What more happiness? Try living the “GREAT DREAM” for 10 days.

Need to avoid that embarrassing keyboard crash and river of spit? Read on for 10 ideas to be refreshed that aren’t full of calories!

To take every thought captive, we must first be aware of our thoughts. The enemy is loving the culture we are in today because we live in a world full of distractions where thoughts are thrown at us at every turn without even recognizing it. We must wake up and look around and pay attention to the thoughts we allow in our minds. We must guard and shut the gates to our minds and kick out the thoughts that no longer belong there.

4. Say Merry Christmas and don’t get pushed into saying Happy Holidays for the haters. Christmas is all about Christ’s birth. No change in the calendar and changing the meaning of B.C – Before Christ and A.D. can change the true reason, we celebrate Christmas.

This time of year, we are challenged with extra events, family get togethers, practices for plays recitals and end of year procedures at work. We can also be enticed to eat extra treats and sweets, engage in potlucks, or eat bigger meals as we gather with friends and family.

I’d like to encourage you to PAUSE this year, during the rush-rush and hurry up, take a pause.

Plan to be bombarded with extra food choices and calorie rich foods. Set a personal goal to take a pause and create space before you mindlessly eat that treat.

Many times, we fail to PAUSE, and ask ourselves, do I really need this (fill in the blank).  This test can help you identify emotional eating, impulse or mindless eating and help you break the cycle of eat, shame, repeat.

Realize that you probably will fall to temptation on occasion, but that is no reason to quit your Christian walk. Don’t accept your sin as if it doesn’t matter, but also realize that you have a choice in your future actions. Enlist God and His unlimited resources of strength into your choices and He can help you fight a sugar or simple carb temptation out there!

It’s time to say, “No Thanks!”, to a White Christmas (sugar and simple carbs) and make this Christmas one in which you start healthy traditions.  Keep the pretty colors; use green and red fruits as treats. Update family recipes with healthy substitutions like apple sauce for oil. Make portions smaller, or cut the most unhealthy lard laden foods all together.

The practice of gratitude is used to bring people back from burn-out, so why not try it? Even if something isn’t right at this moment and you don’t feel like being grateful, think about it as a refresh, we can all use that! The focus of gratitude will recharge you as it changes you.  You train your mind to look for the little things, and take less for granted. Having the attitude of gratitude transforms your thoughts and eventually your actions. 

I read an article by George Gerber  called Duck Syndrome: What’s Beneath the Water?  From 1/29/20 2:10am.  He writes, “According to Student Wellness Center director Caitlin Barthelmes, Duck Syndrome is a concept that affects many Dartmouth students. While Duck Syndrome is not a formal diagnosis, it can still affect a student’s wellbeing. When students have misperceptions about the realities of their peers’ behaviors, their decisions and behaviors can easily be affected, according to Barthelmes. 

As fallen humans, we also need to be good stewards of our minds – that means what goes into it.  Are you watching 24/7 news?  Death scrolling in social media or escaping in an online fantasy world?  Do you believe everything the news/social media tells you without checking on the source of the information?  Are you allowing the media, gossip, social media or the lies the devil whispers rule your thought life?  What do you fill your mind with? 

Each choice carries certain consequences – positive and negative. This ability to choose is an incredible and exciting power that we have each been entrusted with by our Creator and for which we have an obligation to be good stewards.

People often ask me what’s the best exercise? My response is, whatever you like to do and will do. People are surprised as they want to know is it walking, aerobics, swimming for example. Well, if it’s your favorite or something you like to do, isn’t it better than forcing yourself to do something you don’t enjoy or that hurts you? In this one size fits most culture that is splashed on Instagram, Glamour, Pinterest, or Snapchat – we need to be cognizant that those are suggestions and snapshots of one person’s opinion. “Opinions are like butt-holes”, my husband says, “we all have one.”

Let’s assess to see if you suffer from “Duck syndrome”.  Do you appear to be managing effortlessly, but under the surface, are you paddling quite frantically to stay afloat and not flip over as you swim through your days?

When we are focused on basic needs (like Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs) we expend our energy on having, food, shelter, safety, and water.  We do not have anything left in the tank to prepare a healthy meal or make a healthy food choice.

Not only are tubes inexpensive and easy to travel with, they are also a two-fer piece of equipment. I love two-fers! You not only strengthen the muscles that you are working directly (like a bicep), but you have to engage your core to stabilize your spine with most exercises to maintain a standing posture without arching your back. Some tube exercise also incorporate balance, so that’s a three-fer! You can do the same bicep curl on one arm and have one leg out to the side to offset the balance/challenge your balance.

“Yeah, but”… stop inserting excuses, if you truly want to be active, you must take control of your “yeah buts”.  I think of a “yeah-but” as an unhealthy “ha-bit”.  Get it?  If you want to be healthier and activity is your desire, move it to the top of the priority list.  Replace the “yeah-but” with a healthy “ha-bit”.

The specific amount of time you exercise, and recover will vary based on the activity you choose and how intensely you are exercising for your current fitness level. Regardless of how it is implemented, high-intensity intervals should involve short periods of vigorous exercise that make your heart rate speed up followed by recovery periods.

Think back and brainstorm about all the different ways you have been active; go back to childhood and jump rope, canoeing or even your teens with organized sports. Don’t worry about when, think about what you used to do and enjoy! Maybe it’s dancing, you used to go clubbing but marriage and kids stopped all that…maybe it’s a bowling league or even pick up basketball. Step one, create a list.

I challenge you to break up with old unhealthy habits. Give them the “it’s me, not you” speech and send them packing! It really is you, your choice and your new reactions to situations.