Tag: Health

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Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Spiritual Health

The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received…Part III

and Truth I know now…

In our final installment of the 3-part series I’m calling, ‘The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received” I’m going to be sharing probably the most ubiquitous bad health advice we’ve BOTH ever received. 
 
While the world has advanced with greater and greater scientific and specific health knowledge, it has also made room for a looooooot of bad advice.   
 
Today’s bad advice doesn’t have a story around it like the others because to be honest I can’t remember who exactly first told me this one, or if it was actually just my MIND that inferred this advice from simply how society approached health and wellness.  
 
The bad advice that I now know better than to fall for is this: 
 
HEALTH IS ONLY ABOUT EXERCISE AND NUTRITION.  
 
Isn’t this what society teaches us?  All you need to focus on in order to get health and stay healthy is to concern your efforts on what you’re eating and how you’re moving.  
 
If you struggle with your health, it’s only because you’re not doing something “right” with regards to your movement and your eating.  
 
This is what I have believed for over 3 decades of struggle with my body and body image. This advice sent me into a frenzy of exhaustive effort, almost becoming addicted to thinking about my eating, obsessive with my exercise, and never feeling satisfied with where my body was.  
 
Oh, you aren’t seeing results?  Well, try harder.
You adapted to your workouts?  Hmm, you should probably just try harder. 
You put on 5 lbs from a weekend  of excessive eating?  Try harder! 
 
This has been so conditioned to our psyche, we have formed a mindset of lack and scarcity.  Never feeling “good enough” and always on guard for the evidence that proves we are underperforming.  
 
 
The thing about believing that advice that all it takes to be health is to focus on your eating and your exercise is because there IS TRUTH in this advice, but it’s only half of the truth. 
 
There’s no denying that your physical health depends on your eating and exercise.  But it’s missing the 2 other pillars of health— your THINKING (what I call WISE’her) and your SPIRIT (what I called SURREND’her).  
 
So, let’s get into the WORD of God for what might reveal what TRUE HEALTH looks like for every one of us. 
 

Bible Background...

The Apostle John was one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus during His time on Earth.  John wrote the Gospel of John and was one of Jesus’ best friends and self proclaimed to be the “one whom Jesus loved.”   
 
John was also the disciple to lived the longest.  Where many of the others were martyred for their Faith in Christ the Messiah, John lived into his 80’s in the town of Ephesus.  It is from this city that he penned some of the greatest books of the Bible:  1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. 
 
Well, it is in the short letter called 3 John, we see where this wise, Jesus loving, disciple tells us what is KEY to health.
 

 His greeting in this letter states: (3 John 1:2: GNB)

 
John tells us two very critical things in this simple greeting. 
 

 1. Our HEALTH is very important to our calling.  You cannot be of your best use to God’s mission if you are NOT well in health.  While this might seem obvious in statement, it’s NOT obvious when you look at the state of health of the church.  I pray that this continues to change in the Body.

 

2. It tells us that really, our body’s health CAN ONLY BE AS HEALTHY as your spirit and soul.  

It’s important that you EQUALLY invest in your SOUL (your emotions, your thinking, and your will and motivation) and SPIRIT (your relationship God within you) as you do in your physical health.  
 
What I realized in order for my struggle-to-turn-to-success in my own body is that my PROBLEMS were not with my body, my eating, and my exercise regimens.  My problems were in how I was THINKING about my body, my eating and my exercise.  
 
The thoughts that created the feelings and misdirected my motivation all were problems in my SOUL that was buried in my FLESHY nature as opposed to how God has called me to walk, within my SPIRITUAL nature.  
 

With this new found freedom of truth I have built a platform of complete education and direction for women who are ready to live TRULY HEALTHY lives.  

 
It’s called the her Health Lounge and it’s a 26-week journey to a LIFESTYLE of health.  
 
The Lounge is an online portal where all members have 24-hour access to over 80 coaching videos discussing the necessary knowledge one must have to truly walk in Spiritual and Physical health.  
 
 
We spend 8 WEEKS devoted to BODY (nutrition and fitness education), 8 WEEKS devoted to MINDSET, and 8 WEEKS devoted to SPIRIT.  
 
All members receive my best tools for physical success with my Nutrient Based Eating program and book, as well as my signature STRONGher Fitness & Mobility program delivered on the Lounge portal as well as my STRONGher APP with the full-length video demos.  
 
 
The best part is not just the Lounge and it’s amazing content, but it’s the COMMUNITY of women and the COACHING from myself and my co-caoches.  This program offers your access the the most encouraging and motivating Facebook group out there!   
 
And you will also sign up for either (13) 1:1 coaching calls every 2-weeks  or (8) small group coaching calls every 3-weeks.   It’s in these calls that you will hold yourself accountable and establish a clear pathway to success! 
 
I’d love to welcome you to this opportunity to improve your physical health by focusing equal effort on your Spiritual health as well!  The doors open to sign up on April 3 and will close on April 9.  Our 26-weeks together will start April 10!  
 
Be sure you’re on the waitlist if you want to get first dibs.   I’d love to reach out to you to set up a call and chat more to ensure we are a “wright fit” for each other.  Click HERE to join that waitlist.
 
 

Are you "A. Wright Fit" for the her Health Lounge? Watch and find out!

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

Categories
Food & Nutrition Spiritual Health

The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received….Part 2

and Truth I know now…

We are midway through this 3-part series I’m sharing on the “Worst Advice” I have received from fitness “professionals” that I have learned is simply BAD ADVICE.  
 
Last blog (link here), I shared with you the fact that some professional football players told me that "I shouldn’t do so many lunges since I already had “thick thighs.”'  So not only was this RUDE advice, but it was very BAD advice because as I went over, the LEANEST my thighs ever got was also the MOST and HEAVIEST amount of lifting I had ever done!    It is backwards to our female intuition, but it is the TRUTH about women’s bodies.  We need muscle to burn fat. 
 
Today’s story is also some bad advice from another male trainer who really offered me some terrible advice while I was beginning to thinking about training for the bikini competition. 
 
This was when I was 29-years old and I was working part-time at my favorite gym in the whole world, Bodies by Perseverance in Denver, CO.  
 
A trainer that worked there at the time (before he was let go) had offered to train me for free for a few sessions and was one who was pushing me to consider doing a bikini competition.  
 
At this time I was very suspicious of the whole process (which proved to be good intuition on my part that I should have trusted) because I was seeing a lot of girls lose a TON OF WEIGHT, but they were REALLY CRANKY and irritable the whole time.  Then, once the show was over, I saw the grand majority GAIN ALL THE WEIGHT BACK and then some.  
 
Well, when this trainer revealed to me his master strategy for how he was going to train me, I knew this was the reason why!   
 

He told me, and I quote,  “You need to burn as many calories in exercise as you eat in the day.”  End quote. 

 
So, his “diet plan” for me would include a menu of 900-1200 calories total (which for me an my 5’10” frame is WAYYYYYY too low) of virtually no carbs, and he also expected me to BURN about 900-1200 calories a day doing EXERCISE!  
 
This is not only BAD ADVICE but this is DANGEROUS advice that can seriously harm your metabolism.  
 
I obviously did not hire this trainer to do my competition and I did still suffer some of the effects of the more extreme diet and exercise programs all warrant for doing a show, but at least I didn’t cause grave, sometimes irreversible damage that his advice could have cause me. 
 
Let’s set the record straight on your METABOLISM and HOW MANY CALORIES TO EAT or BURN each day. 

METABOLISM TRUTHS: 

—If you starve your body either by eating too few calories or burning too many calories (or both) you will slow down your metabolism and will have an incredibly hard time speeding it up again.  This makes it nearly impossible to burn fat and lose weight again.  If you were to lose weight this way but then gain it back (because your body thinks it's starving so it kicks up your appetite and cravings) you will have a MUCH HARDER time losing weight again.  Your body does not forget the times when you’ve starved it.  It won’t be so quick to lose its fat reserves next time.
 
—Metabolic experts have research based evidence that says that to avoid slowing down of your metabolism, your goal should be to eat as much as possible while still showing signs of weight loss.  The process will go in a stepwise fashion of slowly decreasing calories or increasing calorie burn via exercise to "test and see" how much you can eat while still showing results.  This will take TIME and PATIENCE but will be well worth the effort in order to maintain the metabolism as much as possible.     
 
So, at my size (5’10”, 157 lbs) and age (34 years), I burn about 2,000-2,100 calories a day just from my everyday life (taken from my Apple Watch).    If I exercise for 30-45 mins and take a leisure walk, I may get up to about 2600 calories burned per day.  This means, to keep my metabolism revved up, I need to eat no less than 1600-1700 calories per day on non-workout days or 2100-2300 calories per day on workout days.  (This is if I want to lose weight).
 
The fat loss process needs to go much SLOWER than you think it does.  For example, if I have a rough deficit of 500 calories per day over the course of a full week, I will at most lose 1 lb of fat per week.  Now, hormones and inflammation, and all that will sway the “weight” part, but you can rest assured that this will allow for fat burning that you will notice more over time. 
 
—Metabolic damage is very serious that shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Because of the surge of women deciding to do bikini or bodybuilding competitions, we are seeing a rise in the damage done.  Things like autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s (Thyroid), adrenal fatigue, and whacked out estrogen/progesterone (from any extended stress) can all result  from this aggressive approach to weight loss.   Your hormones matter!!  Take caution. 
 
While all this physical effects are important to address, but to me these consequences of physical and metabolic damage is small in comparison to the SPIRITUAL damage and the condemnation you feel when you lose weight and gain it all back because your body is fighting against you “starving” it for quicker results.  It only took me 5 months to lose 7% of body fat, but it took me OVER A YEAR and a LOT OF GOD’S GRACE to help me forgive myself for doing it and gaining the weight back.  
 
 

This is why I ever started A. Wright Fit as a fit and FAITHFUL business and created my her Health Lounge to be:

8 WEEKS OF BODY (Nutrition & Fitness) EDUCATION
8 WEEKS OF MINDSET INTENTION & 
8 WEEKS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
 
When you change anything physical about your body you will do so by either BUILD-UP your Spiritual muscles or BREAKING-DOWN your Spirit.  It's one way or another.  And the way that society teaches us usually ends up on the destructive side toward our Spiritual growth.  
 
The reason why women take such drastic measure to change their body is because of an unhealthy relationship with their body.  There are so many mindset barriers and lies that women will believe about themselves that this program can help set you straight.  It also teaches you how to strengthen your Spirit which builds the patience, endurance, and self-control that are all pivotal in winning the fat loss game long term!  
 
 
I’m REALLY excited to invite you to join!  Again, doors open on April 3 and the close on April 9th!  So don’t miss your chance to transform your life!  Please join the waitlist HERE to learn more!  

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

Categories
Food & Nutrition

5 Nutrient Based Eating Recipes I’m Going Nuts On!

Mmmmm…..

 

 

You might think that because I am a certified nutritionist and creator of a nutrition program, called Nutrient Based Eating, that I must love cooking and recipe development. 

Well, my dear, you would be WRONG. ? 

I have so much respect for the food bloggers out there!  Truly, BLESS YOU!  I have created some recipe books and ideas before and I find the whole process (on that level) to be exhausting!  

So EATING….YES.  

RECIPES….not so much.  

But, I think this works out quite well as a nutrition coach because my clients now know that I am all about simple, delicious food that is NOT overly cumbersome to create.  Every once in awhile a detailed recipe is awesome, but unless it can last me for more than one meal, I usually will defer to the easier meal ideas.  

I like SIMPLE and QUICK meals that are BALANCED, HEALTHY, AND TASTY.  So that’s what I’m going go give you today with my….

TOP 5 (CURRENT) FAVORITE NBE RECIPES!

But first, a little 101 on the Nutrient Based Eating program so you understand the necessary components to make a meal truly #NBEapproved!

  1. Nutrient Based Eating is a LIFESTYLE-based approach to eating that takes you through the individual habit-formation steps toward holistic and balanced meals.   Meaning, these meals are ones that your family can eat too (or at least a modified version of it, with serving sizes varying).  
  2.  NBE has 5 Phases, the first of which, Phase 0, guides you through building up the “NBE Plate.”  These plates/recipes I will be showing you today are all under the “Phase 1” context, meaning that the habits are all already assumed.  If you were just starting out, this is not where I would start you, but eating this way would be where you would wind up after 1-6 habits are formed to automation. ??
  3. NBE components are as follows:  Water + Green Vegetable + Colored Vegetable (or low sugar fruit) + Starchy Carb (or high sugar fruit/sweets) + Protein + Fat.  You will (eventually) eat your meals about every 3-5 hours (once you get to that habit).  The serving sizes or portions of each food group are adjusted according to a plate graphic and hand measuring tools.    

 

SO, if this is enough information to at least allow you to understand the general framework, let’s get to the food shall we?


NBE Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients:

1 Whole Egg (Fat), 1/2 Cup Liquid Egg Whites (Protein), Kale or Spinach (Green Vegetable), Zucchini (Green Vegetable),  Red Pepper and Red Onion (Colored Vegetable), 1 Blue Corn Soft Taco Shell (Starchy Carb).  Served with fresh berries (colored veg/low sugar fruit).  

Directions: 

  1. Saute the kale, spinach, zucchini, sliced red pepper and onion on a hot skillet with light olive or avocado oil for 1-2 mins on medium heat. 
  2. Add in 1 whole egg and the liquid egg whites.  Cover with a lid to cook it “frittata” style.  You can also simply scramble them lightly.
  3. Heat up the corn tortilla in the microwave for 20 seconds.
  4. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, put half of it in your corn tortilla shell and the other half on the plate to eat alone.  Add some fresh salsa (with no sugar added) if you like a little spice.
  5. I also enjoyed some fresh berries after for a fulfilling breakfast. 🙂

NBE Power Smoothie

Ingredients:

Handful of Spinach or Power Greens, Frozen (Green Vegetable)
1 Zucchini (Green Vegetable)
Frozen Berries (Colored Veg/Low Sugar Fruit)
1 Carrot (Colored Veg)
1/2 Frozen Banana (Starchy Carb/High Sugar Fruit)
Unsweetened Almond Milk (some fat)
Avocado (or coconut) (Fat)
Plant-Based Protein (or pasteurized egg whites) (Protein)
(Optional– chia seeds (fat), hemp seeds (protein), flax seeds (fat), cinnamon (n/a))

Directions:

Place all items in your blender and blend away!! You can add more or less liquid based on how thick you enjoy your smoothie. I own a blender for protein shakes so it can cope with lots of frozen fruits and tough foods however if your blender is a little more delicate, leave the fruit to defrost. Some blenders are fragile! Sometimes the frozen items can get stuck in your blender, to which I use the Vitamix wand to break it up.  You may need a wooden spoon or spatula.  



Taboule Turkey Salad

Ingredients:

Finely Chopped Parsley, flat leaf or curled (Green Vegetable/Herb)
Diced Cucumber (Cucumber)
Diced Tomatoes (Colored Vegetable)
Bulgar Wheat, or Quinoa if GF (Starchy Carb)
Lemon Olive Oil Dressing (Fat)
Smoked Turkey (Protein)

Directions:

  1.  Buy as much pre-made for you!  Lol.  I bought an organic sliced turkey breast instead of cooking my own.  I also bought a fast-cooking bulgur wheat (or quinoa) that I made a large batch of.  This entire salad keeps really well, so make it large and eat it throughout the week!
  2. Bulgur Wheat is made much like rice or quinoa. 1 Cup Bulguar to 2 Cups water.  Bring to a boil on stove top. Then reduce the heat and allow to simmer on low for ~15 mins until you can fluff with your fork. 
  3. Finely chop the parsley or use a food processor for even greater ease (minus the clean up!)
  4. Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers. 
  5. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil with fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  
  6. Toss all ingredients together and top with some sliced turkey.  

Lettuce Wrap or Regular Tacos

Ingredients:

Butter Lettuce or Romaine Lettuce Hearts (Green Vegetables) for taco shells
Ground Turkey or Grass-fed Beef (Protein)
Red Bell Peppers & Onions (Colored Vegetable)
Portobello Mushrooms (Green/White Vegetable)
Refried Black Beans (Starchy Carb)
Sliced Avocado (Fat)

Directions:

  1. Cook the ground meat of choice all the way through stovetop on medium-high heat. 
  2. Saute lightly in olive oil the peppers, onions, and mushrooms.
  3. Cook the refried black beans (from a carton or can) in a saucepan or even the microwave!
  4. Slather the lettuce wrap with beans first, add on the meat and the veggies.  Top with the sliced avocado and even some salsa! 
  5. Enjoy!


Zoodle Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

Butter Lettuce Cups or Romaine Lettuce Cups (Green Vegetable)
Sliced Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Portobello Mushrooms (Green/White Vegetables)
Red Peppers, Fresh Red Salsa (Colored Vegetables)
No Sugar Added Marinara (from a jar for me, but you can make homemade with crushed tomatoes) (Colored Vegetables)
Sliced or Ground Protein of Choice (Chicken, Turkey, Lean Grass-fed Beef, Grass-fed Bison) (Protein)
Olive Oil (fat)

Directions:

  1.  Cook the meat stovetop all the way through.
  2. Saute in olive oil the vegetables until the onion is translucent on medium heat.   (You can blend these or finely chop them if you live with family members who are more vegetable opposed).  
  3. Add the vegetables and marinara together in a saucepan on medium heat.  
  4. Spiralize or thinly slice 4-6 zucchinis for the “zoodles.”  For best results I microwave these on high for 2-3 mins to keep some “crispness” to the zucchini.  I find that boiled them leads to water retention and mushy noodles. 
  5. If anyone in your family is zucchini opposed, they can have regular noodles while you have zucchini (or another option which is spaghetti squash).  
     

 

Nutrient Based Eating eBook & eCourse for Sale!

If you are interested in learning more about the Nutrient Based Eating program that has led women to thriving lean bodies just one habit at a time, then this is YOUR week!  For a very limited time, I will be opening up this program for purchase outside of my normal coaching program!  

Cart OPEN on Wednesday, March 1 only until Friday, March 3!  But an early purchase opportunity (and discount) will be offered to my email subscribers on Tuesday, February 28!  To get on that early bird list, subscribe HERE.  

Categories
Food & Nutrition

Health Habits of Happiness #1: Hara Hachi Bu

 
 
I have to say, I’m a little fascinated with Japan and now I have reason to be even more so.  I have been so lucky to have been able to travel there 4 times so far since my stepdaughter lives there right now, stationed with her mom and her stepdad in the navy.  
 
Every time we travel to Tokyo and the surrounding cities, I am in awe of the culture.  They are very clean people (I once saw a man who’s sole job was the clean the grates and cracks of the metal part you step on right before hopping on a escalator), they are incredibly gracious people (bowing to you every time you enter their store and when you leave it), and they are very healthy people (ranked 5th on Bloomberg’s list of healthiest nations in 2015—the US was ranked 33rd, btw).  
 
It was of no surprise that when I was researching the BEST and most foundational habits to build in your nutrition (as is covered in my soon to be released Nutrient Based Eating book), one of the best practices for eating in moderation originated in a Japanese province.  
 
Okinawa, Japan is considered one of the coveted “Blue Zone” areas of the world which are those cities that have a high population of Centenarians, or those people who live over the age of 100.  Naturally, these populations of people cause us to look deeper into their nutrition habits and cultures to speculate what their longevity and health secrets are.  
 
While there are some surprises we find from this population, such as while they are Japanese residents, they actually don’t eat as much fish as we would expect.  Their eating is largely centered around plant-based eating and holistic food choices.  
 
But, what is truly impactful to their longevity is the principle called “Hara Hachi Bu” (or Hara Hachi Bun Me) which means “eat until your belly is 80% full.”  
 
It is the mindful approach to portion control and calorie restriction which has lead to an extended life and a higher quality life in older age.  
 
According to the Wikipedia page, it is believed that the average Okinawan resident eats only between 1,800-1,900 calories per day.  Whereas another study showed that the US, (once again not to be outdone!), ranked #1 with the most calories consumed per day with an average of 3,770!
 
So, while there will be a time and place to address WHAT you’re eating, one solid habit to form is simply HOW you’re eating.  
 
This habit of avoiding overeating will be invaluable to your long term health and pave the way for you to be able to enjoy the foods you like the most, simply in moderation.  
 

Can you learn to stop eating at 80% full?  Yes, I know you can.  Here are some mindful eating tips to help you. 

 

 

1. Remember, like all habits, this will take about 63 days to form, so focus on it by itself.  

Dr. Caroline Leaf and associated neuroscientists have proven that while a memory takes 21-days to form, an actual habit of automated behavior takes 63 days.  
 
So, you need to go into the habit fully expecting the daily practice sessions to be long and bumpy.  The thing about this habit is it requires several cues that we so easily forget to do simply because of the pace in which our life.  So while it is technically one habit of registering fullness and stopping eating, it will involve several other behavioral habits that are the remainder of this list. 
 
This is why, in my Nutrient Based Eating program I have all clients focus on just ONE nutritional habit at a time.  Trying to achieve this while simultaneously working on food choices, eliminating food groups etc, is simply too overwhelming for our brain to handle.  With this one, give yourself 2 solid months of discipline and diligence!

 

2. Stop Multitasking Eating

Now, I get it.  With all the things you have going on in your busy life, you sometimes think the only time you can squeeze in remembering to eat might be at your office while you're fielding emails or scarfing on a snack while you’re driving, but the reality is that these behaviors are not just bad for the cause of overeating, but also for digestion and drawing out the vitamins and minerals from your foods.  
 
Remember, while food is certainly enjoyable, it’s also designed to help fuel your body and a very important aspect of that is digestion!  When you are eating too fast and eating on the run, your body does not digest the foods as well and you are robbed of some of the necessary vitamins and minerals you need!  The stress levels of a hurried lifestyle impact far more than you’ve bargained for.  So pencil in your meal times without any distractors!  Give yourself 15-20 mins to eat!
 

3. Practice Registering Hunger/Satiety Cues:

 
On a previous blog, I went over the difference between hunger and cravings and the importance of eating when you’re about a level 7 on a scale of 1-10 of the hunger scale.  Equally important is knowing your satiety scale as well.  In this case, you will want to stop eating at a level 4-5 of the hunger scale and note that it will take your body 15-20 mins to fully register fullness (hormonally). 
Here’s how I would characterize each level from 1-10. 
 hunger scale from 1-10
 
*Note: When you stop eating at a level 4-5 you may also need to pay attention to eating sooner than you normally would as well.  If you normally eat so much lunch you go until dinner without anything in between, it’s wise to pack a snack and expect to get your hunger back on track to eating every 3-5 hours.   

4. Remove Food From Your Sight:

We will all  mindlessly eat when food is right in front of us.  So going to buffets and stocking your office or home living room with candy dishes are not the way to easily achieve this goal.  
 
As much as you can, remove food from your sight.  If you are at a restaurant, simply cover it with your napkin or put the remainder in a to-go container.  If you are cooking at home, put your meal on a plate (a smaller plate, at that) instead of eating out of a bag, box or while standing in front of a refrigerator or pantry!  Come up with easy solutions to help you manage the mindless eating that we will all get caught doing from time-to-time. 
 
For more great ideas of for mindless eating hacks, I really enjoyed the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink. 
 
For other great blogs and resources on our appetites and mindful eating, I really enjoyed the blog posted by my certification company, Precision Nutrition.  You can check out their awesome blogs here.    

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 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

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.

Categories
Goal Development Health Coaching Spiritual Health

Hello from the other side…

Hello From The Other Side...

What do we do on the other side of big, monsterous events in our lives?  Events of our highest highs and our lowest lows? Those times where we FINALLY achieve a hard earned goal, or those times where we are shocked with circumstances unforeseen, like we all were with last week's national tragedies. 

Hello from the other side....this is where I am.  

I shared last week that I passed my CSCS test, but I didn't share that the week I took it had some terrible circumstances that were actually far more important to me than my test. 

I'm talking about crazy things happening-- like the news of a murder suicide occurring next door the the home we own in San Diego (and are renting out) and other frustrating events like relationship flare ups and disagreements.  Unsure if a resolution was in site.   

Have you ever noticed how the closer you are to a great achievement, the more "life" (a.k.a the devil) seems to try to get in your way and test you?  

Somehow I made up my mind I was going to ignore the temptation to allow the devil use it as an excuse to delay plan of taking the test and more importantly, delay my purpose.  

I buckled down and wholly and completely depended on God to help me study and focus.  It was touch and go there for several days.  But He showed me time and time again that He was with me, even having more than one friend reach out to say I was on their mind, not knowing at all I was struggling.  

By His grace I took that test, I passed that test, and the rest of my life gracefully sorted itself out.  He does amazing things when we trust that He will and allow Him to take control.  This is the art of SURREND’her.  

Whew, crossed that bridge!  

EXCEPT, then there was last week.  We all saw the unspeakable tragedy unfolding….yet again.  It rocks us every time.    We cry out to God, we shake our heads in disbelief and shed some tears for those we know were taken too soon. We are angry and we seek justice. 

And now as a nation, we have found ourselves, once again, on the other side of tragedy.   

 

So, hello, from the other side... again.  

Whether you achieved a high of goal achievement or a lows of tragedy, you come out on the other side emotionally exhausted and... changed.    

If you have been here before, you might recognize the feelings of confusion in your soul.  For me, I feel like EVERYTHING in my life has shifted as I have crossed a great bridge.  And YET, in so many ways, NOTHING has changed either.    

I am caught wondering what you may be wondering, “Well, what do I do now?"  I'm tempted to just go back to how I operated before it all...

But, this week, I came across a scripture I’ve seen before, but it had new meaning to me.  I think it can help you too, if you allow it.   

 

Isaiah 40:31
 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

 

LET’S LOOK AT 3 THINGS THE VERSE TELLS US THAT WILL HELP YOU TO  FROM THE OTHER SIDE: 

  1.  IT TELLS US SPECIFIC ACTION TO TAKE: 

Does this confuse you?  Yes, I called this passage an ACTION PLAN and yet, this verse very clearly uses one word that I don’t think any human being likes to hear:  “WAIT."

But it doesn’t stop there….  it says “Wait on the LORD” which is not inaction, but just the opposite.

Another term you could insert into this context is to SEEK the Lord.   Or perhaps another tough word, OBEY.  

So, this is NOT time you just spend twiddling your thumbs or waiting on the door to ring and it be the hand delivered news of what you are supposed to do.

No, this is time you spend in His word and in prayer so you have Guidance and *clarity* beyond what your emotions want you to do.

2.  IT TELLS US WHY GOD WANTS US TO WAIT ON HIM:

The purpose of us seeking God and waiting on His guidance is not because God wants to drive us crazy and is playing some kind of game with us.  
 
It’s because He sees how emotionally exhausted we are from whatever we just endured.   He is preparing us to win THE WAR and what you’ve just endured was but one battle.  
 
It's also a test to see if we really TRUST Him.  We’ve all seen that hasty moves that are made under distressed and emotionally exhausted mindsets rarely bring wise decisions.   

To our human mind, we think this emotion is supposed to fuel us into action.  And in some ways, it is true--emotion is our human fuel.  

But emotion that goes untested by God’s Word might make us more of the problem than the solution.  

Thinking that our depth of emotion somehow makes us able to play the role of God is not only foolish but idolatrous.  This is the trouble we are seeing in the world after the tragedy last week.  People are taking justice into their own hands—essentially trying to play god.  It will never end well.  

  1. THIS VERSE TELLS US THE OUTCOME OF THIS ACTION PLAN: 

When we seek God and delay action until His way is apparent, it not only relieves us from the burden of trying to fix it all ourselves, but it also provides us the sustenance  to ENJOY LIFE through it all too.   

"Mount up on wings like eagles” sounds like a life of delight to me.  A way to soar above the fray and rise above your circumstances.  

There are more goals to be won.  There are more battles the devil is going to wage in our mind and circumstance. 

I’m going to tell you something you may not want to hear, but it’s also the truth.  

This may take a while.  Your purpose; our nations peace; the process of mourning....all of it.  

But when we wait on God and seek Him diligently everyday, "we shall run and not grow weary, we shall walk and not faint.”   We must keep going.  

And the most beautiful part of what God does for us when we seek Him are His gifts of peace and joy and hope and love THROUGH the journey, not just when it’s over and fixed.  He gives us these gifts daily, no matter our circumstances.  

We all want these every day.  But are you seeking God to receive them, or are you seeking others, your government or even yourself to achieve them?  

Are you waiting on the Lord?  Or is the Lord waiting on you?

 

"Harvesting My Health" Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

FREE 7-Day Devotional

Categories
Spiritual Health

Harvesting More Energy In Your Life!

Using the Laws of the Harvest In a Real Life Example!

I've been doing a lot of research lately about how we get exactly what we really WANT and what we really NEED out of life, especially as it relates to our desires for our health.   My journey led me to the universal law, as designed by God, of the "Law of the Harvest" (a.k.a "you reap what you sow"principle in life).  

Understanding this rudimentary Law in life has completely changed my approach to getting what I want in life as well as my expectation of what that process will look like.  Understanding THIS helps us to understand GOD and the UNIVERSE.  When we understand Him (slightly better), we better understand ourselves, since we are made in His image.  When we understand ourselves, we are empowered to make better choices which ultimately lead us to getting what it is we say we want! 

 As some of you may have received some of my recent emails on this or the blog post introduction and hopefully grabbed your copy of the free 7-Day Devotional called “Harvesting My Health,” there are several “Laws of the Harvest” that we must consider to actually use this God-given law for our excellence.  
 
As it happens, this week that I started this conversation with you all, it  happened to be the exact week that Rick Warren did a series called “Daring to Plant In Faith” on his podcast I listen to called, Daily Hope.  Is this JUST a coincidence?!  I think not!  #Godwink
 
But, as it goes, the great Pastor Rick took my well researched 7 Laws of the Harvest from my devotional and put his own “Rick Warren" spin and expanded them to 11-Laws of the Harvest!  You can listen to Part 1 of this podcast HERE or you can listen to the original entire sermon from Saddleback Church HERE.  The man is just a genius teacher!
 
So, to help you understand these Laws in your real life health efforts, I wanted to give you an example of how you might think through the these laws. 
 
 

Rick Warren’s 11 Laws of the Harvest for Real Life Goals

Law #1:  Everything starts as a SEED.  

Your BODY itself is a SEED that will need to be planted in order to get more energy. 
Your THOUGHTS about desiring more energy are also SEEDS that need to get planted in order to provide the actions necessary.  
 

Law #2:  Nothing Happens Until the Seed Is Planted

You can’t just complain about not having low energy.  You can’t just “wish” for more ENERGY.  You can’t even just PRAY for more energy.  You have to PLANT THE SEEDS (i.e. show some action) to get more energy.  
 
You must also realize that if you DON’T DO ANYTHING to plant more energy, by DEFAULT you ARE actually planting seeds of DECREASED energy.  So the lesson is to do at least something.
 

Law #3:  When I Have a Need, I Plant a Seed

Because I NEED (i.e. desire) more energy, I need to plant the seeds that will get me MORE energy— things like work outs, proper rest, and nutritious food. 
 
It will also have to AVOID planting those seeds that will get me those things that COUNTERACT my efforts for more energy—sitting too much, not getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, over-caffeinating myself, eating junk food, eating too much food, eating too little of food, etc.  If you feel low energy, start paying attention to what choices you have made that day that’s bringing your energy down.  Putting 2:2 together is a big step!
 

Law #4:  Whatever I Plant Is What I Will Reap:

I have to plant those things that actually produce MORE ENERGY to attain more energy.  I can’t plant WORRY and expect to get MORE ENERGY.  I can’t plant BUSYNESS and expect MORE ENERGY.  
 
You might have to try some things out and monitor how it’s going.  It might take a trial and error, but the power here is in the INTENTION of it.  Try just one thing intentionally and see if it works!  Monitor, adjust and keep going.  
 

Law #5: I am not the Only Sower

I realize that I am living in some of the harvests that I did not plant.  I might have entered into a world of chaos that affects my ENERGY.   I might have “inherited” a tendency to worry and overanalyze, which drains my energy.  
 
But I have the POWER to stop any inheritance that I do not want to pass along to others.  I can’t control the past, or what other people do around me,  but I can choose to create brand new legacy and example of energy management.  
 

Law #6:  I Always Reap In a Different Season Than I Sow

These results will take time, there is always a delay.  I cannot expect instant energy from just one day of planting.  You always feel LESS energy during the workout but you get a nice big boost after!  Cutting back on sugar at first makes you feel low energy, but ultimately you'll have a much better energy balance than before!
 
You have to build up consistent effort to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.   After some time, then I will reap the harvest of high energy that I desire. 
 

Law #7:  I Must Be Patient and Not Give Up

Because of the delay that we often see in our efforts, many people become impatient and give up.  But not you!  You realize that every great thing in life results from an uphill battle and you can be ready and willing to push through those times.  You may have to lose some energy to gain some energy, and that’s a sacrifice that will be worth it if you don’t give up! 
 

Law #8:  I Will Always Reap More Than I Sow

This is the Law of Multiplication.  I will get MORE out of what I put in.  So if I want just small efforts for my healthy energy, I will get more energy than I invest.  If I need to see bigger shifts in my energy, I need to invest more in the planting!  
 
In the same way, there are small energy zappers that I could be doing that drain much more energy than I thought they would.  Having my phone on in my bed?  Hanging out with those friends who just pour out their troubles onto me?  Repeating those worries in my mind without praying or giving them to God?  All of these little things will reap and steal more energy than I think. 
 

Law #9:  I Can Always Increase My Harvest By Planting More Seeds

This is the 'Law of Proportion.’  All I have to do is start with some small acts in an effort to get more energy.  If I find that they are working, I can just push those acts more and more and get more out of them!   But there is no pressure to start BIG.  I can always add more!

  

Law #10:  The More Seed I Plant, The More God Will Give Me

God is looking for GIVERS to bless.  Those people that are the most ACTIVE for the GOOD of others are blessed with LOTS OF ENERGY.    God will bless me for those Good efforts by giving me more and more responsibility and need for energy.  The more Ido for the world around me, the more energy God will give me to be able to do it all.  
 
 

Law #11:  I Plant by Faith, NOT By Feelings:

I will never ever FEEL like doing those things that will give me more energy.  Many times I will have to plant when I don’t FEEL LIKE IT, but I’ll do it anyway because I know that’s the only way I get what I want out of life.   
 
Planting by Faith means that I do things for the deeper reason WHY.  When I cling to that reason and don’t detour on whims of emotion, I’ll get far more out of your goals and build my character too.  It will pay off HUGE dividends when I sacrifice my immediate gratification for my greater investment down the road.  
  
Reap What You Sow
 
In short, we have to realize that the things that really matter in life, and having ENERGY is something that really does matter, even though it’s something that God wants for us to have, WE are responsible in just how much we invest and therefore harvest.  
 
God doesn’t operate as just a “vending machine” where we think we just “put in” our part and “God’s part” automatically spits out what we want.  A vending machine God does not build our heart or our character.  
 
Our heart and our character are the “treasures” that we take with us to heaven.  So it only makes sense that God will ALLOW US to “store up” those real treasures in heaven while we are also getting more out of the life that we are living NOW.  What a gift that is!  (Matthew 6:20)
 
It is an honor to get to work for the things we really want out of life.  It is a privilege and it makes our reward that much more rewarding!
 
So, here’s to planting more energy for you TODAY! 

"Harvesting My Health" Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

FREE 7-Day Devotional

Categories
Spiritual Health Uncategorized

New Series: Harvesting Our Health in 2016

Harvesting Our Health in 2016

Confession time.   I have NO green thumb.  I thought it was green for a while there, but apparently I was seeing things.  
Yes, I thought I had seens some shades of sage or even a nice evergreen color on my thumb when I planted some nice boxes of fresh herbs for all the cooking I was going to do...  
...and when I bought REAL house plants, instead of the fake ones, when I thought it wouldn't be that hard to water them.  
 
...and when I bought even those EASY succulents in that planter for my office, because who can mess up a plant you don't have to water all that often?
 
I can.  That's who.  
 
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
 
I guess I didn't really account for the fact that we travel for over 100 nights per year (although in my defense, I wasn't prepared for that).  Or just for the fact that I OFTEN forget to do MANY THINGS that are right in front of my face!
 
How many times I thought, "Oh I should water that plant!" But then thought, "Meh, I don't feel like it right now, I'll remember to later." Only, never to remember, obvi.
 
Those poor, pretty plants are all dead now NOT because of something horrible I did to them. 
I didn't water them with cyanide.  I didn't cut holes into their stems, cutting off their water system.  I didn't shut them out of the sunlight.  
 
No.
 
They're all dead because I never committed to doing the things I needed to do in order to keep them alive.    
It was my INACTIVITY, not my ACTIVITY that was their demise.  It wasn't the plant's fault, I just didn't take responsibility.  
 
Those living plants were in SURVIVAL MODE and I didn't give to them the nutrition and the care they needed to move into THRIVAL MODE and eventually, their resilience gave way and I was left with FAILURE.  
 

THIS ^^^^^ IS THE LAW OF THE HARVEST. 

 
Now, before I move forward with this principle, let's make sure we CLEAR UP what this law IS and what this law IS NOT.
 
WHAT IT IS:

In short, this is the "you reap what you sow" principle in life. 

 
However, there appears to be some common confusion and mixing of this principle with OTHER modern principles and beliefs.  For example:
 
  • The Law of the Harvest is NOT the same as Karma.  It doesn't simply mean the "what goes around comes back around" belief as taught in Hinduism and Buddhism (although, technically, these religions believe that a PAST LIFE actions determine the fate of our PRESENT LIFE).  
 
  • The Law of the Harvest is also NOT the same as "Newton's 3rd Law of Energy" either, which states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."
 
Again, these principles are SIMILAR, and I'm not saying that they don't necessarily exist (although I don't believe in the "past life" principles of Buddhism and Hinduism), I'm stating the obvious fact that MANY PEOPLE commonly confuse words like "Karma" with this Biblical principle and Law of the Harvest.
 
The Law of the Harvest is much, much better than Karma and the laws of physics because we're talking about GOD here.  
 
We are getting into the abundant, supernatural, all powerful kind of laws that reflect God's goodness and God' love for us.  
 
Of course, in real life, this law that was designed to be a GIFT quickly become our demise because the other side of the coin is the REALITY that we do a lot of things that result in far greater negative consequences than we signed up for.  
 
Many tend to BLAME God in these times where we are suffering the consequences not of our own actions, but of the actions of others who came before us.   So what God has created for our BLESSING feels like a PUNISHMENT because the fall of Man has broken this system. 
 

Here's What I See....

So, SO  many of us are in "Survival Mode" in our health and in our life.  And, like my poor plants, we are not giving ourselves a chance to grow from SURVIVING to THRIVING.   We are barely hangin on.  
But God did NOT create us to merely survive in life.  Or to settle of mediocrity.
 
Oh no.
 
He created us to THRIVE in life.  He created us for a "Promised Land" type of lifestyle and health.
 
And I know so many of us have full INTENTION of one day "Thriving" in our health, but just haven't committed to doing the things we need to do in order to allow for that transition to take place.
 

And here's the kicker, I think it's simply because we don't fully UNDERSTAND and APPLY the Law(s) of the Harvest, so we DO A LOT OF THINGS in a way that won't allow us to graduate from surviving to thriving.

 We go half-hearted in our health effort and we reap half-hearted results.
 
Much like when I didn't water my plants, we will stop and think, "Oh I should go work out," but instead of just going, we think, "Meh, I don't really feel like it right now, I'll do it later."  And of course, later never comes...
 
Or with our eating, we think, "Oh I'm full and I really don't need this dessert," but then we eat it anyway because, well, it's there and we think, "what just one dessert?"  But it usually doesn't stop at one dessert just one day, does it.
 
So, when we put in small efforts and get small results, we think the SYSTEM and blame our "slow metabolism.
 
...Or our CIRCUMSTANCES prevented it, blaming our "lack of time."
 
...Or even our GUILT gets in our way, thinking of our failures and not wanting to set ourselves up for defeat, yet again.
 
This is painful, hard stuff.
 

But, there IS HOPE. 

By learning the 7 Laws of the Harvest you will apply HOW you can plant seeds in FAITH that will make ALL the difference in your:
 
CHOICES
ACTIONS
VISION
EXPECTATIONS
RESILIENCY
PREPARATION
& CORE VALUES
 
Remember, THRIVING in our Health is SO WORTH IT.
 
  • Surviving Health = where you feel like you are punishing yourself when you eat vegetables or exercise.
  • Thriving Health = when you feel SO GOOD when you eat nutritiously and move often that choosing NOT to become not an option.
 
  • Surviving Health = every time you pass by the mirror, you experience that tinge of dismay. The results aren't coming fast enough or aren't going in the direction you want at all!
  • Thriving Health = when you forget to look in the mirror because you are off doing the things God created you to do.  And even when you do look in the mirror, you see with new eyes of love and compassion.  You see yourself the way God sees you.

 

  • Surviving Health = when you buy and rely on overly expensive programs, shakes, or meal plans to follow because you don't trust yourself to make decisions on your own.
  • Thriving Health = when you trust yourself and know your body.  You feed it when it's hungry and stop when it's full.  You know when to PUSH and when to REST.  You enjoy food but aren't constrained by it.
 

SO, this is "Big Girl" stuff for 2016.  Part of the #SURRENDher16 initiative!  This is digging deep and as my mentor Jill Coleman would say, "leveling up" in our life and in our health.

 
Stop SETTLING for a life that is barely SURVIVING.  It's time to THRIVE.
 

So, we are going to GROW SOME GREEN THUMBS and get to plowing!

 
And, don't worry, if you're like me and are NOT GREAT at planting, not to worry, the key to your success is not in YOUR ABILITY, but in God's ability THROUGH YOU.  All you have to do is commit and SHOW UP.
 
#PLANTINGINFAITH is a game-changer mindset for our health!
 
The 7-Laws of the Harvest will allow us to life our BEST LIFE.  And because we've already learned the imperative facts that:
 
1. it take 21-days to form a MEMORY in our brain & 
2.  63-days to form a HABIT.
 
We are not going to just slide right by some of these lessons.  We are going to dig deep and make sure we understand, learn and apply them to their fullest potential in our life!
 
See you free gift below to help you start this journey!   Here's to Happy Harvesting!
 

Join the Harvesting Series!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

FREE 7-Day Devotional

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You Say This Is What You Want, But…

You Say It's What You Want,

I just completed my Vision board for 2016. I have done them every year since 2013 and absolutely believe in the value that having a visual representation of the “God-sized” and specific dreams for your life and what it can do to your subconscious psyche.

You can check out my “business” vision board here….

Vision Board

(there are a lot of words in my “vision”…because I’m a “words” kind of girl!).

But you know what I see when I look at this board with my big bold and audacious dreams?

Sacrifice.

That’s right, when I look at this board, I see that for every big, bold, audacious dream I want to achieve in this year, which include dreams for my business, dreams for my health, dreams for my income and my servant heart, I am ONLY going to find success in these dreams by making the right CHOICES that will allow these to be fulfilled.

Contrary to what you might think that dreams are, and especially what a lot of people think GOD DOES FOR YOUR LIFE, is that it’s not about “wishing” for things to be better. God is not a genie where you rub his lamp and he appears to just grant you all the things you want and the “good feelings” you desire.

No. God is after your HEART and He is after your SPIRIT and He deserves it wholeheartedly. God wants you to be with Him forever in Heaven which REQUIRES that you make some sacrifices in your life here on earth. Love is a sacrifice.

You see for every list of things that I desire to achieve this year and in my lifetime, is an equally long (if not longer) list of things that I WON’T do.

So today, I am challenging myself and I am challenging you to get real with what it is you say you want out of life so you can discern not only those things that you WANT out of this year, but also those things that you will have to be willing to SACRIFICE. Consider it some “Unapologetically SURREND’hered” tough love that we all need in the New Year….

 

 

You say you want to be healthy…..

…..but are you willing to commit to some health changes, for say… ever? I know you might be thinking that you are totally sacrificing when you go on those 21, 30, or even 90-day cleanses and willpower challenges, but those are NOT actually sacrifices that will serve your health in the long run, nor are they what God requires of you.

Paul writes,

“..give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and HOLY sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1 NLT)

I didn’t notice him saying, “Give your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice for 30 days….” did you? So why would we think that our health is something we go “on” and “off” of too? We are not called to “diet” we are called to achieve HEALTH.

A much greater sacrifice, and the type of sacrifice that will get you what you want—TRUE HEALTH— is to make a lifestyle change with one bold step at a time, what I call in my new program, the her Health Lounge, the “Next Best Step Action Plan.”

The discipline required to go at the slow, steady pace of real fat loss is a sacrifice for our “immediate gratification” flesh.

The self-control required to monitor your impulse eating and assess your actual hunger means that you will sacrifice your cravings and emotional eating habits.

The patience and self-love it takes to actually give yourself some REST instead of just pushing HARDER and HARDER at the gym or by over-dieting is a sacrifice to our guilt-driven, overly worrisome, fleshy tendencies.

If you say that you want TRUE Health—LASTING health– then you will have to sacrifice your TIME, ENERGY, RESOURCES and MINDSET to figuring out and dealing with the LIES that you are believing right now that are preventing you from the TRUTH. The truth of how God sees you and what God desires for your health and for your life.

If you are unwilling to sacrifice and invest in those practices that help you get deeply rooted in WHY you deserve to be healthy and HOW you are going to do that in a way that serves you SPIRITUALLY as much as it serves you PHYSICALLY, then you are not yet ready to actually attain or maintain TRUE HEALTH.

You will not find True Health unless you are willing to go DEEP enough to uncover it. This is a sacrifice of our ego.

You say you want to be happy….

…but are you willing to sacrifice doing those things and exposing yourself to those environments that do not serve your joy?  You will only find true joy when you immerse yourself in joyful and love-giving environments on a regular basis.

Are you willing to sacrifice all the time you spend following people on Facebook and social media that gossip, slander, complain and criticize?  Are you willing to sacrifice the secret love you have of watching reality TV shows and “keeping up with” all those celebrities that will either make you envy them and their perceived looks or “success,” or make you feel superior and prideful because you love to hate them?

Are you willing to sacrifice watching the news or the political pundits that just over-analyze and tell you why the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket?”

Maybe the world isn’t the “Promised Land” that God designed it to be, but you are not contributing to that dream and promise of God by watching these obsessive shows who’s only platform is to just CRITICIZE everyone.

Are you willing to GO FIRST?

You say you want to be happy, but are you willing to take a stand and GO FIRST in showcasing the ways of true joy? Are you willing to tell people that it’s because of God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus that you are even capable of feeling the fruits of the spirit like Love, Joy and Peace?

Are you willing to sacrifice your reputation and the fear of “what other people think about you” by being authentic, honest and forthright? To “be the change you wish to see in the world” first, without waiting for another courageous person to do it and you follow?

You say you want God’s blessing….

…but are you living a life that shows that you really BELIEVE in Him? It’s not enough to just have a head knowledge that God exists, but you must have a HEART knowledge that is only showcased in how you live your life.

As Rick Warren states, “Believing there is a God and believing that Jesus died on the cross is not enough to get into heaven. Because the devil believes in God, and the devil believes in Jesus, but it doesn’t mean that the devil is going to be in heaven.”

Did you catch that?!

He referenced, James 2:19 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!”

The word “believe” is actually translated as “pisteuo” in Greek. It means to “trust in, to cling to, to rely on, to adhere to and to commit to.”

Are you willing to do ALL OF THOSE things for God?

(For more on this, listen to Rick Warren’s great Daily Hope podcast HERE.)

Let me be clear, all this is not to say that you “earn” God’s blessing, as we know that we can never EARN God’s love. It is freely given. Your HEART must come to the understanding of the GOSPEL which can be boiled down to one simple phrase, “His grace is sufficient for me…” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

But, this is about how you having daring Faith that will move God to not only bless you more richly here on earth, but the ultimate and true gift of rich and wonderful blessings in Eternity.

Are you willing to sacrifice and SURREND’her ALL of your life to Him, even those things you do in secret?

Are you willing to give Him reign over your life and take up your cross DAILY (not just on Sundays), sacrificing the desires of your flesh?

Are you willing to die to yourself and your innate and selfish ways for the greater good and to be of service to others?

Are you willing to endure through some uncomfortable times and do the things you fear the most because you know that this is God’s dream for your life?

Are you willing to sacrifice your time to connect with Him daily and to study His word so you can have a deeper, more meaningful relationship?

Are you willing to give up the “RULE-FOLLOWING” of religion that makes you think you can just follow a “checklist” to Heaven in exchange for a real, authentic, and a completely unique relationship with God?

You say you want love…..

….but are you willing to sacrifice for it?

If you want to truly LOVE your life, then you must sacrifice for it.

Love is not just following “good emotions.” Real love is a SACRIFICE.

Mother’s who love their child sacrifice their sleep, their time, and their needs for their children. Husbands who love their wives sacrifice their fidelity, their selfish, lustful desires and are called to work, provide and submit to her. Wives who love their husbands sacrifice their nagging desires, their controlling tendencies and are called to provide, respect and submit to their husband. These are all a sacrifice to our innate, selfish tendencies.

And God, who so richly loves YOU, sacrificed “His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). <——— THAT is real sacrifice. Do you BELIEVE THAT?

So when you dream up these God sized dreams for your life and you have high hopes of accomplishing everything you can in 2016 and beyond, remember that it is LOVE that moves mountains and ultimately LOVE is a sacrifice.

Having said all that….

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I invite you on this CHALLENGE with me in radically shifting your health to be able to achieve the things you say you want from your HEALTH and your LIFE and join me in the “her Health Lounge” coaching program. I am only offering this program 2 x per year, so if you don’t snag the chance NOW, you won’t have another opportunity until SEPTEMBER.

It is a 6-month journey, delivered in an online portal, that will require a sacrifice and investment of your time and your resources, but you will be blessed with a rich harvest of rewards for your body, mindset and spirit.

Your LIFE, not just your HEALTH will be transformed by this journey when you commit to it wholeheartedly!

her Health Lounge starts on Monday January 11 and goes through July 9. All 26-weeks are mapped out for you on the Sales Page.

But, if you enroll with me NOW through January 7 (at Midnight), you will get 3 MEGA BONUSES, that include:

  1. Access the the Lounge for a FULL YEAR instead of just 6 months.

  2. “her Worthy Time” spiral planner and daily devotional along with a video training on the best Time Management Practices for balance and productivity.
    herWorthyTime

  3. “Nutrient Based Food Prep for busy lives” printable guide and video training.

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ALL FOR FREE! 

Until Midnight Tonight!

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Also, if you desire to have a more hands on, 1:1 coaching experience, I am offering only 10 spots in my Platinum Membership that comes with weekly phone calls and custom nutrition and exercise plans. You can set up a FREE consultation call with me by reserving a spot with me HERE and we can discover if we’re a “right fit” for each other!

Join Today!

http://herhealthlounge.awrightfit.com/