At some point in time almost everyone over 40 wants to lose a little weight.  Whether you want to lose five pounds or one hundred pounds, losing weight can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be frustrating if we make the right choices.

For most of us, losing weight comes down to making a choice. Let me explain …

During my devotional this morning, I was reading Numbers chapter 1. At this point on their journey, God had already given the Israelites instructions on how to live a holy life. Now they were responsible for the choices they made.

As I meditated on this scripture, I was reminded that we are responsible for our choices too. Just as we are responsible for living a holy life as instructed by God’s Word, we are also responsible for making the right health choices. Most people take responsibility for their families; their businesses or career; and even for their automobiles, but when it comes to their own bodies, we often make the wrong choices.

So the next time you have a choice between a slice of pie or an apple – be responsible and make the right choice. Making right choices consistently on a daily basis will produce the results you want.

Action step for today:

Stop right now and take a minute to make a commitment to yourself to be responsible for your choices. It will change your life!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Don’t let your body become your enemy. Health is not a chance, it’s a choice.

 (Jentezen Franklin)

When it comes to healthy eating there are many different aspects to consider.  Perhaps the easiest place to start is by understanding what your food is all about. God gave us food for our enjoyment and not to be a slave to it.

Your focus should be on eating a diet that is balanced and nutritious.  A balanced diet means eating a wide variety of foods and eating everything in moderation. 

The Five Food Groups

The five food groups are grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat.  A balanced diet will contain something from each of these food groups every day.  Some food groups require more servings than other. For instance, you should be eating more vegetables than dairy.  There are also oils and sweets, which don’t necessarily need to be part of your daily meals and should be consumed with discretion. Each recommended daily serving depends on several factors such as age and activity level.  This should be taken into account when determining your personal daily food intake.

It is recommended that to eat a healthy, balanced diet you should have from three to five servings of vegetables a day.  Vegetables are a primary source of vitamins and minerals, and we cannot live without them.  Fresh vegetables are the best choice, but cooked vegetables are also acceptable.  Try to eat a large variety of vegetables each day, including many different colors. Eating organic vegetables is best.

Fruits are also full of vitamins and minerals.  You should have anywhere from two to four servings of fruit a day.  Try to avoid fruit juice as it is high in sugar. You should also try and choose whole fruits as much as possible since they have the added bonus of fiber. And as always, choose organic when possible.

The dairy group includes foods such as yogurt and cheese.  When possible drink raw milk since pasteurized and homogenized milk can cause problems for your body. Dairy is an important provider of calcium and other vitamins.  If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, it is important that you get these vitamins elsewhere.

Although there is controversy about the value of grains, it is generally recommended that you get anywhere from six to eleven servings of grains each day, depending on your age and activity level.  Grains include bread, rice, pasta, and cereal.  Try and choose whole grains and avoid the “white” grains such as white bread and white rice.  You can find almost all grain foods in a whole grain variety, including pasta and bread. Organic is best.

Meat is an important source of protein and many other vitamins and minerals.  Some foods that fall into this category include fish, poultry, beef, eggs, beans, and nuts. You will notice that pork is not on this list. You should avoid pork.  The recommended daily servings are between two and three.  Try to choose leaner meats and natural or organic is best.

Action Steps:

Here’s one simple step you can take immediately to start eating healthier. Eat one large green leafy salad everyday. You can add your favorite raw vegetables and fruit. I really enjoy adding apples slices or strawberries to my salads. And if you want to turn your salad into a hearty meal try the recipe below. Organic ingredients are best.

v Green lettuce (2 cups)

v Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal (1/2 cup)

v Tomatoes slices

v Olive Oil (1 tbsp)

v Apple Cider Vinegar (to taste )

v Sea Salt (to taste)

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Avoid negative thinking. What you focus on the most will become larger. For example, if you focus on a negative situation in your life, it will seem larger, which can cause anxiety and depression. Instead learn to focus on the good things in your life. 

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before … Get enough sleep! A lack of sleep, less than 7 hours, decreases blood flow to the brain. I personally need at least 8 hours to perform at my best. If possible, a sleeping schedule between 10:30 PM and 7:30 AM is best.  If you have trouble getting to sleep at night due to a stressful day, try spending a half hour or so before bedtime doing something relaxing. Reading tends to relax me. And one thing that really helps me is to pray in bed. Not only is it a great time to spend with God, because there are no distractions, but it is also a great de-stressor.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Here’s a list of simple things you can start doing today to improve your brain and memory. I encourage you to start now… Don’t put it off.

Avoid toxins such as alcohol, excessive caffeine, nicotine, and environmental toxins where possible. These toxins ruin brain function – sometimes permanently.

Eat to fuel the brain everyday. Here is a list of foods that you should be eating at least every week. In some cases everyday, such as blueberries. When possible eat organic foods.

·          Blueberries and other berries

·          Broccoli

·          Beans (lentils, lima, navy, pinto, sugar snap peas, and peas)

·          Wild salmon (always ask when eating in restaurants if the salmon is wild caught – most restaurants serve farm raised)

·          Spinach

·          Green tea (other teas are okay too)

·          Tomatoes

·          Turkey or chicken

·          Walnuts

·          Yogurt

·          Drink a lot of water (the brain is 80% water)

Take a multiple vitamin everyday (preferably a whole food vitamin)

Avoid watching toxic movies and TV programs. Watching negative programming can have a negative effect on your brain function. When you are watching these programs you are learning something new, which means your brain, is making new connections. Think about it, when you watch something scary or depressing on TV, how does it affect you? For the most part I have even stopped watching the news unless I feel the program is truly educating me on something that will make my life and thinking better.

Exercise at least 3 to 4 times a week. Exercise enhances blood flow to the brain and protects brain cells.

Spend time in prayer and meditating on God’s Word. It will distress your brain, which will protect your brain cells, since stress kills cells.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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New Learning

Your brain is a thinking organ that learns and grows even as you age. Mental stimulation improves your brain and ultimately your memory and actually protects your brain against decline.

The human brain can grow new neurons even in old age. Most age-related memory problems are caused by the lack of mental stimulation. In other words, use it or lose it.

Engage Your Brain

It is important to challenge your brain to learn new tasks. The key word is “new.” In other words, learning tasks that you have never done are especially beneficial to the brain. Examples include: chess, tai chi, yoga, or a foreign language.

In a previous post I suggested switching your mouse to your opposite hand and try controlling it. If you haven’t tried this yet, go ahead and give it a try.  The first time I tried this I was very surprised at how difficult it was. I could almost feel my brain being challenged.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Here’s one of my favorite breakfast foods (or snack).  These are not the blueberry muffins that you may be use to.  Instead of each muffin consisting of mostly white flour and sugar with only a couple of blueberries, each muffin from this recipe is bursting with the brain food of blueberries.  In fact, there is no sugar used in this recipe.  Raw honey is used for sweetening.   

v  1 1/4 c. spelt, kamut, or whole wheat flour (Can substitute buckwheat flour or cornmeal)

v  3/4 c. water mixed with 1 tbsp. plain yogurt

v  1 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

v  1 egg, lightly beaten

v  1/4 tsp sea salt

v  1/4 c. coconut oil

v  1/3 c. raw unheated honey

v  2 tsp. baking powder

v  1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix flour with water & yogurt (optional: let stand overnight).  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Pour into well-buttered tin about 3/4 full.  Place 5-7 blueberries on each muffin.  Berries will sink as the muffins bake.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Give these a try and let me know how you liked them.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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During my morning devotional today, I was confronted with an important question, “Am I pleasing God with my body?” While meditating on 1 Corinthians. 6:19, which states that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, I was reminded that it’s not just the food we eat or the exercise we get, it’s also how we use our bodies and our minds.

I believe to achieve true health and fitness; we must treat our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit… That includes carefully choosing our words and especially our thoughts.

Think about it…

Most of the actions we take start with a simple thought. If an impure thought is entertained long enough, it will eventually manifest itself in someway sooner or later. I believe this is the root cause of many of our health problems, because a toxic mind breads disease. I know for me the longer I dwell on a thought, the more difficult it is to dismiss it. So what I’ve learned to do is to dismiss it right away. I’m still not perfect at it, but I’m getting better.

Do you struggle with addictions or impure thoughts?

If so, I encourage you to notice when that thought first enters your mind. Then don’t fight it, just immediately begin to think about something else. This may sound simple, but it works.

For many years I was addicted to processed sugar. I couldn’t get enough of it. Although I have been health conscious since I was about 12 years old, I couldn’t seem to break the sugar addiction. As a teen, I could easily eat an entire box of Twinkies, and then one day I discovered that I could break that addiction by detoxifying my body by switching to unprocessed foods, such as organic foods.

So I switched to organic foods. During the time of detoxifying my body, I had urges for processed sugar, so I learned to immediately switch my thoughts to something else. For example, I would start thinking about my family’s upcoming trip to Disney World and then that lead to the thought of how great it would be to have more energy to walk around the Disney parks.

What this did for me was amazing. I felt so good about the thought of enjoying myself at Disney World that I stopped thinking about the processed sugar treat. This new thinking along with the detoxification of my body broke that processed sugar addition and it’s been great.

Before going on, I want you to understand that it wasn’t just my thinking that broke the addiction; it was a combination of new thinking and eating unprocessed foods. You can’t simply rely on thinking alone, you must also take action.

Action Step for today:

Practice recognizing the thoughts that come into mind that you know will cause you problems and prevent you from enjoying the life you’ve always wanted.

Remember, when that first thought comes, you have a choice to make at that very moment. You can’t play with that thought; you can’t entertain that thought; you can’t even spend a moment struggling with it. Instead you must dismiss it or it will take you down.

Stop right now and resolve in your heart and mind that you do have a chose in what thoughts you chose to entertain.

When that first addictive or impure thought enters your mind try this …

v First, remember that you are a child of the living God and that He has given you power to overcome

v Then, immediately switch your thinking to something that makes you feel good, like an upcoming vacation or anything that will distract your mind, like quoting one of your favorite Bible verses.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Is your memory as good as it was 10 years ago? I recently talked to a successful business women that I have know for many years. I know first hand that she had a great memory. She would remember the smallest details about a project that would escape most people. However, during our conversation, she told me something that really surprised me. She said, “I can’t remember anything anymore.” Obviously, she was exaggerating a bit, but I got the point.

Are you like this business women? Is your memory getting worse? If so, there is hope. Read on…   

You know that walking is good for your body, but did you know that it’s good for your brain too?

One of my favorite forms of exercise is walking. Just about every evening my wife and I take Ginger (our little 4 pound Yorkie) for a long walk. I don’t know who enjoys it more, my wife and me or Ginger.

Studies show that exercise helps improve your memory and problem solving skills. Walking is especially good for your brain, because of the increased blood circulation and oxygen. As you walk, you are actually oxygenating your brain.

Studies have also shown that senior citizens, who walk as a form of exercise, showed a significant improvement in memory skills compared to sedentary elderly people. The risk of stroke was also cut by 57% in people who walked as little as 20 minutes per day.

Action Step…

If you’re not already making walking a part of your day, then start walking today.  Your brain will thank you. Depending on your level of fitness, you can start slow and work your way up to 20 minutes a day.

Tip: You can add more steps to your day by parking further away from your office entrance or the mall entrance.  I like to wear a pedometer to track the number of steps I take per day. It’s almost like a game to me. I like to see how many steps I can take in a day. You’d be very surprised to see how many extra steps you can take in a day when you decide to walk more.

Here’s a piece of information that may motivate you to walk more … You burn approximately one calorie for every two steps you take.  That’s a nice bonus… you can make your brain better and lose weight at the same time.  Note: actual calories burned depends the speed of your stride.  

Here’s another little tip that will help jump start your day…

Before getting out of bed in the morning, slowly begin to wiggle your toes. This will activate nerves that stimulate your brain. You can also do this after sitting for long periods of time. This will energize your entire body.

So don’t wait, start walking today!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments.  

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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Well I just got back from a health and fitness conference yesterday and I can tell you it’s great to be back home with my family.

It was a good conference, but due to the remote location of the hotel I wasn’t able to eat like I normally do. In other words I couldn’t get the organic foods that I am used to eating and I’ll tell you, it made a huge difference in how I felt. I can even still feel the effects today.  My energy level is down and it seems that my mental clarity is not quit as sharp.

This experience made me really think about how great I normally feel and how sharp my mind is when I stick to my normal healthy eating plan.  I guess I took feeling great for granted. Now I know what it’s like to be 48 and feel my age. And I can tell you I don’t like it a bit. Well now that I’m back on my normal eating plan, I’m sure I’ll start feeling great again in couple of days.

How are you feeling today?  Are you feeling your age like I have been the past couple of days?  If you are, below are a list of foods you can start eating today that will make your brain better and enhance your energy and help you feel younger – and of course Organic is always best.   Believe me it really works. 

        Beans & lentils

        Green beans

        Navy beans

        Garbanzo

        Broccoli

        Oranges (whole not orange juice)

        Oats

        Pumpkin

        Pumpkin squash

        Red bell peppers (red is better than green bell peppers.  Higher levels of  vitamin C)

        Spinach

        Green Tea (great for weigh loss too)

        Turkey

        Yogurt

        Walnuts

        Take a multi vitamin everyday

        Everybody should take fish oil – Omega 3 fatty acids (fish capsules are okay too)

        Low protein diets are bad for the brain.  Lean protein diets are good for the brain

        Low glycemic high fiber carbohydrates are the best to eat (You should avoid processed sugar)

        Salmon and Tuna is good (eat wild caught fish from Alaska.  They seem to have the cleanest in the world)

        Eat blueberries.  They are excellent for the brain. Eat three servings a day.  The frozen kind is okay too.

Here’s one of my favorite breakfasts.  It sends my energy level through the roof and its power packed to make your brain better too! And the best part is that it only takes about 1 minute to prepare.

v  Plain Yogurt (1 cup)

v  Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal (1/2 cup)

v  Blueberries (1/2 cup)  (TIP: I buy several organic frozen blueberries packages at a time, so I always have them on hand when I need them).

You can adjust the serving size to your taste.

Have a great day!

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions, so go ahead and leave your comments. I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like for me to cover a topic in more detail or cover a topic that I have not talked about yet, just let me know.

It’s importance for you to know that this blog was created for you.  The goal is to build a community of people helping people. So if you would like to share your knowledge on a health and fitness related topic, just leave your comments. 

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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“When Joseph got home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought and bowed respectfully before him.” Genesis 43:26

This Bible verse of course is talking about Joseph’s brother’s bowing down to him, which is what Joseph dreamed about as a boy. This dream is what started a chain reaction of events that lead Joseph on a difficult journey, but ultimately lead him to being second in command of all Egypt.

The “Joseph Story” and especially this verse shows me that when God gives you a dream, as He did Joseph, He WILL bring it to pass, but we must have patience and remain faithful to Him during the journey.

If you have a dream inside of you, be encouraged … No matter what circumstances you are facing in your life today, remember that God’s Word will NEVER return void! Keep trusting Him even if you don’t understand what He is doing. He will not fail you. He will give you the desires of your heart as long as your heart is pure.

Action step for today…

If you’re not already doing so, I encourage you to start a daily Bible study. Make reading God’s Word apart of your daily life. I promise you, it will change your life. For many years of my Christian life, I did not consistently read the Bible. I always desired a closer relationship with God and didn’t understand why my faith was not stronger.

Once I started consistently reading His Word daily, my faith began to grow. I still have a lot of spiritual growing to do, but I’m on my way.

I’d like to hear from you — your experiences and challenges and how God brought you through will help encourage others.

Be Organic God’s Way!

Edwin

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