The Secret Is Obedience

I learned along time ago that my body tends to want what it wants and it does not like pain. I also have sadly learned that when I give into what my body wants I end up not being happy with what I get.
The mind body connection is fascinating to me. Sometimes I feel like they are constantly battling each other like siblings. Other times they work and play together, and when that happens powerful things come together and creation happens in one form or another.
Most of us don't allow our mind to take us to the point where the body sees where the mind is going. Once the body sees, or feels where the mind is going it will begin to conform to the will of the mind. It takes some time mostly because even though the mind is suppose to lead most of us have allowed our body to lead. The body really needs the mind to take control in order for us to reach our potential.
 When our mind and body are working together we are more susceptible to inspiration and our ability to act in faith is increased. Pushing our physical limits may increase our spiritual capacity if we allow our body and spirit to submit to the will of God. I think that is the real secret to happiness.

Eat Less, Move More. Becoming Physically
what I already am Mentally.

You Have To Decide What You Want

As of July 4, 2011                            January 2011              

This week has been interesting. I started Monday off with a bang. I thought I was suppose to run 4 miles instead of the usual 3miles and I did it in record time. Wednesdays run was at a good steady pace, but Thursday I felt like I had lead boots on. I could not get myself into the run. My wife and kids have left me home alone for a couple of days and it was hard to motivate myself to get home faster... Oh well, I got home and I got it done. It is one of those lessons in life. When your destination is somewhere you are not looking forward to there is no urgency to get there. And when there is no urgency to get there you tend to feel more pain along the way.

I was thinking about the importance of doing something for the right reasons. It is not hard to see where most people go wrong in setting goals that they have no intention of really keeping. They say they do, but they are unwilling to really change their habits. Some people want to lose weight so that they can eat like they used to...kinda defeats the purpose, unless that is their purpose, and they want to make the run back up the scale and end up worse off than they were before.

When I started my journey I had two motivations. First and foremost I knew I should lose weight, and second there was a chance of winning a prize. The prize, to be honest was only enough for me to make an effort to get started. I really did not think it would be mine at the end of the day.  I went in thinking it cost me my fee, but if I lose 15-20 lbs I will consider that a win. So, I kinda minimized the idea of winning any money pretty fast.

The funny thing was the further I pulled ahead the less it was about the money and the more it became about feeling good. I still have not jumped on the band wagon or become a "health nut." I think there is something to eating right, but anything you get too wrapped up in takes away from the enjoyment of living and causes more stress than it is worth. I just want to feel good physically. I want the mental alertness, and the energy to work in the garden or go for a hike. I just want my spirit to be as free as it can be inside this body I have been given. I want to confirm my own thoughts that I have always had, that if we listen to our body it will tell us what we need, to accomplish what we want to accomplish. That is something that we as individuals must decide for ourselves. And that is usually why diets don't work. I believe that life should be a spiritual experience in a physical body, but allowing ourselves to get out of shape makes our body more of an emotional prison for our soul.

Eat Less and Move More, Becoming Physically what I already am Mentally.

Training Underway

Training for the half marathon. Mind over matter... it is something that has been talked about many times and is certainly not a new concept, but I am going to tell you some of the things that I have to overcome in my head as I am running.

First thing I have to deal with is the thought of leaving a comfortable bed knowing that I am about to run. Running is not my passion, but it does make me feel good...at least parts of me feel good. Running itself is a means to an end. So as I am stretching I feel pretty good, but my mind is always fighting the awkwardness I feel as my body is not extremely limber.

As I begin my run I realize that my Achilles tendon seems a bit tight. I don't know if I am going to make it through this run. Then I feel a slight cramp in my ribs, this definitely is  going to make for a long run. Sometimes my lungs have a hard time adjusting to my rhythm and or my asthma just does not want to loosen its grip on my lungs. Everyone of these things used to stop me dead in my tracks. Now they are just annoyances. It is that voice inside that has told me I can't that has haunted me all my life. It mocks me as I take each step, but each step I take grows stronger and stronger as I tell that voice it's wrong. I can do it.

There are times when you need to listen to your body and there are times when you need to ignore your body. If you are honest with yourself you know when that is. No one  knows your body like you do. Learning how to explain it is another matter...

Since starting my training routine I have been running on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Saturday is our big run day which will eventually build up to 12 miles, but for now we have done a 4 mile and a 5 mile run with this week we will be running 6 miles.  Is it hard on me? yes, but will it be worth it? Absolutely, and along the way I will find out more about myself and my body, it's capabilities and its limits. To me that is worth it. Learning more about what makes us tick and how to control this body which we possess is just part of what this life is all about. 

Freedom Is About Becoming Better

The Spirit of Freedom Is the Spirit of Christ...

As we celebrate the birth of the United States of America we must remind ourselves what freedom is. Freedom is the ability to discover right from wrong for ourselves. Freedom is the opportunity to discover consequences both good and bad for ourselves. It is the opportunity to serve others according to our means and learning to increase our means on our own. It is about learning to allow others to grow at their own pace and having tolerance toward those who are growing slower or faster than we are. It is about lifting others by our example and through sharing our own experiences. Freedom is about facing our fears and conquering them. It is about becoming better tomorrow than we were today and teaching our children to be better than us. It is about learning how to overcome our natural man and learning who we really are.

Freedom is a blessing to those who understand its purpose and utilize it for what it is. However, it is a curse to those who do not understand and refuse to recognize it for what it is. While freedom allows corruption to exist it promotes righteousness when we begin to measure our freedom on something greater than material possessions understanding that material possessions are merely a tool. Freedom is more about what we become in the process of getting than it is about getting.

What can we do to show our respect for those who have died that we may enjoy our freedoms? We can become a better person and teach our children to become better than we are.