Ready, Set, Go! 30 Day Challenge

We have just 2.5 days left before we begin the 30 Day Challenge. If you have not decided to join us yet it is still not to late to set your heart and mind right to do something that could change your life. That's not hyperbole folks. This challenge could be the beginning of how you think, eat, and live for the rest of your life. Can We Talk?!

This challenge is not about weight loss. Weight loss is a byproduct of the process of living a healthy life that honors and glorifies God, caring for the temple that He gave us. During this 30 days we want you to deal with and get in touch with what's eating you so you can address what, why, and how much you are eating. We want you to learn to love exercise! This is going to be a spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional journey. Are you ready?

As I told you last week, you won't be alone. I've already heard from 13 people who are ready, willing, and able to face this challenge head on. Some have already started! 11 women and 2 men have said...enough is enough! I want my life, health, and strength back. I want to be more available to God, my family, and my community. The enemy has been winning this war long enough! 

We are going into this challenge with God at the center of every food and exercise choice we make. I will be praying for you daily. I'm asking you to also pray for the 4 His Temple community of believers who are taking the challenge. Pray before you eat and exercise and any time you feel powerless to go on. You cannot do this without God. Give us 30 days to plant and water seeds that will motivate, inspire, and change your mind about living a healthy life that pleases God. Many unbelievers are getting healthy and changing their lives, surely the people of God have the POWER through Him to do the same.

We haven't named one specific diet or exercise program that we want everyone to do for this 30 days because we are all different and respond differently to changes in our eating habits and workout routines. Remember this is a move to a lifestyle change, so we don't recommend fad diets. You have to do something that will work for you, that you will continue doing for 30 days, AND that will motivate you to keep moving forward once the challenge is over. 

I do want to share with you what some of the 13 say they are going to do for 30 days to get you thinking and get you started. There are many "how to" or ways to get started. What we want to do is help you have the desire to or the "want to" to change your life. I am available to help you map out something that works for you based on where you are right now. Set!

Here is what the community is doing.

• P90X
• Insanity
• Ripped in 30

(You cannot go from couch potato to the 3 above) I use the term affectionately, because I was one.

• No meat for 30 days

(Please remember you still need to get in enough protein from other sources if you don't eat meat)

• 2 a days

(2 workouts per day for 30 days, make sure you take a break to give your body time to rest and rebuild)

• Adding new fruits and veggies to the diet
• Adding more exercise days to current routine
• Tracking calories in a journal
• Schedule workouts on a calendar with a reminder

We will also have guest bloggers who are taking the challenge who will be sending out encouragement, inspiration, and information to keep you on track. We'll blog often but not everyday. We want you to have to time to meditate on, digest, and incorporate what you read. If you are interested in being a guest blogger to share your experiences, your decision to join the 30 day challenge, provide tips and tricks to stay motivated, share recipes, successes or even miss steps, please email me DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

The one thing that I am asking that we all do is to be mindful of the diet and health  killers and refrain from them for at least 30 days. NO SMOKING, NO ALCOHOL, NO FAST FOOD, NO SWEETS, NO SODA. You might be surprised that you don't go back to them once the challenge is over.

If you would like to join and wish to be added to the daily prayer list, please send me your name and specific requests. Invite a friend to join you so that you can have an accountability partner. Go!

 Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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News You Can Use

I received a startling, but affirming tweet the other day about a report in Men's Health Magazine. Houston is the 9th fattest city in America and Texas has 5 cites on the list. You may have already heard about this and said...so what? I live in Pearland, LaMarque or League City, not Houston. Can We Talk?!   

What is happening in the world as a result of our uncontrolled appetites and flesh feeding frenzy should be a concern for everyone. It is a concern for this passion project because I know that many of you, your families, friends, and communities are affected by this epidemic. We are eating are ourselves to death! As a society, we are fatter than we have ever been in history. People are dying from weight related health issues, which touches us all and should concern us all.  

Certainly, we have to examine and determine the worthiness of the information before we go out and make changes in our lives based on that information. Examine how (criteria) the information was gathered for the report and determine the actions you need to take for you and your family.

WE already know that we need to live healthier lives. We really don't need the report to tell us that. God has already spoken and I pray that as you are reading this you thinking of new ways to improve on what you are already doing for your temple...to the delight of God, I might add!

I wanted to share this with you so that you know that we are on the track and to encourage you to press forward, incorporating more healthy lifestyle changes into your daily routines. Still drinking soda? Give it up! There is no nutritional value in soda. Check out the sugar content of your cola. Not to pick on the soda drinkers...Are you smoking, a fast food junky, or sedentary? Make some changes that can impact the rest of your life and bless generations to come. We will be blessed, our children will be blessed, and our children's children will be blessed if we follow God's leading, choosing Him. That is His promise!

If you haven't gotten started with your health and fitness lifestyle yet or you are having trouble with consistency email me. Remember to send your temple related questions and comments. Let's talk and pray about how to stay faithful to this journey through the power of God. I am passionate and committed to seeing you live your best and blessed life...a healthier life to the glory and honor of God.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!   

To Eat or Not to Eat?...Before A Workout

God day! Just a quick question and some encouragement for you today. I hope the weekend was awesome and restful. The weekend can often be one of the toughest times of the week for us to stay motivated and committed to our new lifestyles. On weekends we tend to have a more relaxed schedule so our planned eating and execise often falls by the wayside. Be careful of this trap. I hope that you are staying active and keeping up with your goals. What, you say you have no goals?? Can We Talk?! We have to set goals for ourselves for health and fitness just like we do for everything else in our lives, our careers, our families, our finances, our ministries. You get where I am going! Remember if you don't know where you are going, how do you know when you get there? Set some measurable goals. When you reach them we'll all celebrate with you. Deal?

Here's our question. Remember if you want to add a response to the question feel free to leave a comment on the blog or at the email address DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

Dear Aqua

If I'm going to work out in the am, should I eat breakfast first?

Dear Operation...

That really depends on you, your schedule, what you hope to accomplish. If you work out in the morning and eat breakfast first, you need to wait about 30-45 minutes before working out. I worked out in the morning, but didn't have time to eat and wait the full duration of time. So for me working out in the morning meant working out on an empty stomach. If you choose this make sure that you at least drink water prior to workout. 

There are arguments in the literature for the benefits of both (eating before workout and working out on an empty stomach) it just depends on which school of thought you follow. School #1 Working out on an empty stomach to burn more fat OR School #2 working out after a low calorie meal (with carbs and protein) to preserve muscle mass. A protein shake is also a good alternative to a full meal prior to exercise.

Whenever possible I try NOT to work out on an empty stomach. I have seen people work out on an empty stomach get into trouble. They might experience nausea, dizziness, and hypoglycemic episodes. Where experts do agree is never work out on a full stomach. That is probably the take away point. As you get stronger and more fit and learn more about your body, you will find out which strategy works best for you.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!