition Spiritual Health

So I’ve Been Hearing Brene Brown’s Voice in My Sleep…

So, I’ve Been Hearing Brene Brown In My Sleep…

the-voice-of-brene-brown-in-my-sleep

Well, I should say,  I've been falling asleep to my Audible app playing in my headphones as I sleep (is that dangerous?) and her book, "Men, Women and Worthiness” has been speaking to me as I drift off.  She’s an incredible author who has researched the areas of shame, vulnerability, empathy, and love for the last 15 years.

This book, and so many of the other's she's authored, triggered a memory I had that still is with me today.  It’s a story of my shame and overeating issues. 

I was in college, my Junior year maybe, and my girlfriends and I were all up at my friends' parents' beach house in Newport Beach, CA.  

Now, I don’t know what college was like for you, but college for me was a time that, in retrospect, I believe was my most insecure. I suffered from the “trifecta” of not feeling “good enough.”

Spiritually I felt a bit like a heathen and a harlot attending a private Christian school after having sown some wild oats in my high school days. 

Mentally, I felt largely inadequate as I struggled to achieve mostly B’s and some C’s in my Biochemistry major, while everyone else, who studied less than me, scored higher than me.

Then, physically, I believed I struggled the most.  I was a Colorado girl, tall, athletic, and curvy who was surrounded by a lot of SoCal girls who were beautiful, petite and small-framed.   

Naturally, due to my body insecurities during this time of my life, I was a workout queen. Sometimes taking 3 classes in a row at the local 24 Hour Fitness and training for some half and (almost) full marathons, a task that I now know does NOT fit my body type.  

My copious exercise routines, combined with the massive amount of stress of school, made me hungry like a Mrs. Pac-Man going rogue, especially on sweets. 

As we walked into the house in Newport Beach, we learned that my friend's mom had just had a birthday and there was some leftover cake…gooey, chocolatey, overly-indulgent, cake.  

Game over. 

All of us gathered around with our forks and dug in. (What’s a little sick is that I can still vividly picture this cake in my mind, a good 11 years later.) 

Naturally, with something so decadent, most of the girls stopped at a few bites. 

And I tried.  

But every time I sat down, all I could taste was chocolate and all I could think was, “Don't eat the cake, don't eat the cake..." Meanwhile all my feet and fork seemed to hear was, “Cake…cake... cake" and before I knew it, I would be up having a few more bites. Then a few more after that.

Then I heard it... 

My friend, in a failed attempt at whispering, said, "God, when is she going to stop eating that cake?"

Que the spiral of shame. 

I pretended like I didn't hear it and just sat down.  But, I was devastated.

I wonder, do you have any memory like this? 

Where someone mentioned something about your eating or your weight and it just triggered deep shame in your eating?   Maybe it was a family member? Maybe it happened in school?  Something that made you want to starve yourself and hide?

Or maybe a memory of someone making fun of your athletic ability and it forever changed your relationship with exercise? 

My guess is I bet you do. So many of us do.  

But, I bring a message of hope, because with the help of some experts like Brene Brown, and certainly with the help of the Good Lord, we can learn shame resilience and navigate out of the snare that shame can be to our mindset and emotions. 

So, how do you know if you're in shame versus guilt, humiliation, or even simple embarrassment? 

Well, Brene Brown says it all comes down to our self talk. What is that inner voice telling us when these circumstances arise?

Let's take my example to walk through it.  

If my friend’s remark had triggered some thoughts like, "Oh my goodness, she's right. I'm totally out of control right now." Or something about the behavior, then this would be considered GUILT.   

Guilt is always about, “I did something bad,” whereas shame is about “I am a bad person.” 

Brene points out that guilt, while it's not an inherently positive thing to feel all the time, is capable of helping you correct bad behavior.  

You essentially have to feel guilt and remorse if you’re ever going to change.   But the key difference is you focus on the behavior you're doing, not who you are as a person. 

Or, if on the night of my cake incident, if it has caused a self dialogue of, "I can't believe my friend just said that about me in front of all our friends! How rude is that?!" This would be a response of HUMILIATION.

It's once again focused on the behavior of the other person or the event that offended you.   

Lastly, EMBARRASSMENT could have been triggered as well had I thought something like, “Ha!  She totally got me.  I am totally going to town on this cake huh?”  It’s a more laughable, relatable feeling.  Like, “I know I’m not alone in this issue,” kind of response. 

So as you read my story out right, you might know yourself well enough to know you would likely respond in one of the other, slightly healthier ways.  And that’s the thing we all need to recognize and empathize in others, once shame is triggered, there’s no use telling someone how they *should* feel or respond, you need to move toward helping them (or ourselves) deal with the torturous shame and condemnation.  

For me, I vividly remember feeling like my friends had “found me out.” That all my dirty little secrets of being an out-of-control eater were not only out in the open, but were being judged by my closest friends at the time.   

I reiterated my self talk of always “being the fat friend,” and never being “strong enough” to control my eating.   

So, where does this lead us?  Why would I share with you a story from over 11 years ago?  Does it help anything for today?  

And my answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY.  

Because, what our past experiences help us understand is where the devil thought he had us.  You see, Satan uses shame as one of his greatest tools to get us to turn a hide from God.  

In the Garden of Eden, after Eve gave Adam the apple, what did Adam and Eve do?  

They hid.  

When Adam responded to God’s call, and said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked.  And I hid.”  (Genesis 3:10)

They were ashamed of their nakedness, and they hid.  

Sin is what first brought shame into our lives.   It has kept us bound by sin ever since. 

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Shame in our mindset serves as a stronghold.  We are not thinking clearly of what the devil is trying to do to us, we are totally consumed by the muck of our thoughts and emotions.

But, in hindsight, if we are brave and willing to address these memories, we recognize this an evil tactic and can start re-telling our mind the TRUTH of our memory. 

I had to repeat this scenario in my head and with great empathy, replay a healthier reaction based in the TRUTH of who I really am in Christ, not who the critic in my head is telling me to be. 

So, I can look back at that 21-year old self and say with certainty, “You were not fat. You were not an out of control, crazy eater.  You had a bad night and went a little too far on that cake. But it didn’t make you a unworthy, unlovable person.”   

I can in some ways offer forgiveness to myself and let myself off the hook.

I start telling myself that the choices I make DO NOT define WHO I AM.  

Only God can do that and God tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

So, sometime soon, I think it would be really helpful for you to start thinking back on some old haunting memories and correct those thoughts that you were fooled into thinking before.  Maybe journal them and pray over them. Ask God to help you seek the truth.

When you break these strongholds with the truth of who you are in Christ, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."  And when we are free, we'll be free indeed.

So, I'd love to hear from you on this one.  Sharing these vulnerable stories are always a bit tough....can you relate at all?  

Ready to up your nutrition & spiritual discipline in the New Year?

Join the A. Wright Fit Daniel Challenge, a 6-week Nutrition & Discipline course and Bible study that starts on January 9!  

This course is a small-group format of like-minded women who are ready for FOOD FREEDOM in 2017!

As a group, we will be challenging ourselves to a 7 to 21-day Daniel Fast for the first 3-weeks of the course and then transitioning into the Nutrient Based Eating program, the signature nutrition program of Certified Nutrition coach, Amanda Wright! 

Every week, we will also be meeting online for a small-group Bible study all on Spiritual Discipline!  We will dive into the Biblical principles of becoming more disciplined in the areas of:  prayer, time management, health and exercise, organization, finances, and our emotions!   This group will be on Zoom every week and you will be given a daily Bible study format to follow!  

If you are interested in learning more or purchasing the program, you can visit this link HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to reach Amanda directly at amanda@amandawrightfit.com.  

Categories
Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition

3 Simple Steps to Maintain and Not Gain This Holiday Season

Real quick, just a friendly reminder that today is the LAST DAY to save big on the A. Wright Fit Daniel Challenge!  For Cyber Monday, I'm extending my offer for this 6-Week Nutrition Course that starts in the New Year.  After tomorrow it will go back up to $97, but today, you can grab a spot for yourself or any friends in need of thoughtful and helpful gifts, for just 50% off!   Click this link to purchase and enter the coupon code: danielchallenge50.

Can't wait to see the breakthroughs that will come this New Year together!!  For more info, here's the info page. 

But, from now until then, we have a WHOLE LOTTA HOLIDAYS to get through and ideally, we want to do it without completely losing all self-control on the Christmas cookies or spiked Eggnog, #amiright? 

As I mentioned the other day, I recently lost about 7 lbs of weight and inflammation while doing just a 7-day Daniel Fast.  In spite of a glorious Thanksgiving back home in Colorado, I have maintained this weight loss and still feel SO MUCH better!  

The thing is that it is RARE to actually keep off the weight you lose, so I'm definitely brushing up my maintenance skills myself and want you to do the same! 

Over the course of being a Certified Nutrition Coach and personal trainer, I have seen time and time again that I could help HUNDREDS of clients lose 20, 40, 60 lbs of weight over several months of hard work and discipline, but I saw time and time again that MOST of my clients would GAIN BACK a significant portion of the weight they lost. 

Part of the problem was that I had put them on a "meal plan" where they would measure and count their macronutrients.  The tactic worked, as we both saw, but it didn't last because it wasn't a sustainable lifestyle!  

So, this, along with my own spiritual awakening, is what spurred me to create the Nutrient Based Eating program (which is also offered in the Daniel Challenge) AND also allowed me to transition to a more HOLISTIC approach to health changes. 

This is where the STRONG'her (body), WISE'her (mindset), SURREND'her (spirit) tag line came from.  I realized that your health HAS to this balanced approach in order to not just attain health results, but more importantly, MAINTAIN THEM once you achieve them. 

So, for this Holiday season, allow me to give you...

3 PART PLAN TO MAINTAIN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON:

1. STRONG'her TIP:   The 80% RULE

I call this the "Dating vs Married Principle" in my coaching.  Essentially, what you did to get her you're going to have to do to keep her!  But by "her" I mean, your body changes.  

You need sustain about 80% of the activity and clean eating strategies to simply MAINTAIN what you lost. 

So, if you workout 4 days a week to attain the results, you will need to still workout 3 days per week at about 80% of the intensity to maintain your results. 

If you typically eat really clean for 3 meals and have 1 treat per day to attain your results, you'll still need to eat 80% clean and maybe add in a 2nd treat to be able to maintain those results.

Now, if one week you're on real vacation and you won't have access to your regular routine, seriously don't sweat it.  Just try to keep things normal the week before and the week after and during your trip and walk a lot more and do some bodyweight workouts or yoga while away!  One week won't make a huge difference, but 40 days (between TG and New Year) will! So, set up your plan!

One really helpful tool I can give you is a simple weekly chart I call my "her Intentional Consistency."  I have all my clients write down the THINK, EAT, MOVE goals each week and check off the box when they complete it.  You can download your own copy here to help you track your own consistency.  

intentional

2. WISE'her TIP:   MANAGE YOUR "ALL OR NOTHING" THOUGHTS

The MINDSET is everything this time of year!  The truth is that you should enjoy anything that you want to eat, but STOP convincing yourself that this is the VERY LAST TIME you can have it since "it's the holidays."

It's simply not TRUE.  When you shift your thoughts away from the "FOMO" (fear of missing out) and start repeating the TRUTH that you can have whatever you want to eat and ANY TIME during the year, you realize that fear dissipates and it strengthens your self-control to enjoy SOME bites, but not the whole batch type of thing.  

So, pay attention to your thoughts in your head.  If you find yourself making excuses like,  "Well, I'll get started again in the New Year, it's just too hard to resist this time of year," then I highly suggest your correct those thoughts before you start to wear them.  

The truth is you CAN enjoy your favorite holiday treats in moderation and still eat in a balanced way the other 80% of the time.

And better yet, when you feel empowered and in control of your eating and don't see the weight gain, bloating and discomfort that comes from binge eating or drinking, then you will actually ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS more!  

Why don't you test it out and see?!

 

3. SURREND'her TIP:   WELL, SURREND'her IT!

Honestly, if we could all remember that God is with us to help us with e-ver-y-thing on our heart, we wouldn't try to do these difficult things on our own!

Have you ever thought that your eating and exercise is something that "I should be responsible for" and "not bother God with?"  I know I have.   I thought, "Why would I pray for help with my eating when there are people out there with real problems, like not having any food to eat!"

But this is an error in thinking.  When I realized JUST HOW ABUNDANT GOD IS and that when He offers me more self-control (one of the Fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23), it's not like He has LESS power or love to give to others!  He's LIMITLESS!

If you struggle with the guilt or asking God to help you with your health, then here is a scripture for you to memorize and dwell on for several days.  

James 4:2b-3 NLT
"Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." 

Overall, this holiday season is always meant to me a celebration!  There is a reason for the season, and it's not to overdo it on spending or calories.  It's to fully receive the incredible gift of our Savior's birth.  

Certainly enjoy your special occasions and those holiday favorites that are worth-it to you.  But remember, life is much more than food.  Get up, get active, focus on your blessings and enjoy every minute.  

 

danielchallenge-coupon-code

Categories
Food & Nutrition Spiritual Health

The Incredible Results of a 7-Day Daniel Fast

daniel fast challenge

The Incredible Results of a 7-Day Daniel Fast

 

daniel fast results

 

I’m not one to use the word “miracle” lightly, so when I say it feels like I have been blessed with a miracle healing in just 7-days, please trust me that I mean it.

I mentioned in my email the other day that while traveling through Israel, I also decided to do a 7-day Daniel Fast.  

For those who are unfamiliar, a Daniel Fast is a partial fast where you don’t give up eating, but you refrain from eating certain foods.  The inspiration of this fast, naturally, comes from the book of Daniel.

Daniel was an old testament Hebrew prophet who lived in a time where the Hebrews (i.e. God’s chosen people) were living under oppression by the Babylonians and the King Nebuchadnezzar.   In spite of that, Daniel and 3 of his Hebrew friends (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) were specially chosen to try out to be a part of the King’s guard.  

For these tryouts and trainings, Daniel and his buddies decided to stick with their Hebrew law and abstain from eating the common foods of the King. In fact, when pushed on it, he offered to make it a competition to see if his way of eating would make them excel above the other competitors.  

“Please test your servants for 10 days, and let the give us vegetables [one translation says pulse which is a word that means “food grown from seed”] to eat and water to drink.   Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the King’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”  Daniel 1:12-13

The results of this test where highly in favor of Daniel and his friends.  The Bible tells us they excelled high and above all the other guards not only physically, but in integrity, wisdom, and skills.

You see, it wasn’t just about the food for them, or us.  It was about being obedient to God, sacrificing in simple ways even in the face of being marked an “outsider.”  This humble sacrifice of Daniel surely paid off.  He was promoted to the highest ranks of the King.

So, this Daniel Fast is something that many churches challenge their congregations to do in the New Year for 21-days (the 21-day part comes from Daniel 10:2-3). 

I did a version of the Daniel Fast two years ago for 28 days while as I was just starting A. Wright Fit, but when I did it, I didn’t do much research into it and did not cut out caffeine nor all sugar.  I still had a great experience.  

I have had it on my heart to lead a Daniel Fast challenge in the New Year with the ladies I coach in the her Health Lounge and also invite anyone else that would be up for a nutrition challenge and training!  I will be leading the 6-week nutrition course alongside a special weekly online Bible study on Discipline for 2017.  It’s going to be amazing. 

Therefore, with this on my heart, I thought while I’m in the Holy Land and studying this ancient fast, why don’t I go ahead and do a short version of the Daniel Fast so I have a better understanding to be able to coach from in the New Year.  

Well, this experience FAR exceeded my expectations.  

To add a little background about what I have been going through lately with my health, I should add that I have kinda been feeling off in my body lately.  

I had a back injury 2.5 years ago (a bulging disc) and my back has been in terrible pain for longer than I can remember.  I can usually do some mobility and alignment drills in the AM to get it all worked out, but it’s very hard to get out of bed a lot of days and traveling is especially brutal.   

About a week or two ago, I visited a chiropractor that said he believed it was caused by inflammation of the tendons that surround my spine.  He advised me to stop bending over, stop crossing my legs, and stop twisting too much from the spine.   Uh, kind of challenging for a trainer, right?  But I took his advice and had seen some improvements.  

The other thing that had been kinda bothering me (but not too much) was that I had put on weight that I couldn’t seem to drop.  I had found a set weight of 155lbs for over a year and then this year, though my eating and exercise was always relatively on point, it had crept up to 162-164.  It seemed that nothing would make it come back down.  So I kinda just accepted it and moved on, it’s only a number after all.  

Well, in Israel last week, I have to fully admit that this Daniel Fast is a LEGIT detox for your body.  It is pretty brutal the first several days.  

My vices have always been caffeine (which is why I will give you a slow progression to follow for all my coffee and tea lovers), chocolate, and some wine.   

Well, on the Daniel Fast, you cut out all beverages except water,  you eliminate all animal products (i.e. eat Vegan), all yeast-containing bread, anything processed or with sugar or chemicals, and essentially feast on salads, nuts, legumes, whole grains, fruit, vegetables etc.  Frankly, for me, it was kinda a treat to eat so many carbs!  

Oddly enough, even through we were staying in a hotel the entire time, I had NO PROBLEM finding foods to eat (see pics below).  So the good news is that there are plenty of options.  

But, the bad news was that the combination of jet lag + cutting all caffeine caused some sluggish days, plenty of headaches, and what was most surprising was some serious BACK PAIN.  

The inflamed tendons up and down my spine were definitely yelling at me.  At first I thought it was the travel and perhaps an injury, but then as I was reading the Daniel Fast book by Susan Gregory, I read that back pain is a common symptom of the detox.  Therefore, I just swallowed some Advil and stuck with it.  

MY RESULTS: 

Well, after just 4 days of bad symptoms, I started to feel like myself again.  My cravings were severely diminished.  

Better yet, all that back pain COMPLETELY went away!!  I mean ZERO back pain.   

I never dawned on me that my pain could have been caused by my eating and drinking habits.  Now I realize that my over-consumption of caffeine and was a huge factor.  

Not only that, but when I returned back home this week and began transitioning slowly to eating back to my Nutrient Based eating (another aspect I’ll be coaching you through) and did some gentle workouts, I went to weigh myself and had lost 7 lbs!  

Now, let’s be clear, this is not fat loss, this is for sure predominantly water weight.   But even so, it felt great to see the inflammation in my thighs, face, and stomach drop as well!  

All this to say, that while doing a “cleanse” will always be tempting for the human side of us that wants “quick results.”  But that’s not what the Daniel Fast is for.  It’s NOT a diet.  It’s not a quick fix.  

It’s an act of Spiritual discipline and sacrifice that makes way for you to grow closer to God and experience God’s healing physically and spiritually. 

I am SO EXCITED to see what 21-days of this journey will look like in the New Year and I hope you will pray and see if God is calling you to join me!  

Even if you do this with your church, you might find that having a support and accountability group of women online is really helpful for you to stick with it.  I’ll be giving a whole class and book on recipes, instructions, and spiritual practices to make it success!  It will also include my Nutrient Based Eating program too!

I will be offering this 6-week course as a BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY deal, so look for the discounted offer next week!

If you have any questions, feel free to respond back to this email and I’ll be glad to share more!   

With Love and Light, 

Mandi

Categories
Spiritual Health

The Surprising Twist I Experienced on My Trip to Israel

Holy Surprises in the Holy Land

holy-lessons-from-the-holy-land

For those that follow me on social media, you may be aware that I have just returned from a 7-day trip to Israel, accompanying my husband for work and enjoying as many sites of the Holy Land that I could muster.  What a country!   I fully expected to take my Spiritual life to the next level with the trek back to our Faith roots, but I was certainly surprised by what I experienced instead.  

I have had so many of my friends and family write and ask if I felt so much “closer to God” or if I am experiencing "greater amounts of peace" having witnessed these areas that are so rich in the Jewish history of the Old Testament and the sites of Jesus miracles in the Gospels?

Surprisingly, my honest answer throughout last week was “No.”

I know this might severely surprise you, heck, it obviously surprised me.  But upon further reflection, I think I understand why I didn’t have greater peace or feel such a surge in Faith even though I was in God’s “Promised Land.” 

I have 3 reasons to share, along with some pictures of course, and what I’m most thankful for in this experience!   (see below)

 

#1.  Obvious Travel Repercussions And My Daniel Fast Distractions:

One reason I felt off was because this trip was the second part of a two-week journey for us and time change is always a hard adjustment.  You feel off, your body hurts from such a long plane ride, and for me, my senses were heightened while visiting a historically war-torn area.  This is all very distracting. 

On top of that, I decided during this trip that I wanted to do a Daniel Fast.  I am going to do  a separate email about this because I have been studying the Daniel Fast and have decided to incorporate it into a 6-week small-group nutrition course for the New Year (which I’ll be inviting you to join!).   The Daniel Fast has you cut out caffeine, sugar, all non-water drinks, animal products, fried foods etc.   So, needless to say, after a week in New York city on a coffee, wine and chocolate bender, my body was in a major detox when I cut these things away.  The results of this Daniel Fast were TRULY INCREDIBLE, and I can’t wait to share more, but yes, all of these affects can definitely distracted me from emotionally connecting more.

 

#2.  Jesus Got Real and It Spurred Some Questions

Here is where I had to sit and process so much that I witnessed.   For example, on a 1-day bus tour while my husband had meetings all day, I was able to tour the town of Nazareth (where Jesus was raised and Mary and Joseph were from), visit the small fisherman town of Capernaum (where the Apostle Peter lived), and the lake right next to it called the “Sea of Galilee” (where Jesus and Peter both walked on water and many of Jesus miracles were done)! We also visited the town where Jesus turned the water into wine and the site, Tabgha where they believed He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, and the Jordan River (where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist...and so was I!).  

While these old sites are true treasures to behold, you can’t help but question —did this REALLY happen?  I mean, I went down to the Sea of Galilee and touched the water that Jesus walked on and sure enough, it was just water (you can see it above).  

It's hard to explain fully, but you know the feeling you have when you read a book and you love it so much, but then you go and see the movie about it and they completely changed the mental image you had in your mind?    

Well, it’s kind of like that.  

We can all agree that the miracles of the Bible can almost read like a fairytale.  And seeing some rundown desert towns is just truly hard to believe that Jesus did these amazing miracles.  I had a hard time taking it all in.

 

#3.  Religious Pomp and Circumstance is Overwhelming 

The city of Jerusalem is fascinating.  Simply MESMERIZING.  I was confronted with my own ignorance of the significance of this Holy City and how meaningful it is to such widely varying belief systems of 3 major religions.  For those that may also be unaware, allow me to share just a few facts.  

The “Old City” of Jerusalem is an ancient walled city that is only about 1 Cubic KM that houses about 40,000 people.  There are 4 quarters of these walls:  the Christian Quarter, the Armenian Quarter (also Christian), the Muslim Quarter, and of course, the Jewish Quarter.  

I hadn’t fully realized, but thanks to an amazing tour guide Itay, this site is the physical location for the most important acts of these most popular faiths in the world.  

For the Jews, the town of Jerusalem represents the areas where the first temple was built for God.  It was built by King Solomon (about 800 years BCE), who was the son of the beloved King David.  In ancient Hebrew times you could only access God in the Temple.  There are many purification and sacrificial rituals you had to participate in for entry, but the “ark of the covenant” (which is believed to be the tablets of the 10 commandments) is the physical place that God dwelled.   So while the temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians and rebuilt and re-destroyed in many wars since then, the Jewish faith still prays to the area that the old temple was located, which is on the other side of this “Western Wall.” (See my pics of the Western prayer Wall below).  

Coincidentally, the Muslim faith revolves around that exact same location.  It is believed that Muhammad was transported from Mecca to the Dome of the Rock (which the Jewish/Christian faith also believe is the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac) where he then composed the 5 Pillars of Islam before ascending into heaven.  All this happened around 632 AD (so about 700 years after Christ).  The Muslim faith therefore has a lockdown on this territory as well and it is the main reason there are so many wars between Israel and Palestine/Muslim countries.    In fact, whenever the Muslim faith prays (5x a day) they pray toward Jerusalem and this location.  It’s highly significant.

Then, for us Christians, this whole city is significant because it is where Jesus came during Passover, was persecuted, crucified, buried and then rose from the grave 3 days later.  I went through about half of the 14 "Stations of the Cross” and was able to see the area where they believe the cross was hung (now a Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox shared church), the stone they washed Jesus crucified body, and even the area they believe the tomb was. 

So all this to say, while it is breathtaking, and SO amazing to see all of these locations, the religiosity of it all really overwhelmed me.  

Even in the Christian quarters, I was not raised Catholic or Greek Orthodox, so the religious traditions of these two denominations is quite a lot to take in.  

I did have the privilege of fighting the crowds to touch some of these (let’s face it “alleged”) spots where such significant acts took place, but I couldn’t help but wonder if all of those crowds around me were worshipping God, or worshipping these artifacts?  

These thoughts were distracting to my intention of focusing on the presence of God.  Chaos has a way of doing that, of course, which is why we saw in the Bible that Jesus often had to get away alone and in solitude to stay in the Spirit.  

Overall, I believe that was my biggest lesson and takeaway.  

I learned a SO MUCH in these 7-days that I will never, ever forget.  And God willing, I will get to go back again with even greater knowledge of the history and diversity involved.  This trip has truly made the Bible come alive in my mind and that is powerful!  

As I have come home, I have come home truly changed by this experience.  It is impossible to put into words how grateful I am that I can feel God just as much in my living temple (a.k.a. my body) than I do when I’m in His Holy Land. 

He is there, there is absolutely no doubt about that.  But He is in ME TOO.  He is in ALL of us who have received Him.  

The thing I am most grateful for is having seen the desperate, legalistic, and oppressive behavior that the Legalistic version of religion can be for thousands and thousands of people,  I know now more than ever, that God, who from a place of perfect love, sent us His Son for a BIG PURPOSE and that purpose is to save us from our own tyranny of trying to save ourselves by religious rigmarole.  

While I fully participated in every act of prayer and religious tradition I saw, I know that my life glorifies God the MOST when I am FREE to live a life of servanthood, love-based actions, quiet times of prayer, and in sowing Goodness in everything and everyone around me.  

I thank God that He loved me enough to send His Son  to offer me a way to focus on THAT RELATIONSHIP that empowers me for Good, more than I have to focus on RULES that keep me enslaved to a system. 

 

Categories
Spiritual Health

34 Things I’m Replacing on My 34th Birthday

Let’s Celebrate!  

34 Things I'm Replacing On My 34th Birthday!

This weekend I’m going to be VERY busy celebrating both my 34th birthday (today) as well as my 2nd wedding anniversary with my love, Howard (on Monday).   And, to make sure you’re getting in on all the celebrations, I want to offer YOU a special 34% off of all the A. Wright Fit t-shirts, tanks, and planner that you can check out below! 

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This is a big weekend, but I really do celebrate life EVERYDAY and am certainly not one of those women who cringe at another year older (and I hope you aren’t either)!  Life is SUCH a gift and I truly treasure learning and gaining such exquisite wisdom through experience that I am always happy to grow another year older and make it another year married!  Whoop whoop!

My life has changed SO much in the last 3 years when I chose forgiveness for my husband and said yes to a life as his forever partner and wife.  Making that decision made me not only a wife, but a step mom, a co-parent, a world-wide traveler and it even afforded me the opportunity to do what I’m called to do, which is teach and coach women like you.

All of these relationships (including the most important one being with my Father God in whom ALL of these blessings I give full credit for!)  have taught me SO much wisdom at such a rapid pace that I wanted to take a day to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned.

More than anything, as I grow, I am receiving lessons in the things I need to LET GO OF more than the things I need to ADD MORE OF in my life.

But, as I coach my clients in this, you cannot simply “quit things” cold turkey.  It doesn’t work with diet and it doesn’t work with emotions or character qualities.

For example, if all I’m concerned about is “worry less, worry less, worry less…” then, by that repetition, I will be “worrying” about all my  “worrying.”

The PRINCIPLE OF REPLACEMENT is one of my main principles I teach from.  It is POWERFUL when you implement it and are able to REFOCUS your mind on what you ARE going to do, not what you’re not.

So this year, there are a lot of things I am setting my intention on replacing in my life so I might become more of the woman God has created me to be.

This year I will:   

  1. Replace my do more mentality with be more.  
  2. Replace my speeding-up to “catch-up with time" with slowing down and savor what time I have.
  3. Replace my fretting and people pleasing with confident love that God gives me.
  4. Replace my busy work with God’s building work and taking more time to study and grow. 
  5. Replace my frustration with hard circumstances with faith that with God and I can do all things.
  6. Replace passive aggressive avoidance with powerful peace-making.
  7. Replace spending more with stewarding more. 
  8. Replace hasty decisions with thoughtful decisions.
  9. Replace telling with teaching.
  10. Replace feeling “offended" with courage for compassion.
  11. Replace my "wishing for” with “praying for".
  12. Replace my unnecessary “Sorry's” in my common dialogue with “Thank You."
  13. Replace not dealing with small issues with prayerfully speaking truth into every situation with love. 
  14. Replace fretting over my lack with refocusing on my blessing.
  15. Replace blaming others with taking responsibility for my own thoughts, words and actions. 
  16. Replace more texts with phone calls. 
  17. Replace more social media surfing with book reading.
  18. Replace taking on more goals with finishing more goals I already started.
  19. Replace my desire to have more with needing less.
  20. Replace my guilt for my blessed life with gratefully serving others in need.
  21. Replace my comparison with celebration of others.
  22. Replace complaining about what I hate in this world with promoting what I love in the world.
  23. Replace competition with collaboration.
  24. Replace small-minded goals with God-sized goals. 
  25. Replace striving with diligence.
  26. Replace leading with serving.
  27. Replace my inconsistency with selective discipline.
  28. Replace my embarrassment with laughter. 
  29. Replace feeling helpless with being helpful.
  30. Replace nervous busyness with celebrated rest.
  31. Replace harder workouts with smarter workouts.
  32. Replace obligation with inspiration.
  33. Replace doing it all with delegating more.
  34. Replace my angst over “am I enough?” with abundance in knowing that God in me is "MORE than enough!"

 

So, sure, this is a LONG list of replacement therapy and yes, it WILL probably take me allllll year, if not many more, to fully embrace a life within this intention.  But, I'm ok with that.  The key is knowing that THROUGH God, all things are possible and He has perfect timing.  All I'm responsible for is setting my intention to continue to grow into the woman God has called me to be.  It's a step-by-step process that starts with INTENTION.  Just like my favorite Pastor Rick Warren says,

"You don't grow stronger by accident.  You grow stronger by INTENTION."  

 

DON'T FORGET-- THIS FLASH SALE OF 34% OFF ALL THE PRODUCTS BELOW ENDS ON 10/15/2016!  SO GRAB YOUR GOODS WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!  

Categories
Spiritual Health

Living Principles of the Spiritually Strong

3 Principles of the Spiritually Strong

Would you classify yourself as a woman that is deeply principled?  
 
A principle is defined as, “A fundamental truth that serves as the foundation for a system or belief.”  
 
To me, rooting yourself to fundamental truths offers you the the greatest ability to live a disciplined and self-controlled life.  
 
I believe being highly principled is not just about what you WILL do, but more importantly, about what you’re UNWILLING to do.  
 
When I am living by my deeper principles, I am not controlled by the whims of my emotions.  I am controlled by my deeper desire to do what is RIGHT.  It’s the Spiritual connection to my actions and how I am to live Spiritually strong.  
 
In my health coaching practice, all of what I offer you and teach you comes from some basic Spiritual principles.  These have evolved as I have grown in both faith and intellect regarding our health.   They are vital to every fiber of my programs.  
 
Everything that you see in the her Health Lounge program all aligns with these 3 principles of True Health.   
 
I believe when you understand these principles and entrust them to your Spiritual practice, they will transform your health and give you the STRONGEST Spirit you will ever see.  
 
It will also give you a chance to see if these principles align with yours so you can determine if the h2L is the right program for you! 
 
 

The Principle of Identity:

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you may have seen me use this sequence of growth we see in our lives.  

 

KNOW —> BE —> DO

 
Your identity is the “BE” of this sequence— it is your BE-ing.    Everything that that you think everything that you speak and everything that you do comes from this conscious and subconscious identity. 
 
Too often, I find that women identify themselves more from their WEAKNESSES than their power.   We as humans very easily only focus on our flaws, don’t we?  We limit our actions to what we *think* we are capable of doing through these perceived limitations. 
 
BUT, GOD...
 
Our weaknesses do not limit God at all.  So it’s not in what YOU KNOW but rather WHO YOU KNOW.  
 
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to HIM who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worth in us.”  (NKJV)
 
Knowing God makes your weakness rather irrelevant.  Know how much He loves you and accepts you just as you are give you a brand new identity and brand new power to SAY THINGS and DO THINGS beyond what you feel capable.  
 
Knowing God means that you know the POWER that is at work within.  You CAN do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens you. (Phi 4:13).  This is the true confidence that will transform your life and help you look BEYOND your “health goals” to a higher calling. 

 

The Principle of Vision: 

In the her Health Lounge we will spend the first couple of weeks together practicing what I call “Visualizing her.”    It is IMPERATIVE that you can clearly envision what you want to accomplish through the practice of taking care of your health.    This is what will help you make a PLAN.  Plans are powerful! 
 
However, I see women all over the world misunderstanding this concept of “visualizing her” success and it has them spinning wheels in endless cycles of exhaustion.  
 
The key of this principle of VISION is two fold--

 Are you VISUALIZING YOURSELF?  Or do you envision yourself living or being like someone else that you idolize?  Let’s be honest ladies, it is really easy to compare ourselves to what we see others doing.  This is not what God has designed you for.  You need to be able to VISUALIZE her— meaning this woman that God has created YOU to be.  With your body frame, your personality, your desires, your dreams, your experiences, your strengths and your weaknesses.   

 What are you going to DO WITH IT once you have your fit and healthy body?   Too often women fall short with this vision.  They focus on the end result as if getting to that “weight loss” or “size 6” is the destination.   No, your health is the ROAD to the destination.   

God is interested in your MISSION and your PURPOSE.  You need to get clear on what you are going to DO once you get more energy from eating healthy; once you have a leaner frame and stronger muscles; once you have a pep in your step that comes from self-care and love.  

What is the PURPOSE that your healthier body will enable you to DO BETTER?  This is a God given calling on your life.  You must be ready and willing for the MISSION of your life, which is not all about you or your vanity.  

God is not interested in giving you anything if your character is not ready to sustain it.  So you can bet that you won’t see changes AROUND you before you see them WITHIN you.  

 

The Principle of FOCUS & REPLACEMENT:

You will see this a lot of my coaching on health habit formation and ritualization practices to allow you to ENJOY THE PROCESS of health. 
 
You cannot focus on what you DO NOT WANT TO DO in your health, you must focus on what you DO WANT out of life. 
 
What you think about GROWS, literally.  
 
Neurosciences now prove that when we think a thought over and over again, it actually grows a physical entity in the form of neurons in our brain.  
 
It takes 21 days of neuron growth to form a true MEMORY.  It takes 63 days to then have the memory form a HABIT of something you do without having to think about it too much.  
 
Not only do you need to focus on new behaviors, but you also need to focus on God. 
 
There is a spiritual term used for God which is to “MAGNIFY Him.”  When you dwell on all that GOD IS and all the God can do, your problems and your faults and flaws naturally dissipate and become irrelevant.  What you think about GROWS!
 
This is why spending time daily with God and surrounding yourself with women who also encourage your spiritual growth is one of the BEST ways that you will stay focused on your journey!
 
It’s not going to be easy.  Growth never is.  Part of your journey is likely pulling out a lot of lies that serve as the weeds surrounding and choking the dreams of you health.  
 
But, in this program and through my coaching, I can assure you that these steps we take toward building UP your Spiritual muscles will give you LIVE beyond what you “could ask or imagine.”  
 
To get more information on the her Health Lounge program, please click HERE to take a look at the sales video and the page of details provided.   The program starts on Monday, September 12! 
 
This week, you can also a Discovery Call with me HERE!
 

There is still time to claim your spot.