September 27, 2012 - Rolling Through the Stop Signs

Good morning fam, As I type I am sitting beside my luggage hoping it's not more than 50 pounds - we have weighed it twice and it is close. :) How's a girl supposed to be gone for so many days and take less than 50 pounds? UGH! Anyway, I asked the Lord what he would like to say to EACH of us this morning. I heard him say, "rolling through the stop sign." WOW. Okay, Lord, what about that? Many times (and I would imagine many of us do this), we approach a stop sign and perhaps slow down but never fully stop. MAYBE if a police officer is adjacent??? However, if the coast is clear and we are in a hurry.........off we go. Or, even if we "stop", it's more like a pause. In our health journey I would imagine we do the same - come to the "stop sign" and roll through it. Stop signs are designed with an emphatic purpose. Often, we don't care about their purpose; we care about our agenda. Yes? I want us to consider several reasons to "stop" today - REALLY stop - along our journey to health: 1. Have you stopped long enough to have a physical lately? These stop signs are critical. Have your blood checked every 6 months - it tells the truth! 2. Have you stopped long enough to have your eyes examined lately? The blood vessels in your eyes give clear indication of certain maladies that are directly related to our health journey. 3. Have you taken a day simply for yourself lately - no agenda - no plans - no accomplished goals. Our minds need pockets of intense rest. Put your project down and allow your body to BREATHE. 4. Have you stopped long enough to send a card to someone special, a meal to someone in need, or given your family your undivided attention? 5. Have you stopped long enough to prepare the meals you need for YOUR health or are you simply grabbing the burger from the dollar menu with your kids and rolling through life? 6. Have you stopped long enough to lift your head towards heaven and thank God for his love, faithfulness, and plan of salvation? I could journey awhile here, but maybe you get my point? Our health journey is MORE than apples and 12 cups of water. Rolling through the stop signs will eventually bring consequences that could be unpleasant. STOP today....STOP. Let's not "roll through" this day and miss the majesty of God and all the wonderful things in place to keep us safe during our journey toward our 100th birthday. Wink! I will not be blogging again until October, 8th. Going to be in Portland and Virginia. PLEASE make plans to join me on October 7th for LIfe Group at my house. Our focus - healthy foods for our Thanksgiving Feast. :) Much love and continued prayers - PK No rolling through the stop signs - especially for a season. :)

September 26, 2012 - Back to the Basics!

I think one of the things I hate the most is being afraid. How about you? I went to the County Fair this past Saturday with some family and precious friends and I remembered a time when I used to ride all the HIGH rides and loved the excitement of being scared to death cresting the first HUGE hill. Those days are definitely over! Whether out of maturity or the "fear" of a chiropractic bill - OVER! I used to watch horror movies - DONE! But sometimes.......sometimes.....you know that creeping, nagging, unstable place that occasionally we deal with? UGH! That's where I understand and embrace Psalm 23 and Psalm 91. How about you? Sometimes on my health walk, there are days where I will gain a few pounds and immediately there is a "fear" of returning to my past state of obesity. I have to GRAB that emotion and remind myself - I have not cheated, I have not opened any doors, so let's slow down and see what the truth is. I don't react out of emotion, but respond to my body. I start going through the list.......did I get my water in? Have I rested properly and allowed my cells to deliver nutrients and water to my organs? Have I been too generous with my portions???? Somewhere in those questions lies the truth. SO...I answer and adjust. I correct the problem and usually within a few days the scales reflect the correction. It's critical in our journey to be able to operate not from fear or legalism - but in TRUTH we walk. We were created in the image of God and given dominion over the earth and our bodies. We cannot blame our bodies when we willingly overstep the truth. We can't blame shift and say....."menopause." All that blame shifting started in the Garden of Eden and is still running rampant! Also, the FEAR of failure will often cause us to do something drastic - change eating plans, try to live on water for a week, work out 17 hours a day.......UGH... FEAR! No, no.....go back to the basics. Mankind was created using BASIC things like dust and bones - go back to the basics! I am very aware now of every commercial offering the next QUICK fix. There is NONE. I tired EVERY ONE. Back to the basics, ladies and gentlemen. SOOOO.......evaluate your meals for today. Are they reflective of the proper tools your body needs to produce life - minus your candy bar. wink! We got this! I know we can do it! PK

September 25, 2012 - From my morning devotions

Good morning fam, Sometimes things are TOOO good not to repost. It's totally the opposite concept of re-gifting. :) BUT.........it kind of is a re-gift. This so blessed me and was a gift. I want to give you a gift this morning and share how this touched me. Following yesterday's blog, I find that sometimes we can really be soooooo hard on ourselves. But the person we are closest to and have the deepest relationship with is us. :) Hope this blesses you - PK You Have a Relationship with Yourself - Joyce Meyer Did it ever occur to you that you have a relationship with yourself? You may have never given it much thought, but you spend more time with yourself than anyone else, and it's vital that you get along well with you because you are the one person you never get away from. We should love ourselves, not in a selfish, self-centered way that produces a lifestyle of self-indulgence, but in a balanced, godly way that affirms God's creation as essentially good and right. We may be flawed by unfortunate experiences we've gone through, but that doesn't mean we're worthless and good-for-nothing. We must have the kind of love for ourselves that says, "I know God loves me, so I can love what God chooses to love. I don't love everything I do, but I accept myself because God accepts me." We must develop the kind of mature love that says, "I believe God is changing me daily, but during this process, I will not reject what God accepts. I'll accept myself as I am right now, knowing that I will not always remain this way."

September 24, 2012 - My Personal Best

Good morning and I am so sorry this is late. I am preparing a group of messages for the weekend and I am studying to make certain I am communicating what God intends. Thanks for your prayers. I am speaking five times in 3 days, so I would covet your prayers. :) I have been studying Cain and Abel for one of my illustrations and looking at their story. I imagine that growing up they played X-box together and four square. Maybe? I'm sure, as they were the first 2 children, they spent a lot of time together. They each had had their own giftings and interests, as many of our children do. Not a problem. However, Cain's decision to NOT bring his best to God prompted a jealousy pocket in him and eventually led him to kill his brother and perhaps best friend. He looked at his brother, who HAD done what pleased God, made a comparison and opened the door to sin. Comparison is a curse! When questioned by God about Abel.......his response, "Am I my brother's keeper?" REALLY? Not only have we embraced sin, we now want to deny, cover up and be sarcastic. For us, we must fight the urge to look at someone else who is having a stronger run with their health journey and compare. We each have a choice as to what we eat and do each day. We need to do OUR personal best EACH DAY and celebrate another's personal best. YES! If they seem to have an easier journey - don't compare - celebrate! Comparing led to a violent death and circumstances Cain was not prepared to handle. For us, judging and comparing, causes such inner turmoil. Sometimes people "jump on the band wagon" not because they want to be healthy.......they don't want the friends in their inner circle to look better. STOP! Being healthy is not about how we look, it's about living life to the fullest and giving OUR personal best to our body, so it can give IT'S PERSONAL BEST to us. :) The fastest way to break the comparison trap is to ask God to heal the inner hurts that are in our hearts. These hurts can cause us to see life from a WRONG perspective. Make good choices today and tonight - celebrate a good day. Tomorrow, hit the repeat button. Keep your eyes on the finish line which is a healthy body. That's the prize for which we reach. Thursday morning will be my last last blog until October 8th. I will be home on the 5th, but will need some family time. :) I WILL BE HOSTING OUR HEALTHY LIFE GROUP ON OCTOBER 7th. That is from 6:00-7:30. I will need it after being in a hotel for days. :) Please come and bring a friend! Love you, PK

September 21, 2012 - Giving Hope

Did you ever have to do stuff as a kid that you detested? Mom tried to make me eat beets, asparagus, floss my teeth. Sometimes I felt like she was the "nag squad." Today, I see things differently. It's amazing how time focuses our "sight" on the realities of life. AMAZING! I wish I had learned to eat healthy as a child and it was my North Star. Now, most days eating healthy is easy, somedays it's harder. How about you? When I am tired or frustrated, eating cucumbers just doesn't bring me comfort. It's in those times I have to remember that being tested and tried purifies my resolve and strengthens something within me. I have to remember that while healthy eating was not part of my journey until 2 years ago, it is MY LIFE NOW! Someone came to me on Wednesday and said they have a women in ministry whose husband is battling cancer. One of the first things the doctor told her to do for her husband was, "delete ALL SUGAR" from your husband's diet. I know I sound like a broken record, but I feel God is training each of us to offer hope when we hear statements like that. Being told to delete sugar, when sugar is your BEST friend, can send many into a tale spin. But God has allowed us an 18 month "jump on things" so that we can be a life-line to offer hope. We have shared recipes like: cheesecake, red velvet cake, fudge, german chocolate cake, 5 flavor pond cake, chocolate pound cake and a pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese icing - all of which have been made with xylitol and almond flour - AND, they taste good. So when you hear stories like this - speak hope. People can live in a world VOID of sugar and starch. We are proof of that. As hard as times have been in this past 18 months, If I can help someone else with an encouraging word or a sugar free pound cake and a smile - that lights up my day! Rocks me! I love giving hope - you give it away too. God has blessed us by putting us ahead of this medical outbreak about sugar and cancer. We GOT THIS. :) I would ask your prayers as I prepare to travel to Virginia next Thursday to one of our sister churches to speak to their interns, a ladies conference, and preach on Sunday morning. SOOO honored and excited. I am speaking 5 times in 3 days. If you would commit to pray that God would reveal, strengthen, and deliver in every message and that the listeners see Jesus in every story, exhortation, message. My life's message is hope. Thanks for your prayers. Healthy Life Group in TWO WEEKS - October 7th. Come and bring a friend! Much love, PK

September 20, 2012 - The Power of Protein

This is a great read. I am constantly trying to find articles to help remind me how to keep my body fueled and running at top levels. I keep long hours, as you do, and sometimes need a little something when I get home at 9:00. I prefer to grab a few nuts or a teaspoon of natural peanut butter. The protein can actually help with sleep. One of our fam makes a smoothie every morning and adds a protein powder to it. It carries 16 g of protein. Great start! If you find cool articles, I'd love for you to share. Please send my way. I don't always DO what I read, but I love to challenge myself with, "could this enhance my health journey? Is there any part of this that could help me long term?" Have an amazing day! You deserve it, PK Raising Your Metabolism With Protein Everyone knows that a high metabolism helps to burn off and keep off unwanted pounds, as well as building strong muscles. Consuming protein has been shown to be a great step towards raising your metabolism. However, this does not mean starting a bacon and fried chicken diet, but rather adding more low-fat, nutrient rich, lean meats and legumes to your diet. WHAT PROTEINS DO Proteins control nearly all of the molecular processes of the body. Enzymes that are found in proteins are the catalysts of metabolism. Proteins are important in promoting repair, growth and maintenance of cells throughout the body, and they provide the amino acids human bodies cannot make naturally. All but a small percentage of the protein you take in is digested. Excess protein that is not used in cell repair or converted into amino acids is converted into sugars or fatty acids and can be burned as fuel. HIGH PROTEIN = HIGH METABOLISM For protein to be converted into amino acids or for it to repair and build cells requires a complex conversion,this conversion uses calories, up to 30% of the calories the protein contains, in fact. Example: one cup of white boneless chicken breast, without the skin, contains about 230 calories 175 of those from protein. Your body will use about 30% of the calories from protein to break it down just for use. That equates to about 50 calories burned just by taking in this high-protein food. The same is true for legumes and grains that are high in protein. Besides burning calories as the proteins are converted, they raise your metabolism by rebuilding muscle fibers faster. Muscles require more energy, or calories, to maintain themselves, even when you are not using them. The more calories your body burns, the higher your metabolism. FISH PULLS DOUBLE DUTY High protein often conjures images of red meat and bacon. Legumes, nuts, milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, chicken, beans and fish are all great sources of protein. Fish, especially, packs a double punch in raising metabolic rates. Besides the high protein content, most fish contains omega-3 fat, which has been shown to help humans burn more calories. The more calories you burn, the higher your metabolism gets. TIMING IS IMPORTANT Eating protein in the morning is essential because it creates energy that outlasts carbohydrates. A boost of protein in the morning will help prevent your body from burning muscle fiber for energy. Breaking down muscle for energy actually slows the metabolism, so it is crucial that you prevent this from happening. Don't skip lunch or dinner, either, and make sure there's protein in both. Fish twice a week is recommended and it is a quick, easy dish for either your midday or evening meal. A steady supply of protein throughout the day is very important to increase your metabolism. If you are a late night snacker, try reaching for a high-protein nibble at night, like cheese or sliced, cooked turkey breast. You might find you sleep better and feel more satisfied with fewer night-time calories.

September 19, 2012 - Oil Changes

What a great response to yesterday's blog - so many singers. Fabulous! I just know we had an amazing day releasing those happy endorphins, which in turn keep the cortisol down. Keep singing and let me know if you loose like a million pounds. We can start a revolution. :) Simple things that make such a profound difference. Simple things that keep us living at our best for as long as God intends. I don't know about you, but I have often said to the Lord, "I want to live to age 100 IF I AM HEALTHY." I sat beside a woman at the retina specialist last week who was 96 and whose best friend was 104. It SOOO blessed me! I certainly never set out to live that long when I was younger. I certainly never ate properly as an investment into this plan. But better late than never. Yes? My husband is a stickler for keeping the oil changed, tires rotated and balanced, all fluids clean and filled in my car. He's really OCD about it. BUT......I see the correlation to my own health these days. His routine maintenance on my 15 year old car means she drives WELL! Now she's beginning to show some wear and tear and body dings, but she drives nicely. WHY? It's certainly not because I am an amazing driver or I have a magic formula. It's because my husband keeps the oil changed and never allows it to go beyond the 5k miles suggested. He is adamant about the oil thing. He keeps saying, "that ONE simple thing will ensure the life of this car." At first I just shook my head, but today as my car keeps running so well year after year - I see the truth. For us - the simple truth is........what we place in our mouth has everything to do with our long-term health. There are other factors - rest, stress, etc. but the day to day process of nutrition (food and drink) is what gives us the best chance at great health until we're 100. However, this process must be maintained; it can't be hit and miss. Terry has been faithfully doing the "oil thing" for 26 years and reminding me EVERY TIME (wink) "If you allow this to go beyond a certain point, all the internal parts to the engine will be effected and eventually the engine is gone." I've been told this so much I can recite that statement in my sleep; yes I can. But, he stays right on top of it to ensure the life of my car. It will go a couple of months without his attention, but then he starts watching the mileage and starts preparing to have the car serviced. WHY? So this vehicle serves our family to the best of it's ability for as long as it can. (do you see this as it relates to your health? I do!) And Terry's diligence has paid of. What's important here is that my husband never waits TOO long to be on top of this. He can't. Beyond a certain point, the engine is gone. For us, "HOPING we'll do better tomorrow" or "in January we'll start again" may eventually put us into a place where the engine (our internal organs) have been effected and then it's a lot more costly than an oil change. While I may get frustrated that Terry is SO STINKIN particular about this - my car bears the beauty of it. Thanks, honey! Let's stay on top of our health maintenance and don't put off for months or years those essential things that give us long life. Wanna be my 104 year old friend? I'd like that. :) Healthy LIfe Group on Sunday, October 6th from 6-7:30 at my house. Thanksgiving focus. Come and bring a friend. Much love, PK