September 30, 2013 - What Bit Me?

Good morning! I am home safely with a slightly different skin tone. Playing in the pool and the ocean daily for hours tends to add a different hue. It's okay - it's only once a year. Right? I have a busy weekend coming up and would love your prayers. I will be flying to Texas to speak at a women's event on Saturday and then hosting our Life Group this Sunday evening. I am sharing my recipe for basa fish nuggets and someone else is doing a strawberry sorbet. COME - bring a healthy dish to share (we all take a bite) and the recipe to share as well. We spend time talking through the recipes and building our healthy cookbook. Then, we top the night off with prayer for our bodies. Starts at 6 - ends at 8. If you're coming, let me know so that I can get enough fish. :) For the first time this vacation, I was bitten while in the ocean. Whatever grabbed me didn't break the skin but it was enough to force me from the water for a minute until the pain slowed down. I would have screamed loudly, but did not want to alarm my grand daughters. Kailey was screaming enough as the waves were high and rough following a storm over night. The water seemed safe, fairly clear and little seaweed - but how many of you know sometimes those little things around our feet can bite hard? As I sat and pondered what had happened, I really had no clue what bit me because although I could see into the water I could not see clearly. Wouldn't it be fabulous if we could see the little nuances that affect our daily lives, often in ways we don't plan: harsh words too many calories "cheating" this once not enough rest chemicals lack of hydration As I had time to read at the beach, I really felt a renewed sense of how critical taking care of our bodies is. Not because of our appearance, but because the health care system in this country appears to be changing before our eyes and we may have little say in the journey of our medical future. To me that means I fight for great health now and hopefully will have little need of the medical system as I grow older. These little biting guys that are "lying in wait" will have to bite someone else. God designed our bodies to health themselves and I plan to do my part to stay healthy. Amen! I could not see what bit me in the ocean, but I can see those bulleted words above. Sometimes I forget that they bite, but they do. Hope this picture encourages you today. PK

September 24, 2013 - The Right Stuff

Good morning fam, Yes, after spending fun time in the sun yesterday, I am sunburned but happy. It rained our first couple of days, so the sun was beautiful. Teree and I enjoyed a late afternoon stroll along the beach for about an hour and I marveled at God's creation. I was reminded, also, that all of us come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Perhaps because it's the last week of September, there were no models on the beach, only real people like me. :) Whew! I have fallen in love with a new lunch combo that you might consider. I take a carton of 2% low-fat Activia cottage cheese, blueberries, mandarin oranges in their own juice and a tablespoon or so of nuts and mix. YUM! Great combo of fruit, cheese, and protein and all under 250 calories. Add to this a can of coconut water with the pulp (70 calories) and you have a power lunch under 350. So colorful too! One thing I am fighting here, though, is the fact that my every minute is not consumed and when my mind drifts, it drifts to food. WHY??? People eating pizza at the pool should be ILLEGAL! But, I had taken an apple and smiled, half heartedly, as I consumed it. Someday I hope to find myself numb to the temptation of foods I have deleted, but I am so not there. Keeping it real this morning. But at night, it's great to check off another day of health and know that I am doing my part to allow my body to do it's part to keep me functioning well to 100. I was watching Joyce Meyer this morning and she was emphasizing that just because we have all the Christian books and t-shirts doesn't mean we are really followers of Christ. There has to be real change in our day to day living. That's the same concerning our health, isn't it? If we purchase healthy foods and all the health-fad-gadgets and still over eat, never exercise, and drink diet sodas all day we probably will not be healthy EVEN THOUGH WE OWN THE "STUFF." It's amazing how our culture wants a lot for a little. YIKES. We expect to be physically fit from taking a tiny diet pill and then often blame-shift when it doesn't work in 3 days. I hear it all the time. Choosing health is a daily option and often not an easy one. I wish things were different. Vacation for me was always extravagant meals, brownies and desserts, FRIED SEAFOOD daily, and tons of candy. That actually defined a "good vaca." I thought last night as Teree and I grabbed a few things at Publix - "wow, has my definition of a "good" vacation changed. Now I am looking for fruits and coconut water and grabbing the beauty of the sunset to build a new definition. Know what's good? This new definition offers me the possibility of many more vacations with great health as the benefit. My previous definition of a great vaca - not so much. Off to work out, change clothes, and grab the floatie for the pool. Remember, having the stuff doesn't matter - making correct choices does! Talk tomorrow, PK

September 23, 2013 - Is Your Goal Secure?

Good morning from Destin. It has been raining here, but today promises to be beautiful. We are excited to see the sun this morning and be outside. Teree and I are having a great time together - just the 2 of us - and the grand daughters will arrive mid-week. Life Group NEXT Sunday, Oct. 6th. It's a challenge here to eat out as most of the seafood is fried or has a sauce added to it. But you know me - I just start asking questions and rearranging things. I cannot get side tracked. Vacation is not my ticket to divert from the goal of health and pick it back up in a week. NOPE! Too many of those and one can be in trouble. Being healthy is at the top of my goal list right behind following the will of God. Above family? Consider this...if I am not healthy, my family will have less time with me and I feel they deserve better. If I am healthy my family gets a better me - emotionally, physically, psychologically. And let me say, personally, I feel spiritually. For years as an obese person I hated who I thought God created. I hated that God would NOT grant my prayer to be thin, which was really a prayer to eat anything and everything I wanted without any discipline and be thin. After I got healthy, I realized my entire life changed! Not really...but my reaction and perspective certainly changed. I now see how my health affects everything and I have shoved it to the top of my FIGHT FOR LIST. My health is a goal. I wonder if we can REALLY say something is a goal when we allow obstacles, whatever, to deter us every other meal...every other day??? Is it a goal? Is it a temporary goal or a life goal? I am about to head to the water to work out, but wanted to bring a few questions to chew on today to our thoughts? Remember, Jesus wasn't distracted. He knew His purpose and allowed nothing to keep Him from it. Can I encourage you today to settle that your health is a critical goal and then OVER STEP any distraction that tries to pull you from your focus. Choose well this day. You're worth it! PK

September 19, 2013 - Breathe Well

I was sitting this morning while reading the 6th chapter of John and really began to focus in on my breathing. We don't speak of this often, but it really plays a critical role in our long-term health. While the article is long, it is very informative. I have already been practicing this morning. :) PS - remember Heathy4You! Life Group on October 6 (bring a friend) but I really need to know how many as I will be making basa fish. PSS - Last blog this week as I will be driving all day tomorrow. :) BREATH well today! It's important. PK Health Benefits Abundant If You Remember To Breathe (an excerpt from an article: Breathe Some LIfe Into Your Life by Dr. Joel McPherson) Would you be interested in a free method for increased energy, improved blood circulation, reduced swelling, and even an improved complexion? Better yet, you already own the required equipment - your lungs. Studies show that simply learning how to breathe correctly can have remarkable effects throughout your body. Breathing correctly can be as powerful as it is simple. The typical person only uses around twenty percent of their lung capacity, but with practice, they can learn how to tap into their lung's full potential. Sending better oxygen content to all the cells of the body can bring dramatic changes in general health and mood. Famous health guru, Dr. Andrew Weil, says that if he could only give one tip for better health, it would be to breathe properly. A clinical study* of thousands of participants over a 30-year period presents convincing evidence that the most significant factor in peak health and long life is how well you breathe. *You can get more information on the ongoing Framingham Heart Study from the Department of Health and Human Services/ National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/framingham/index.html Breathing correctly is critical in maintaining the level of oxygen for energy, keeping the correct pH levels in the body, and enough carbon dioxide for bodily functions. Healthy people make 93 per cent of their energy aerobically ("in the presence of oxygen") but poor breathing habits can reduce the amount of energy made aerobically to 84 per cent. A full seventy percent of the elimination of wastes from the body is through breathing. The good news is that poor breathing habits can be reversed. Among infants, correct breathing comes naturally. Observe a baby as it breathes to see its belly rise and fall with each breath. As we grow older, we are taught to "suck in that gut" and "puff out that chest" as we try to achieve as slim a waist as possible. Such resistance to the natural breathing posture restricts oxygen intake, which can lead to numerous physical as well as emotional problems. "Bad" breathing Shallow "chest breathing" invites problems by delivering less air per breath into the lungs. Less air per breath leads to a higher number of breaths, putting in motion a series of physiological changes that constrict blood vessels. Less oxygen reaches the brain, the heart and the rest of the body as a result. Less productive exhale causes an imbalance between the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and a buildup of toxins that should have been eliminated through breathing. Too much oxygen, and not enough carbon dioxide, can create an agitated state. As you learn to exhale slowly, you conserve carbon dioxide and rebalance the system. However, too much carbon dioxide, and not enough oxygen, can create feelings of fatigue and depression. Learning to inhale slowly re-balances your system by taking in more oxygen. In extreme cases, a restricted supply of oxygen can contribute to anxiety, panic attacks, and even phobias. Self Test To see how you currently breathe, find a comfortable position and make sure to breathe as you normally do. Place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest. Breathe as you normally would and notice whether your "stomach" hand rises or your "chest" hand rises. To breathe properly, your stomach area must rise more than your chest as your diaphragm expands. How to breathe "right" Begin by slowly breathing in through your nose through the count of 4. Breathe into your belly so your diaphragm expands. Hold the breath for a count of 7. Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8. When you exhale, try to make a soft "whoosh" sound by holding the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth as you exhale slowly. (Called 4-7-8 breathing) Repeat this process for three more times (for a total of four breaths). Do not do more than four breaths at first - with practice, you can work your way up to eight breaths. Do this twice each day. If the process causes you to begin panicking or if you become dizzy, only do it for as long as you are able. Increase the number of breaths each day until you can do the exercise four times per hour (every 15 minutes). With practice, you can be breathing this way naturally throughout the day.

September 18, 2013 - Friends Help Friends

Wow, the morning finds me tired and sore. Have you ever had someone you admire and love try to kill you? I have. If you have traveled with me for a minute, you know my friend Shelly. She and I love doing the Leslie Sansone "Walk At Home" videos. Love them - been doing them for years. AND....you know I LOVE water aerobics, as I am in the pool 4-5 times each week. However, as the temps are lowering throughout the day, the temp of the water is really getting chilly. So, my good friend Shelly informs me of the new Leslie video: 5 MEGA Miles. This video comes with a stretchy band and everything. Yes, it arrived yesterday; and yes, it was too cool for the pool; and yes, it says 93 minutes on the back but I think "misprint:" and yes, I did the DVD. It was challenging, as is my pool workout, but I endured. Tired muscles - yes, some whiny, yes! I did it. However, the beat of the music decided to sink into my heart and in the night the stretchy band arm routine decided to tap me on the shoulder and remind me, "5 Mega Miles." GREAT! Don't you love endorphins? Can't they sleep? :) But as I lay there reminding my shoulders and mind, "you're not the boss of me" (still tapping to the beat this morning) I hear a comment from sweet Wendy from our conversation yesterday, "eat less and move more." GREAT advise. I was reminded of how fires burn at maximum capacity because they are fueled properly and at correct intervals. Remember 2 weeks ago I spoke of my friend Rocky who is now riding his bike one million miles at a time. It's a yummy thought that we not only can encourage each other with healthy food options, but knowing that we are ALL "suffering" as we move makes me smile. You know I don't mean that - I love working out. RIGHT! Just a quick reminder though - hydrate before, during and after or your muscles will become mean and act ugly AND limit activity on extreme, low calorie days, as your muscles are conserving energy as they are being challenged with less fuel. We are safety people - we eat, drink and sleep well. It's all in the prescription! Okay - let's keep encouraging one another to "good works" as we move our bodies, lubricate our joints, help our muscles stay young, strengthen our heart and increase our smiles. That's a lot! Have a great Wednesday, PK

September 17, 2013 - The Apple Of His Eye

GMA, I will be headed out of town again next week, so blogs will be from the ocean as opposed to the mountains. Terry LOVES the mountains and Teree LOVES the ocean and I LOVE them both, so I break my vacation into 2 components. Beach week is here. :) The first weekend in October I will be speaking at a women's event in Texas. I would love to come to your church and speak if God opens the door. :) I routinely say to my Father, "I'm available." I will be speaking on freedom in Texas and would love to see any of you in that area. Today, I want to briefly connect us to a passage from Psalm 17: I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. 10 They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. 11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground. 12 They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. I know that God hears when we petition Him and that He cares about us individually. I believe this. Our health and the details of our life matter to God. This verse reminds me that God has His watchful eye involved. The writer, King David, uses the descriptor "keep me as the apple of your eye," (NIV - other translations say focus, attention etc) and that clearly reminds me that God has his gaze set on each of us. In the AMP Bible the phrase reads, "keep and guard me as the pupil of your eye." REALLY. How kept and protected is that? Do you guard and protect your pupil? Are you mindful of your eyes daily? I AM! God cares that we struggle to win this battle against our flesh. God desires that we fully comprehend His affection and that He is not absent. I had someone tell me recently that they were angry with God for not taking a particular situation from them. I am not sure that is God's plan - sometimes, maybe, but not always. God desires to walk us THROUGH the valley. We learn things in this journey we would not learn otherwise. Sorry. God may not take away your food addiction, but He WILL help you to have a desire for healthy options if you ask daily and perhaps hourly. However, we are not robots and have been given a choice. Sometimes God allows us to choose between the apple and the brownie trusting that we will make the correct choice and then He satisfies our desires with that apple. Deep this morning. Remember today: our prayer should be, "keep me as the apple of your eye - keep your focused attention on my protection - keep your steady gaze on me - keep and guard me as the pupil of your eye." Yes, yes, and yes! This is how the psalm ends: "You provide food for those you love." Another translation reads, "You still the hunger of those you cherish." Amen! If we can come to a heart knowledge of this and not a head knowledge, we might fight these cravings that try to attack regularly with some deeper fortitude. Yes? Praise God for His love and attention to each of us this day! PK Pastor Kathy Hill New City Church "God has not changed HIS mind about you!" email: kathy@newcitychurch.net blog: kathyshcgfamily.blogspot.com

From the Life of a Butterfly

Great Monday to you all, I apologize for jumping ship Thursday evening, but I had a brief moment to go and spend a few days with Terry and I took it. He is living in North Carolina now building a house and I had not seen him in a few weeks. Anyway, there is NO internet on the top of the mountain where he is building. I am home now and ready to share. While there in August, I noticed more butterflies than I think I have ever seen in one place. That is because the wild flowers on the mountains are abundant. I LOVE butterflies, but this was over the top. As I studied them, I also realized that some were very active and others, the large ones, were not afraid to sit and stay. I walked close and gathered several in my hand - they didn't care. Why? Because in the last stages of their life (only 29-30 day life cycle for most), they are tired and rarely have the energy to run from people like me whether they consider us to be dangerous or not. Hmmmm, I wonder in our tiredness if we sometimes no longer care to fight for life or health? I don’t know if living within the confines of weight-related issues ever caused you to feel restricted. I felt trapped, wrapped deep within the pain that I tried desperately to hide. I always knew that I could be healthy, but was never felt I had the energy or strength to break free. Breaking free meant I had to try again, let someone else see me “try” another diet, lose a few and gain a few and feel exhausted. But I desired to be free and I desired to change. I know none of us likes desperation, but sometimes it is the singular motivating factor of life-long change. I am not talking about change that lasts a few moments to simply appease our flesh, but change that will not allow us to return to the prison from which we came. Change, REAL CHANGE, that becomes our new norm is often birthed out of a place to which we finally will no longer agree to be bound. Have you experienced this? I have. Sometimes I feel this way about my hair color or style. Am I stuck? What about the way I dress? I KNOW these are not on the same playing field, but I also realize that often we can compromise on the small things and find that change is too much work. Have you ever exercised and remarked at the conclusion, "I wish I had not done that?" Probably not. It was work, but with a definitive purpose. Once we begin to "not care" about movement or change, we could find ourselves like the large butterfly sitting patiently for me to gather it. I am not ready to be gathered! How about you? I still have flowers to invade and mountains to inspect - I have lessons to teach and people to love. I have life to give and life to live - SO DO YOU! Let's not settle this day. Choosing life means we don't wait for the predators and use the excuse, "I'm tired; I give up; nothing works for me." NO.....not when you declare it doesn't. Being a healthy adult requires movement, choices, change.....yes it does. Are you stuck in any area of your life and where do you need to have an honest conversation with yourself? Let's not grow weary in well doing or settle for the world's standard or simply "coasting" through our life. Touch somebody's life this day. We need each other! Love ya! PK