Strengthened by Grace, Life Well Lived
Strengthened by Grace
Life Well Lived
Week 7
Frame It Up: Emotional Resilience
Do you have a friend that seems to overcome in every area of their life? They handle life stressors with such ease, they just seem to gracefully bounce back from any situation. Emotional resilience is the ability to rebound from stress induced emotions and situations appropriately. It is our ability to function productively within our lives and respond to life’s situations. There are times in our lives when we are all faced with stressful situations and traumatic events but we must maintain the flexibility and balance in our lives. One of the keys to building emotional resilience is to work on it with
everyday life stressors. For some, this is our overwhelming strong emotions triggered in a particular situation or with an individual that somehow leads to the end result of unchecked anger. It those situations, you may not even know the reason for the discord but you always know what your reaction was. We all have a touchpoint that may lead us back to a “pet sin”. Identifying the areas of weakness, owning up to your part in the process, seeking repentance, and then avoiding the occasion will make you stronger and build your emotional resilience.
Light It Up:
Anytime, Anywhere, About Anything
Live It Out: More for the Core
Core body strength and stretching are this week’s challenge. Take the exercises color
coded in pink and repeat the sets twice. Note that one set should not exceed twelve
repetitions. Stretches are in orange and do not involve repetition. The goal for each
stretch is to hold it for thirty seconds. Seek out a friend who will keep you accountable
to reach your goals. They may not have to exercise with you share your successes with
them. Don’t allow the fear of failure stop you from exercising because if you do stop,
you have already succumbed to the fear.
Numbers 6:24-27
24The LORD bless you
and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Strengthened by Grace
Life Well Lived
Week 6
Frame It Up: Love Your Skin
The three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Basal cell carcinomas accounts for more than 90% of all skin cancers, squamous cell carcinoma is less common but more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma and more likely to grow deep below the skin and spread to distant parts of the body. Melanoma begins in the cells that produce pigment in the skin. It is more dangerous and deadly than basal cell and squamous cell cancer. Early detection and prevention increases successful treatment and cure rates.
Mole tracking is a way to track moles or questionable areas on your skin. There are smart phone apps that can record your moles or you can download a body/anatomy diagram. You may want to take a picture of your moles and record any changes. Start with your scalp and work your way down to the bottom of the feet. Don’t forget to check behind the ears, under the breasts, buttocks, inner thighs, and between the toes. Note all moles and specific features. The key to early detection is to monitor moles for any change in size, shape or color. Bring your mole tracking information with you on your next visit to your dermatologist.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Light It Up: Balancing Act
My online calendar has a feature that once I schedule an appointment, it allows me to note whether I would be “busy” and unavailable to do the infamous “multi-tasking”. Do you shudder and think that if we had the inability to mulit-task, we would operate with some sort of personal character deficit? As women, we are expected to multi-task and do so with joy. Are you busy to the point of distraction? There is a critical point where our busyness and tasking bleeds over into our relationships. It is an insidious process exposing itself in our sudden fatigue and relationships void of depth. It is reflected in a mechanical prayer life. Ladies, leave the balancing act to the circus acrobats. Forget the tasking and begin the asking, “God what do you want me to do?”
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Live it Out: Form First, Then Function
Before beginning any Pilates exercise routine, pause at the beginning of each series and check your form. Bridge is a fundamental building block exercise in Pilates. As you move into bridge, practice articulating your spine. Think of imprinting the bones of your back slowly into your mat. Have your workout partner check your form. Make a mental checklist and use your own cues. They can visual or auditory. For example, picture your lower body in line, fully engaged and you slowly release from bridge and return to a resting position on your mat with knees bent and feet firmly glued to your mat.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27
Strengthened by Grace
Life Well Lived
Week 5
Frame It Up: Healthy Heart
Research on the effects of diet shows that a healthy eating plan can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and lower an already elevated blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). “DASH” stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”. This clinical study tested the effects of nutrients in food on blood pressure.
Women with a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry, low fat dairy foods, and whole grains (median fiber lower intake 26 grams a day), along with reduced consumption of red meat, processed meats, sweets and fried foods, had a significant lower risk of CHD compared with the opposite dietary consumption, and a median fiber intake of 13 grams a day.
Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. Proverbs 28:14
Light It Up: Add Color To Your Plate!
Make a goal to find three new heart healthy recipes a week. Look for opportunities to try new fruits and vegetables. Before you head out the door to grocery shop, make a grocery list that includes the new recipe’s food ingredients. Divide the food items into categories, similar to the new Food Plate (replaced the Food Pyramid). Evaluate your list and see if there is a balance between the heart healthy food groups. Ask God to help you find creative dietary approaches and show you how to have fun feeding your heart and soul!
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29
Live it Out: Commitment
Your exercise routine should incorporate a cardio routine that sets you in your target heart rate. Intervals and consistent cardio training will strengthen your heart. Your target heart rate isn’t one range, but rather a range of rates called your beats per minute. These beats per minute (bpm) are expressed as percentages of your maximum heart rate that are safe for you to reach during exercise. The American Heart Association recommends an exercise target heart rate ranging from 50% to 75% of your maximum heart rate. To calculate your maximum heart rate take the number 220 minus your age. This week try increasing your cardio by ten minutes.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5
Strengthened By Grace
Life Well Lived Week 4
Frame It Up: Healthy Heart
Today your heart, the key organ in your circulatory system, will beat more than 100,000 times, propelling blood throughout your body. An average heart beats from 60 to100 times per minute, accelerating and decelerating when needed.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women, responsible for more deaths each year than all other causes combined. Maintaining a healthy weight and not “weight cycling” (repeated weight loss and weight gain), decreases the risk of death by coronary heart disease. Aerobic exercise three times a week along with weight bearing exercise routines helps to maintain a healthy heart.
Light It Up: LOL W YR BFF
Proverbs 15:13
Live it Out: Stretch and Balance Warm-Ups
A platform of any exercise routine is a warm-up and a cool-down. Learning to stretch
each day for 10-15 minutes alone or with an exercise buddy that holds you accountable,
will be a help and an encouragement for each other and for you both to reach your
goals. Chart your progress in an exercise log. A simple stretch is reaching for your toes
and consciously rounding the spine, relaxing the shoulders, and softening the knees as
you reach deeper into the stretch. Work on your balance by standing sideways next to
a counter in your home. Placing one hand on the counter and lifting your outside leg.
strongest and should be the last to lift. Allow your hand to hover above the counter.
Think tall in the spine as you hold your balance for 10 seconds. Release your leg, turn
and do the opposite side of your body. Repeat each side six times. Remember: Listen
to your body and take breaks when needed.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us.
Strengthened By Grace
Week 3
Frame It Up: Magnesium
Magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, is essential to good health. Half of your total body magnesium is found in bone and the other half is found insidecells of body tissues and organs. Magnesium is used by your body’s cells and is necessary to maintain healthy cells. Although only 1% of magnesium is found in blood,
your body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant. Magnesium helps the body absorb calcium and potassium, which keeps your bones and teeth strong. Magnesium at ~300 mg/day not only promotes good bone health, but is also used in nearly 300 body biochemical reactions. It has been found to improve sleep, prevent muscle cramping, and fatigue. Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium. B6 promotes the absorption of magnesium, so taking a B complex with B6 will help the body regulate magnesium levels. Vitamin B6 also known as pyridoxine, is found in fish, meat, and bananas.
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Ezekiel 37:4
Light It Up: Meditate in the Moment
The word meditate has been twisted in our culture connoting all types of images. As Christians we are called to meditate on His word, confining our thoughts to His will for us. Review your daily calendar and see how much time and thought goes into each activity. Add it up for the day. Then look at your prayer time with God. Add it up for theday. Compare your tally and contemplate the words of Martin Luther, “I have but two days in my calendar – Today, and the Day I stand before Christ.”
Live it Out: Endurance
Begin recording your cardio workout. If you are using a treadmill slightly increase the incline and add ten minutes to your cardio. If you walking outside, incorporate light weights. As you walk, plant your foot with a heel strike, then roll forward. Widen your gait by taking bigger steps. By mid-week, try interval training. Walk to one light post, run to the next, then repeat.I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. Psalm 119:32In the coming weeks you will come here for inspiration and training! We are so excited that you have come. Praying as we launch into the journey of learning a lifestyle of fitness and health.
Agape,
Kristianne
Week 2
Frame It Up: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is not really a vitamin but a hormone and is essential for the body to absorb
calcium. The active form of vitamin D known as calcitriol, is produced by your body.
Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. If you have insufficient vitamin D stores,
your body leaches calcium from your bones. This leads to osteoporosis, literally porous
bones. Vitamin D can be obtained through your diet, supplements, and moderate sun
exposure. Recommended doses are 600 IU daily for 14-70 years old and 800 IU daily over 70 years old. There are two forms of vitamin D supplements, ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecaliferol (D3). Both are effective at raising the blood levels of calcitriol.
Vitamin D levels should be monitored at regular intervals to ensure you are at least in the normal range (which can slightly vary from lab to lab), though midrange would be preferable.
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and
will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose
waters never fail. Isaiah 58:10-12
Light It Up: Vibrancy
If an artist were to paint your spiritual walk, what would it look like? Would it be abrilliant landscape with eye enchanting vibrancy? Or would it reflect a muted self portrait?
Are you a Christian overcome by the world or a Christian over-comer in this
world? What if every color on the artist’s palette were dull and muted, reflective of your
human frailty, and vibrant tones were only achieved when blended with hues of Jesus’
glory? Will you allow God to saturate your spirit and paint your life in bold, glorious
brushstrokes?
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14
Live it Out: Lifestyle Fitness
As you approach exercise this week, begin incorporating it into your daily activities.
Make an appointment to exercise. Open your calendar and block out a thirty minute
exercise time-then do it. Try for three thirty minute walk/run intervals. Log your pulse
when you start and when you finish.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble. Proverbs 4:12
Agape,
Kristianne
Week 1
Frame It Up: Calcium
The recommended calcium dose for premenopausal women eighteen years and older is 1000 mg/day. After menopause (postmenopausal), when a woman stops menstruating, the dosage is 1200mg-1500 mg/day. Calcium is readily absorbed when taken with meals and even helps decrease abdominal cramping. Calcium supplements are better absorbed when taken in small doses (500 mg or less) several times throughout the day.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Psalm 139:15
Light It Up: Simplicity
Remove those things cluttering our walk and tripping us up on the path. Whether it is clearing out the “junk drawer” in your office or the clutter in your heart. Ask yourself, do I need this? If you want to have the “light in me” ask God to “lighten me”.
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Psalm 43:3-4Live it Out: Lifestyle Fitness
Ask any woman to define exercise and you will receive a variety of answers. On our journey together, you will learn how to take exercise from something you do in your life to everything you do in your lifestyle. A lifestyle that speaks to who you are and where God is leading you on this incredible life journey.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19