I know that a lot of people cringe when  you start to discuss exercise and its benefits with them but I believe from my experience with working with heart and lung patients it is the single most important thing that we can do for ourselves to maintain our ability to function as we get older.  I once was attending a women’s health event at a local church when I was discussing with a young woman about exercise.  She said her biggest problem was that she did not have an accountability partner for her exercise and she found it difficult to keep herself motivated to continue with her exercise program.  I responded to that with, make God your accountability partner,because He is always with  you and if you exercise to keep His temple ready for your mission you are doing it to glorify Him.  When I go to gym in the morning before work I listen to Christian  music and spend my time strengthening my body, as well as my mind, and my spirit.  Exercise should be done on a regular basis in order for it to be most effective.  We should try to accumulate 180-210 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week to get the best benefit.  High intensity  exercise does not reap greater benefits and increases your risk of complications during your exercise sessions.  The old theory of no pain no gain is not a good way to look at your exercise program.  The pain you experience after exercise is a sign that you have released toxic substances into your muscles that may take days for your body to rid yourself of.  I do believe that you should feel like your exerting yourself and you may have some discomfort if you are not used to it. We should be able to work the day after a workout and if we are so sore we cant sit down on the toilet that is not what we should aim for, if we are trying to improve our health and look for the best benefits of our program.  Work on your duration first then you can increase your intensity.  Set your goals using time and intensity as a tool such as a 30 minute at a pace that I get a little breathy but I can still talk while I walk.  Make sure that you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated before, during, and after exercise.  Unless you are sweating profusely the best beverage to rehydrate is water because that is what we are made of.  Some of the main reasons that I hear from people why they do not have an exercise program is that they do not have enough time and they are too tired.  My response to these excuses are that we all have 24 hours in a day and we can decide how we use those 24 hours. An effective exercise program only requires 30 minutes a day most days of the week to make an impact on our health. Is our health not worth that?  If we don’t invest the time now we will end up investing more money later to try to regain what we have lost.  This year lets try beginning our exercise program with a different attitude and not do it in the flesh but let the Holy Spirit guide us and make this a part of daily worship to take care of the Temple of the Lord.

Food is a topic that is near and dear to everyone’s heart and we need it in order to survive but our abuse of food has led us down the path of disease.  I like to take my regular recipes and make them healthier by adding more nutrition to my favorite things.  Two of my favorite ingredients to add to my recipes are chia seed and flax seeds (ground flax meal)  these 2 ingredients are becoming so popular that you can now by them in larger quantities at Sam’s club.  They both have fiber and omega 3 fatty acids which that is something that are bodies have to  get in the diet because we can not manufacture it so this is a great way to add it.  You can use both of these ingredients in smoothies, muffins and quick bread and even add them to your oatmeal.  You are only limited on how to incorporate them into your diet by your own imagination.  I had someone request this recipe that I will start off with that I use both chia seeds and flax seeds in and I will you give you 2 different versions so that you can learn how to change things up to suit your own taste.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter or Lemon muffins

Ingredients: Original                                                Substitutions:

2 Cups sugar                                                              1 Cup Domino light sugar (sugar stevia Blend)  I am not a fan of artificial sweetners

1 teaspoon baking soda                                          2 Cups Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking mix ( my favorite way to make things gluten free)

2 Cups Flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Stick butter                                                           1 stick butter &1/2 cup coconut oil ( you can use 1 cup coconut oil and omit the butter)

1 Cup water

1 Cup peanut butter(all natural)                       Lemon muffins use 1 large box lemon cook and serve pudding

1/2 Cup milk (can use almond milk or coconut milk if you choose)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 Cup chia seeds and ground flax seeds

2 whole eggs

Instructions:  In large bowl mix dry ingredients in bowl and set aside.  Combine butter, oil, water and peanut butter if using it in sauce pan and bring to boil.  Pour over dry mixture. Add milk, vanilla and eggs mix well then put into muffin pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  These freeze really well also so that you can have them whenever you like.

 

 

I just wanted to add a disclaimer at the beginning so you are aware that the content of this blog is to provide you with education to empower you to become healthier.  This should not be used as a substitute for a healthcare provider but should be used to discuss with your healthcare provider. I will be sharing recipes and remedies that are my favorites.

My journey to improve my health began January 1, 1997 when my New Years resolution was to become healthier.  I had  been a nurse for 12 years and had been working in the cardiac rehab department for the past 6 years teaching patients about healthy diet and exercise.  I began a walking program before work and had decided to take colloidal vitamin and mineral supplements to improve my health.  I had a horrible reaction to the vitamin and mineral supplement due to the gold that I am allergic to being one of the trace minerals in this supplement.  I ended up in the ER twice in one weekend and had to go on high dose steroids.  I  gained weight and had to work really hard to take it off.  I was celebrating my 15 year class reunion that summer so I worked really and walked every morning before work and managed to get my weight back under control before the reunion.  Shortly after my reunion I started to feel really ill.  I was totally exhausted and felt like I had the flu but it never got any better.  I went to see my physician and he ran multiple test over a period of several months and we could not come up with an answer.  He sent me to one specialist and still no answer.  He finally sent me to see a Rheumatologist and he diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  When I went back to my doctor and told him the diagnosis he said that we did not want that diagnosis because he could not fix me.  I then set out on a long journey to bring myself back to health.  I started learning everything that was out there about the condition which was very limited at that time.  The Rheumatologist gave me some great advice about getting back to my exercise program so I began to walk every morning before work and when I started it was difficult for me to walk for 10 minutes because of the pain and fatigue but I did it every morning and it became easier.  I have become addicted to my morning exercise and I attribute that to the reason that I was able to remain functional.  I was living like the rest of the world with poor food choices, not enough sleep and not eating God given foods. I decided at that point in time if I was to regain my health I had to live my life differently and take care of the body that God had given me so that I could do the job that God was going to entrust to me.  I will share with you what I have learned on my way  that I believe is what God teaches in His word on how to keep His temple healthy.