Refresh Yourself

The photo attached comes from the Buffalo River near Yellville, AR.  For me this is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in our state which is full of many such places.

Why you may ask would I choose such a photo for this blog?  It comes down to one simple word, RELAX!  We go at a frenetic pace each and every day.  We chase after our goals with determination and, often wrecklees, abandon.  Goal chasing is not a bad thing, it is in fact a good thing.  We must keep it in perspective, and allow our mind and body some down time to process, recover, and repair itself.

The latter part of Psalm 46:10 is very familiar to many of us, "be still and know that I am God."  When is the last time you allowed yourself to be still?  In the Old Testament we are told of the Jewish people honoring the Sabbath, which was the seventh day, as a day of rest.  While we are no longer under the sabbath, but live under a new covenant, we are still to learn from the old law.  It is my belief that this is one area that we might all benefit from reexamining.

Science points to the importance of adequate sleep in our lives, and studies show the physical benefits of meditation and times of rest.  It's interesting that science seems to catch up with Biblical truth as time marches forward.  Can we learn to take downtime, to reclaim the times of refreshing, to clear our minds and commune with God?  If we will, and I am among the most needful in this area, I believe we will see a marked improvement in our outlook and our performance.

Take heed of the signs your body and mind are giving you.  Listen to that inner longing for rest.  This week set aside some sacred times of rest for your body, mind, and spirit.  If you do, I believe you will DO WELL!

Challenge Time!

As I write today I believe that many of us like to be challenged.  These challenges come in many forms and often serve as a motivation to a specific end.  Today I want to give that impetus that some of us need to move forward, a good All-American challenge.

The Bible uses the number 7 over and over again, as in the Hebrew culture of the day it represented perfection.  If we look at the calendar we are 7 weeks until the Memorial day weekend, the unofficial start of summer.  So here is the challenge. Over the next 7 weeks:

1)  Record in some fashion the amount of water you are consuming daily.  Then work to increase that number by 50% by the end of the challenge.  If this week you find you are taking in approximately 80 ounces per day strive for 120 by the end of the challenge.

2)  Many of us are using various forms of pedometers and activity trackers to provide much needed, and immediate feedback, track your steps and shoot for a 30% increase from week one to week 7.

3)  Select one food item that is a near and dear go-to for you and abstain during the challenge.  For me this is going to be fried catfish.  (Thankfully I just fed this craving yesterday.)

4)  Set a 7 week, realistic goal, then weigh in today and record that number.  Each day weigh in and compare.  Yes there will be ups and downs, but if you will follow through on your regular exercise, not only your daily step counts, and increase hydration you should begin to see results.  Complete transparency, I weighed in this morning on my home scale at 209 with a 7 week goal of 202.  That would be one pound per week which is doable if I will remain focused.

5)  Season it all with prayer.  Pray that God will direct you to make better decisions for your life.  Pray that as a healthier servant you would better see the opportunities before you to honor Him in serving others.

Bonus challenge:  Read the book "The Traveler's Gift"  by Andy Andrews.  This is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read, gently rocking our world's with great stories illustrating what the author Andy Andrews, calls the 7 Decisions for Success. 

I hope that several of you will take up the challenge and Do Well!

Power for Positive Change

Seeking change is a difficult thing, whether it is walking away from sin in our life or changing our habits to create a healthier lifestyle.  How do we deal with change when it is necessary, or sometimes thrust upon us?  That is the question for today.

In order to adopt change in our lives we must recognize the necessity for the change.  This is often our biggest challenge as the status quo has a lot of momentum behind it.  We must be able look beyond the here and now to the brighter future that positive change provides.  This will slow that momentum of the past.

Next we must truly be able to visualize the future we desire from the change.  When we can see it in our mind's eye, then we can begin to determine the course or courses of action to get there.  At this point motivation becomes a key factor, do we have the internal drive, an internal compass to guide us each step toward this true north?  If yes, then we are well on our way, if no, then we still have some work to do before we can plan and implement positive change.

Assuming we can see the brighter future, and have the right internal motivation then the steps along the way will become more clear.  In our Christian walk it is stated that, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."  God's Word is a wonderful starting point for our journey and my recommendation as the proper lens to view all aspects of our life.

Within our journey to fitness, faithfulness, or an other worthy change we must recognize how to see the change and then be the change.  No, change will not come easy, but it will be rewarding.

Finally we must admit when we get off course, and turn back to the pathway of success.  For the Christian this is repentance and acceptance of God's grace.  When we step aside from the chosen path we cannot beat ourselves up, but rather course correct and give ouselves a bit of grace, just as God our Father give us grace.

If each of us would look inside, and follow these steps as the need for change arises in our lives, we would be much more likely to succeed.  Change your world for the better, Do Well.  Others are watching and your positive change can inspire others to be better as well.

Future Vision

How would life differ if we no longer had our sight, the vision to see what is before us as we move across a room, read a book, or drive our cars?  I dare say it would be considerably more difficult. Vision also has a much broader application, that of seeing ourselves or others in a future state.  It is my belief that many of us have a much more clouded vision when we take it in this direction.  Why do we have difficulty seeing through the clouds of the future?

I would assert that there are likely many reasons for this, but primarily it stems from a narrow perspective.  As we age our field of vision narrows and this accelerates at certain points or as a result of an acquired condition.  The same holds true for our broader vision.  Rather than looking forward broadly seeing the possibilities and the potential for a very rewarding future we get bogged down with the acquired conditions of our past history.  Yes, these form who we are, and much of this history can be a positive to build upon, but when we continue to look too intently behind us at the the problems of our past, our future vision becomes diminished.

To build a more positive vision of your future it is important to recognize those historical markers that are holding us back, and then cut loose the ropes that anchor us to that portion of our past.  When we enter a relationship with God this is, in a sense, what we are doing.  We give our sins (anchors) over to Him, and look forward to His guidance and the hope of a brighter future with Him.  This principle can also be applied to our faith, family, fitness, finance and more as we recognize the things that hold us back, and begin looking forward to the transformed person that we hope to be.

 From this vision we can then build a plan to achieve this new vision of ourselves; healthier, happier, more at peace.  To do so we must recognize that the future vision we establish is not an overnight change but a destination at the other end of a journey.  Mariners set out of port with a destination in mind and as they cross the oceans they often will not set a direct course knowing the challenges that may affect their journey.  Rather they will take the best course which may be a bit more conservative or appear to be somewhat more circuitous, and then as they make their passage there will be numerous course corrections to account for obstacles, currents and changing weather conditions.

We can learn from this too.  Chart your course, understand that it may not be direct, and it may not be the fastest.  Set sail toward an empowered and improved you today, and Do Well to take the journey and course correct frequently as the winds of resistance blow against you.  You can take charge, you can reach for your vision.  Push away from the dock today and pursue your future vision of yourself, always in Christ. 

Staying on Course

We are now just over a month and a half into the new year, and approximately a week ago we hit the date where research indicates that most people have dropped all pretense of chasing their weight loss or fitness goals.  Why is it that we have no staying power?  The sad reality is that we do not equip ourselves with the tools to stick with it when we find things getting difficult,  This is not only the case as we deal with our fitness/weight loss goals but any goal you may have can face the same fate.

I want to begin to share with you a few tools that can be helpful in your quest for greater fitness, but also can be translated into many other areas of life.

1) Educate yourself about your goal.  Think about why it is important for you to accomplish your goal, and visualize the outcome.  Many high performers in sports and other areas use creative visualization as a technique to guide their performance.  Beyond the visualization; by reading, watching, or listening to information about the particular goal you are chasing you will learn of the potential pitfalls others have faced and how they overcame the obstacles.  Educating yourself can also provide you with new tools or techniques to reach your goal

2)  Recognize that "Rome wasn't built in a day", and neither was the situation you are in now.  It is going to take time to reach your goals.  Have you set a realistic time frame to achieve your goal?  It is my belief that most people set far too aggressive goals and this sets them up for failure and discouragement.  Be realistic and set not only that ultimate goal that you can visualize but some intermediate steps as well.

3)  Give yourself a break!  Don't start out by trying to do everything 7 days a week and for maximum time frames.  Small changes add up and even multiply your efforts over time.  Perhaps you start out with a 15 minute time frame that is blocked off and then you "sneak in" other smaller chunks of time toward your desired end. This also applies to the changes in your diet or your workday planning, small changes applied consistently begin to multiply your results.

4)  Keep a record.  This serves multiple purposes in that it creates a personal accountability, establishes a positive visual stimulus, and points out trends that can either be positive or negative.  There is a reason that the baseball cards of my youth had stats printed on the back.  Those stats let us know how our favorite player was doing from year to year.  This is also evident in business, it has been said that "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it."  This again translates across fields and can work in a number of arenas.

5) Have an accountability group or partner.  Being a part of something bigger than yourself helps us maintain focus, gain encouragement, and occasionally holds us to the line.  This is one of the beautiful things about the church that was established by Jesus death, burial, and resurrection.  God in his unlimited wisdom knew that we would need to be a part of something more than ourselves.  It is also evident in many other areas of life, why have organizations like Weight Watchers flourished over the years?  People need people so they may learn from one another, be encouraged or admonished appropriately.

I hope you will take a look at these tools and see how they may apply to your situation.  Then put one or all of them to use.  With this I bid you a wonderful week ahead to go out and Do Well!

Healthy Holidays

We are coming into a favorite time of year for many with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all in the next 50 days or so.  At the heart of how we celebrate is often FOOD, and lots of it.  Many of our favorites are not favored by the healthy foods police, and for good reason.  All this food everywhere we turn is a temptation that is hard to resist.  Causing most people to pack on the pounds during this season, fueling everyone's favorite New Year's resolutuon, to lose weight.

Is there a strategy for minimizing our risk, without compromising our enjoyment?  Yes, and it is one we should be employing 24/7/365.  It goes something like this, we can't have it all, choose wisely and in smaller portions. 

Secondly drink more water, hydration is a wonderful thing for the body and a well timed glass of H2O, approximately 30 minutes before meal time can give us that fuller feeling quicker.   

Third, it's activity, we must be diligent to PLAN activity to coincide with our intake, burn those calories and promote better nutritional absorption by getting moving.

Finally incorporate a good sleep routine into your schedule.  When we fail to sleep adequately our body and mind becomes fatigued and those bodily functions don't fire off as they should making the burn come slower and the pounds stack up more quickly.

It is my sincere wish that each of you enjoys the happiest of holiday seasons.  With a little thought we can win these battles, and with God we can win the war.

Sleep and Life

How did you sleep last night? There are any among us who struggle in this area.  The Bible tells us in Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know I am God. . ."  This is good medicine for our body, mind, and soul.  Some of us have physical difficulties that give us problems with our sleep, such as sleep apnea.  Others can't stop their minds from working on the problems of the day.  No matter the issue we must realize that a lack of quality sleep dulls our senses, fatigues our bodies, and taxes our systems.  Several recent studies indicate sleep deprivation can impact us similarly to, if not more so, than being under the influence of alcohol.
A couple of thoughts to help us out in this area are to take breaks during your day to clear your mind even if it is just for a few minutes.  This temporary decompression will tend to make us more productive and put us in the habit of letting go, thereby making it easier to do the same at bedtime.  Second many of us go about our daily business in a dehydrated or nearly dehydrated state.  Additional hydration throughout our day will help us feel better and in turn help us sleep better at night.
Finally, as Christians the calming effect of prayer is a must.  Not a trite repetition ran through out of habit, but a simple thank you to God for seeing you through the day along with a request for a good night of sleep to prepare you for service to Him in the day to come. 
Try these simple tips to see if you can improve your sleep quality.  If you sleep better you will have more energy for God, your family, friends and work.  Sleep better, feel better, with God we will. . .

Getting Started

Small Steps
It has been said that where we are in our lives is the sum of all the decisions we have made.  I believe this to be quite accurate.  That being said we then must realize that whatever condition we find ourselves in spiritually, relationally, fitness/healthwise, etc. did not happen overnight.  If this condition did not come upon us quickly then it is likely that the solution will not either.  

How to Begin
Nike says "Just Do It", I'm not sure it is that simple.  We need to assess our current state to determine where we are versus where we want to be.  Yes, I am saying we must have a goal (or set of goals), but no it doesn't have to overwhelm us.  If you were going to drive your vehicle from Arkansas to Michigan you would want a roadmap (GPS for our more tech savvy/dependent friends), and you would likely have a pretty good idea of where you would want/need to stop along the way.  This is analagous to our goal-setting, know where you are going (long term goal) and setup some stops along the way (intermediate and short term goals).  This is where many of us often fail.  We too often setup this aggressive, elaborate goal, but it should be long term, and we think we can get there quickly when it really needs to be broken up with some positive milestones along the way to provide short-term wins that build momentum for us. 

Just a Suggestion
As a Christian I believe all my goals should support my walk with Christ.  My top goal is to make sure that I am "in the Word".  I read my Bible every day, among the first things I do most days.  I track this by recording in a journal my daily readings.  This provides clear guidance as to how I am doing with the process of daily reading.  The harder to measure portion is the effectiveness of the reading, though I can tell you that I seem to recognize and recall scriptures when they pop up in services, classes and general conversation much better than before beginning this program.  One of my next goals is to improve my physical well-being.  Since the diabetes diagnosis (and others) in 2012 I have had to bring this to the forefront.  The end results of uncontrolled diabetes are scary and I don't want to go there, plus I want to remain able, as I age, to enjoy my family as well as to serve God in a very active way.  The reality of type II diabetes was a catalyst for additional discipline in my life that has spilled over into so many other areas,  Though I had been introduced and reintroduced to the concept of tracking over the years it did not become real or necessary until facing this challenge.

In the most moving speech I have ever heard, Jim Valvano's speech at the ESPY awards in 1993 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E) he said the following, "Don't give up, don't ever give up."  This was said only a few weeks before his passing of cancer.  No we don't want to give up, but if we don't get started it is irrelevant.  Start your journey, to wherever you are heading with a little contemplation and a ladder of goals that are unified around the important things in your life.  Take the challenge and remember, "With God I will. . . "

Genesis

Why this Blog

Scripture opens with the book of beginnings, "Genesis".  With that thought in mind I want to share with you the beginnings for this blog.  I am an ordinary man, I come from a humble, hardworking family where I always had my needs met growing up, with a few extras.  In high school I was a good, not great, student, who could achieve at high levels without expending great effort while pursuing my athletic interests.  I went on and earned a  Bachelor's Degree in Finance from our local state university, and later married a wonderful Christian young lady.  Through her patience and some wonderful people who influenced me along the way I grew to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, far too late in life.  Along the way we had a daughter, now 14, who has brought much joy to our lives.  

In 2012 after gaining 80 some odd pounds in the 25 years since high school, I began to experience some health issues.  My years of snoring led me to a sleep study confirming I have severe sleep apnea.  A few months later some issues with my vision led to testing and diagnosis for diabetes, high cholesterol, and underactive thyroid.  Change was most definitely in order.  After absorbing the initial shock I determined that I must take control of my health or it would take control of me.  Working in a facility that provides healthcare to frail seniors I saw daily the results of health issues that had grown unchecked and it wasn't (still isn't) appealing.  

It has been quite a journey and now I want to share with others some of the lessons I have learned over the course of many years.  The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:12 ". . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."  I have drawn this blog's name from this verse and look forward to helping anyone who reads to improve their faith, fitness, finances and more.  Together we can walk this journey, learning from one another.  Join me in this mindset "With God I Will. . ."