Embrace Change...30 Day Challenge Day 30 ~ Guest Blogger Josh Copeland

Here we are, the last day of your 30 day challenge! Praise God! Whew! You accomplished your goal if you tried your best, learned something about yourself, developed some discipline, or developed a health and wellness plan that you can maintain in the future. These 30 days were not about dieting or focusing on 30 days of health. Can We Talk?!

The author of Made to Crave…said “Diets don’t work for me…so I’m not on a diet. I’m on a journey with Jesus to learn the fine art of self-discipline for the purpose of holiness.” I hope that you understand that these 30 days were very much a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey with Jesus to begin living a healthier life. The plan for healthy living is different for each of us. Read guest blogger Josh Copeland’s account of his journey with Jesus over the past 30 days.

I had high hopes. When my mom presented this challenge I felt ready to dive in. I received a copy of P90X and I had big dreams of getting through these 30 days with an amazing story of how I stuck with it and made all of these improvements. I even started a week early by mistake and felt like it was a good warm up for the challenge. But then life took an unexpected turn.

I started a new job at a catering company and the hours are normally pretty stable and consistent except for the fact that I don’t know what time I have be at work for the next day until the day before. That’s normal in the corporate catering world. I did not know that this is one of the busiest times in the year for my company because of the back to school rush. So my work schedule turned upside down to the point where I was working 60 hour work weeks. I was working up to 16 hour work days which would leave me barely enough time to sleep on most days. This went on through the entire span of the challenge.

As you can imagine with barely any time to sleep on most days working out was the last thing on my mind. Of course I would get the emails and tweets my mom was sending out during the challenge but I felt that my work situation couldn’t fit in with the challenge. So since I couldn’t work out I pretty much threw my diet out of the window. I’m not even going to try to downplay my bad habits. I was popping fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in my mouth like breath mints. During this time I didn’t really have a chance to sit down and have meal so I always had to eat on the go and without any kind of plan I took whatever I could get.

You may think that because of this that I failed this challenge. But the reality about it is that through this time I learned a great deal about myself and how important it is to call on the Lord to help with the process. The mistake that we often make in dieting and our walk with God is that we get so caught up in the letter of the law that we miss the true freedom of being in the Spirit of the law.

Look at what Paul asks the Galatians when they wanted to live by the law and not by the Spirit…So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? Galatians 3:5

We have to ask ourselves this when we are taking on any challenge in our lives. Are we going to make it through a challenge because of the rules and regulations or are we going to make it through by the Spirit of God? Are we going to strive for a healthy lifestyle because we truly believe that it is what we need for our lives or are we just doing this because 4 His Temple said so? In my walk I made my health journey about the 30 days so when I couldn’t participate the way I wanted to I settled with doing just a little. Had I lived in the spirit of the challenge, which is committing to a healthy lifestyle, then I would have been intentional about planning around my circumstances instead of letting the circumstance control me.

I believe that this challenge was intended to be a starting point for a healthy life not just a healthy thirty days. Although I didn’t have any amazing before and after pictures like I imagined I was going to have on Day 1, I eventually got to the point where I didn’t gain or lose any weight during the 30 days. I spent these days adjusting to my schedule, my faults and my weaknesses, and mainly praying and asking God for help and repenting for my mistakes. He showed me things that I could do to counter my schedule and He used the Holy Spirit to convict me when I popped that third cookie of the day in my mouth. But most importantly God was there to extend His grace to me. I admitted my faults and I prayed for God to help me “want to” change at my core through my thinking, my emotional reactions, and by helping me to change my desires. I can proudly say that as of this past Monday I instituted a new life challenge.

Every morning I will wake up before work and do a short and intense cardio workout before I go to work. I always knew I NEEDED to do this but I never WANTED to do it. God is not a respecter of person to where He changes the rules just because we don’t feel like following them. The Lord wouldn’t let me snooze past my planned workout time even though my flesh didn’t want to get up. In fact I started waking up before my alarm went off. After I finished my last rep the first words out my mouth were “Thank you Lord!” Not just out of exhaustion but because He took me through a process that led me to this point that I desire more of Him and more change in myself. I know He will do the same for you if you believe that being healthy in all areas of your life is crucial.

“Faith in God does not entitle us to expect different results from doing the same old things. Embrace change and you will progress.”

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

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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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!

How Low Can You Go?

Hello Temple Lovers 

I pray that you are maintaining your new healthy lifestyles and that you are sharing your results with others; encouraging them to join you on this journey. We have started a movement of healthy living among the people of God that inspires us all to LIVE better, DO better, and BE better for His glory.

Today we have a question from twitter. If you have a twitter account follow me there as I tweet about everything temple related. We provide encouragement and support and we also share tips and tricks to help you stay motivated and committed to your lifestyle. If you look to the right of this post you can see the twitter feed to see what kinds of information we post. If you have a twitter account, you can search the hashtag #4HisTemple.

If you are having trouble with your workout don't give up. You can always modify the exercise or do some alternate exercise. You may have to seek medical advice during the workout regime if you are having pain or problems that trouble you. If you have preexisting injury or you haven't worked out in a while you may want to see a physician before beginning your workout.

Dear Aqua

I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I am on Level 2 and the exercises are high impact on the knees. I am doing squat thrusts, plank jacks, rock star jumps, and lunges...Sheesh! My knee is starting to hurt from the workouts. No idea what I'm doing wrong. Suggestions?

Dear K 

Let me ask a few questions and respond at the same time. I completed the 30 Day Shred three times when I first started working out and I highly recommend it to jump start a regular work-out regime or it is great to help you get back on track if you fall off your regime. I also had problems with my knees during Level 2 because of some old injuries from playing volleyball in high school. Even now, some days I have to do alternate exercises instead of the high knee impact exercises such as lunges. Other days I can do these exercises with just a little modification.

1) Do you have any history of knee pain? Previous knee injury can be a sign that you will have problems when you start working those knees on a regular basis during exercise.

2) Are you stretching and warming up before your workouts? Stretching is crucial before we exercise. A good warm-up helps increase performance, minimize injuries, facilitate recovery, and decrease pain. A good warm-up can be 5-15 minutes depending on the exercises you are planning.

3) Have you tried modifying the workout? Try modifying the workouts by decreasing the impact on the knees. Don't jump as high, don't go as low, and make sure that your landings are soft. Don't slam down at the knee. If you cannot tolerate the pain and the pain does not ease with warm-up and modification go on to Level 3. Don't force it. There is less impact on the knees in Level 3. The downside is that Level 3 is tough and you will have to do it for more than 10 days.

4) Are you drinking enough water? Increase your fluid intake. Drink more water before, during, and after your exercise. Water intake is important for many reasons and there are many health benefits from keeping your body well hydrated. The joints and cartilage in the knees require good lubrication to decrease friction and ensuing pain.

5) How is your posture and form? Make sure that you have correct posture and form when doing these exercises. For example, when you lunge you want to see your toes in the front as you bend your knee. If your front knee extends over your toes, your form is incorrect and you can cause damage to your knees.

6) Is there swelling? Have you taken anything for the pain? Finally, as a last resort you might need to use heat or ice (if swelling is present) and a pain reliever.

Certainly you could have more serious knee pain, but based on our communication I don't think that is the case. Should you believe that your pain is more serious please see a doctor.

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

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