2022 is Here!
What will change from the years past? Change doesn't just happen; we must choose to move in a new direction. In 2022, I choose to Breathe!!! It seems simple but dives deep in my soul. Breathing is essential to life and yet we hold our breath as if to strangle ourselves from life itself, afraid of the unknown and crippled by fear. I am choosing to enjoy my life, breathing freely and openly and taking in all life has to offer. I am unafraid of what the future holds because today is mine, today is rich with experiences and God is still sovereign and on His throne!
My Top 10 comes from years of working and living in the field of healthcare and will no doubt shine a light on some of the simplest ways we can transform our lives and our Health!
Some of these things we know and yet we rarely seem to implement them into our lives!! I encourage you to pick one of the Top 10 a week for the next 10 weeks. Focus on just One to see the change it can have on your health. Each week, add or begin another.
Enjoy how warm the sun feels on your face or enjoy a quiet walk on your favorite path; Free your spirit by turning off the television, silencing your phone, having meaningful conversations in person rather than via social media and separating yourself from those who enjoy being bound by it all.
I never considered myself a drug addict, but who am I kidding...Sugar is my white drug of choice and if we are at all honest with ourselves, there is something we are all addicted to and it comes in almost every food we eat. I was at the store yesterday and even a can of corn has sugar added to it. Why? Is corn addicted too!
If we knew the damage it caused our bodies, we might eliminate it for good. Sugar is the 'true' cause of cardiovascular disease (not fat), pain and inflammation 'burn' in our bodies every time we ingest it and we are unable to absorb minerals when sugar is rampant in our bloodstream. Your body uses minerals to keep your bones, muscles, heart, and brain working properly. Minerals are also important for making enzymes and hormones. If you are experiencing chronic pain and arthritis, I encourage your to remove sugar for one week and see the massive improvement in your pain levels. It usually only takes a day or two to start seeing the results. Be mindful of how much sugar your kids are ingesting. They require minerals for their growing bodies (as do pregnant women) and sugar will make it impossible to get the minerals they need, hence the emotional ride they take, their foggy brain, lack of concentration, erratic behavior and so much more.
Sugar also destroys our white bloods cells and our ability to defend ourselves for up to 10 hours after we eat it. So, consider this, if sugar is in every meal and snack we eat, when are we protected? When we eat sugar, we are wide open to attack from pathogens and our natural defenses are down for good because the good guys (macrophages) are paralyzed. They can't mount a defense on our behalf!
Additionally, Sugar and caffeine irritate the bladder and create many problems like chronic urinary tract problems and the urgency to pee. Again, take a week off and enjoy your life again!
As for our crazy schedules, this is a trained behavior that can easily be retrained! Trust me, I have done it and have for years now, enjoyed the 'gaps' that I have intentionally placed in my calendar. God moves in those gaps! I am able to serve, be still, feel joy around my life, help a friend, make a beautiful dinner for my family, create something wonderful, read, journal, rest with my dog and a myriad of other things I sincerely enjoy that would never have happened if I stayed bound to the belief that 'busy' makes me worthy or successful or somehow better than those who aren't. It's a lie! And when you are ready, I suggest truth instead! We are not slaves unless we choose to be. We can enjoy our lives and we are worthy of every beautiful thing God created for us to enjoy! The most amazing inventions/ideas in history have come about after long bouts of silence (doing nothing)! I was once challenged by a friend of mine to "practice the art of doing nothing". For those of you who have known me for very long that was a tall order, and honestly, I chuckled at her request! But it paid off! I am still 'practicing' it to this day and enjoying my life like never before.
Boundaries...it seems like that would put us in a pen right, but the opposite is true! Boundaries teach others how to treat us and they free us! Decide what triggers you in life and find a solution. For me, I turned off all the alarms on my phone and decided that checking my phone, text and emails a few times a day was more than sufficient. I am not a machine and so I stopped pretending to be one! Also, I allowed people in my life to do things for themselves. This was a huge boundary that needed to be set mostly because I was addicted to doing and they were more than capable of doing it for themselves. Often, it turned out better than me 'doing' it for them. I realized I was robbing them of the fulfillment they would have after completing it for themself. So boundaries are needed, for sanity, for relationships and for our growth and development.
Movement is vital! Our bodies rust when we don't move them. Our joints stiffen, our muscles tighten, fluids stagnate and our minds dim. Find something you love and get moving! Yes, dancing in your underwear counts!! So does jumping up and down when you feel like celebrating the good things happening in your life! This too is a lost art - the art of celebration...but that's a discussion for another time.
Anchor to your oils...what does that mean? It means a few things. One, we are emotional beings and life is not about to get easier. And frankly, we don't need easier. We are fully capable of dealing with whatever life brings when we are connected and rooted in our bodies and minds. Use your oils daily to infuse your bodies with powerful compounds that defend your cells, strengthen your immune systems and balance the chemistry in your brain and body. We have power in our fingertips daily, we just have to use them! Find oils you love, that make you feel good and don't leave home without them!
Secondly, we anchor to oils for our emotions! You can use oils to break cycles of depression, anger and fear. When you feel these coming on, use your oils (specifically one you have chosen) to re-pattern unhealthy habits. You can't change something if you're not aware of the fact that it's happening. So the first step is to be aware you are repeating an unhealthy pattern and identify what the pattern is. Second is to observe the precise moment when you derail! This is where you use your oil (install a new behavior). Your oils can immediately shift your pattern as you breathe it in!! It's empowering to know we can break free from old, unhealthy patterns!
Enjoy your Blessings! Why? Because we are surrounded by them. If you haven't stopped to appreciate them in a while, this could be a huge reason for the misery and dissatisfaction in your life. What we focus on grows! Are you focused on what you have or what you don't have? This one simple thing separates those that are content in life with those that aren't. Choose to focus on all your gifts, enjoy them, be satisfied by them and refuse to compare them to another's! Life will look up if you do!
Lastly, Food is our Medicine! It gives life or it takes life. Food is simply a message to our cells that communicates health or breaks it! This year, fall in love with food! Not fast, convenient, microwaved, dead food, but 'Living' food full of color, energy and nutrients we thrive on! Pack/Make your meals in a new way! Make them come alive with new ingredients you have never tried before, make them colorful, flavorful and powerful for your health. Why? Because it's medicine and it works, meal after meal, to keep us well!
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