Getting Rid of Sickness

Did you know that sickness is a way for your body to stay healthy?
Each sickness your body is exposed to builds up your antibodies to prepare you for another illness. In the same way God uses our past trials to prepare us for the next one. That is why it is so beneficial for us to pay attention and use the tools He has given us to get healthy.
As most of you know we have had sickness after sickness in our home. As we come out of the midst of this sickness, I thought that we would share a few tips I have learned to help us get rid of sickness.

We Rest!

Sickness, is an awful strain on your body, spirit and mind! I used to be the type of person that would work through sickness, and pain until I could go no longer. But being a mother has taught me the importance of slowing down and resting. I feel so much better when I put away the distractions and sleep. It is easy to get sick when we work our bodies to the point of exhaustion. Healthy people are those that sleep! Remember God even rested on the 7th day. I don't believe that God needed this rest but I believe that he did it as a lesson to us to follow, rest!

We Take our Medicine.

Most medicine is awful tasting but it is good for us! Our medicine for this last sickness was the nebulizer and albuterol. Let just tell you how much fun it is holding down a strong toddler to do a breathing treatment. But it is neccesary for her to get better, John had to practically hold me down to get me to do my treatments too! No one likes taking medicine, but we all have to take it once and awhile. When temptations and trials in our life cause a sickness of sin in us we have to take our medicine. God has seen the sin in us and therefore provided the medicine we need to get healthy, His Word! He hates to see us struggle with sin, but will allow us to suffer with it until we pick up The Bible and read. If you can't take the whole spoonful of medicine right away, then sip it. Listening to Christian radio stations like AirOne or KLove can be great tools. Reading books by famous Christian authors can help, just remember that the only one who can heal you is Jesus, so if the book isn't leading you to Him, then put it down. I reccomend John Baker (author of Celebrate Recovery), Beth Moore, Andy Stanley are just a few! Check out a local church or Christian bookstore and see what they reccomend.

We call in backup!

No one likes to be sick, but being sick without anyone there to help you feel better is worse. Whether it is a mom to soothe you to sleep, a sister to make or bring you soup, a friend to watch movies with you, we all need help.  God designed us to need companionship! Especially during trials or sin. Jesus himself was surrounded with people he loved and trusted.  Having people pray and hold you accountable during times like these can make or break you. Of course you know that i reccommend Celebrate Recovery, but a good strong church group or bible study group is good too. So make that phone call and ask for help, you'll be glad that you did.

We sanitize!

Anything that is plastic and doesn't have batteries is thrown into the bathtub with bleach water. Everything else is thrown into the laundry, the trash or sprayed down with Lysol! Don't give germs a foothold to stick around! Alike germs, the temptations of sin is contagious! Clean out your house of temptations and arm yourself with protection. If pornography is your sickness, then throw away the magazines, move the computer to a safe spot in the house, and find someone to hold you accountable. Since food addiction is my sickness, I have learned to only go grocery shopping with a list and a chapperone. I also keep busy because sitting around the house is a temptation to eat and I have my CR groups to help me stay accountable to eating and exercising.

We use good habits!

A sickness is a great reminder of why we should eat healthy, exercise and take care of ourselves! Reminding my daughter to wash her hands and keep toys out of her mouth is another way to keep sickness away.  Praying, reading your Bible and meeting with your accountability partners help you keep good habits!

We prepare for sickness!

Staying stocked on medicines like tylenol and cold medicines help us be prepared for something that may hit us fast. Cough drops and allergy pills are a must at our house. Remember that sickness, trials and sin is part of life. If we deny it won't or can't happen to us then we won't be prepared when it does. Sometimes God will knock us off of our feet so He can carry us!

Here's to your health!

Weight Loss Wednesdays- Week 1- What changes are going to happen

I took a blue chip for my food addiction. This is a big thing for me. Let me explain how this works. In Celebrate Recovery we take chips to celebrate clean or sober time in our lives. This means you are surrendering something to God. Anything that is a hurt, a habit, or a hangup. Some examples are anger, poor managing of finances, grief, co-dependence, alcohol addiction, drug addiction, divorce, etc..... I have taken many blue chips in my life, but I have never taken one for food. I wanted to be ready. I needed to feel that it was the right time to surrender this addiction to God. A food addiction is a serious addiction. You don't have to be morbidly obese, which I am, to have a food addiction. If you have food on your mind 24/7 then you are in bondage. I do this. I am planning my meals from the moment I wake up. I think about eating all day. I can share food with others as long as I have enough on my plate and more on backup. I get angry when good food is wasted, really angry. I panic if I don't have money or food to eat in the house. I am a slave to food. I plan my day around it. I feel very disappointed if the meal isn't up to my expectations. I use going out to eat as entertainment instead of placing my entertainment in activities.

I have been listening to Joyce Meyers "Eat and Stay Thin". It is very powerful! She is helping me to break the bondage of food with God's word and gives the glory to Him. This is why I know that this has to work. My food addiction has been put before God. He didn't design me to be a slave to anything. We are free from the law. We are free from any addictions. Everything God made is good. So why do I pervert it into something bad. The fresh green leafy foods, the sweet berries, the succulent meats, etc etc. I prefer boxed foods, hamburger helper, hot dogs, McDonalds, boxed mac-n-cheese, and so forth. Its easier to grab a Lean Cuisine than it is to make a fresh salad and grilled chicken. Its easier to have hamburger helper for dinner than to make something. I grew up this way and old habits are hard to break. But break them I must. I love to cook but really cooking meals that take a while to make and not eating in the process is hard. Hard boiled eggs instead of fried. homemade fresh spaghetti sauce instead of jarred stuff full of sodium and extra preservatives that hurt me. There is not going to be a diet, but a healthy eating plan. I know what I should and shouldn't eat. I know that frying chicken is not as good for me as boiled, baked or broiled chicken. I know that salads full of greens and veggies will make me feel better than a bowl of mac-n-cheese. 

I am going to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide my eating decisions. He will not lead me astray. I also am going to follow the six week body eating plan that was designed for my body. Nothing processed is allowed in my body except for cheese. I am going to eat 6 small meals a day with protein in every meal. This speeds up my metabolism. I am going to stick to 1/2 cup of carbs and 2 to 3 ounces of protein for 3 of those meals. The other three meals will be 2 to 3 ounces of protein and 1/2 cup of fruit. I will eat a healthy amount of veggies everyday to help me stay full. The majority of my carbs will come from potatoes and rice, because my body type does not digest pasta and breads well.  I am going to replace the special out to eat meals with homemade meals. We will make a special meal every week that will fill that void of going out to eat. If I want ice cream I will make it, then I might enjoy it more. I will continue to fall in love with water. I will make mistakes and fall occasionally, but that is OK because it is not a diet. I am not perfect, but with God's help I will succeed!!!

 I am hoping that we can afford a scale this week and that I will have my measurements and starting weight by next week. But not a scale like this! We will be slowly replacing the food in our house and I hope to have my menu and new eating plan completely running by June 1st. So be patient with me as I have to do this slowly for us to be able to afford this type of change. Once my healthy eating plan is started I give you full responsibility to hold me accountable. I will be completely honest on my blog about how good or bad I have been that week. After all if I lie then I am only cheating myself.
Here's to healthy eating for all and FREEDOM!!!!!

Falling in love with water!

When I fell in love with John it was new and exciting and fulfilling. But it took a lot of work to maintain the love affair. When the newness falls away and we see the good and the bad, we both had to consciously decide to work at it. Well that is how I am going to approach my new task this week. To re-fall in love with water. Everything that God made is good! And because he formed my body to need and crave water, that is what I am going to drink.

My addiction to food isn't my only addiction. I have always been addicted to soda also. Diet coke and Dr. Pepper were my poisons of choice. Anytime that I would have a diet coke, my stomach would start churning from the moment of that first sip. I knew what it would do to me. I knew there would be stomach pains and gas, much too much time spent in the bathroom and just an over all feeling of yuck. All from one can! But would I put it down, no. I was more afraid of being free from it. It was my comfort my shield. The same way that food is. When  I was a teenager I would freeze a 1 liter bottle of Dr. Pepper overnight and have it for breakfast. I remember stopping Dr. Pepper for awhile and that first week the withdrawal symptoms were awful! I had headaches mood swings and even shakiness. This should have deterred me from ever picking one up again, but like any addict I couldn't truly stop without the help of God. 

In the recent months, God has been preparing me to cleanse my body of the poisons that I have been putting in my body. The fattening food, the Carb catastrophe, the overload of sodium, the soda and the deadly portions of all of them. I have been feeling that I am finally ready to kick this addiction to food. Food will no longer be my master. I will not be ruled by what I can or cannot eat. I will not spend countless hours planning, thinking, and meditating on food. How will I do this? Only with God's help. I am counting on the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts and change my habits. I will speak more about this on Weight loss Wednesdays, but today is about water. 

My love affair with water started when I was very young. My Memaw and Papaw had a pool and by the age of 6 months I could swim in it between Mom and Dad. I was definitely a water baby. When I am near water a feeling of calm and peace slip over me. I am safe I am home and I am nearer to God. I remember going to Maine to visit my best-est friend and she took me to the ocean for the very first time. I was so excited. I think it was May and the water was ice cold, but I stuck my feet in it. I had to touch it and feel it. I even made a sand castle. Then later in life I took a trip to California for church and we spent a couple of hours on the beach and I never felt closer to God. He was there making sand castles with me and watching His child be sublimely happy. 

Many of the adventures that are on my list involve water. Para-sailing, water skiing, swimming with dolphins, going on a house boat, etc... These things are some of my inspirations for falling in love with water. Also the overall health of my body. Feeling good and getting closer to my goal weight. Saving the money that I would spend on soda when water is free. Teaching good water loving habits to my daughter. 

Today, May 09, 2011 I hear-by start my water drinking habit. No more will soda touch my lips. I will limit my tea drinking to minimum. I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, more if possible. I hear-for assign accountablility duty to my friends, family and internet friends, in-which you are allowed to gently scold, and direct me back to a water loving habit, should I stray. Thank you for your support, Teresa