Photos? Worth?

A college degree $60,000. A Coach bag $300. Acrylic nails $50. Your body? Guess? Hmmm.

You think you can put anything in or do anything with your body?

It’s mine. It’s not like I am going to become a pastor or a pastor’s wife, I thought. So I took my first fitness model shots. For the most part, I really liked the photos. But throughout my strivings of being a fitness model, I learned an important lesson: my body was not my own. It was bought with a hefty price. Literally.

That realization hit home when I saw my beautiful fitness pictures posted with the unscrupulous photos of other young women. All of a sudden, my pictures didn’t look so wonderful after all. God began to show me how my hunger for ambition led to my poor decision.

Don’t you know you are not your own? He reminded me.

You see I thought my dreams and goals were loftier than God’s. When God began to show me his dreams after yielding my desires to Him, my own could not compare. He had taken a claim out on me, and He had the rights. He was Lord not only of my soul but also of my body and passions. For some of us, Jesus is Lord of our souls. How does this happen? We accept Him into our hearts by simply saying a prayer like this:

Jesus, I accept you as Lord. I believe that you are the truth and the way that leads to perfect peace. Forgive me of all my sins. I thank you for dying on the cross, so that I may be free physically, mentally, and spiritually and have abundant life. Now be the Lord over my life.

To be “lord” means to be master. Jesus becomes master over all our desires. However, though we belong to Him, we may not allow Him to become ruler over our emotions, feelings, dreams, or wills. We try to control them rather than submit them to God. As a result, there becomes a discrepancy between Jesus being Lord over our souls and Jesus being Lord over our bodies. So important is our body to Jesus Christ that He gave up His life for it. Our bodies are not to be treated trivially by eating or drinking anything, or portraying them recklessly, or using them as participants outside the sanctity of marriage. The body is sacred, for in it resides the holy spirit of God. What is the value of your body? Priceless.

Healthy Foods That Are Diet Kryptonite

Sometimes I wish I could be a fly on the wall. When you have trained enough clients as I have, you will inevitably run across those individuals who swear that they are doing everything right, and yet they are still not losing weight. Once, a friend of mine who was trying to lose weight came to me. Her personal trainer had given her a list of healthy foods to eat. She said she diligently followed the list and arduously worked out. When I came over to visit her, she offered me some freshly cut juicy pineapples. I was preparing for a bodybuilding competition, so without a thought I refused which she found puzzling. Then, I recalled she was also trying to lose weight, though not for a competition, so I inquired further about the pineapples. The pineapples were not on her list, but she figured it was a fruit, and, therefore, it was healthy, so she could include it. She said she enjoyed eating them all the time and especially at night before she went to bed. I took a deep breath and sat down and explained to her that though certain foods, such as fruits, were healthy, they can still sabotage a diet.

And here’s why!

Fruit is one of God’s finest creations and is wonderful as a dessert. But like desserts they contain sugar. This sugar in fruits is called fructose. Though fructose does not affect our blood sugar level like white refined sugar, it still elevates it. Diabetics know that controlling blood sugar levels is critical and essential to their good health. Similarly, control of blood sugar levels is also critical for those who are trying to lose weight or keep it off. Does this mean we don’t eat fruits? God forbid!!! These handiworks of God not only taste great, but also contain healing properties. However, it is wise to eat fruits under these conditions:

1. Eat fruits in the morning until Noon. This method gives the body time to convert the fructose to glycogen which is stored in the body as energy to be used for the rest of the day. In other words, you are fueling up so you have enough energy to prevent blood sugar level drops during the day which occur most often mid-afternoon . The mistake my friend made was eating her fruits at night and then going to bed. If your day is winding down, the body requires less energy. Whatever is not used as energy is stored as fat.

2. Eat the fruits with the edible skin. Remember losing weight does not have to mean staying away from fruits. By eating the ones with the skin, such as apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, you are also eating fiber. This fiber also helps keep blood sugar levels from sky-rocketing. And, of course, the idea is to keep no storage in the body once essential nutrients are removed. Elimination is a good idea!

3. Eat your fruits with a protein in the form of a smoothie. Smoothies are a great invention, but they can also be one of those healthy foods that can also work against your diet if you are not aware of the ingredients. First , you want the protein to be the main base. Protein is a thermogenic which helps in revving up the metabolism to burn fat. Adding a good protein powder with some fruits in the smoothie will help to control your blood sugar levels.

4. For a great combo snack, munch on some almonds with your fruit. The good omega fatty acids in almonds along with the added fiber bonus help to reduce the blood sugar levels by slowing down the break down of the carbohydrate into glycogen.

Healthy foods can have a disastrous effect too on our bodies if we are not knowledgeable about a product’s ingredients, the importance of timing, and the right combination of foods. As Solomon said with great wisdom in the Bible, “Don’t let the little foxes spoil the vines”.

Have a healthy day and enjoy your fruits!

Meditation: Cultivating Inner Peace

It was my first experience at a Christian School. I was teaching English to my seventh grade class, and it was time for vocabulary. One of the words was meditation. To show my students how to use this word I wrote a sentence on the board and read it aloud: “we should meditate on God’s words daily.” A little boy with big brown saucer eyes looked at me as if I had said a bad word and corrected me saying, Christians are not supposed to meditate.

According to God’s words, we are to meditate constantly and consistently (Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:3). Without going through a discourse on meditation and its meaning, I would like to simply use this definition, which hopefully prevents all the biblical scholars or theologians from coming out. The Oxford Dictionary defines the word meditation as the ability to think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.  Though meditating for, some of us, may not mean quieting ourselves or the sounds around us, it should also include it.  For God also commands us to be still before him (Psalm 46:10).

Here are some ways to be still and to meditate on God’s words:

Find a place of quietude

1. If you are flexible, you can use the tailor style of sitting. The spine should be lengthened– erect but relaxed. Place your hands on your thighs, palms down or up and open. Close your eyes and mouth.  Breathe through your nose. Your breathing should be as natural as a baby’s.

Your scripture of peace:

 
But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about the things the Spirit wants them to do. If people’s thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if their thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace (Romans 8:5-6 New Century Version).

2. Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair. Feet should be flat on the ground. Spine lengthened but relaxed. Place hands on the thighs, palms down. Close eyes and mouth. Breathe through your nose.

Your scripture of peace:

Do not worry about anything but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 New Century Version).

3. Lie on the floor in a supine position. Legs should be stretched out; feet should be slightly placed apart. Rest your head on a pillow. Make sure you are comfortable. Feel your legs and torso supported by the floor. Your hands should be on your abdomen and feel the rhythm and fall of your breath.

Your scripture of peace:

I go to bed and sleep in peace, because, Lord, only you keep me safe (Psalm 4:8).

Tips:
It’s a good idea to memorize your scriptures first or at least be able to paraphrase them before meditating. The focus is broken when you try to read the scripture and mentally speak them to yourself the same time.

Begin with one minute a day until you have worked yourself up to at least 30 minutes.Repeat the scriptures, hear them echo in your mind and allow them to digest into your spirit.    

Talkin Bout Yo Mama. So What?

“Who put the turkey in the SLOP!” I screamed.  I was livid. It was the day after Thanksgiving and somebody had put the beautiful golden brown baked turkey in gravy.  My mother annoyed with my so-called new food ideology replied, “This was how we’ve always done it and it never hurt nobody before.”  Thank God it was Thanksgiving, which came around once a year, and I was just visiting.  I sighed in relief.  But what would happen if we cooked like our mothers all year round?  I wondered.   

It begins from childhood.

Recipes have been passed on from generation to generation.  However, cooking instructions were not the only heirlooms passed down.  We have also inherited illnesses, such as cardiovascular ones, because we have continued cooking traditions that are not all beneficial to our health: for example, using bacon fat to season the rice, boiling the collard greens down till there is no life left in them, or frying fish and turning it into a fat torpedo. Plaque does not build up in our arteries overnight.  This process can begin in childhood and manifest itself into a full blown heart attack in adulthood. 

 It is only a matter of time.

So though it appears as if our children are fine eating foods laden in fat and/or sugar, it is only a matter of time.  Already we are beginning to see a generation of kids overweight.  Who is feeding the children?  If we are, then the solution to the problem begins with us.  If we are cooking for them, are we preparing meals like our mamas?  And when we don’t have time to fix a meal for them, are we taking care of them by buying a drive-thru meal?  

 Do you like or dislike brushing your teeth?

Or is it a combination of factors involved, such as a lack of exercise that has made us susceptible to the same ailments prevalent in our families?   The body needs exercise to manage its blood sugar and cholesterol level effectively.  Exercise is a natural part of life.  Do we hate brushing our teeth?  Hopefully, we give this habit no thought for the sake of the human race around us.  Similarly, exercise should be viewed in this way.  If we enjoy brushing and flossing our teeth, great!  If we enjoy exercising, this is wonderful too.  However, focusing on the dislike of exercise should not be pondered in the same way as cleaning our teeth should not.  One day, I heard my five- year old nephew ask his father when will the day come when he will be able to stop brushing his teeth.  I couldn’t help to smile to myself.  I would have never have thought not brushing my teeth could be an option. 

 Who’s the blame?

Therefore, the question here is how much does genetics really play in some diseases as in obesity?  Is it really genetics that’s the blame?  Dr. Kara Davis, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and an internist of the University of Illnois, comments that “Genetics plays a role, but it is not responsible for this rapid increase” in weight “because our genes haven’t changed much in only one or two generations.” The obesity epidemic has added to the proliferation of cardiovascular drugs which are the top selling drugs in America.  It is more common than not for an adult to be on these types of heart disease medication.  Yes, these medicines help us manage our system, yet they allow us also, to some extent, the ability to continue using table salt, enjoying fried foods, and desserts at our own whim and pleasure. 

Thank goodness Thanksgiving and Christmas are only once a year, because I sure do love my mama’s cooking.

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De-Stress Your Life: Seven Solutions to Having Spiritual Downtime With God

“Busy” the buzz word of the day. I remembered “simplicity” was a word frowned upon. Now, it has become an attribute of life that some of us long for. Technology has improved the world around us. We can do multiple activities all at once: like drive and talk on our cells or answer the phone, respond to work related emails, and complete today’s work assignments simultaneously. And let us not forget our chores of taking the kids to their rehearsals or practices, checking their homework, and maybe on the way home grabbing a Number 1 and a Number 3 please with a large coke and fries. Before you know it, the weekend is here. Saturday is a blur and Sunday is filled with church activities. And the feeling of nausea begins to rise up slowly as you think of Monday’s preparations. What you need, as some say, is an “emotional day” off, a time to regroup, a time to refocus, a time to find yourself which all translates into downtime with God.

1. Get away

Take a vacation with God—a rendezvous. Just the two of you. A trip to a tropical paradise, like The Bahamas. Bask in the sun under a coconut tree soaking in his presence and allowing the tide to caress your mind as you think of him.

2. Find a secret place

Perhaps you can’t afford a get- a- way or cannot bear to travel alone, then find a place you can hide where no one can find you not even the kids (for just a short time). I have a friend who literally goes into her closet. Talk to him; it’s called prayer. Though there is now scientific proof that prayer helps us to cope with the challenges of life, Jesus gave the command quite a long time ago. You should have just trusted him.

3. Light a candle

Decorate your secret place with candles. I like the scented ones. Create an ambiance—a place of intimacy to sit with him and share with him the details of your life.

4. Play music

Whether it’s in your secret place or bedroom, unwind with some music that speaks of his love towards you and his grandeur. Use the music as a form of meditation, allowing the lyrics to fill your mind as you sit or lie before him.

5. Watch a movie

Curl up with him on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie like the Matrix. See the world as Morpheus describes it: it is the matrix; it is not what it seems. There is another world that exists called the spirit world that controls us. Like Neo, you too, must come to accept your calling. That you are The One. If that’s too far out for you, stick to Gladiator, an awesome movie of honor and loyalty or even Narnia.

6. Breathe deeply

Release it. Inhale. Exhale. Under stress, the stomach muscles and the diaphragm cramp, and the heart rate increases. As a result, we experience shallow breathing, reducing our oxygen supply. Deep breathing allows more oxygen to enter the body. Find your favorite scripture and think of it as you practice your breathing exercises. If you don’t have one, try this one: “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on you” (Isaiah 26:3 Amplified Bible). Waiting in traffic is the perfect place to practice your breathing exercises with a scripture.

7. Have a cup of tea

Tea has calming properties. It is a great aid in centering our being as we gather our fragmented thoughts and direct them to God. At the end of a hard day, try some relaxing soothing herbal tea of your choice.

Eat to Lose Weight or Eat to Be Healthy

I have spent the latter part of my years working out in the gym.  Unfortunately, I have learned that the gym is the least likely place to promote health.  People are concerned about losing weight not being healthy.  Or they may be concerned primarily about how they look rather than being healthy.  I represented each of these types.

I competed as a bodybuilder for about five years.  I learned how to lose fat, so my hard earned muscles could be accentuated.  Though I felt weak and tired during competition seasons, I continued to train hard despite the risk of injury.  I respected the hard work of a bodybuilder in being able to mentally take the body beyond its perceived limits.  However, being healthy was not of importance to me.  To present the finest physique was the ultimate goal.  In many ways, I found people with this same purpose: to look good or to lose weight.  Despite such emphasis, eating healthy should be the main cause and losing weight should be the result.

This mindset of eating to be healthy rather than to lose weight gives us a better sense of well-being, allowing us to enjoy life and to avoid fixations.  At the fitness center where I trained, I had a friend who was obsessed with losing weight.  Though I had encouraged her to focus on being healthy, she struggled with this idea.  In another instance, I met a young man who said he had joined the gym on his doctor’s orders.  He was only thirty-six years old, yet he was on one of the strongest hypertensive medications.  This gentleman was ardently working out, but he continued to sabotage his hard work by enjoying two beers a night.  He said he wanted to lose weight, but he did not want to give up his beers.  Then there was the gym assistant manager, a beautiful dark- haired young lady, who did cardio every day and smoked a cigarette every two hours.  And finally there was the sexy blond hair and blue-eyed chick who swallowed fat burners like they were vitamins and ate at least one fast food meal a day.  All of these individuals wanted to lose weight without making changes to their lifestyles.

“To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done,” says a proverbial quote.  Sometimes, this type of call for action requires a change in our belief system first.  It means replacing an old belief of eating to lose weight with a new way of thinking about eating to be healthy.  When we begin to change our way of thinking, we begin to make different choices.  We choose whole foods instead of processed foods.  As a result, we are consuming less fat and/or sugar that tend to lead to weight gain.  It is our belief system that must be changed.  This approach calls for working from the inside out.  If we truly love ourselves, then we will truly respect our bodies and give them the best nourishment possible.

 

 

…instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you… (Romans 12:2 New Century Version)

How Physically and Spiritually Fit Are You? Five Ways To Find Out

Talk Test

According to ACE (American Council on Exercise), a client should be able to have a comfortable conversation while exercising.  If you can pray aloud and do cardio on a machine simultaneously without hyperventilating, then you are working out at the correct comfort level.  Try to do this test only at home rather than in a gym full of people.  Of course, you could put a blue tooth on and they’ll just think you’re one of those people talking on the phone, looking crazy.

 
Delt Test

Believe it or not, these muscles are extremely important in the act of worship.  If you want to test the strength of these beautiful muscles, extend your hands openly towards the sky.  If you fatigue within five minutes, I recommend shoulder presses, front delt raises, side laterals, and rear delt flys in order to condition these muscles.  You may need to put some muscle into your worship.  No weak, flabby praises.

 
Focus Test

Have you ever tried praying only to find your thoughts scattered everywhere, worrying about the next thing on your “to do” list or what happened yesterday?  Next time practice a focus exercise by using a lit candle and staring directly at the flame as you pray.
 

Retention Test

Now a day, even the young forget.  Is it that the rate of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing?  Well, keep that memory sharp by memorizing a scripture every week.  Stick it on the refrigerator, write it on the mirror with a transparency pen, of course, and repeat it allowed.  Psalm 139: 14 works well here: I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  If you don’t say it, who will?

 
Sleep Test

Do you have problems falling asleep at night?  Do you have problems staying asleep at night?  Then seek medical help and find scriptures on peace to meditate on. Or just buy a new mattress.

Loving My Body

I love my body. I never realized how narcissistic and arrogant that statement sounded until I said it to my friend. She looked at me in shock. As the words echoed on the walls of my mind, I suddenly became aware of their strangeness. Most people dislike their bodies. Then there are few of us who do.

However, my love for my body was not birth out of narcissism or arrogance but rather respect.

However, my love for my body was not birth out of narcissism or arrogance but rather respect. A few years ago in preparing for what would be my last bodybuilding competition, I spent my evenings having spiritual downtimes with God. Sipping on some herbal tea to take the hunger away, I found these quiet times uplifting as I focused on the Creator of my being. He fashioned me, and I was amazingly and wonderfully formed by him. It was the adoration the Artist had for me that drew me to him. For though I did not really see what was so impressive about me, he did. I flexed in the mirror; I scrutinized every part of my body. Did I have a winning physique? Will I win this competition? I looked so small, I told myself. Nevertheless, I repeated those words that I was amazingly and wonderfully made in his image. I did not win the competition, but until then, I did not realize I had taken with me something that was more valuable than a win. It was the appreciation and respect for my body. A seed was planted and had sprung in my life.
No matter what size we are, no matter what shape we are, no matter what color our skin, we are amazingly and wonderfully wrought after the image of the Creator. Though we may look in the mirror and criticize ourselves, the fact still remains that we are brilliantly put together. Words are like seeds, so if we continue affirming our beauty, they will spring up. We care for our bodies because we love ourselves. Loving ourselves means being careful to eat the right foods, to give it proper exercise and rest. Loving our bodies means honoring them by not putting anything harmful within. That’s what it means to love our bodies, beautifully designed by the Creator. Repeat these words as a mantra and allow them to bring transformation in your life: I am amazingly and wonderfully made by the Creator.

 

 

 

 

 

 I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well (Psalm 139:14).