What does being a good steward of anything mean? It means taking care of, being responsible for, the well-being of what is in one's charge. To be a good steward of one's finances means handling one's money/spending wisely and responsibly. So to be a good steward of one's body, means taking care of one's health and well-being to the best of one's ability.
We've been blessed with life. And every decision we make affects our lives. Whether we choose to smoke, drink, drive drunk, overeat, work too much, sleep too little, etc. Likewise, we have choices like eating moderately, exercising, being active, saying no to drugs, balancing our work life, etc. Choices. You reap what you sow. A farmer who plants pumpkin seeds does not grow apple trees. Someone who eats too much, eats junk food, and isn't very active, will reap a body that is out of shape, heavier, and unhealthy in the long run. Only you can be the steward of your body. And you can choose to be a good steward or a poor steward.
If you're discouraged by your weight and shape, ask yourself what kind of steward you have been! And be honest with yourself. It is NEVER too late to change. You can make little modifications to your lifestyle that make you a better steward of your body... you don't have to start with being the best. As you get better at making smart choices in taking care of yourself, you'll be encouraged to continue improving your stewardship!
Remember: You reap what you sow........
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Why "Just Move It?"
Why is this blog titled "Just Move It?" Well, if you read about me, you know that I'm a 40-something mother of six. Yes, I've struggled with being overweight and out of shape. Five of those children were born in seven years, with the last one born a little over three years later. That'll do a number on a body! I oughtta know!
I was in track in high school and I jogged throughout college to stay in shape. But once I had my babies, jogging again just didn't materialize. I walked. I joined clubs and took part in classes. I did a few videos. But the last 10 pounds of each pregnancy's weight gain stuck like glue on a preschooler's finger! Yuck. And my appetite grew as well. How do you turn down those last delectable, salty fries your child just can't seem to finish? Times six? Or those ice cream cones that just need a little cleaning up? "Here honey, let Mommy just lick it a bit to clean it up for you. We wouldn't want it melting all down your face, now would we?" Oh yeah, the weight stuck.
I remember distinctly one day crying over my weight. Of course, that was after I had eaten a Snickers bar and then immediately regretted it. My husband came up with some words of wisdom: Either learn to be happy with the way you are and get on with living, or change your life and do something about your weight. Humpf, like I wasn't trying to do something about it?! What about all the walks in the neighborhood? The stupid diet foods in the freezer? And my stash of cookies and Little Debbies hidden in the pantry's top shelf in the back behind the tea tray? Ooops, busted.
Still more years went by with the same woes and complaints. And as I saw fit women, I consoled myself with thoughts of, "Well, she hasn't had SIX children." Or, "But she's not pushing 40." Or, "Sure, if I had all the money in the world to hire a trainer I could be fit, too." Or finally, "Let them try taking care of a household of eight, homeschool, deal with three teenagers, and keep a professional part-time job and see if they could fit in time or energy for any significant exercise!"
Finally, it took two tragedies in my family to wake me up to the significance of my overweight state and the fact that if I didn't do something to change it NOW, I would only be in further ill health as I got older. The first was when my sister succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 43. Younger than I am today. It made me look at reality. My grandmother died in her 30's from breast cancer, as did my aunt, and now it was my sister's turn in her early 40's. Hmmmm. You'd think I'd have changed my habits right then and there. A little bit, yes, but significantly? No. Seven years later my mother passed away from lung cancer. Okay. Wake up call again. This time it took. My mother was a petite woman. Only 4'11", maybe 5'0", and about 100 lbs soaking wet. But she wasn't healthy. She drank too much coffee, smoked, and while she was active when younger, she didn't exercise. Good lesson for my daughters: Just because you're thin DOES NOT mean you're healthy! And our goal should be HEALTH. And as I watched my father have to care for her the last decade of her life, I realized that if I continued in poor health, MY husband would be having to take care of me at a time when we should be enjoying the grandchildren and the slow pace of life!
Then and there, at my mother's funeral, I made a decision. You see, the battle begins in the mind. Think about anything that is difficult in life. Any temptation, any weakness, any decision to do something. The mind has the power to say, "Yes, go for it, you can do it." Or, "What are you thinking? You've lived like this happily enough. It's just too much work to change."
So I evaluated how I had failed in my health after having children and decided to change only two things. That would be doable. It's too hard to stick to something when you have 10 or 20 items you need to totally revamp in your life. First, I would change just one poor nutrition habit. I chose to cut out white flour to the best that I could. I'm such a sugarholic that if I told myself I couldn't have sugar, I would just binge and want it all the more (see, the battle is in the mind)! But cutting out white flour didn't just mean desserts (think about pastries, cakes, Little Debbies, etc.) but it also meant changing to whole-wheat or multi-grain pastas, breads, crackers, etc. Secondly, I would exercise one hour a day for at least six days a week (I gave myself a three-month reevaluation goal). But I had to amp up what I was used to. I had been walking for years and years without any noticeable change to my shape. That's when I decided to jog again. Sure, I could only jog five minutes when I started this crazy plan of mine, and so I would have to walk the remaining 55 minutes. But within three months, I was jogging five, six, eight miles a day. I just increased little bit by little bit - with the clock being my friend. Get that hour in no matter what. Once I was increasing my mileage, I was easily going over the hour, sometimes jogging and walking for 1 1/2 hours! I am now 30 pounds lighter and have kept the weight off for over a year. And remember, this wasn't about losing weight as much as about getting fit, getting healthy. That's why I joined the exercise with the nutrition! And after all this, I think a large part of the transformation of my shape was from just moving this tush in an intense enough way that I worked up a sweat and got my heart pumping for a significant amount of time every day. Hence, "Just Move It!"
I was in track in high school and I jogged throughout college to stay in shape. But once I had my babies, jogging again just didn't materialize. I walked. I joined clubs and took part in classes. I did a few videos. But the last 10 pounds of each pregnancy's weight gain stuck like glue on a preschooler's finger! Yuck. And my appetite grew as well. How do you turn down those last delectable, salty fries your child just can't seem to finish? Times six? Or those ice cream cones that just need a little cleaning up? "Here honey, let Mommy just lick it a bit to clean it up for you. We wouldn't want it melting all down your face, now would we?" Oh yeah, the weight stuck.
I remember distinctly one day crying over my weight. Of course, that was after I had eaten a Snickers bar and then immediately regretted it. My husband came up with some words of wisdom: Either learn to be happy with the way you are and get on with living, or change your life and do something about your weight. Humpf, like I wasn't trying to do something about it?! What about all the walks in the neighborhood? The stupid diet foods in the freezer? And my stash of cookies and Little Debbies hidden in the pantry's top shelf in the back behind the tea tray? Ooops, busted.
Still more years went by with the same woes and complaints. And as I saw fit women, I consoled myself with thoughts of, "Well, she hasn't had SIX children." Or, "But she's not pushing 40." Or, "Sure, if I had all the money in the world to hire a trainer I could be fit, too." Or finally, "Let them try taking care of a household of eight, homeschool, deal with three teenagers, and keep a professional part-time job and see if they could fit in time or energy for any significant exercise!"
Finally, it took two tragedies in my family to wake me up to the significance of my overweight state and the fact that if I didn't do something to change it NOW, I would only be in further ill health as I got older. The first was when my sister succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 43. Younger than I am today. It made me look at reality. My grandmother died in her 30's from breast cancer, as did my aunt, and now it was my sister's turn in her early 40's. Hmmmm. You'd think I'd have changed my habits right then and there. A little bit, yes, but significantly? No. Seven years later my mother passed away from lung cancer. Okay. Wake up call again. This time it took. My mother was a petite woman. Only 4'11", maybe 5'0", and about 100 lbs soaking wet. But she wasn't healthy. She drank too much coffee, smoked, and while she was active when younger, she didn't exercise. Good lesson for my daughters: Just because you're thin DOES NOT mean you're healthy! And our goal should be HEALTH. And as I watched my father have to care for her the last decade of her life, I realized that if I continued in poor health, MY husband would be having to take care of me at a time when we should be enjoying the grandchildren and the slow pace of life!
Then and there, at my mother's funeral, I made a decision. You see, the battle begins in the mind. Think about anything that is difficult in life. Any temptation, any weakness, any decision to do something. The mind has the power to say, "Yes, go for it, you can do it." Or, "What are you thinking? You've lived like this happily enough. It's just too much work to change."
So I evaluated how I had failed in my health after having children and decided to change only two things. That would be doable. It's too hard to stick to something when you have 10 or 20 items you need to totally revamp in your life. First, I would change just one poor nutrition habit. I chose to cut out white flour to the best that I could. I'm such a sugarholic that if I told myself I couldn't have sugar, I would just binge and want it all the more (see, the battle is in the mind)! But cutting out white flour didn't just mean desserts (think about pastries, cakes, Little Debbies, etc.) but it also meant changing to whole-wheat or multi-grain pastas, breads, crackers, etc. Secondly, I would exercise one hour a day for at least six days a week (I gave myself a three-month reevaluation goal). But I had to amp up what I was used to. I had been walking for years and years without any noticeable change to my shape. That's when I decided to jog again. Sure, I could only jog five minutes when I started this crazy plan of mine, and so I would have to walk the remaining 55 minutes. But within three months, I was jogging five, six, eight miles a day. I just increased little bit by little bit - with the clock being my friend. Get that hour in no matter what. Once I was increasing my mileage, I was easily going over the hour, sometimes jogging and walking for 1 1/2 hours! I am now 30 pounds lighter and have kept the weight off for over a year. And remember, this wasn't about losing weight as much as about getting fit, getting healthy. That's why I joined the exercise with the nutrition! And after all this, I think a large part of the transformation of my shape was from just moving this tush in an intense enough way that I worked up a sweat and got my heart pumping for a significant amount of time every day. Hence, "Just Move It!"
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