Set in Stone!

Joshua 4: 1 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2 "Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.' "

In this story the children of Israel finally cross the Jordan to take the promised land (after 40 years!).   When they finally arrive at the Jordan (the crossing point) the Lord has them stop and pick up 12 stones from the Jordan to bring with them.  Why?  Is God into rock collecting?  Of course not.  The stones are to remind them of the journey. A key principle in every area of life (not just physical health) is to pause and remember how far the Lord has brought you!  Stop to remember, stop to celebrate.

It may seem that you are wondering in a forty year desert but I encourage all of you to stop along the way, pick up stones of remembrance and celebrate the small victories. 

Roman and I realized many significant events in our life passed by without a SELAH moment(stop and ponder). If we do not stop and remember where we came from, we are likely to end up back there!

 I want all of you to “map out” a very specific goal sheet for yourself.  Without a map you will wander around the same mountain for the rest of your life. It’s time to cross Jordan and leave that mountain behind you!  It may be weight loss, or it may be leaving behind insecurities and past rejections.  To cross Jordan you need to set a specific route and don’t forget to pick up stones of remembrance along the way.  An example of this for health might be:

Destination:  Lower my blood pressure and lose 50lbs by December. 

Map:  Join a gym this week; Plan a healthy menu; Cut my soda’s in half by the end of the month

Stones:  Take a “before” picture and update it every 6 weeks.  Celebrate each victory with a new pair of “skinny jeans”.

You can apply this to any goal in life.  Set a destination, draw a specific map, and don’t forget your stones!

Protein Power

As a teenager I bought into the all carb low fat diet.  I thought a white bagel with a fat-free vanilla latte was a good choice for a low cal meal.  Forget meat, eggs, or anything with fat in it.  This diet was miserable and kept me slightly pudgy. I had trained my taste buds to crave sugar and I was the dictionary definition of a sweet-tooth.  You all know that I am now a firm believer in adequate protein as well as HEALTHY fats in every diet.  If any of you are in the place I once was, you want a candy bar, not grilled chicken.  This seems to place you at an impasse for a high protein diet unless you find a way to “cheat” the system. . . System, meet protein bars!  I know what many of you are thinking, they taste chalky and it’s not the same.  I will agree with half of that claim.  A protein bar will never be exactly the same as a candy bar, BUT they don’t all taste chalky.  You will have to allow your taste buds to adapt to something new but in time a regular candy bar will taste way too sweet and you will prefer the taste of a protein bar.  Here is a little info on how to find the right one.

Protein Bar 101:  Not all bars are created equal, but some are created with Equal.  As in artificial sweetener.  This is a BIG NO, NO!  If the label holds any kind of fake sugar, don’t buy it!  A big clue will be the term sugar alcohols.  Do not eat this kind of bar.  This leaves you with two choices.

 Number One: A bar that uses real sugar

Number Two:  A bar that uses STEVIA

I prefer you use the second option.  Unfortunately bars made with Stevia are hard to find.  You can order some online from Nutrilite.  Look on the supplements page of my web-site:  angelaasbill.com and click on the supplements link.  Look for the Chocolate Delight protein bars.  I have also seen one or two at Wal-Mart and GNC.   If you cannot find a brand locally then you will have to go with a bar that uses real sugar.  Just be sure that you choose one that has 15g or less of sugar per bar. 

Now you need to look at the kind of protein used.  I recommend trying to find a bar that uses WHEY.  The body better absorbs WHEY proteins.  These are great for recovery after a hard workout.  Remember that when you lift weights your body is tearing down muscle.  During recovery it needs quality amounts of protein to rebuild. 

Protein bars can get expensive and it’s often hard to find one with a perfect blend of ingredients.  That’s why I also suggest the option of making your own.  You control the ingredients so you can feel good about what is going into your body.  Here is a simple one to try out. 

MEAL Protein Bars

INGREDIENTS

10 tbsp. natural peanut butter
5 egg whites
5 scoops chocolate whey protein (I use the brand Jillian Michaels promotes as it uses Stevia for sweetness)
2 cups oats (OPTIONAL: For flavor, dry cook these on a frying pan until they are toasted)
1/2 cup soy milk or organic milk

DIRECTIONS

Mix the peanut butter and egg whites in a bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, and mix well (so that the mixture appears smooth). Repeat 4-5 times until all traces of egg whites have dissolved into the peanut butter, and your mixture is a smooth consistent one.

Gradually add the protein (one scoop at a time) and stir into the mixture. Next, add the soy milk and follow with the oats. Continue mixing until a thick 'sticky' mixture is present.

Smooth the thick mixture into a 13x9 tray and leave for 20-30 minutes. Cut into 10 equal size bars. Individually wrap each bar and store in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar

Calories: 220
Protein: 20.1g
Fat: 10.1g
Carbohydrates: 15.1g

Oh Boy!

Blogging. . .this could get me into trouble!  All of the things I wanted to say but didn’t have space for in my book can be sent out to you by internet.  As I have pondered a “health” blog I have come to the conclusion that my options are really limitless.  Everyone who knows me would agree that when it comes to both health and religion I can run my mouth for days. You can all look forward to everything from your normal diet/calorie health blogs to dealing with your internal garbage.  On a busy week I might decide to send out a few healthy recipes; if I have a client who won’t pull it together in the gym, you might get a “soap-box” rant.   I hate that I cannot train each of you individually. . .but you really don’t need me to, do you?  Anyone can become healthy both physically and spiritually when given the right tools.  I can’t swing the hammer for you even if you are with me seven days a week in the gym.  This site is meant to offer you "tools" to help you live the life God created you to live.  Swinging that “hammer” is a choice, always has been, always will be.

Deuteronomy 30:15 "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

Feel free to send your comments as well as topic requests and I will do my best to cover them. . .until next time remember:

“No one ever drowns in their own sweat!”