Tag: strength

Categories
Fitness & Training

Pain on Purpose | A Way to Test Your “All”

Pain on Purpose | A Way To Test Your "All"

“Sometimes you don’t know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.”

I remember posting these words on my Facebook page after another one of my many break-ups. I don’t remember which one exactly,  as I had a long history of dating some terrrrrible guys.  Not that it was always them, but us together, for sure.

Part of the consequences of believing the lie that my body and beauty were responsible for determining my self-worth and the subsequent feeling like I was never thin/fit/strong/beautiful enough to actually grow any self-worth, came with a side effect of choosing the wrong dudes to date.

So naturally, one of the best wake-up calls God had for me was any time I got my heart busted by some guy I was depending on to fulfill my value.   Eventually, I learned the lesson that no man can fulfill the God sized whole in your heart—only God can do that.

SO, I digress in this story only to say that I found out how strong I was emotionally, really, one heart-break at a time.  It was painful but I don’t regret any part of it.  It’s how I learned to be resilient.

You might feel the same way about your tragedies and heartbreaks in life.  The things we often think will break us wind up building us into who we are today.  

But this quote above popped into my head the other day when I was reading, for probably the thousandth time in my life, THE MOST IMPORTANT VERSE IN ALL OF THE BIBLE.  
 
Jesus said,  

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  Luke 10:27 (c/r Deuteronomy 6:5)

The hardest part of this passage is not the word LOVE.  We all looooove love, don’t we? 

The hard part is the word ALL.  

And the part of the command that says “ALL YOUR STRENGTH” is especially tricky because the only way to get to know your “all”

is to TEST IT.

One of the COOLEST things I get to do for a living is to help women find how STRONG she is physically and watch how it transforms her internally.   

Not only does it help build her body, but it builds her confidence, her self-efficacy, and yes, if you take this scripture above to heart, even her love for God

But the part that is TRICKY as a health coach and trainer is convincing my clients to do a self-test to find her MAXIMUM STRENGTH.  

There is a name for finding ALL your physical strength through weight training and it’s called your 1 REP MAX TEST.    

For my clients in my (*brand new*) STRONG’her Fitness & Mobility plan, I actually have her do just a 10 REP MAX test (which I’m going to give you below if you want to try it out too) so she knows how much weight she should be using for the various goals of the program.  But even this one has been a hard sell.  

It’s really important:  knowing how STRONG SHE IS helps her reach her goals.  

That MAX TEST number is actually VITAL information to be able guide her in how much weight she should be lifting during the progressive “Periodized” training.

For example, for Period 1 of my STRONG’her  Program the goal is to grow “Muscular Endurance” which is a fancy, fitness word for the ability to complete many repetitions (i.e. 15-20) at a moderate weight for the purpose of building up greater endurance and stamina.   

For this goal, I  recommend that she use a weight that is roughly about 65% of her 1 Rep Max.  

Therefore, knowing what her MAX is allows an accurate weight use for those workouts and she doesn’t go too light (which is unproductive) or too heavy (which is unsafe).  

Muscle building has a different goal;  strength building has a different goal;  power has yet another goal.   My programming takes each client through all these types of trainings to achieve the optimal body health while avoiding overtraining, boredom, and plateaus!  <—Avoiding this stuff is really important to help you stick with your health goals, right?!

So, it’s something I give to all my clients to go and perform as a SELF-TEST.  

But naturally, not many of my clients really want to do it (and of course, I don’t make it mandatory).  

Willfully putting herself in that rather painful experience of MAXING out her muscles, to what’s literally called muscle “FAILURE," is a hard sell as a trainer.  

It got me thinking that this must be why God has to get our attention through the shocking events in life.    If He relied on us being willing to get max tested in our emotions, our relationships and our faith, we would never do it.  

We as humans avoid pain.  Period.  

It’s why I ended-up dating so many guys that were not right for me…I was avoiding the pain of feeling lonely.  

It’s why we can hold on to grudges and resentment… we avoid the pain required for true forgiveness.  

Your health might be less than stellar right now simply because you’re avoiding the pain that comes with cleaning up your eating and exercising.  

But avoiding pain is one of the worst things you can do for yourself if you actually want to achieve your PURPOSE in life and achieve your dreams.  

“You don’t know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.”  

Your ability to tolerate PAIN is directly proportional to knowing how STRONG you really are.  

Knowing how STRONG YOU ARE is vitally important to being able to LOVE GOD with "ALL YOUR STRENGTH."  

Being able to LOVE God with ALL THAT YOU ARE is the #1 way to find purpose, fulfillment and achievement in this life.

It comes at a cost and will require some pain in life.  But that pain will teach you true resiliency and true Love.  

So, with that in mind I decided I wanted to share this 10 REP MAX protocol with you today too because I believe that if you practice being willing to endure some pain PHYSICALLY, it can translate to what you can also handle INTERNALLY. 

Because I know that when you have to courage to stop avoiding pain and actually TEST YOUR STRENGTH, you are gifted with the ability to actually USE IT.

So check it out below and send me an email back of what you thought of the experience. Was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?  

With Love and Light, 

Mandi

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Categories
Spiritual Health

Confessions of an Unburdened Heart

Today, I would just like to share openly with you about some of my real and current struggles—not so that I use you, my beloved reader, as a way to vent my frustration and fears, but rather as a place where I can expose how God is rewiring my mind and soul in real time so that whatever struggle you might be facing right now  might make you feel like you are less alone.  So even if our struggles are not in the same category in life, we can connect in a sisterhood of Divine strength,  knowing that we are not the only ones in this very moment who are having a hard time unwrapping our beautiful hearts from the greedy hands of the devils destruction. 

I am experiencing one of those days that I just can’t stop crying. I am overcome.   But God is speaking to me and I just hope to share what He is telling me now. 

I pray that by unwrapping my heart, I might shine a light on your darkness too.

 Gods love can overwhelm me.  Experiencing a calling to the depth that I am experiencing can be so strong that it almost feels like a burden.

There are so many questions I cannot yet answer.  The mystery of, “What will happen?” builds-up like piles of stones trying to create a mountain blocking the path that God has laid out before me.

Every day, I am challenged to be bigger than my fear.  Every day I am challenged to choose God and choose Faith so that those stones of fear are bulldozed away and my path is made clear, again…..and again. 

I had naively thought that once I overcame my initial fear of starting this business and was willing to be obedient to this calling, that I would overpower all fear. 

I was wrong. 

I battle fears of failure every day.  I battle fears of caring too much about what other people think of me, every day.  I battle fears of unworthiness every. single. day. 

What’s crazy is this epiphany—–>  The closer I get to God, the more my fears can mount up.

It is very clear, that the devil can sense this intimacy I have with God, and he is not happy with it. 

My great Hope lies in this—–>the closer I get to God, the more I use His Power to knock down my fears.  I thank God that His Power is so great. 

The other wave of emotion that I feel is the weight of so many new ROLES all at once.  What I am experiencing through this life shift of SURREND’her is a convergence of many “callings” meeting together at the epicenter, which is my heart.

This should not be surprising, since as I have written several times, our “Calling” or our “Greater Purpose” is not limited to what we “do for a living.”  So while I will often relay that my “calling” is found in this business I have started, A.Wright Fit, the truth is my true Calling and my Greater Purpose is being molded from several roles all at once.  I know I am not alone in these roles.

For instance:

  • I am called to be Wife.  What an honor this role is.   Wow, is it hard.  Today, as I write this we are officially 7-months married.  Newlyweds ;-).  Borrowing the words of Gabrielle Bernstein as she too was speaking of her fiancé, (now husband),  “He is my greatest assignment and my greatest teacher.”  I moved away from my family and my home in Colorado, and found my new home in my husbands arms, wherever in the world they may be at the time, which is far more traveled than I had expected!
    What I feel so far about being married is that much of what is so difficult about it is that often times I feel as though Howard is really acting as a mirror, reflecting back to me my greatest flaws.  Looking at my flaws in a mirror is BY FAR one of my LEAST favorite activities.  But the lessons I receive daily are abundant and humbling.  Loving harder is a challenge I have not only accepted, but have committed to in the covenant of marriage.  It is all here for a reason and it can all bring me close to God.  But it is a daily choice.
       
  • I am called to be Mother.  As I took my vows to marry, I also took on this new role as step-mom or what they call me, which is simply “Mandi” or specifically, “Mani” for the little one.  This is a role no one can really prepare you for.  There are not the “What to Expect When You’re Not Technically Expecting” books out there, nor did I experience any warm-up to parenting that being pregnant  or raising a child from infancy can provide.  I was thrown into the game as a rookie with both a toddler and a college student.  As a step-mom, I think the greatest gift I have is just a natural sense in navigating the boundaries for all parties involved and growing in love every day.  But I must admit, the fear of overstepping the boundaries are always great and choosing the love is not automatic, which I have guilt even admitting.  I am grateful I have God who teaches me how to choose love.
  • I am called to be Sister.  I am a little sister in the literal sense (and I miss my siblings fervently), but my calling is also now to be a Sister in the Soulful sense.  Starting this business has very little to do with the actual products and programs I offer, and much more about how can I serve as a Sister in Christ.  How can I play a role in helping others find their own paths to health and their Greater Purpose.  How can I help others seek God’s great Power for their life?  It is navigating the terrain and finding the right paths to being in the “right place at the right time” that is challenging.  Connecting with my clients as their health coach and helping women, most of which I’ve never met, find a greater connection to their health and to God is an honor.  It is simply my hope that I might be able to expand in this role and be called to serve on a wider platform. I do not know what lies ahead.
  • I am called to be Child.  I am both the child of the greatest parents in the history of the world, including my mother-in-law, but also and more importantly, the child of God.  I realized I am still in the infancy stages of life in so many ways and I know I am just learning to walk.  Like children often do,  I am learning so much at once!    I realize I must learn first before I can teach—- so I must learn to walk before I can run.

So, as I mentioned in my opening, it is days like this that I feel very overcome by the greatness of these Callings converging on me all at once. 

So I have done the only thing I have left to do, I have asked God the real question on my heart.

“God, why would you give such enormous callings to a girl who has been plagued with such insecurity her whole life?  How can you expect this insecure girl to really manage a head-strong husband, being away from her family and security, the unknown role of step-mothering, the huge leap of faith to lead women as an entrepreneur all while still learning to “walk” as the Child of God?”

God has answered me. 

I was literally bowed down with my head on the ground in the middle of my kitchen and His words came came to me,

“Beloved, you are not insecure.  You have just believed the lie that you are insecure.  I have given these things to you because you can handle them all, “not by works, but by Faith”.  “Put on the armor of God” and become the warrior I have called you to be.  Believe the lie no more and unburden your heart, “for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  You are worthy.”

He reminded me not to misjudge how I measure His love.  To not think that just because some people have found worldly success that they are somehow loved more than me.  He loves us all immeasurably and it cannot be compared.  We do not see the full picture of everyone’s heart and happiness. 

He reminded me that my burdens are not a sign that He does not love me either.  They are more of a sign that I am doing what is right and it is the devil who is afraid.  He reminded me that I can feel His love by his great protection and part of His love is shown in ways I cannot see. 

He reminded me not to miscalculate the size of His hands and Might of His Wings.  That His sovereign strength can bear all things.  That I can “take refuge under His mighty wings” and give Him ALL of my burdens, even those I’m ashamed to admit.  He can take them all and more. 

He reminded me that I’m not alone.

That I’m not insecure.

I am a warrior.

So, I stood up.  And here I shall STAND.

Below, are just some of the verses that came into my mind through my prayerful dialogue with God.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2: 8-10)

“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!  People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36: 7)

Categories
Health Coaching Spiritual Health

Looking in the Mirror Naked

Looking in the Mirror

My role as a health coach is incredibly rewarding.  I get to connect with a group of intelligent, brave, incredible women who are willing to open themselves up to me (often times someone they’ve never met) with their hopes, dreams and insecurities about their bodies and their health.

While I’ve had to get over my own insecurities about feeling “fit enough” or “healthy enough” to actually offer advice to anyone else, I know that this role is something I was designed for.  It is part of my Greater Purpose.  I’m not perfect at it, by any means, but I am learning so much about myself in the ways that I serve others.  God blesses me and I praise Him for that.

As was the case just yesterday with one of my clients.  I’m not going to name any names, of course, but this client is particularly beautiful on the inside and out.  I just love our weekly “Google Hangout” sessions and getting to see her face and just talk about her big dreams she is so capable of accomplishing for her body!  She is one client that is considering doing a bikini competition and I am so excited for her and to be able to coach her in a BALANCED way to this monster goal and not losing sight of having a strong mindset and strong spirit along the way.  Essentially, I am hoping to accomplish with her what I myself could not do.  There is something really beautiful about this opportunity for us both!

 

Over the weekend, I got an email from her with some recent snap shots of her body for what are called “Progress Pictures”.  I think progress pictures are incredibly valuable to the health journey not because it’s easy or even enjoyable to stare at yourself in the mirror and even (gasp!) share these images with another person, but because there is power in being able to look back and see how far you’ve come.  Somehow it’s a step in Faith, saying “I know this is how I look now, but I also know this is not how I’m going to look in the future.  So I’m brave enough to take the pictures now so I can one day see how far I’ve come.”  Again, it’s a challenge, but can be a really rewarding practice.

In fact, I think that is also the benefit of doing “Mind” and “Spiritual” versions of “progress pics” by doing things like journaling and written prayer journals, just so you can look back and see how far you’ve come. I highly recommend adding these practices for anyone looking to make some health changes!

 

But, back to the story, my client took the pictures and sent them to me and the email inevitably had some remarks about her “flawed” body parts and imperfections.  I related heavily to how she was feeling.  I think every woman on the planet can relate to this.  It is so challenging to stare at ourselves in the mirror without starting into a tirade against our body “flaws.”    Why is it so hard for every woman?!  Fat, skinny, short, tall, fit, thin –we all have things we don’t love about ourselves!

To me, the answer is the same answer it has been for me since that 2nd grade story I shared not long ago. My mind, and the lens through which I see my body, is the flawed part–not my body itself.  There are LIES that wreck havoc over my eyeballs and that tell me all the reasons why “I’m not good enough.”

 

So, I sent my client an email back but I felt as though I was really writing this email to myself.  Since I knew it was something that I needed to remind myself of and certainly knew this was something my client needed to remind herself of, then I can only assume that this might be something that YOU need to remind yourself of too.

 

So, here’s what I wrote:

Yes, I saw your pictures!

So, here’s what I see.  I see YOU and your beautiful body!  I also see that you are getting “nervous” because you are now seeing your body as the “flaws” that they are and what all will need to change by the time you hit the stage.

This is exactly what I did and exactly what I see so many women in this world do.
We think that in order to “motivate” ourselves, we need o focus on our flaws and fix them.  This is the equivalent of “hating your body to change it.”
It can work.  But the way it works is all negative and will suck the life right out of you.  It will make the next year of your life miserable and hard.
So, you’re not going to learn to love your body once it changes.  You have to learn to love your body now.  Just as it is.    Only from LOVING your body will you be able to set out and change it for the good of your soul.  To make a change in your body and your health, you will have to seek ways to become a better you and to do so from a place of LOVE not HATE.  Otherwise, it will suck the love right out of you.
So HOW do you do that? How do you love your body now?!   
Honestly, it’s a day by day and moment by moment, CHOICE that you’ll have to make.   It is a change that you’ll need to find deep in your soul to the the point that it can actually change your mindset too.
How do you love yourself?
First, by recognizing you are LOVED by God.  God IS love.
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Think of the things that you love in this life.  You have love that should feel almost effortless right?   That feeling—God created that.  That feeling IS God.  When you feel that love it means you are feeling God within you.  What’s different about the love you feel for others and the love God has for you is that God’s love for you in unconditional.  You have it no matter what.  You can not earn it, you can not give it away.  What you need in your life is to simply embrace this love.
Right now, there are some walls blocking you from feeling this LOVE when you look at yourself.  These walls cause a darkness over your heart.  The walls might be from past pains you’ve experienced, or by comparing yourself now to the girls you saw at the show, or simply from LIES in your head that you’ve believed your whole life.  These LIES are from the devil and he is so smart and tricky and has made you believe these things are “normal” in your head.  They are not.
They are lies.  Fear is a liar.  Always remember that.
So, to turn away from these LIES and TOWARD LOVE you have to go out and seek it.  You have to practice love and make it a habit.  You will find that your spirit and mind will grow into this the more you practice it.  But it will be an everyday challenge that you have to choose to engage in.

Forming Habits of Self Love:

  1.  Pray to God and ask that His love fill you up and pour over and make you see the love for yourself too.  Building a relationship with God cultivates love with Him and then love for yourself.
  2. Replace all negative self talk with positive.  Every time you catch yourself wanting to be negative about your body, choose to repeat a positive love affirmation.  “I choose to love my body today”  or “Love conquers all”.  Something sweet and meaningful to you.
  3. Read Spiritual passages about love in scripture.  Search to understand what love is more and what Love God has for you.
  • Here’s some of my favorites:
  • Ephesians 3:17-19
  • Romans 8:28-30
  • 1 Corinthians 13:13
  • 1 John 4:8
  • Matthew 6:25
Take a moment to look these up and write down what they mean for you.  Meditate on them and seek ways for you to believe they are true.
      4.   Read other books, poetry, and podcasts etc that will help you remember to love yourself or just be inspired.
I love the new Oprah book “What I Know For Sure” where she does these short articles from her O magazine.  You could read one a day and really feel the benefit.
Here’s an excerpt that made me think of you just now.  She was talking about her constant struggle with dieting and her body (we can all relate).  What I Know For Sure
“I sat up one crisp, sunny morning and made a vow to love my heart.  To treat it with respect.  To feed it and nurture it.  To work it out and then let it rest.  And then one night when I was getting out of the tub, I glanced in the full-length mirror.  For the first time, I didn’t launch into my self criticism.  I actually felt a warming sense of gratitude for what I saw.  My hair braided, not a stitch of makeup on, face clean.  Eyes bright, alive.  Shoulders and neck strong and firm.  I was thankful for the body I lived in.
I did a head-to-toe assessment, and though there was plenty of room for improvement, I no longer hated part of myself, even the cellulite.  I thought, ‘This is the body you’ve been given–love what you’ve got’.”
          
Other books:
Jesus Calling, Laura Young
Awaken the Gian Within, Tony Robbins
How you can Heal Your Life, Louise L. Hay
The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck
Choose to start this today!  We are going to work through this SELF LOVE just as we are working through this BODY CHANGE.  By doing this, your experience will be a drastically different one than most will experience.  It will be a world different from MY own show too.
I am so excited to be a part of this!!  But again, this is a PROCESS!  It will take bit by bit to make any change –body, mind and soul.  All you have to do is be present to this very moment, and commit to the next step that GOD lays out ahead of you.
Love you!
M”
For anyone else that read this and can relate, I’d love to hear ways that you cultivate your own self love? Please comment below!  I know we all need reminders of things we can do to keep these LIES in our head at bay and start seeing ourselves the way God does!
I know for sure, that the process of sharing and engaging in God more because of these insecurities is the exact reason why we struggle with them to begin with! So in spite of it always seeming like a never-ending battle, it really is a blessing in disguise because of how much it will bring us closer to God.
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Categories
Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition Uncategorized

Nutrient Based Timing! WHEN you eat can be as important as WHAT you eat!

Part II of my quest to create a Nutrient-Based society is taking a look at the timing of eating, especially when eating Nutrient-Based!

Just as a recap from Part 1 that I’ve been featuring over the course of the last couple of weeks (HERE) the importance of having a Nutrient focus with each of your meals will help ensure that you get enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals!    

Vitamins and Minerals are absolutely necessary to not just look better (brighter skin, acne control, stronger bones and teeth, muscle tone, etc.) but to also feel better (high energy, low fatigue, efficient digestion, internal organs all doing their job, better sleep, disease prevention and high immunity, etc.)

But, as you might have guessed, just being sure you are getting enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals does NOT necessarily mean that you are able to stay lean and fit! 

Quality of food IS an incredibly important step in the right direction, but it does not necessarily promote weight loss or physique goals!

So, the next part I want to introduce to the Nutrient Based Diet is the TIMING of when you eat.

While there are no rules  to Finding “A. Wright Fit” for yourself, I have found that there are definitely some benefits to monitoring your eating patterns and adjusting how often you eat!

It all boils down to just 3-Steps to Nutrient Based Timing! 

(click picture to view more clearly)

Nutrient Based Timing INFOGRAPHIC

(If you’re interested in getting this printable infographic for you to add to the 5-Steps of the Nutrient Based Eating that you can get by signing up HERE). 

Step 1: Go minimum 12-hours without eating every night.

Research has been showing more concretely lately that going extended periods of time in a “fasted” state at night, has been extremely effective in helping bodies avoid obesity, even when eating a high fat diet.  It has been termed Intermittent Fasting in the fitness community.

The concept of intermittent fasting was first introduced around 2009 and was popularized with a study that occurred in 2012. In this rodent research, three groups of mice were studied.  One group was fed healthy food and the two others were fed the the same “higher fat” diet.  Of the high-fat diet, one group was allowed to eat at all times of the day (“ad libitum”) and the other group was restricted to eating only 8-hours of the most active part of their day.  The group that actually restricted their diet to just the 8-hours of the day stayed just as lean as the group that ate “healthy” food.  But the group that ate the same amount of calories and food, but ate at all hours of the day, became obese!!   Read about this study HERE.

Even more recently, another follow-up study has been done over a less drastic fasting time range that has equally shown great results.  This study had 4 groups of mice fed differing diets and found that over a 38-week study, the mice that limited their food intake to just 9-12 hours of the day, were able to stay lean and fit no matter what diet they were given.  More importantly, the study also tested whether those same mice could take a “break on the weekend” (much like we humans do)  and indeed, they were still able to stay fit and trim mice even when taking those weekend breaks in fasting.    Here is the graphic from the study and link HERE.

Intermittent Fasting Mice Graphic www.cell.com

I have personally tried intermittent fasting both for the 8-hour eating window AND a 12-hour eating window and I find that both time frames work equally well to one another for my body. 

The difference I have found is that I’m much more uncomfortable when trying to go 16-hours a day fasted.  I have early morning stomach grumbles like crazy and I would rely more heavily on coffee and tea in the morning (without cream or sugar, or it doesn’t count!) which I found unsustainable for my lifestyle.

Now that I only eat 12-hours a day (and thereby fast for 12-hours a day), I find it much easier to implement  this into my lifestyle and now many of my clients too!

This is how it works:

If you finish your last meal by 8pm at night, then you simply drink water, plain coffee or plain tea in the morning until your first meal at 8am.

For those that are morning people, you may want to monitor your dinner the night before so you can have the breakfast you need at the time that more convenient. 

For those that are night owls, you might do just fine eating a little later of a dinner since you’ll be up later at night.   (See more about food timing after STEP #3 below)

Step 2:   Eat meals every 3-4 hours, with no snacking in between!

We live in a society where we have immediate access to food.  What a blessing that is! 

But with such access comes the unfortunate tendency to snack or “graze” all day long.  I call it “Drive by Eating” in my home.  Every time I come across the nuts in the pantry, I gotta munch on a few!   Every time I open the refrigerator for some water, I see the grapes and I gotta pop a few into my mouth! It is mindless and I’ve had to put some parameters on myself in an effort to stop!

Some of us have heard that we need to eat “every 2 hours” when trying to lose weight to “speed up our metabolism.”  But recent studies have actually debunked that myth.

The reality is that it all depends on your body and how fast your digest and break down your food.  It also depends on the size of your meal (which we’ll get to in Part III of the Nutrient-Based living!).   

So some bodies WILL eat 5-6 meals per day because they will digest their food fast enough.  But more commonly, most of us will eat 4 meals a day, which allows adequate time in between meals.

A list of benefits for allowing more time between meals is:

  • You are more likely to eat when you’re body is actually hungry, not just when you’re craving something. 
  • You give your digestive system adequate time to reset its digestive hormones and secretions necessary for adequate and efficient food break down.
  • The digestive rest in between meals is reseting your fat metabolism (i.e. You are in Fat Burning Mode!)
  • It helps regulate your hunger and satiety hormones (Ghrelin and Leptin, respectively)
  • Helps you maintain normal blood sugar and insulin responses. 
  • Helps maintain balanced mood.
  • Allows your body to use energy toward detoxing your systems instead of only focusing on digesting.

The amount of time you need to wait in between meals is unique to your body.  Since you are eating a full, Nutrient-Based meal for every meal, the size of this meal should take at least 3 hours to fully digest, if not more.  The fiber, the protein and the fat in our meals do take a while to break down. 

Some of you might have much faster metabolisms which means your body will become physically hungry much sooner. 

I encourage everyone to determine signs that you are “physically hungry” versus when you are mentally or emotionally craving something.    Here is a graphic from Metabolic Effect that I think sums it up really well!

Physical Hunger Verus Emotional Hunger Graphic

To ward off the tendency to have high cravings or emotionally eat in between meals, drinking water or herbal and green tea (without sugar or cream!) is really helpful in keeping your stomach happy and your body circulating!

STEP 3:  ATTEMPT TO EAT AT THE SAME TIMES EVERY DAY

The reason for trying to time your life to be similar day to day is because of the value add of going along with your Circadian Rhythms.  To get to the point, many functions in our body is regulated best in a rhythm, including when we eat!


To optimize these rhythms, the goal is to eat around the same time every day!  Your role for your body is to asses and see what times of day work best for you!

Circadian Rhythms are defined as: “physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.” (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)

Essentially, it is our internal, or “body clock”, that regulates our hormonal responses, body temperature, heart rate and sleep cycles

Circadian Rhythms (CR) certainly contribute largely to our sleep/wake patterns in our life since they are highly regulated by the light and dark responses. 

But studies have shown that they can also be regulated by the timing of eating!  Eating at times when our bodies are in “rhythm” to eat is ideal for metabolic responses to be at their best. 

Our CR is mainly regulated by an area in our brain, the Hypothalamus, where about 20,000 neurons called the SCN (Superchiasmatic Nucleus) as the “master clock.”  But, recent studies have shown that the expression of our bodies “clocks” are not limited to just that area of the brain, but have been found in many tissues and cells throughout the body called the “peripheral tissues.”

Several studies  reported on in The-Scientist Journal HERE said:

“From these studies it’s clear that the clocks in peripheral tissues—vulnerable as they are to the timing of eating—are vital to metabolism in the body’s organs. “I would say the clock is playing a very fundamental role regulating all metabolic pathways,” says Takahashi, “not just in organ systems, but at a cellular level.”

Finding a patterned rhythm of eating that best supports your metabolism is one of the best things you can do to promote your healthiest, most energy efficient, and LEAN bodies possible!  

Sporadic eating does not contribute to helping find the natural “rhythm” of your body.  It causes some disruption to these natural rhythms and causes more internal stress than you know.   

In reality, we all know that we don’t always eat just when our bodies are hungry.  That would be too easy!

We eat largely because of behavioral and mental reasons too: 

  • -We eat just because it’s 12-Noon and we think “oh, I must have lunch!”. 
  • -We eat because we schedule that dinner with the couple at that certain time. 
  • -We eat because everyone else around us is eating.  We eat because we’re bored or sad or happy.

Just becoming more aware of an eating pattern (and sleep and wake pattern too!) is a great first step in finding your best rhythm for your energy!

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Map out your typical schedule.
  2. Start with the time you’d like to wake-up and the time you need to go to bed (getting 7-9 hours of sleep).
  3. Start with those personal qualities that are important to your eating life and require priority in planning.

—Do you workout early in the morning or evening?
—Does your family stress the importance of family dinners?
—Do you have a designated lunch hour that you need to stay within?
—Are there times of the day that you are most active and therefore most hungry afterward?
-If there is a particular meal time that you know you already are akin to, start THERE.  Don’t try to force something different from that important spot.

4.  From that time, designate a meal 3 hours before and 3 hours after (as many times as necessary) until you get about 4-5 meals. Some meals will be bigger some may be smaller.

5.  Assess and be sure that you are able to implement the 12-hour window of Step #1 given this timeline and map.

Allow me to use myself as an example:

*Everyday, I get up at 530am and go to sleep at 9pm-930pm.
*My main meal priority is my workout, which I typically do at 10am.  Therefore, my priority meal is right after this at 11am.

My schedule thus becomes:

Meal #1- 8am breakfast
Meal #2- 11am post workout
Meal #3- 2pm
Meal #4- 5/6 pm Dinner
(Meal #5- 8pm Post dinner snack (if I need it))

IF, I need to change my workout that day, I  still don’t change my meal timing.  I try to fit in the workout in a way that will allow be time to keep this schedule (so I’d try to workout at 12/1pm, or 4pm).

REMINDER!!!

As with all things about your body, this is an investment in time and requires patience for you to learn about YOU!  What works for me, may not work for you.  What works for you may not work for your sister!

But the payoff to some true, intentional investigation into your body, will be tremendous!  Remember, you are not put on this earth just to look a certain way!  You are put here for a GREATER PURPOSE!  Your LIFE must be LIVED in order to fulfill that!  Taking care of your health in your responsibility and the gift that you give back to God for the amazing, although at times HARD, life you have been given!

Your hard work will pay off in ways you can’t even imagine!  Just take it 1… 2…or  3 steps at a time!

Have any questions?  Comment below or contact me at amanda@amandawrightfit.com!

Categories
Health Coaching Spiritual Health

THE Miracle Moment | My Road to Becoming WISE’her

2015-02-21 17.52.58

Sitting here, steeped in the richness of beauty that is Maui, I cannot help but be in awe of what God has done, is doing, and will do for this us and this great earth. You see tiny slices of heaven in the way He decorated this Island and majesty in the volcanoes, rainforest and gorgeous turquoise waters. A true wonder.

For all that God has done for this earth, He has done much much more within us-within me. The way he can decorate your soul is of far greater beauty than anything we can see.

I see it now so clearly. The color of Love within me is bright and beaming and shines through my every pore. Reminds me of the passage:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22-23

My eyes have been shown a new light and it can’t be hidden nor forgotten. It came at a brilliant moment of clarity that after a week of relaxation, I feel I am ready share openly.

Here it goes…..

***************************************************************************************

“What are you so afraid of?” he asked.

The question caught me blindsided. Almost immediately, the tears started flowing down my cheeks.

“He” was Pastor Miles McPherson from The Rock Church in San Diego, CA. I was with my husband and the Pastor meeting in his office in a brief introduction for the first time. After 15-minutes of chit-chatting between he and my husband (who had known each other from years ago as young athletes in San Diego) we were heading out to let him get to his second of five sermons he would give that day.

As we were heading toward the door, he asked what I did for a living? I told him briefly about my virtual health coaching and the blog I was intending to start (i.e. this one) that would include not just the body (i.e. exercise and nutrition), but having a strong mind and also creating a stronger spirit with God at the center. I said something like “I’m really scared about it if you would pray for me.”

Hence, his question.

I was immediately overwhelmed because the question was more accurately “What am I NOT afraid of?”

I was afraid that I was a fraud. Afraid that I still didn’t look the part that people would respect. Afraid that I wouldn’t be good at writing. Afraid that I would put my faith out there and offend people…. or get made fun of…. or not taken seriously. I was afraid of failing. Afraid of disappointing God. Afraid that God had chosen the wrong person for this calling of writing. Afraid that I was still too heavy and I need to just keep focusing on losing weight first.

This place of fear and insecurity was not new for me, oh no! But with the tears came such disappointment and shame that this fear bubbling up yet again, in front of my Pastor and husband no less! Especially since I had been working SO hard trying to change my mindset about my body and really thought I was making some headway!

The other week on the blog, I shared what I would call a pivotal moment of my career in health. What Malcolm Gladwell would call a “Tipping Point.” After mentally torturing myself and my body to compete in a body building Bikini Contest for the purpose of finally feeling “accomplished” and “good enough” to be in the fitness industry, I was met with the most empty and sad feelings I had ever felt about my body. What I had expected to happen by getting the “perfect body” was almost the polar opposite of the feelings that I actually had when it was accomplished. (If you missed it, check out my last blog HERE)

This was what I know for sure as an experience in the wonder of God’s grace in life lessons. Love so richly poured out in the form of tough consequences when we don’t listen to His guidance. Consequences that certainly get our attention because they’ve just smacked us right in the face, and consequences we need in order to learn the lesson He wants us to.

As they say, “When you know better, you do better” and I decided that this experience of the competition was going to propel me to “do better” things for my body and in my practice of teaching others about health.

I knew I needed to change the way I thought about my body. I knew there was something not healthy about my thoughts and something overwhelmingly negative about how I saw myself. This was an epiphany for me because I have largely felt as though I was a very positive and kind person. But as is often the case, especially in women, where I am positive, kind and uplifting for others, I was begrudging, judgmental, and harsh on myself.

Being that I have always been a good student, I naturally set out to learn more about how I can improve my way of thinking. I began to devour blogs, online articles, magazines and books in search of some wisdom.

I learned a tremendous amount of information from fellow bloggers, notably Jen Comas Keck, Jill Coleman and the rest of the Girls Gone Strong group of women who all had very similar stories to mine of trying for years to “look the part” of something they thought they should be in the fitness industry, only to come out on the other side realizing there is so much more to life and fitness than that.

I also read countless books by authors with incredible insight and acumen. One very noteworthy example is the book Playing Big by the incredibly smart and talented Tara Mohr. Tara was the first to introduce me to the concept that we all have what she calls an “Inner Critic” which is the is the voice in our head that is critical, discouraging and keeps us “playing small”. I took it to mean that there was this natural negative side to all of us! It was a powerful book for me because I realized I clearly was not the only one that had this voice in my head that would discourage me from taking risks in life. Her booked helped me tremendously in taking more steps to writing this blog, even before I felt completely “prepared enough” to do it. Now, I feel like I could even be ready on starting to look at how to publish a book… Although I very well might need to get writing some more for that!

These great resources and clear knowledge I was learning from all of these women, I felt were slowly helping me finally learn to love my body and manage my insecurities. I thought I was making some great headway!

But, it was clear that just by one simple, yet profound question by Pastor Miles that day, I still was dealing daily with my battles of fear, insecurity, body image and some self loathing.

“What are you so afraid of?”

Although I mentally had a list a mile long, I of course didn’t say any of those things to Pastor Miles, but did stammer out something about “not knowing if I was going to be good enough or capable enough.”

Miles, with a strong sense of divine intuition, sat us both back down and started trying to get to the bottom of where all these fears had come from. He gave me a few rounds of questions trying to figure it out:

“Did your parents ever make you feel you were not good enough?”

Oh no, my parents are perhaps the most supportive and loving people I know.

“Do you have a learning disability or anything that really holds you back?”

Oh no, I’ve always been a good student, actually.

“Do you not like the way you look or something?”

Well no, not most of the time.

“When did you first start feeling this way?”

(Without much pause) Since second grade.

“Second grade??”

Yes, second grade.

I still remember it vividly. At eight years old, I was on the playground with two of my best friends. As a tall girl, I was always a head taller than everyone but I was also pretty curvy, with this bubble booty I have always had! One of my friends brought up my weight and the fact that she weighed 45 lbs-I weighed 60 lbs. And.That.Was.It.

That was the first time I felt huge and the first time I didn’t like that I was so much “bigger” than everyone else. In a funny way, it was not about my height as I didn’t mind being taller. It was always about my weight and being heavier, curvier and more noticeable for it all too. I got teased some, sure, but never really bullied severely. I became my own bully. I began desiring to “lose weight” starting in elementary school.

Pastor Miles looked at me and said, “You realize that this is how the devil works right? He gets inside our heads so early in life that you didn’t even know he was there. Since then, you have been living under this LIE in your head that was planted so very long ago. A lie you have been passively accepting as your truth because the devil is that good that he preys on the things that will get us the most.”

Wow, I had never thought about it that way.

This specific LIE of being “too big” and “not good enough” was not just not just any kind of insecurity- it was THE insecurity from which all others have stemmed. Was he saying that this lie was not from me or something that I created in my head, but it has been implanted by the enemy? It was not my fault?

Pastor Miles went on to explain that we actually have the power over the evil one in our thoughts. It is a power that God gave us but a power we must choose to engage. To cast out any lies or ways of thinking that is not from God. To put the evil back where it belongs.

He said what I was enduring my entire life was not a mental battle, but a SPIRITUAL battle!

Then, he and my husband took the time to stand and pray over me and pray out any thoughts of evil, pray out any more lies that I had been passively believing and that my soul might be restored to it’s rightful owner, God.

As they prayed over me, I was able to truly surrender my body and spirit to this new awareness and accept the prayer over me.

All of a sudden, I could feel the physical presence of God within me. It surfaced as small twitches in my eye. This physical sensation I have felt several times since, usually while praying, and a gift I am humbled to receive from God.

[Reflection: I feel that whenever I pray and I feel these eye twitches, God’s presence is doing this to “open the eyes of my heart” so I can see Him and see life through His gracious lens. It is a miracle and truly extraordinary, if not shocking, to experience. ]

Later that day, I thought back to all the roads that this LIE of being “too big” had led me down.

I remembered feeling big in my volleyball outfit and it affecting my play. Choosing friends growing up that I thought were better than me so I could feel more confident around them. Choosing bad guy after bad guy to date and expecting them to magically cure my low self-esteem. To periods of depression, eating disorders, and emotional bursts. To obsessing about food and thinking about my body literally all-day, every-day for as long as I can remember.

But on this day, for the first time in a long-time, I felt whole, complete and at peace. It dawned on me that this “inner critic” or negative voice of lies is not actually ME at all. There was no battle between the “bad” version of me and the “good” version of me.

I am good. In fact, I am “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139)

Embracing that love and embracing that fact turned on a light inside of me that had never felt so pure and so bright. This warming love spread through each capillary and nerve.

What was remarkable, was that it all mades sense now-intellectually speaking.

I “got it”. More than just an “aha” moment,

I had wisdom.

Each lie in my head had been acting as a brick building up a tall wall that was preventing my mind from fully understanding the depth of love God had for me and thus my ability to embrace the depth of love I have for myself.

Again, “But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Words of Jesus, Matthew 6:23)

The best part is that this battle was not mine to win. It is a battle that is Gods. It can all be changed in a moment–with a simple prayer. God has given me the strength all this time, but I just needed awareness and prayer to be able to do something about it. The same goes for you.

It is not quick fix. As pervasive as the enemy is, often times I revert back to my old ways of thinking without a blink of an eye. But that WISDOM I gained that day does not leave me and I am able to choose Faith again.

It is my choice to either believe the lies and go on living them, or to choose to live by Faith the way God truly made me. I pray daily that I might see myself clearly the way that God sees me. I pray that “Thy Word will be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105)

For those that might be reading this and don’t quite get it, or quite see why it was such a big deal to me, I completely understand your skepticism. I had been where you might be for over 30 years. There was even a time that I didn’t really believe in evil or the “devil” because I thought we are all responsible for our own sin and it was just our own ‘human nature’. But that’s exactly what the enemy wanted me to think. That it was just another thing that I did that wasn’t “good enough.” He might be smarter and trickier than me, but the Bible says that he doesn’t have more power than me.

” I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19)

On this day, I seized that power. A true miracle.

But there’s more……..

A week later or so, Pastor Miles went to a big church in Dallas, Texas and delivered a sermon on this exact topic. If you would like to watch this funny and incredibly gifted pastor give this message, I have attached the link. (Fast forward to 37:18 for those that don’t want to watch the music)

http://www.daystar.com/ondemand/video/?video=3979777751001#.VMZT-dPDXjc.gmail

You’ll notice toward the end that he actually makes mention of a girl who had been “believing lies since 2nd grade.” He was talking about me.

See this was another miracle that God gave me. He was already using my story through Pastor Miles to help others. I was humbled by this mention but it made it even more clear that God was calling me to continue expand and tell my story. That where my mind exists so does countless of others out there. So I officially stated this blog and had some true Wisdom to share.

I surrendered my soul, gained wisdom and now understand my true strength in LOVE I have for my body.

STRONG’her | WISE’her | SURREND’her

YOUR TURN | JOURNAL

I would like to challenge you take the time to think about your biggest insecurities and go back in time when those thoughts might have originated.

Some of you may find that the lies just popped-up one day in your innocent little mind. Others might have a voice or person attached to the lie from a parent, bully, or other real life critic. Even if the lie has a face and a name doesn’t mean that the lie didn’t come from the enemy.

I encourage you to think deeply through your life and begin to question–WHAT IF ALL THIS TIME I’VE BEEN BELIEVING A LIE?

If you realize you have been believing 1 or 100, you can pray a simple prayer to take your power back.

“Dear God,

I command that these thoughts of evil be cast out of my mind in the name of Jesus. I release my burden of these thoughts to your love and power you, God. I accept the love You have for me in exchange for this lie I have believed for so long. I believe that you have given me the power over these lies in my head and that I can exercise this power over them every time I pray in Love and acceptance of your love. Protect me God and renew me in your strength of love. Give me a stronger body, mind and soul so I may live our the Greater Purpose you have planned for me.”

I would love to hear from anyone or pray for any one of you that could use some extra prayer!! Please reply to this email with any prayer requests you have, regarding this topic or otherwise!

In Good Faith,

~Mandi