How Am I Doing? 30 Day Challenge Day 20

Can you believe it? Just 10 more days to go on your 30 Day Challenge! Stay with it. Don't give up now. Press into Jesus and press through these next 10 days fully committed to the work you started. Can We Talk?!

Ask yourself...how am I doing on this challenge? Be honest! Nobody is looking but you and God. Maybe you ate something you said you wouldn't during this 30 days. Maybe you didn't wake up every morning and have that quiet time with God. Maybe you celebrated too much and gave into that piece of cake or glass of wine. Seriously, it is not the end of the world and more importantly God doesn't love you any less.

What I hope you get from this 30 days is that through Christ you have the strength and power to change your life. If you recognized that you overindulged, haven't been in fellowship with the Lord, or that you skipped a workout AND you sought to rectify that you are achieving success on this journey. Remember when you had no recognition. You were just eating any and everything whenever you wanted it and exercise was not even an afterthought? You prayed only on Sunday at church, but longed for a conversation with God during the week. Remember that time? Well, now it is long gone and you started a new life! You had a breakthrough. Look at you Overcomer!

I hope that you are learning to discipline yourself spiritually, physically, and emotionally during this last 20 days to deal with what's eating you so you can deal with what and how much you are eating. Maybe you have a heatlthy diet but you just don't like exercising. I feel you. Trust me. When I first started this journey I questioned God about every session. Are you sure Lord? Now I look forward to working out (most days that is). I hope this 20 days has given you a passion for moving your body!

Let's face it folks, we are getting older and it is in our best interest to move our bodies as much as we can while we still can. The earlier we start the better. Teach your children the value of a good healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. I'm praying that the Lord will give us a long healthy active life until we meet Jesus on the other side. Hopefully, another benefit of this 30 day challenge is that your children have seen you and you are setting a good example of how to live a healthy life that honors and glorifies our God.

As I have been talking to people throughout this 30 days I have made some interesting observations about what people think about health, food, and fitness. I want to share them with you in case you hold some of these ideas too.

•  Thin does not equate to healthy. Exercise has more benefits than just weight loss.
• You cannot out exercise a bad diet. Period. You have to add exercise to your life and you have to make some changes in food choices.
• Vegetarian is not synonymous with healthy. 
• Just because a food package has healthy, wheat, or organic on it doesn't make it true. Read the label and ingredients.
• There is a mountain of information and how to tips out there. Be a careful consumer. Not every diet and exercise tip is going to work for you or fit into your lifestyle. To maintain the new tip it has to work for you or you have to make changes to make it work.
• It is implausible to believe that you will never overindulge again or have something fattening that you have given up once you start eating healthy. It is going to happen so don't beat yourself up about it.

What's For Dinner?

Here are the recipes I promised. Also made some great fish tacos. Let me know if you want the recipe. Picture below.

Praise-Worthy Pepper Crusted Tuna

• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ cayenne pepper

• 2 (6-oz) Ahi steak, about 1 1/2" thick

• 2 tbsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper

• Olive oil

• Field greens

• Fresh Fruit

• 2 Tbsp Salad dressing (light vinaigrette)

In a small bowl combine the spice mixture…combine salt, coriander, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Lightly coat fish in olive oil so that pepper and seasoning stay on the fish. Lay the tuna steaks out on a plate, and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly on both sides. Then roll the tuna in the ground pepper (coating the sides of the tuna) and gently press it in so that it adheres to the surface, being careful not to smash the flesh. Place tuna in a very hot lightly olive oil coated skillet. Cook until desired temp. 2-4 minutes of each side. Rare tuna ~ 2 mins. More medium rare ~4 mins. Add the tuna to your favorite salad combination. Here I paired the tuna with field greens, strawberries, cucumbers and red onions.

Heaven Oven Roasted Veggies (Before)



Heavenly Oven Roasted Veggies (After)

Take your favorite fresh veggies, coat them lightly with olive oil, your favorite herbs, and seasonings then roast them at 450-500 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Here I used corn, asparagus, tomatoes, red onions, green beans, carrots, garlic and, red and green peppers. Vegetables should all be relatively the same size for even roasting. I seasoned with kosher salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, rosemary, thyme, and basil.

Wholly Halibut Fish Taco

Your body is the temple of the Living God. Live well in Him.

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What's For Dinner Tonight? 30 Day Challenge Day 9

When we start eating healthier we have to learn how to cook our favorite foods in healthier ways. Yeah, no more ham hocks in the beans and bacon in the greens. Don't kill the messenger! Sometimes we miss the gravy and sauces that were staples in our diets and we can get bored with grilled, sauteed, pan-seared. We want something hearty. So many times, it is NOT what we are eating it is how it is prepared. Can We Talk?! 

On this journey to discovering the healthy you that has been screaming to get out, we have to change the way we think about food. I told you this before. This is not a diet, it is a way of life. So, the question is how do I incorporate the foods I like into my new way of thinking and living? Well, only you can really answer that question, because you know what you like. I will give you some observations that I discovered over the past 2 years and you can tweak them and build on them based on your lifestyle.

You don't have to use pork fat to season your food. I know that is a tough one for some of us. But trust me, you can give this up. You can start with using smoked turkey and then gradually work your way to nothing, if that is what you desire. For the 30 Day Challenge I have been eating vegetarian and adding new fruits and veggies to my diet. I did not use any meat to season my food this time.

I like to cook, but I don't like spending all day in the kitchen. I like meals that can be cooked quickly and easily with little effort, but at the same time I want something filling, hearty, and delicious. I discovered that the crockpot is a healthy girls' best friend! Check out these two recipes. I'm a kitchen sink or kitchen pantry sort of cook. I throw everything in pray something good comes from it. Most of time I get it right. I like trying different combinations of seasonings. Don't be afraid to experiment!

 Believer’s Braised Kale

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped peppers (Tricolor)

• ½ cup chopped onions

• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes or 2 dashes of cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 2 bunches of kale (cleaned and torn into pieces)

• 2 cups low sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable stock

• Capful of apple cider vinegar

• ½ cup of red wine

• 2 bay leaves

                                 • 3 sprigs of thyme

Directions

Wash Kale in a sink of cold water, filling the sink several times until the bottom of the sink is clean. Place all ingredients in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Greens should be tender.

Switch It Up: If you don't like Kale you can substitute any greens you like. The cooking time will decrease for greens like Swiss Chard. Mustard greens and collard greens will be about the same time.

Spirited Spicy Navy Beans

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Navy beans rinsed and drained

• ½ cup chopped peppers (Tricolor)

• ½ cup chopped onions and celery

• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 dashes each of ground coriander, ginger, oregano, cumin, chili powder
• 4 gloves of chopped garlic
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 – 8 ounce can of chopped chipotle tomatoes
Directions
Place all ingredients in the crock pot on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 7-8 hours. Beans should be tender and broth should start to thicken. Serve with brown rice.

Switch It Up: Don't like navy beans, try pinto beans or your favorite type of beans. Add some ground turkey, chicken, or beef to the beans. Use a smoked turkey leg to season the beans. Use tomatoes with no flavor for less heat. Add 1 cup chopped (large chunks) carrots.

Some other observations:

Swiss Chard reminds me of spinach in both taste and texture.

Kale doesn't remind me of anything I've ever eaten before. Except for when I was a kid eating grass. Haha! It's good though. I promise.

Eating vegetarian and getting in the proper amount of daily protein is challenging.

The first time I had vegetable stir I really missed meat. Not so much the meat  itself, but the fat from the meat marrying with the veggies when cooked together.

Drinking 90 ounces of water a day is VERY challenging. (We'll talk about H20 consumption later)

Think you're eating healthy? Before that first bite "google" what you are eating to find out how many calories and calories from fat you will be consuming. For example...How many calories in a cup of brocolli and cheese soup from Jason's deli? or How many calories in a subway meatball sub or How many calories in a piece of fried chicken? You just might make other choices.

You have recipes or observations that you would like to share? Love to share them with the community.

Ask me how to make these dishes.

Heavenly Oven Roasted Veggies

Before Roasting

After Roasting

Praise-Worthy Pepper-Crusted Tuna Salad

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



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A Spiritual Journey to Wholeness 30 Day Challenge Day 3

Twenty one people signed up for the 30 day challenge. I have been hearing from some of them by email, text, twitter, and facebook about their progress to date. I'm thrilled to hear that so many people want to gain control of their health by taking back what the enemy stole. As we move through this 30 days we must be mindful of our immediate goals and plans AND the future goals and plans that will sustain us for a life time. Can We Talk?!

When God directed me to start this ministry, I was concerned that people would think the ministry was about weight loss or vanity goals. I really wanted to convey the message that this ministry is about God and His great love for His people. God cares about the intimate details of our lives and if we are living healthy we can better partner with Him for Kingdom building. It's more than about how much we weigh or can we fit into our jeans from high school. I still can't by the way. It's about living a healthy life that honors God. God cares less about if you can wear that old wedding dress from 10-15 years ago and more about you prospering and being in good health, even as your soul prospers.

One of the community members who signed up for the 30 Day Challenge sent me her prayer request and she wanted someone to hold her accountable. This is her email to me and my response to her. I hope that you are encouraged, enlightened, and empowered by her plan, message, and commitment to God. I think she does a really good job of conveying the message I described above. Glory and honor is due Him. 

Dear Aqua

My challenge is spiritual & physical. My plan is to wake up 30 minutes earlier than I normally would & have a real intimate time with the Lord. I'm also challenging myself to start reading my bible plan everyday. I'm challenging myself to eat more fruits & veggies. No sweets, no added salt, no sodas, fast food, fried foods or STARBUCKS (YIKES). My exercise plan is the same but I will add arms & abs to my workout. I'm gonna fast on Wednesday's from 6-6. I will email you my stats nightly to make sure I'm on point.

I'm ready...got my mind right...Thanks for doing this... Not only will I come out of this physically healthier but my spirit is gonna be on FIRE 4HisTemple.

Dear J

Sis!! Oh my God! You get it! You get #4HisTemple. Can't wait to see what God is going to do to you and through you. You know I have to share this email in a blog post. I want the community to see it's more than weight loss. It's a spiritual journey. Will be lifting you up each day. The enemy is coming hard after you now that you have made the decision to change. But you know this already. Stand firm. If you get knocked down, miss a day morning worship, eat something off your plan. Repent and start over the next day. I look forward to your updates and helping you stay on target. What's time do you need to get up?

Asking the Lord to be near you, guide you, hold you, lift you, protect you, motivate you, and give you the strength to help others when it is all over. The next 30 days are a new beginning for anyone committed and taking this challenge seriously. Wow! I love you!

Stay on the path Templers! God has so much in store for you if you commit and endure this 30 days of sanctification.

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

Welcome to the 30 Day Challenge~Day 1

Congratulations to the 17 people who committed to starting the 30 Day Challenge today! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Sound too good to be true? Can We Talk?! If you commit yourself fully to the next 30 days your life will never be the same. That's a promise. No matter the workout routine or eating plan you decided upon, if you submit those plans to the Lord, surrender your will to His, and allow Him to minister to you daily you will surely be VICTORIOUS on August 31.

Remember I said this was going to be a spiritual journey. Don't try to walk this journey alone with just YOUR willpower. You will fail. If we could have done it with willpower we would have already conquered the demons that contribute to our unhealthy lifestyles. Years of feeding our flesh whatever it wanted whenever it wanted it, slothfulness, and allowing the flesh to control our thinking and our appetites.

As you eat ask God to give you the desire for the foods you are eating. As you exercise ask God to give you a passion for exercising, give you strength for that workout day and ask Him to guide you to the right exercises for where you are right now. Seek council.

Now that you have made this decision Satan is coming in like a flood. That's no surprise. All the excuses of why you cannot do it now will come up. Remember that "it easier to make excuses than to change." Obstacles are going to get in your way. Cravings will seemingly come from nowhere to overwhelm you. BUT GOD and His grace! If you slip one day, don't quit! Start over immediately. Don't start over everyday for 30 days though, you might need to reevaluate your commitment and resolve to change.

We are putting Satan on notice today! He has no authority and we will no longer work with Him to destroy our lives. Healing begins today for you and for your family! The curse of unhealthy living is broken today!!

My good friend gave me a book for my birthday that she hoped would help with 4 His Temple Ministries. I will share some excerpts from the book over the next 30 days because I think the book is powerful and God breathed. The name of the book is Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst. I hope some of it resonates with you so that you can receive revelation, power, and healing on this 30 day journey.

"Spiritually. I had to ask God to give me the desire to be healthy. I knew a vanity-seeking "want to" would never last. Shallow desires produce only shallow efforts. I had to seek a spiritual "want to" empowered by God Himself. So, I asked. I begged, actually. I cried out to God. And day by day, God gave me just enough "want to"  laced with His strength, to be satisfied by healthy choices. God also settled in my heart that this is an issue of great spiritual importance. ...I can honestly say that this is one of the most significant spiritual journeys I've ever dared to take with God. I hope you soon say the same thing"

I thank God for this ministry because I know that lives are being changed and I thank God for you and pray that you will be empowered to help someone else on this journey. Please feel free to share your successes and your struggles with us as we travel this journey together. If you would like to guest blog or just share with the community your plans for the next 30 days, please email me.  DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com 

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

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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4 His Temple 30 Day Challenge

Are you in diet and exercise rut? Have you failed to get off the couch and get started although you have a desire to do so? Is your regular routine failing to give you the results you once realized? Can We Talk?!  

On this journey our bodies will reach plateaus. During this time the body is saying "you are going to the gym three days a week, you are eating 1800 calories a day, OK, I can adjust to that". Ever heard your body say that? Ha..probably not. But trust me your body has figured out and adjusted to your current strategy and no longer responds to that regime. 

Often times we need to change up our regular routine because our bodies have gotten accustomed to the demands of that routine. We also may not be as diligent as we were when we first started losing weight and see results. We need to kick start our new routine by increasing intensity and refocusing our diet.

I have been at the same weight for more than six months, in fact I gained eight pounds. I know what you are thinking eight pounds that is no big deal. But if you are trying lose weight or maintain what you have already accomplished AND you are putting in the work, it is something that you should keep an eye on. Eight pounds can quickly lead to 10 to 15 to 20. You see where I am going here.

So why am I telling you all this? Ha, I'm glad you asked. On August 1 we will start our first 4 His Temple 30 Day Challenge. For this 30 days we are asking you to recommit yourself (or commit yourself) to spicing up your workout and diet to get the results you desire. In some cases, get the results the doctor ordered. I've heard some of you say "my doctor told me to lose 10 to 50 pounds". You won't lose 50 pounds in 30 days, but what you will do is refocus yourself and make your choices (food and exercise) work for you. This 30 days can help you establish or reestablish a lifestyle of healthy living. Are you in?

So here is the plan for 30 days. Add some exercise to your current level of activity. I heard the other day that working out twice a day turns your body into a fat burning machine. You like that! Boosts your metabolism. Just 20 minutes twice daily for 30 days. You can do that. Yes, you can. Stop thinking of excuses and obstacles. You won't be doing this alone.

Depending on your current fitness level, one good program is Jill Micheal's 30 Day Shred. I am going to try Jill Micheal's Ripped in 30. Taking off Sunday each week. One person in our community and her husband are going to start P90X. What are you going to do? Let us know so that we can share.

OK, you can't leave out your diet in this plan. Really commit to eating the amount of calories and portions that are right for you. Also for your diet...NO SMOKING, NO ALCOHOL, NO FAST FOOD, NO SWEETS, NO SODA and increase your H2O intake. C'mon it's just 30 days! You mean you can't bring your flesh under submission for 30 days? Seriously?! You won't be alone. We will be there and God is our present help.

If you are joining the challenge, please send me your name and prayer requests. If you need help deciding what to do for 30 days I will be more than happy to chat with you one on one. Just email me at DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

So join the challenge, dare I ask the question? What have you got to lose? Think about it!

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

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