blessings

I realized today just how blessed I really am.  I was able to just relax today.  I took a bubble bath and was able to soak in hot water.  Sitting there I was realizing how what I get to do today many people pray for.  In actuality, that's really sad.   That hurts to think about that.  Everyone deserves a day to rest and everyone deserves a chance for either a hot bath or shower.  I never really thought of it as a luxury.  But it is.  Then God graciously reminded me that I have friends that He's blessed me with to keep me down here on Earth.  They humble me.  They teach me everyday.  They even pray for me.  Who gets that blessing everyday?  Who is able to say that about their lives?  None of this really has to do with how much money anyone has or what geographical location I'm in, or even what decade I was born into.  It's the simple things in life that get you thinking about how meaningless really everything else is.  I mean seriously.  God has blessed so many lives in ways that we could only dream of.  Now if you think of Him blessing others with success, perfect genes, the ideal family.... then you're not thinking of what God sees as a blessing.  Sure, these "things" can be but what really is there when all of that goes away?  When you no longer have succes?  When your perfect genes are no longer?  When your family falls apart?  What's left?  I like to look at it as "What's everything that I always need?"  What is it that remains when the world crumbles?  GOD! I was humbled today when a friend shared this with me.  Yes, I'm excited about where my life is going and how God continues to amaze me.... but really, it's all Him that is doing everything I've always dreamed.  What He's given me are tools to use.  I can either not use them and live an okay life.  Nothing-to-be-ashamed-of type of life.  Or will I use the tools He's given me to share who He is not just in my life but in those around me?  Now THAT is a life that I want to live!  So, I must praise God for giving me a life that I love and friends and family that I couldn't live without (though when the time comes, I know He'll give me strength), and people in my life that remind me who HE is in me.  I am VERY thankful for that.

give the best to your body

Proverbs 31:14-16 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
 
Making healthy decisions is not easy.  Preparing healthy food is even harder.  But reading Proverbs today, I totally got it.  The thoughts and knowledge are completely different than the action.  Taking action for a better life and to take care of our bodies since this is the only one we get is one way we can honor God with our lives.  Take care of the one you have because God gave it to you to take care of.  A way to take care of our bodies, we must prepare and work hard to do so.  It's not easy but it's always worth it. 
 
How do you help prepare and work hard to make sure that your body gets the best that it deserves?

Showing God in your 9 to 5

Today was an interesting day.  Listening to things going on around work and life in general can be taxing on the soul.  Well, when  you start focusing on who God is in these areas in your life you have a stronger peace about how to not only handle certain situations but also how to just let them go.   God definitely helps do that and you definitely cannot do it on your own.  You can get caught up in the drama of life or you can let God catch ahold of their lives.  The decision is your ultimately but He still wins either way. :)

What's in my purse?

Been reading a TON lately.  LOVE it!  Learning much about myself and those around me.  Right now the books that are in my purse are "Made to Crave", "PUSH", and "The Slight Edge".  Each of these books plays a different role in my life and let me tell you they are each helping better who I am as a person.  PUSH has been helping me gather my thoughts and goals together.  Chalene has an amazing way of helping you gather your thoughts and goals that align with your priorities.  If  you are having problems figuring out what you should be focusing on or where you would like to be in the next year you should really consider picking up this book and reading it!  Not just read but implement these ideas into your own life! 

On mondays, be looking out for what I'm learning in my life.  I'm reading various books and will be blogging about them here!  If you have any that you think I would enjoy or would like me to read then let me know.. I'd love to add them to my list!

replace cravings

So many of us have excuses that we start using the same one over and over again because that creative excuse gene is now wearing out.  "I decide tomorrow will be a much better day to keep my promises to eat healthier."  OR "I'll start on Monday and enjoy the weekend's "rewards"."  OR "I don't have the time to cook, I'm just going to order out."  Have we all had these excuses?  If you said no, you need to take a step back and really look at what you do with your eating habits. 

We use food as a comfort or a filler (bordem) or even a friend.  How do you use food in your life?  I can tell you it was my friend for years.  Now, I think it's something that I've dealt with for so long it's just a hard habit or addiction to break. I'm learning day by day and it's a minute-to-minute battle.  I'm also discovering that God has GOT to be my replacement craving.  That sounds awful because He shouldn't be a replacement anything.  But let's face it... if I'm not giving God the time and I'm giving food the time and when I decide that He's worth my time, then I go to Him.  Sounds like a mouthful but in that sense, He is a replacement!  I need to change that!  Food should never take the place of where God should hold us.  EVER!

One way that Made to Crave has helped me (especially today.. oh my goodness) is that when my cravings start becoming something i cannot control, I need to go to God with it in that moment.  Ask God to help give me the willpower to overcome this craving.  Okay, here's my example from today.  We took the kids bowling for our field trip.  Well, we had to eat lunch right?  The teachers got together and decided to purchase FOUR LARGE PIZZAS!  YEP!  F-O-U-R! And baskets of fries and each person getting a pop!  Well, luckily I knew that we were going on the field trip and I said NO N-O ABSOLUTELY NOT! I had two turkey wraps (turkey, whole grain tortilla shell and squirts of mustard), yogurt, string cheese and an orange!  I sat there with my awesomeness, ha and watched everyone else eat cheesy deliciousness! But is it delicious really?  Sure it can be in the moment and it serves a purpose of feeding the need to have pizza but what does it really do to us afterwards?  What nutritional value is there in greasy pizza?  Ha, changes when you put grease in replacement of cheese doesn't it? 

So my question for you is how are you replacing your cravings?  Here's a better question.... are you an abstainer or a moderator?  Do you need to completely abstain from food in the fact that you'll eat everything in sight (me)? or can you moderate your food?  Have one taste and you're okay?  Which one are you? 

reasons

What are the reasons that you eat?  What emotions do you have when you do eat?  For me?
- comfort - drama
- reward - i lost that weight so i'll reward my efforts
- joy - i enjoy this at this restaurant
- stress - work, finances
- sadness - i'm not worth it
- happiness - get time to myself and enjoying a movie, book or two

If I would have delved myself into reading or bettering myself or listening and reading about God, all those nights would have been more productive.  I would have not ended up here. 

One of my worst things is snacking.  Healthy snacks is something that I need to invest in.  For real. 
Praying through the cravings and not focusing on them or feeding them then I will be stronger each craving.  What have you tried that has helped you through cravings?  What is your success secret?

The one thing too that I've realized is that I need to not reward myself even with a cheat meal until I'm ready to say no every other time.  Once I eat one thing, I justify it later with something else.  This is a great weakness of mine.  I'm prepared to conquer it with God's help and yours as well if you'll join me! 

What weakness do you need help with?  I'd be glad to make sure we both overcome it!

Made to Crave

In the first chapter of Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst, she talks about the kind of cravings that most people tend to have and why they are addicted to them.  Well, it's no one's guess that one of mine is food.  I have a BIG problem with food.  Always have.  However, this first chapter started explaining how you can start to overcome these cravings that seems to be holding onto all of us. 

Cravings can be so overwhelming that sometimes that's all it seems we think about.  I know I've been there and these last few days have really challenged me.  What is your craving and how is it consuming you?  My craving, for some reason, when there is unhealthy food in the house or wherever, I want to eat it.  Why?  Well, I could say at first I had no idea.  Once I read this chapter and started thinking about what my craving was and where it was coming from.  Well, one of the exercises at the end of the chapter was if your craving was talking to you what would it say?  Well, I just started writing really not thinking about it, but here's what I came up with.  Does this sound like you?

- I have always been here when no one else has been.
- I made you feel good for years so why would that change now?
- You need me to feel better about yourself.

Does this sound like you?  Let me tell you this has been me for years!  However, I can tell you that I've found other things that I crave more than food.  I've been setting goals for myself and one is to lose 100 pounds in the next year.  How can I do this when I crave so many awful things?  The things that I'm learning to crave now are God with everything I have AND building a business that has been there for me since day one.  Building business for me though is helping others.  Yeah, the money is nice and that's what helps grow the business but the people IN the business have gotten me through so much and all I want to do is give back!  Instead of giving into the crap that haunts me everyday, I think of these two things!  I hear that voice in my head 1) that says that is going to taste so good and 2) don't eat that because you won't get to your goal, you will be putting food first instead of God, you will be letting yourself down which will take down the other people around you....

What goal can you set for yourself that will help you overcome your cravings and self-doubt?  Write it down and refer to it ALL THE TIME!