How strong are your muscles?

The last few weeks have been rather challenging for me when it comes to stress and how that effects emotional eating. However, the last several months of wise choice making has reshaped how I think, and it has opened the door to healthier options. The cravings are not gone, the desire to comfort hurts with food is not gone, BUT the mental strength to make better choices is more beefed up than ever. 

So, this makes me think today about strength. It comes as no surprise that mental and physical strength both need to be tested and pushed to their max and beyond in order to grow. Yet, at the same time, you must know yourself and STOP pushing those boundaries before lasting damage is done. And, we all need to take the right steps to protect the health of our mental and physical strength after it is greatly tested.

Here are a few nuggets to ponder as I explore these thoughts for myself today. I hope they help you too.

When life throws us things that hurt us emotionally it is tough. Those hurts are rarely seen by the outside world but they reflect in our reaction to the stimuli, they are seen in our day to day behaviors with others, and they shape the way we think. It can cause us to push good people away, hold ourselves aloof, laugh at things that aren’t funny, etc. It can also push us to many bad behaviors such as emotional eating, promiscuity, drugs, alcohol, and even turn good behaviors bad – one for example is over exercising.

If we are wise we will focus on the after effects of an emotionally stressful day. We will create healthy habits for stress relief such as reasonable exercise patterns, trusted confidants for venting that goes no further than that person it just lets us get the poison out, or best of all prayer and Bible reading. God is the best listener, He has provided the best advice, and He loves you more than anyone else ever has or ever will.

We also must evaluate relationships with people that cause great stress in our lives. Sometimes the people that cause you the most emotional pain are the ones closest to you. Memory lane for me is filled with words that caused me to doubt my own self worth. Yet, as time has gone by, the main person behind the words that cut so deep has drifted further and further out of my life. This drifting away is painful even now, but NOW too, I am in such a better place mentally because I don’t constantly see a person that I know views me as lacking in many ways because I am overweight. However, the lesson I have learned from this is words hurt, they cause lasting pain, and I need to be careful with my own words with others. And, when I do fail and hurt another with words I really need to be more humble and apologize sincerely…I am a work in progress!!!

We MUST view ourselves with the value God places on us and that my friend it is HIGH!!! The price God placed on us cost the life of His very own Son!

Yes, God wants us to be healthy. We can’t get away from that when we read the old laws in the Old Testament. Many of the laws God had in place from how to properly dispose of body waste to cleaning up after the slaughter of animals we now understand was to protect the life of His people from unsanitary conditions. And we can see the results of the sin of gluttony running rampant in the streets of America today!

Any athlete knows to build physical muscle you need proper nutrition. You must fuel your body with a healthy diet of good proteins and carbohydrates. You need fuel prior to exercise, during exercise, and after exercise. Imagine your car. It must have fuel in it to start, in it to run, and if you want it to start up again it needs fuel when it is at rest. Our bodies unlike a car never shut off. We are always burning a little fuel just to maintain breathing, circulation, and waste processing. Proper fuel is vital to use and build muscle.

Many women in particular are not interested in working on building muscle but let me encourage you to rethink that if it is you. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it also takes up less space. Muscles aid in movement of your body while fat slows a body down and inhibits proper movement. Muscle BURNS calories even at rest, fat does not it is the storage unit. Muscles in your core (abdomen/back areas) help stabilize your spine to prevent back injury. The list of healthy strong muscle benefit is long! So if you are not trying to build a little muscle or maintain your muscle strength I encourage you to really think about it. I don't know the woman pictured here but the photo speaks for itself and muscle vs. fat WINS! Awesome job Ma'am!!! 

My top three favorite products in the AdvoCare line to help get my body ready, willing and able to work out and build stronger muscles is the Pro20 which gives me a great boost of energy and protein to work out on, Post Recovery Workout which helps me refuel while getting right to work aiding in muscle repair, and Night Time Recovery which allows my muscles to have some great building blocks to repair away while I sleep. Oh, I just can’t tell you how thankful I am to have found some great products that are aiding me in the journey to a Healthier ME!

Strength of mind and body are vital. God tells us in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Our emotions can control us if we don’t control them. Our feelings once hurt, may never heal if we don’t properly nourish them with good things. And sometimes, even when it hurts we must cut out the bad things in life that keep us from being strong body, mind and soul.

I rambled today I know, but I hope you garnered some encouragement for yourself on your own journey to a healthier you. Keep at it! Don’t let anything stay in your way!

As always, I thank you for your encouragement and appreciate you all so much. Leah