Lakeside Mini Vacation

I'll be gone for a couple of days. I'm looking forward to some lounging around, some good exercise walking around the lake, and good conversations with friends. This mini-vacation will give me sometime to evaluate and adjust my healthy habits, set some new goals, and supply new enthusiasm for the "daily grind". I hope to start a new book, have some time for extra prayer time and sweet times reading God's Word.

Friends on the Journey

A friend has just begun her journey to a healthy lifestyle. "I am hoping you will pray for me in this process and give me encouragement when deserved and gentle remonstrations when needed," she wrote. In voicing her commitment, she mentioned that she has been reading Devotions for Dieters by Dan R. Dick and has already been challenged by what he says. She shared this poignant excerpt:

"Poor physical condition that is due to our own negligence or laziness is an insult to our Creator...To care for ourselves physically is to honor God and acknowledge our gratitude to God for the gift of life. Holiness can only come through discipline and obedience. Dieting requires both. We can learn to train ourselves as disciples through our bodily sacrifices. To care for our appearance and health is pleasing to God, and He will bless us richly in our endeavors...When we are told that our bodies are the temple of God, it is not an option whether or not we will take care of it; it is a duty. When we care for our physical being, we are making God's temple a holy and special place."

(Bold-faced type not in original; picture is of Christian and Evangelist from Pilgrim's Progress.)

Blessings on your journey, my friend. God's grace calls and keeps us all!

"E" is for Effort (See Previous Post)

E xercise
F resh foods
F riendship
O pportunity
R eward
T raining

It would be SO much easier to lose weight if someone else could do it for me! If I could figure out a way for that to happen, I would FRANCHISE it, and we would retire to the lake cottage I dream about. Until then, I'll need to follow the first three words of II Peter 1:5 -- "Make every effort..."

For me, that will mean consistent exercise again this week. My plan? Five days of walking 30 minutes each. I will choose fresh foods to comprise the bulk of my meals. Vegetables and fruits are so plentiful and tasty this time of year. We are blessed to have such abundance and variety at our fingertips. Friendships are important to me when embarking on such a challenge as this. I look forward to a couple of days at the end of the week to hang out with friends at a lake cottage. I will look at this as a reward for diligence and determination to be consistent in practicing healthy habits this week. I will look for and take advantage of opportunities to learn, to work, and to apply myself to healthy pursuits. All this is part of my training.

Habits acquired in THIS pursuit correlate to habits of the soul and spirit that have value not only for THIS life, but in the life to come. I'm excited about that! It WILL be worth the effort.

Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way,
as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. I Timothy 4:7-8

"P" is for Progress

Make every effort to add to your faith....For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ...Be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (selected from 2 Peter 1).

"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen" (2 Peter 3:17-18).
THANK YOU, LORD, FOR PROGRESS!

Healthy Eating - No Excuses!

My short morning visit to Donna's home brought unexpected pleasures with it! She loaded me up with produce from their large and well-tended garden. The beets are already on the stove top boiling. I'll fix up some of my grandmother's dressing for the lettuce and munch with pleasure on the raw kohlrabi.





I had no sooner pulled out of her driveway than I noticed these two fawn. The movement of my car frightened them, and they bounded further into the field in PERFECT rhythm. No ballet performance could match their symphony of movement. I slowed the car in hopes that I might be able to photograph them. They stopped to pose, and I snapped the camera.

What a lovely morning it was! Thanks to Donna and her sister, Brenda, the photographer of the two smaller photos.

My Sugar Test (I Passed!)

My sugar test happened sooner than I expected! Every stop on the garden walk this morning included refreshments! Here were rhubarb, zucchini, and banana nut breads, cookies, and sweet teas and lemonade. My husband and I split a small piece of rhubarb bread just for the taste of it. Fortunately, bottled water was also available and a welcome provision at each stop. If you'd like to see pictures from the first two gardens on the garden walk, go to today's post at Life and Godliness.

Don't Waste Your Life on Sugar

Two (maybe more) of my blogging friends are dealing squarely with the issue of sugar in their diets. In their determination to eliminate the negative health consequences associated with it, they have created new blogs. I shall be referring to them frequently. I KNOW that since I have been eating more sensibly, I have eliminated much of the lethargy that I experienced prior to my healthier habits. I'm sure there are internal problems that were created as well. Hopefully, my better habits will eliminate them, too.

You may be encouraged as I have been by referring to Vivianna's and Lady M's blogs.

I copied the list of potential sugar hazards from one of Vivianna's posts and taped it inside a kitchen cabinet door. It's enough to make you stop and think before you eat!

Maybe It Wasn't Actually a Plateau

After almost 2 weeks, I finally lost a pound! After consistently seeing the scale drop week by week, I got a little desperate and overly anxious when I went a week and then two without a loss. I tried to follow through with my plan - walking with more intensity and drinking more water. I didn't do any strength training, I'm sorry to report. However, I NOW have the apparatus beside my recliner and intend to begin today to employ it. So, maybe it wasn't actually a "plateau" I was on as much as the slowdown I should expect as I get nearer a healthy weight for me. But it sure was good to see the scale register a pound less!

The Six Best Doctors.....

The best six doctors anywhere -

And no one can deny it -
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air,
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing.
Your mind they'll ease;
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.

~Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields in What the River Knows, 1990

"LIVE HEALTHY"

In the left sidebar is a quote I lifted from another blog. Less Jess said, "I have learned that as long as you continue to live healthy, eventually you will be healthy!" This from a person who has lost more than 140 pounds by healthy LIVING.

I can't get that out of my mind. I've decided that LIVING healthy is separate from BEING healthy - but they are very MUCH related! Living in a healthy way daily - minute by minute - is its OWN reward. But beyond the immediate pleasure of living healthy now comes a payoff of health in the future, too. I shall bike around town on my newly painted bicycle with new vigor and higher expectations!

Of course, all outcomes belong to the Lord. But taking care of the "temple" is a joyful privilege He has given me.

"...your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God...You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

"Wary" in Doing Good?

Cagey like a fox

A few days ago, spell check let "wary" pass for "weary". I didn't catch it myself until later. I decided to let it stand and do a little dictionary work.

As it turns out, "wary" has a GOOD side and a NEGATIVE one. It can mean watchful, careful, alert, vigilant, heedful--all of which are good. Whether in health habits, speech, actions or anything related to life and godliness, in this sense we should all be "wary".

However, it can also mean skeptical, openly distrustful, guarded, unwilling to confide, cagey. In THIS sense, we should NOT become "wary" in well doing. In fact, I think "wariness" might contribute to "weariness"! At any rate, it bears repeating:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Hmmmm. That "proper time" business just jumped out at me this time! I'll have to think THAT one over...

10 Ways to Move Beyond a Weight Loss Plateau

I'm here - on a plateau. I've googled "10 ways", "5 ways" and many OTHER ways - like fasting and enemas - to move past this plateau! Basically, I've settled on this: I'll be sure I'm drinking enough water (I've been careless about this again.) I will add intensity to my 30 minute walk. (I really don't want to add additional time.) And I will do a few repetitions of strength exercises with weights every other day. (My LEAST favorite thing to do!)

While doing all this, I'll try not to get impatient or expect to lose 2 pounds a week as I did when I was 23 pounds heavier. I will not give up my efforts but be diligent in continuing to eat fresh vegetables and fruit. I MAY eat a few smaller meals in exchange of the 1 main meal I eat currently. (I don't know - have to see how this fits with hubby, etc.)

I'll journal. I'll be "accountable" through this blog.

I'll pray, and
I'll be thankful for the health, energy and weight loss I am enjoying.

How about you? How have you moved through YOUR plateaus?

The Eternal God and Mortal Men

Walking through the cemetery this morning brought this verse to my mind: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). Scofield titles this Psalm, "The eternal God and mortal men." It is filled with truth, significant food for thought and sufficient motivation for action. It ends this way:

May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands.

Why the P, L & SC BLOG?

...Primarily to fulfill the accountability niche spoken about in today's Motivation to Live Well quote:

7/7/2009
A key factor in achieving our goals is accountability.
Be accountable to God as well as each other.
(It works! GOD works!)

This blog is my prayer. This blog is my "check in" moment. This blog is a reminder to myself of how the Lord has blessed me and the goals He has put in front of me. This blog is a place to encourage others to pray, to check in, to remind themselves of God's grace and high calling.

We Planted Some More Seeds of Discipline

"Seeds of discipline produce a harvest of strength. Keep planting them daily."

After a Sunday dinner of roast, potatoes, carrots, mushroom and zucchini prepared in the crock pot, Husband and I walked a part of the New Haven trail. It follows the Maumee River, is scenic and paved. Thus I finished Week 3 having walked four rather than five times.

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction;p the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become wary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7-9

Making Exercise Beautiful!

In addition to my early morning, 30 minute walk today we walked several blocks this afternoon enjoying an outdoor exhibit of painted benches situated around a town square. See more at Life and Godliness. We also walked just a block off the town square to look at the sumptuous flower garden surrounding a quaint shop, The Busy Brush. A person might as well enjoy some "eye candy" while exercising!

I'm Back!

After I napped a couple of hours yesterday, I "emerged" from my Grandmother Retreat. We went to Applebees to eat an adult meal. I was happy to find salmon on the menu and enjoyed it very much (I brought 1/2 home for a meal today). Then both Gary and I got haircuts. We vegged in front of TV and watched a Garrison Keilor special. He is one of my favorite entertainers, and it was a relaxing way to end the day.

I woke up this morning feeling "back". I walked 30 minutes, drank some water, and am celebrating the loss of another pound.