Healthy & Whole

Imagine More, Eat Less

2011-02-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

The way you think about food may determine how much of it you actually consume!

Check out this awesome Discovery News article or read below to see how the boundaries between thinking and doing are being blurred! In summary, the article states:

• People who imagined eating an indulgent snack ate 50 percent less of the real thing when given the chance.

• Our brains respond in similar ways whether we experience something or just think about it.

• This simple exercise could help you avoid adding those extra pounds.

Imagine More, Eat Less

Emily Sohn

To avoid overeating during the holiday season, try this: When you arrive at the next party, picture yourself gorging on piles of cheese, chocolates, cookies and other tempting fare from the food table.

That visualization exercise, found a new lab-based study, could help you eat less of the foods you really want to avoid. Even though dreaming about indulgences can make your mouth water, the new finding suggests that it's OK to think about treats -- as long as you think about them the right way.

"People try to avoid thinking about the foods they crave," said Carey Morewedge, an experimental psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "A lot of research suggests that thought-suppression is a failed strategy. This is really the nail in the coffin for that."

Plenty of studies have shown that, whether you're actually experiencing something or merely thinking about it, the same mental processes are involved.

Singing a song in your head, for example, uses the same brain structures as listening to the song would. Simply imagining a spider crawling across your shoulders can cause sweating and rapid heart thumping. And visualizing an athletic feat or musical number before you play can boost your performance.

To see if the same might be true for eating, Morewedge and colleagues performed a series of experiments with M&Ms and cheese cubes.

First, the researchers enlisted a group of about 50 people, who thought they were taking part in an experiment on size perception. Participants were shown a picture of one M&M at a time for three seconds. Some people saw the candy picture three times. Others saw it 30 times. All of them were told imagine eating the candies when they saw them.

Next, participants were shown a series of M&Ms that varied in size and told to pick the correct one. Finally, they were offered a bowl of M&Ms -- presumably for a taste test that would follow.

Secretly, the researchers later weighed the bowls to see how many candies each person ate. Their results, which appear today in the journal Science, showed major difference in candy consumption depending on how many M&Ms people had imagined eating.

Those who had visualized swallowing 30 M&Ms ended up eating an average of between two and five chocolates at the end of the experiment -- half as many as those who had imagined eating just three M&Ms. That group consumed an average of between five and nine candies.

In a series of follow-up experiments, the researchers found, for one thing, that people who imagined eating 30 cheese cubes ate half as much cheese compared to those who had imagined eating three cubes. That meant that the finding wasn't a fluke somehow related to candy-covered chocolates.

Other experiments confirmed the finding in different ways.

Visualizing M&M-eating, for example, didn't affect how much cheese people ate. Imagining that they were putting M&Ms into a bowl made no difference in how much candy people ate. Neither did imagining that they were putting three or 30 quarters into a laundry machine. And people who imagined eating more candy were less motivated to pile up candy-earning points in a click-heavy computer game.

Together, the experiments showed that the mental effort of imagination is not what influences appetite. Rather, it's the act of thinking specifically about eating the food you want to avoid that may help you want less of it. In both the chocolate and the cheese examples, people's level of hunger had no effect on how much they ate.

Future experiments, Moweredge added, will look at whether visualizing might work against smoking and other addictive behaviors.

Because the experiments were done in a controlled laboratory environment, it's not yet clear whether visualizing a feast would work as a real-world appetite-suppressing strategy, said Paul Rozin, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The study also did not look at dieters, who are known to do things like give up on eating well after consuming something calorie-busting, like a milkshake.

Still, Rozin said, the findings add to a growing field of research on a phenomenon called embodied cognition, which has been revealing blurred boundaries between thinking and doing. Holding a warm cup, for example, makes people act more warmly towards others. And hearing fictional stories affects people's emotions and behaviors, even when they know the stories aren't real.

"We know that many of the same brain areas are involved in visual imaging as in actual seeing," Rozin said. "The reason this is of some significance is that we're trying to reduce food intake as a general public health measure. This suggests there are some possible mental exercises that might do that."

Fat Loss Lifestyle

2011-01-12T12:16:00.000-05:00

Fat Loss is a health & fitness lifestyle that focuses on health, fitness and optimal function of the body. Check out this Metabolic Effect video to see how this isn't just about "diet," it’s a way of life that even includes stress control and sleep management to achieve optimal health & function.

If you remember one thing, remember this: a healthy lifestyle is not necessarily a fat loss lifestyle, but a fat loss lifestyle is almost always a healthy lifestyle!

Made to Crave

2010-12-15T12:01:00.002-05:00

Holiday Caffiends

2010-12-01T17:53:00.002-05:00

Ho, Ho, NO!

The New York Post published some eye opening stats regarding some of our favorite holiday drinks. The festive, calorie- packed coffees are back, but is the taste worth the weight?

YOU COULD DRINK:

Starbucks peppermint white chocolate mocha with whole milk and whipped cream (venti)

700 calories

27g fat (17g saturated)

95g sugars

OR EAT THIS INSTEAD:

For the same calories, you could eat 17 1/2 spangler candy canes.

“It’s the worst drink on the Starbucks menu. It’s made with two kinds of syrup — white chocolate and peppermint — and topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. You add whole milk to the mix and you’re looking at the calorie equivalent of an entire Christmas tree’s worth of candy canes,” says Zinczenko. “We typically advise against super-sweet, chocolatey coffee drinks, but it is the holiday season so a little indulgence every now and then is expected. But you should be smart about it.” A grande caffe mocha with skim milk and no whipped cream (220 calories, 2.5g fat [0.5g saturated], 32g sugars) will save you a colossal 480 calories.

YOU COULD DRINK:

McDonald's frappe caramel (large)

680 calories
29g fat (18g saturated; 1.5g trans)
88g sugars
OR EAT THIS INSTEAD:
For the same amount of sugar, you could eat 31 Werther's Original Caramel Chocolates.

“A caramel coffee frappe should be considered actual coffee — the first five ingredients are water, cream, sugar, milk and high fructose corn syrup. Only after getting the two milks and two sugars out of the way do you get to coffee extract,” says Zinczenko. “You can get the same great caramel taste for almost 500 fewer calories by opting for a medium nonfat caramel cappuccino (190 calories, 0g fat, 41g sugars).”

YOU COULD DRINK:

Starbucks eggnog latte with whole milk (venti)
630 calories
30g fat (18g saturated)
64g sugars
OR EAT THIS INSTEAD:
For the same amount of sugar, you could eat two slices of pumpkin pie.

“Any time you see the word eggnog you might say, ‘No, thank you.’ And mixing it with a latte doesn’t help matters,” says Zinczenko. For a Starbucks coffee with seasonal spice, he recommends a grande “skinny” cinnamon dolce latte made with skim milk and a sugar-free flavor shot (130 calories, 0g fat, 17g sugars). The switch will save you 500 calories — and, if you have a slice of pumpkin pie (280 calories) too, you’ll eat more and still avoid 220 calories.

YOU COULD DRINK:

Dunkin' Donuts gingerbread latte (large)
440 calories
12g fat (7g saturated)
68g sugars
OR EAT THIS INSTEAD:
For the same calories, you could eat six Dunkin' Donuts glazed chocolate cake munchkins.

“Lattes are made with espresso and steamed milk and, in the case of the gingerbread latte, a lot of sugar,” says Zinczenko, who notes that just one of the seasonal drinks contains the caloric equivalent of six glazed chocolate-cake Munchkins. “You can get the same great taste for less than half the calories by choosing Dunkin’ Donuts’ medium gingerbread coffee (170 calories, 0g fat, 36g sugars), which bypasses the milk and much of the sweet stuff.”

YOU COULD DRINK:

Panera Bread peppermint hot chocolate (14.25oz)
610 calories
17g fat (11g saturated)
83g sugars
OR EAT THIS INSTEAD:
For the same calories, you could eat 4 1/2 York Peppermint Patties.

“Hot chocolate is going to be one of the worst options,” says Zinczenko. But Panera’s peppermint hot chocolate — which contains the same calories as four and a half York Peppermint Patties — manages to stand out. “It has whipped cream, white chocolate and mocha mint syrups.” Instead, Zinczenko suggests ordering Panera’s regular 10-oz. hot chocolate without whipped cream (270 calories, 7g fat [4½g saturated], 38g sugars).

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

2010-11-29T17:34:00.003-05:00

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip:

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..

the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most.

Be G.R.E.A.T.

2010-11-18T17:12:00.000-05:00

I found a great article today that give some simple and practical tips to enjoying our lives and being happy no matter what circumstance we may be facing today. I’m passing this on article from http://www.reviveyourlife.com/ in hopes that it might inspire you to be happy and live a G.R.E.A.T. day! :)

How Can You Be Happy in these Hard Times? Be GREAT!
By Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., M.S., P.T.,
Whether I am doing a radio interview, giving a speech to a group of hundreds, or working with an individual client, there is one common theme that initially prevails: skepticism.

“How can I be happy when I (drum roll please)…lost my job…have no money…got a divorce…am not married…am married…moved to a new town where I know no one…am sick…am overweight…feel stuck?"

You get the idea. I teach those that I’m speaking to that it doesn’t matter. Regardless of what is going on in your life, you can make it better, and it won’t cost you a thing. All you have to do is be GREAT!

G - Gratitude
R - Relaxation
E - Exercise
A - Assist others
T - Talk it out

Gratitude: Be grateful for what you have, not upset about what you lack

We have a tendency to scan our environment and focus on what’s bad, what “should” be better, and what needs to be “fixed.” It may be a partner’s behavior, a friend’s choice in clothing, or your waistline. But when was the last time you focused on the positive elements in your life?

Try this - develop a gratitude journal. It may sound corny, but I assure you it will enhance your happiness exponentially. Every day (yes, even on the not-so-great days), write about three things that you appreciate and feel grateful for. These could be specific events, or just wonderful things that happen regularly.
Some examples might include:

■A good night’s sleep
■A workout where you really pushed yourself
■Spending time with a good friend
■Being productive
■Your spouse doing the dishes
■Hearing a child giggle
■Having a good meal
■Getting to work/home on time
■A good cup of coffee in the morning
■Having the support of family and friends

Over time you’ll develop a list of all the brilliant experiences and people you have in your life right now.
Sound a little too “peace-love-granola-y” to you? What if you suddenly lost your ability to move? What would you pine for most? After sustaining his spinal cord injury, Christopher Reeve said what he missed most was, “to be able to put my arms around my son.” Consider if you were in his position - what would you long to do? Now, start being grateful that you can still enjoy those experiences.

Relaxation: Decrease stress and relaaaax

The word relaxation conjures up different images for different people. Some might visualize sitting on the beach with a cool drink and good book, while others might imagine going for an exhilarating jog. Regardless of your definition, relaxation can have amazing benefits as it relates to your level of happiness.
Relaxing doesn’t require you to sit in an uncomfortable, cross-legged position and repeatedly chant “ohm,” either. True relaxation, in which you flush the stress out of your body and mind, is just a simple way of being happier.

Try any of the following:
■Engage in deep breathing
■Perform progressive muscle relaxation exercises
■Meditate
■Visualize your way to relaxation
■Get a massage
■Practice yoga

Exercise: Exercise your way to happiness

We are all familiar with at least some of the benefits of exercise to our physical health which include weight loss, decreased blood pressure, improved “good” cholesterol, enhanced cardiovascular function, and the prevention of certain chronic illnesses. As the 17th Earl of Derby once said, “Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”

Did you know, though, that exercise is also good for your psychological health? Evidence shows that exercise:

■Raises mood-enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain
■Enhances positive attitudes
■Releases muscle tension
■Promotes better sleep
■Has a calming effect
■Lessens anxiety and depression
So get moving, and make it fun - go for a walk with your dog, bounce on a trampoline, go dancing, or run through the sprinklers…

Assist others: Helping out others will increase your own happiness

When you help someone, you not only help the individual receiving the aid, but also yourself. Performing kind acts for others is one of the most satisfying and gratifying things you can do with your time. It helps alter your focus from “what is wrong with my life” to more positive thoughts like “I don’t have it as bad as she does” and “I am really making a difference.” Look for opportunities throughout the day to help others which may include:

■Holding a door for someone
■Smiling…at anyone
■Complimenting your spouse, a friend, or a co-worker
■Thanking people who assist you, even if doing so is their “job” (a cashier, your mother, etc.)
■Finding volunteer opportunities that interest you and jumping right in. There are countless groups, organizations and opportunities where your strengths can be used to help others in need. The benefits to them - and you - will be amazing!

Talk it out: Use effective communication

Ineffective communication, such as being passive (stuffing your thoughts and emotions) or aggressive (not respecting others while voicing your opinion) can cause a lot of heartache. In fact, this is the number one cause for divorce and other failed relationships.
■Try being assertive, where you share what is on your mind in a considerate and respectful manner.
■Release unhelpful assumptions such as “he should know that upsets me”. No one can read your mind regardless of how long you have known them.
■Ask questions and really listen. Don’t just let the person talk so that you have an opportunity to say something. Be interested in what people around you are thinking - you will be able to communicate much better if you do.

Infect Someone

2010-11-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

"Peace begins with a smile." -Mother Teresa

A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

Beauty in the World

2010-11-16T11:26:00.001-05:00

When you don’t know what to do, don’t know if you’ll make it through….
Remember God is giving you beauty in the world!

Stop and smell the flowers and lose it the sweet music and dance with me-
There is beauty in the world, so much beauty in the world!
Always beauty in the world, there is beauty in the world!

Shake your booty boys and girls for the beauty in the world-
Pick your diamond pick your pearl there is beauty in the world!

I Want to be a Tigger

2010-11-16T09:23:00.000-05:00

What am I?

2010-11-02T15:52:00.002-04:00

As I look into the stars

Pondering how far away they are

How You hold them in Your hands

And still You know this man

You know my inner most being, oh

Even better than I know, than I know myself

What a beautiful God

And what am I, that I might be called Your child

What am I, what am I

That You might know me, my King

What am I, what am I, what am I

As I look off into the distance

Watching the sun roll on by

Beautiful colors all around me, oh

Painted all over the sky

The same hands that created all of this

They created you and I

What a beautiful God

And what am I, that I might be called Your child

What am I, what am I

That You might know me, my King

What am I, what am I

That You might die, that I might live

What am I

"Beautiful"

Shawn McDonald

For Candy Cravers...

2010-10-29T15:20:00.003-04:00

Halloween is right around the corner.... candy cravers, take your mark! But is indulgence a trick or treat when it comes to good health? Neither! It all boils down to moderation. Below is registered dietician Carol M. Bareuther's scoop on some top-selling halloween candies:

Candy	Serving	Calories	Sat. Fat	Sugar	Dietitian's Tips
Tootsie Rolls	six pieces (40 g)	140	0.5 g	20 g	With less fat and fewer calories than most candies on this list, a Tootsie Roll's downside is its sticky factor. The longer sugars stay in contact with the teeth, the higher the risk for tooth decay, according to the American Dental Association.
Brach's Candy Corn	22 pieces (40 g)	140	0 g	28 g	Fat-free is the plus here. But the stickiness and sugar means munch, then brush.
Kit Kat	one package (43 g)	210	7 g	22 g	The light wafer makes this bar less dense and therefore lower in sugar per serving than many of its counterparts.
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses	nine pieces (41 g)	230	8 g	21 g	Choose Special Dark to cut calories by 20 per serving and add flavonoids (antioxidants linked to heart health and cancer prevention).
M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies	small bag (47.9 g)	240	6 g	31 g	Sort into single colors and store in portions. Small studies have found that people eat more candy if you offer them different colors.
Milky Way	one bar (58.12 g)	260	7 g	35 g	Eat one, then freeze the rest (a good idea for just about any candy bar).
Butterfinger	one bar (60 g)	270	6 g	29 g	Beware the King Size. On the nutrition label, one serving is only a third of the bar.
Snickers	one bar (58.7 g)	280	5 g	30 g	Opt for the Fun Size, and sugar, calories and saturated fat drop by two-thirds.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups	one package (51 g)	280	6 g	26 g	Like other bars with nuts, these aren't a total zero for nutrition. They contain a little protein and iron. However, I sure wouldn't recommend eating candy to get your nutrients!

If ghosts and goblins don't scare you, maybe the tital wave of high-fructose corn syrup will... enjoy your halloween candy for a few days, but don't make choices that will haunt you- and your hips- for months to come.

Moderation, moderation, moderation!

Do It Anyway

2010-10-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

People are often unreasonable,

illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

you will win some false friends and true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

people may cheat you;

Be honest anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

-Mother Teresa

Preach to Yourself

2010-10-24T08:08:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a morning where you just wake up feeling down? I'm having one today- and when I woke up this morning I was reminded of a book I read awhile ago that taught me to "preach to myself."

When I woke up feeling "blaaaah" today I immediately began taking my negative thoughts captive (lonely, overwhelmed, sad, or whatever else you may be feeling at that moment) and replaced those negative thoughts with positive truth from Scripture. My outlook was completely changed by a conversation that took less than two seconds and was finished before I had even climbed out from under the covers:

"Self, you say you're lonely? God is always with you!"

"Self, You say you're discouraged? Take hope in the Lord!"

"Self, You say you're overwhelmed? Cast all your cares on Him, He cares for you!"

In his book, Jones calls us to recognize that most of our unhappiness in life is because we are listening to ourselves rather than talking to ourselves. We are in control of our own thoughts! If you catch yourself thinking something that is negative and not in line with God's word, stop yourself!

Instead of allowing your self to talk to you, start talking to your self!

"Preach to Yourself"

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc.

Somebody is talking. Who is talking? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.’…

The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’– what business have you to be disquieted?

You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’– instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do.

Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God.’”

–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Its Cure (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965/2002), 20-1.

Face Your Fear

2010-10-20T13:39:00.000-04:00

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Life = Risk

2010-10-15T05:14:00.001-04:00

If you've never failed, you've never lived. Dream big today!

Words to Live By

2010-10-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

Check out these incredible words to live by from the oldest man in the world... 114 years YOUNG! From healthy eating & exercise, to education, hard work, and helping others, I think we could all take a lesson from Walter Breuning!

In his own words, "Every day is a good day..."

Dare to be Great!

2010-10-13T05:57:00.002-04:00

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!

Cause if you're willing to go through all the battling you got to go through to get where you want to get, who's got the right to stop you? I mean maybe some of you guys got something you never finished, something you really want to do, something you never said to someone, something... and you're told no, even after you paid your dues? Who's got the right to tell you that, who? Nobody! It's your right to listen to your gut, it ain't nobody's right to say no after you earned the right to be where you want to be and do what you want to do!

Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and that pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!" -Rocky Balboa

You are powerful beyond measure.... Dare to be great!

No Excuses!

2010-10-12T05:14:00.000-04:00

Excuses are like butt-holes: we all have them & they all stink! No matter what goal you have, it is never impossible for you to achieve it. Everything is possible, only your mind limits the possibilities. Therefore, to achieve your goals, you need to think differently! That means that today, if you want to reach your goals, you have to change your thinking.... *NO EXCUSES!*

God Chose Us!

2010-10-11T20:01:00.004-04:00

Lately I've really been challenged to live a radically God-centered life. For the past month I've been working through Henry Blackaby's book, "Experiencing God." The whole premise of the book is to come to know God, to recognize His voice, and to understand His will for our lives. God has revealed a lot to me lately, but one of my most favorite and precious revelations during my quiet time with Him is the fact that it is GOD who pursues a love relationship with us.

God always takes the initiative in our love relationship. The witness of the entire Bible testifies that God pursues us and orchestrates ways for us to experience Him. He came to Adam and Eve in the garden. In love, He had fellowship with them and they with Him. He came to Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. It was GOD who took the initiative for each person in the Old Testament to experience Him in a personal fellowship of love. In the New Testament, Jesus approached His disciples and chose them to be with Him and to experience His love.

In our natural human state, we do not seek God on our on initiative.

Romans 3:10-12 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." How many people are naturally righteous? Not one! How many people understand spiritual truths on their own? Not one! How many people naturally seek God? Not one! How many people instinctively do good? Not even one!

The bad news is that sin has marred us so deeply that no one seeks God on his own initiative- if we are to have a relationship with Him and His Son, GOD Must take the initiative. But the good news.... is that this is exactly what God does!

In John 6:65 Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." Who can come to Jesus without being drawn by the Father? No one. The only way a person can come to Jesus is if God enables them.

Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." The love that God focuses on our lives is an everlasting love. From that love He has pursued us. He has drawn us to him and even gave His own Son to die for us. It has nothing to do with what we've done and has everything to do with what GOD has done out of LOVE for us!

John 15:16 says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last." I do not choose God. He chooses me, loves me, and revels His eternal purposes for my life. It is GOD who pursues me and orchestrates ways for me to experience Him each and every day. In the same, way it is God who chooses and loves you. It's nothing that you can do, have done, or need to do on your own- it is GOD who pursues a love relationship with you!

Tonight, lets remember how blessed we are. We are chosen! Despite our sinfulness, God is pursuing us.... We are loved!

What are You On?

2010-10-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

What is the key to reaching your fitness goals? It's not about the supplements, there's no magic workout, and there's no miracle diet pill. It's about listening to and pushing your body.

What is Lance Armstrong on? HIS BIKE! Working, pushing, and training hard....

There's no quick fix.... It's time to get moving!

What are you on?

Just Keep Swimming

2010-09-20T05:39:00.000-04:00

When life gets you down, you know what you've got to do? JUST KEEP SWIMMING!

Instead of being Mr. or Mrs. Grumpy Gills, when something hard comes our way, let's pray, and then make the choice to look for the good and focus less on the bad. KEEP on KEEPING on, and remember this is just a season, and all seasons, thankfully, come and go.

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!

Muscle vs. Fat: Conclusion

2010-09-19T11:37:00.001-04:00

In conclusion and to hopefully help answer your fat vs. muscle questions, take a look at some quick summaries:

Quick Summary of Fat:

• Fat can not become muscle and muscle can not become fat.

• Fat can only be reduced if the number of calories expended in a day exceeds the number of calories consumed in a day. Fat will be gained if the opposite occurs.

• If you stop training, but compensate for this with a slight reduction in diet, your body fat will not increase.

• If you begin training but also increase your dietary intake, you can gain fat.

• Fat cells act as one, meaning you can not choose where you lose it or gain it.

Quick Summary of Muscle:

• Changes in muscle size, density and/or efficiency cause an increase in strength; however, these changes only result if the muscle is stimulated beyond what it is accustomed to.

• Weight training is the easiest way to control and monitor the changes in your muscle physiology. By manipulating your sets, reps and weight lifted you can achieve various responses. Because of this, it is possible to increase your strength without adding bulk, and it is also possible to increase both.

• When you stop stimulating the muscle, your muscle composition may return to normal or, depending on your regular routine, it may simply stay as is.

• Unlike fat, each muscle can be specifically targeted, so you can choose the specific area you would like to improve. With that said, realize that while you can work your abdominal muscles, for example, you may not see the enhanced shape and form if you have a thick layer of fat covering them up.

As you can see in this picture, the 250 lbs. of fat is much bulkier than the 250 lbs. of muscle… A 250 pound pile of fat will take up more space (volume) than a 250 pound pile of muscle. A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is denser than fat, the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller. Once you understand this, you will stop being so concerned with body weight and start paying attention to body composition. How much body fat do you have compared to muscle?

If you want to look slimmer, the key is to build more muscle and to burn more fat! And remember, when it comes to fat loss, exercise is the method that can be most easily manipulated… the more active you are, the more fat that you will burn!

Here's to happy fat loss!

Understanding Body Fat

2010-09-18T09:25:00.000-04:00

Body fat is completely related to calories, and the amount that we have is directly influenced by the number of calories consumed versus calories expended. Calories consumed obviously come from the foods we eat. It is important to recognize that when we consume any type of food in excess, whether it is carbohydrates, protein or dietary fat, it will be converted to body fat.

The flip side of the equation is calories used or expended. This brings exercise to mind, however, your body also expends calories in other ways. We focus on exercise because it is the method that can be most easily manipulated. Any form of exercise, at any intensity—aerobic training, resistance training, going out for a walk or performing a spring workout—burns calories and is, therefore, better than doing nothing at all. With all of this in mind, let's look at an interesting statistic:

Our bodies store energy in some 30 billion fat cells, mostly beneath our skin and around our abdomen. If we are overweight, we have more of these cells and each is larger. The very obese may have 75 billion cells with about 50 percent more fat in each one. When an obese person loses weight, the fat cells shrink but their number is unchanged.

Based on this fact, it is important to understand that those thousands and thousands of individual fat cells that give us those nice love handles act as one unit and essentially have three options:

• to grow and possibly divide;

• to rest as is; or

• to shrink in size.

The option your fat cells will choose completely depends on the calories you consume versus the calories you burn in your daily activity. Personally, I want to do everything in my power to make sure all my pesky fat cells SHRINK, don't you?!?

Muscle Metamorphosis

2010-09-18T08:12:00.003-04:00

To begin our discussion on Muscle vs. Fat, it is essential to clarify that it is a complete myth that you can turn fat into muscle with training. Body fat and muscle are two completely different tissues. They have different structures and functions, they react to training in different ways and, simply put, one does not have the capability to turn into the other. Let’s look at each individually, starting with my personal favorite: MUSCLE!

Unlike fat, strength gains are not related to calories; changes in the muscle physiology and the resulting increases in strength do not occur as a result of dietary intake. Assuming you are eating a well-balanced diet, changes within your muscles are most influenced by the direct stresses that you place on each of them individually. These stresses can be through job-related activity, daily chores, aerobic activity or strength training. The key factor is that the muscle will only react if the stress placed on it exceeds the everyday stress it is accustomed to.

Again, this doesn’t necessary mean you need to get to the gym and start lifting weights three times a week; however, muscle is often associated with weight/resistance training because this is the easiest way to control and monitor the stress being placed on the muscle. Strength training is also very effective because you can isolate any muscle and do so in a safe environment. If you’re interested in a personalized strength training plan, consider meeting with a Personal Trainer, or... (shameless plugh for the Twin River's Y) if you’re around the Eastern Carolina area and would like to try weight/resistance training in a group with a certified instructor, check out our Be REAL! Boot Camp or Morning C.R.U.N.C.H classes… We have a lot of ways for you to start building muscle the right way!

Muscle vs. Fat

2010-09-17T15:58:00.004-04:00

Have you ever wondered how long and how intensely you would have to train to turn all that loose body fat into toned muscle? When you stop training, how long will it take before the muscle turns back into fat? Do sit-ups and crunches truly get rid of your belly and leave you with a firm six-pack? Is it possible to lose fat but not bulk up from weight training?

As health educators, myself and our Health & Wellness team at the Y hear questions like this often. In fact, they have been asked so frequently that we’ve recently realized there is a significant lack of knowledge relating to how training truly affects body composition. To be able to answer any of the above questions we need to first understand the different roles of body fat and muscle.

The next series of posts will attempt to shed a little light on the muscle vs. fat debate. But for now, consider this truth: If you want to look slimmer, the key is to build more muscle and to burn more fat! And remember, when it comes to fat loss, exercise is the method that can be most easily manipulated… the more active you are, the more fat that you will burn!