Healthy Holidays!

Monday night was the annual “Have a Healthy Holiday” party that I share with my clients.  We get together and make a game plan for the holidays.  I don’t have unrealistic expectations for them.  I don’t expect to see weight loss from November until January (but it does make me happy)!  I just work with them on NOT GAINING the extra 5-10 holiday pounds.  Each person brings a healthy holiday dish plus copies of the recipe to share.  Below is a list of traditional foods and then the healthy version we came up with. 

3oz dark meat turkey with gravy:  200 calories

3 oz White Meat Turkey:  120 calories

 

Candied Sweet Potato’s:  ½ cup 250 calories

Roast Sweet Potato’s: ½ cup 75 calories

 

Green Bean Casserole:  ½ cup 150 calories

Spinach Salad:  70 calories (light dressing)

 

Stuffing Traditional:  ½ cup 200 calories

Stuffing Light:  ½ cup  100  calories

 

Pecan Pie:  500 calories

Light Pumpkin Brownies:  90 calories

 

1 small piece of fudge: 150 calories

Chex Almond Mix:  ½ cup 150 calories

 

Total for Traditional Meal = 1,300 calories

Total for Healhty Meal= 600 calories

 

Note that in the traditional meal this does not include the egg-nog, wine, cheese log, mashed potato's, hot rolls or cranberry sauce.  If the extras are part of the meal you are looking at 2,200 calories or more!  If you do this just 10 times between Thanksgiving and New Years you will gain at least 5 pounds.  Think of all the office parties, church meals, family gatherings, and so on; but I can offer a  little hope and holiday advice. 

Be sure to eat a healthy balanced breakfast before any holiday meal; that will keep you from going into the "war zone" starving.  Don't skip your workout today!  Infact, this should be the day for a little extra activity.  Try getting exercise before your meal.  When it is meal time, choose to fill your plate with 1/3 white meat turkey.  Have a small taste of the rich stuff but be sure your plate has plenty of light options to fill up the main part.  After dinner go take a walk or play a game of family football.  Save your dessert of choice until a few hours later.  That keeps your body from taking on such a big calorie load all at once.  (And it keeps you from having two desserts!)

All of my ladies had the same comments after the party:  the food was good; I feel satisfied; I had fun; and I don't feel sick (or guilty).

 

Healthy Holidays to you all!

 

Angela

 

 

 

Resistance Brings Strength

 

Does anyone out there know how muscle is built?  Weightlifting; right!  But what is weightlifting?

It’s resistance; tearing down muscle fibers.  It hurts.  The body doesn’t like it. You might experience muscle trembling, naseau and even vomiting during a hard workout.  It’s your body getting rid of toxins and breaking down in order to re-build.  It takes discipline and determination.  If you push through the pain your reward is a strong core, a good heart, and the resilience to handle daily life.

Last night our country had a presidential election.  Most Christians are not pleased with the outcome.  May I offer some optimistic insight?  As Believers I believe we have grown “over-weight” and “soft”.  We now have a choice to make.  Resistance has come our way.  We can either push through or give up.  If we give up we continue down the road of spiritual obesity and laziness.   I have clients who do both.  I have some that push through the pain and finish the process.  I have others who tell me “I can’t do that, it hurts” and they give up.  Just as we allow ourselves to get physically out of shape, I believe we as a Church have also allowed ourselves to become soft.  If we eat donuts and cheetos and sit on our butt most of the day we will be unhealthy.  If we allow prayer to be taken out of school, for public television to air filth, for marriage to be redefined, and we sit on our butt and do nothing about it our nation will stay unhealthy. 

The first thing all of my successful clients do is to “repent” to me of all the unhealthy habits and addictions they have.  Perhaps that is the first thing we as believers should do.  (This is a public confession from the United Methodist Hymnal.)

“Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"

After we as a people confess all of our “unhealthy” ways, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get busy re-building The Body.  This is an effort on behalf of EVERY MEMBER of the body.  We can’t have the legs getting a good workout if the core doesn’t want to chip in.  We are to be ONE BODY working together.  Too many times I confess to bringing division and not unity.  How about if we all work in unison to bring our nation back to being ONE NATION, UNDER GOD!  It’s not the governments job.  It’s our job.  Protestant, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist.  Let’s take the resistance we have been handed and work together with our ONE GOD to be a healthy thriving body again!  The resistance will either crush us or make us stronger.  Which will it be?

What Can You Do?

If you are considering participating in the Isaiah Challenge, but don’t need to lose weight or stop smoking, I still want you to ask yourself what you can do.  Those who are participating for a weight loss challenge are giving up extra’s such as soda and chips and giving the funds they would have spent at say, Sonic, and helping the needy.  But many of you who have read about the Challenge don’t really have those little “addictions” that you need to give up.  So, what can you do?

I had a mom tell me that she has switched her baby over to cloth diapers in order to save for her Isaiah Fund.  Think of how much money a family spends on paper diapers.  When my children were young it was about $12 per week . . .so on average about $50-60 a month.  Perhaps that $50 can now buy a coat for a little boy who’s family cannot afford to buy one this winter.  (May I also say that cloth diapers are a MAJOR hassle; so this is truly a sacrificial gift). Again I ask, what can you do?

Do you spend money out at the movies?  For a family of five that’s about $30, not including snacks.  What if you spent $5 at Hastings to rent a flick for home-viewing and then made some microwave pop-corn?  Perhaps the $25 could help a single mom purchase milk, eggs, peanut-butter, banana’s, bread, etc; ensuring her children don’t go to bed hungry tonight.

My family usually does rent a few movies for the weekend.  What if we went to the library to check out some freebies instead and then gave that weekly $5 to our Isaiah Fund?  Could the $40 saved in the 60 day challenge pay to keep water on for an injured worker who can’t make bills for his family this month?

Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'