Be A Tebow
My husband recently forwarded me an article about Tim Tebow’s testimony. I knew there was going to be something that was really going to grasp my attention in this
article. When I read this sentence it was as though God put neon flashing
lights on it. I knew this was what I was supposed to share with all of you.
At the 2010 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Tebow offered the closing prayer, “Thank you for bringing together so many people that have a platform to influence people for you.”
Can you imagine if all sports and entertainment figures used their platform to reach the world with God’s message? But even more can you imagine if we all used our
platform to spread the Truth?
This is what hit me; we ALL have a platform; your home, your office, the stands at your kid’s sporting event, the grocery store…….. Your mission field is all around
you.
Doesn’t that make life exciting – you are no longer just going to get your hair cut you have been given a moment to share God’s love with the person cutting your hair. You
are not just going to a job you are going into the mission field that God has prepared for you. Think about it everywhere you go today, tomorrow, and until
you die is your platform!
This gives your life purpose, a reason to get out of bed each morning. Taking proper care of your body will help you have the energy to go out into your mission field
and do what God has called you to do.
When Tebow used his platform at the University of Florida and put John 3:16 in his eye black, 92 million people googled the verse. At the end of the day will you get
92 million people google searching a verse – probably not. But could you play a part in changing the eternity of one – you bet!
My “Top 10″ to getting & staying at a healthy weight.
Happy New Year! Did any of you make resolutions? 70% of people make “weight
loss” part of their New Year’s Resolution. Sadly, only 6% succeed. If you
want to get to AND stay at a healthier weight here are my suggestions.
1. Ask God to help you, He cares about all parts of your life. Pray that He will give you
the strength to make healthy changes!
2. It starts with your attitude – Be thankful you are healthy enough to exercise. Be
thankful you have access to healthy food and clean drinking water. Don’t go – “poor
me I have to eat veggies” or “I hate exercising”. Imagine if tomorrow you were
in an accident and you couldn’t exercise wouldn’t you wish you could?? Imagine
if tomorrow you only had access to rice wouldn’t you miss a fresh apple?
3. Have your goals be based on your activities, not the results.
Goal: Eat 7 servings of fruits & veggies each day this week
Goal: Exercise four times this week (of course have Faithful
Workouts be part of your exercise routine!!)
Not: Lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks
4. Find a friend to exercise with – it’s more fun and the accountability will make a
differenc.e
5. Cut back on sugar. Sugar is addictive, it feeds cancer cells, and it causes weight gain, premature aging and a multitude of other health problems. Sugar, in all its forms, is taking a toll on your health. You might be thinking this is a bit extreme but I have researched what added/refined sugar does to your body and I can’t stress enough how bad it is. As sugar consumption has increased in our country so has the number of overweight people.
6. Get rid of your excuses. The biggest reason people don’t exercise is because they say they don’t have time. OK, do you find the time to shower??? Do you find the time to eat?? You will find time to do the things you value. Remind yourself daily why you are making healthy changes. If you really value getting healthy you will find the time to exercise and eat properly.
7. Put together a plan. If you wake up and say, “If I have the time I will exercise
today” it probably won’t happen. Write down in your calendar when you will
exercise and make it a priority. If someone asks you to do something and it is
during your exercise time just let them know that is not a good time for you.
Your exercise time is one of the most important appointments you will make.
8. If you want to eat healthier you have to have healthy food in your home. If you don’t
want to eat junk food don’t have it in your home. I know for some this is a
challenge because you don’t have total control about what food is brought into
your home. If someone is bringing unhealthy food into your home sit with them
and explain how much you would appreciate it if they would not bring it home.
You could also ask them to hide it if they do bring it home. I know that might sound crazy but if you don’t see the food you won’t be tempted to eat it. Have healthy food ready to go. If I have whole red peppers in the fridge and I am hungry I might not take the time to wash and slice them but if they are in a baggie ready to go I will eat them. (I know you might be thinking – well I have to have treats in my home for my kids. Your kids don’t need Oreos or junk food.)
9. Don’t go on a “diet”. When you put yourself on a “diet” it makes you
feel depressed. Instead just commit to eating healthier.
10. Like Nike says “Just do it”. I feel so bad for people who beat themselves up because
another year goes by and they haven’t made the changes they wanted to make. This is your year to stick with your plan for a healthier you. God wants you to care for your body. When you take proper care of your body you will have more energy, be sick less, have a better attitude……you will be in better shape
to respond to God’s calling on your life!
Please let me know if I can help you. I am here and I care about you!
Michelle
Can you help FW inspire others
If you feel Faithful Workouts has inspired
you on your journey to better physical and spiritual health can you help bring
this inspiration to more people!
I just received this letter from a
wonderful lady who has been working out with Faithful Workouts; I would
never believe that exercising would change my entire life. It has truely
allowed me many opportunities to witness.
Another wrote in and said, I can NOT believe how strong I’ve become in less than a month! Thank
you! Thank you!! We homeschool and have incorporated this workout every morning
at 9:30!!Recently, I lost a great friend in a car accident and each day, you
seemed to say exactly what my heart was crying…truly anointed!!
So cool to see how God is using
Faithful Workouts to reach people!
Here are a few ways you can help
Faithful Workouts
You can purchase one of the Faithful
Workouts items. I just added two new listings!
1. A “faithful” grey tank
top – $15.95 Free Shipping Until 5/1
2. A 3 DVD Box Set – $27.99 Free
Shipping Until 5/1
You can support Faithful Workouts
with a financial donation. Your money will go to spreading God’s message in
this unique way. Also, your donation is tax deductible because Faithful
Workouts has been approved as a non-profit!
(Think of it as paying for an
exercise class!!)
Please also keep Faithful Workouts
in your prayers. God promises that He hears our prayers!!
As much as I don’t like having to
think about money – I realize that in order to continue to deliver the Faithful
Workouts message I need your help.
Faithful Workouts is now reaching
people over the TV in Canada, South Africa, Great Britian and other parts of
Europe. Through the internet it is available all over the world!
Thank you for your support!
Michelle
What’s keeping you from being fit?
Do you want to be Physically Fit & at a Healthy Weight?
I would guess that if I went around asking people if they would like to be physically fit almost all would answer “yes”. If I asked if they would like to be at a healthy weight almost all would answer “yes”
So if people want to be physically fit and they want to be at a healthy weight why is it that the majority of people aren’t???
What’s missing in our life that is keeping us from getting fit and to a healthy weight? It’s what we want so why can’t we get there?
I believe what’s missing in so many of our lives is discipline. Why is it that we lack the discipline necessary to achieve these goals and what can we do to become more disciplined? (I also realize that eating healthy can be expensive so for some of you it’s not as much about discipline as it is about having access to healthy food.)
Ever since Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden we have battled with being disciplined. In reality most of us want to do what feels good and we don’t want to do what we don’t feel like doing.
I love when Paul says in Romans 7: 15 and 18 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…… For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”
This type of battle is going on inside many of us when it comes to our health. We know what we should do and we don’t do it. We know what we shouldn’t do and we do it.
How can we break out of this? How can we start putting into practice the disciplines that we know will help us achieve our goals of being physically fit and at a healthy weight?
First thing is to pray for God’s help. He cares about every part of your life so ask Him to help you make the changes you need to make.
Second, don’t over complicate it. Eat healthy and exercise. Eat fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water, eat breakfast, avoid sugar, watch your portion sizes, eat what God created (avoid packaged foods). That is a good starting point for eating healthy.
Exercise, do a Faithful Workouts program 3 times a week (5 would be even better). I suggest Faithful Workouts because I really believe they work. You might think – “well that sounds a bit arrogant” – but hold on. I believe in them because I know God has given me the passion to inspire people to get physically and spiritually fit. I feel God has given me this gift to share with others. It’s not about “me” being better than other instructors; it’s that God is directing me to help you get healthier. (I’ve also spent over 25 years in the fitness industry and have learned how to safely and efficiently work out.)
Three, for most people, if they want to change the way they live one of two things has to happen
1. Their current state is so miserable that they want to change to get out of it
2. They see great benefits attached to a different lifestyle that they will do what it takes to get there
Unfortunately, for many they can’t get motivated to take better care of their body until they are so miserable with their current health. They have a heart attack and so they finally make changes. The problem with this is too often people have a heart attack and instead of finally being motivated to make changes – they die.
Don’t wait until your current state is so miserable before making healthy changes because if you wait too long you might not get a chance to change.
I want to paint a very real picture of what life can be like for you. You feel strong, you have energy, you sleep well, you don’t suffer from depression, your clothes fit and you don’t feel guilty because you are finally doing what you know is right. Doesn’t that sound like the way you want to feel!!
I don’t know if you have ever thought this way about your physical body or if I am the only one. I think God created our bodies like they are for so many reasons. He created our bodies to need food to survive but we need to use discipline in our food choices to make our bodies function optimally. He could have created our bodies to not need food or that we could eat all we wanted and it wouldn’t affect our health but He didn’t. We have to use discipline.
I have heard from several of you who said once you discovered you could be more disciplined in how you cared for you physical body you were able to carry over being more disciplined into your spiritual life too.
Being disciplined will make your life better. It will help you live more in line with God’s plan for your life. The more we can get it into our sometimes stubborn brains that life is not always about what feels good at the moment. We need to be disciplined and think about the future benefits that will come along with doing the right thing instead of what feels good at the moment.
I want so badly for all you of to start making healthy changes to your life both physically and spiritually. Don’t miss out on the abundant life that God wants for you. If there is anything I can do to help please let me know.
I will be praying for all of you!
Michelle
Great Tasting, Easy to Make, Ultra Healthy Salads
When I was at the “Lose it for Life” conference in San Diego (http://loseitforlife.com ) the Sprouted Kitchen shared these two great recipes.
I’m so glad Steve Arterburn with New Life Ministries asked me to be a part of this conference. If you know of anyone who struggles with maintaining a healthy weight I highly recommend this conference. Next one is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 19 -23 in San Diego. I will be there with Paula and Francis!
Roasted Pear and Goat Cheese Salad
2 Pears
4 Tbsp Herbed Goat Cheese
2 Cups Lettuce
2 Cups Arugula
½ Cup Toasted Pistachios
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Heat oven to 425. Half the pears and scoop the seeds out. Fill each pear with 1 Tbsp Goat Cheese. Place pears on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. For the dressing combine oil, shallot, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper. Whisk dressing (or you can blend in a blender). Mix the lettuces together and toss with dressing. Place the lettuce on a plate, add ½ a pear on top of the lettuce and sprinkle with pistachios.
Kale Salad
1 Bunch Lacinato or Tuscan Kale
1/3 cup Whole Grain Breadcrumbs*
1/3 cup Parmigianino Cheese
¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
2-3 Cloves of Garlic
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
*To make the bread crumbs, toast day old bread, set it aside for 15 minutes, break into small pieces.
Fold the Kale leaves in ½ and cut away the hard spine (discard spine). Chop the remaining leaves of Kale. Put kale in large mixing bowl. In a blender combine oil, lemon juice, garlic and red pepper and mix. Add the breadcrumbs & cheese to kale, pour dressing over and toss.
The great thing with this Kale salad is it stays fresh for several days in the fridge!! Kale is so good for you try adding it to your favorite soup or stir fry!!
Back on TV
Some of you might have read this on my Facebook but wanted to let you all know that Faithful Workouts is back on TV. Here is the airing information:
NRB Network Monday – Friday at 9:30am EST
On Directv – #378
On SkyAngel – #126
Online only at 9:30am EST http://www.nrbnetwork.tv/WatchOnline/Pages/default.aspx
Angel 2 Newtwork Thursday at 5:30am EST
On Dish – #266
On SkyAngel – #102
My son asked me, “How did the show get back on” I answered with all sincerity “God”
Just to tell you a few parts of this story. My biggest challenges were music and production costs.
I was flying to a MOPS convention, as I walked to baggage claim I saw one of the greeters holding a sign with someone’s name with “MOPS” written underneath. I was pretty tired from a very delayed flight but I felt the urging to go introduce myself to the person who was also attending the MOPS convention. During the introduction I learned they were there to film the convention and they were based in CO. We spoke for only a moment but as I walked away I thought, “I wonder if that was a God moment”
I didn’t think too much about it until just after I returned from the convention and I received a call from the owner of the production firm. After several conversations this amazing man offered to film 20 TV programs and said we would worry about the money later. He brought his crew, tons of equipment, edited all the programs (takes hours) and said for the most part, pay what you can when you can.
As for the music – I had just said talked to my husband once again how challenging the music for the TV program and DVDs was. I went to teach a class and there was a women there that I had met briefly once before (her husband and I sit on a board together). We started to talk and I asked her what she did. She told me she was an intellectual property lawyer. I was like, what’s that. Part of her answer was, “I deal with music licenses”. After a few discussions and without me knowing she went to her firm and asked them to take on Faithful Workouts probono (no charge) they agreed!!
I also found a group of Christian artists whose hearts are all about sharing God’s word through music. They agreed to allow me to play the music on TV for either no cost or minimal cost.
So like I answered my son, the reason the show is back on the air is because God allowed it to happen and some incredible people listened to God’s urging to help Faithful Workouts.
Thank you God!!
God Heard Me and Answered
OK - I have to share with you an amazing thing that happened this morning. So….. I’ll start by saying I am not one who typically prays for God to show me a “sign” of His presence. I know He loves me and He is with me. Well, I have been doing some major praying specifically about my mom’s back surgery. She is having her 2nd major back surgery as I write this.
A few weeks ago when I was thinking about my mom’s upcoming surgery I said to God, “God, how cool would it be if the Klove verse that I get emailed to me every morning would be my mom’s favorite verse on the day of her surgery. I know you are with us but it would be amazing if you made your presence so clear”
Well, I forgot about this until I did a quick email check before heading to the hospital this morning. I clicked on my KLove verse and guess what came through today…… MY MOM’S FAVORITE VERSE. OK how good is God. I’m not basing my faith on the fact that He sent it. If it didn’t come in this morning I would not have thought God wasn’t listening to my prayers but it just freaked me out when it came in this morning.
The last time my mom had back surgery she would keep her spirits up by saying, Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Ever since that it is the verse that brings my mom comfort and makes me think her. Think about how many verses are in the Bible…. I found that there are 31,103 verses so it’s a 1 in 31,103 chance that this verse would come today.
When I saw the verse come through this morning I ran to my mom and told her what happened. You can’t imagine the peace that came over me. Guys, God is there, He hears you and He loves you. Sometimes He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we would like but know this – He Hears You.
God just gave me yet another testimony to share. I will never stop being completely amazed that the God who created the universe hears me. He said today, “Michelle, I know you are concerned about your mom and I just want to send you a reminder that I am here and I have this all figured out.”
My mom is still in surgery as I write this and I know no matter what happens in that operating room God is with us!
Faithful Workouts off TV – (for now)
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. I’ve missed keeping in touch with all of you. The trip to the Dominican Republic was awesome. It was so cool to see God at work in the Dominican’s lives, in the ministries we were exposed to, as well as in the families we hosted. My MOPS (mother’s of pre-schoolers) convention was so fun. Loved leading workouts for these great women. OK, I have to admidt the day the convention ended I slept for 11.5 hours – I was exhausted!!
So much has been going on with Faithful Workouts the last few weeks. The good news is I finished the second book for the membership. I am so excited about the topics covered. My husband proof-read it for me and I’ve never seen him so psyched to take better care of his body. He was also moved by the faith topics.
The other wonderful thing going with Faithful Workouts is that I continue to receive emails almost daily from TV viewers who write to me about how the program is inspiring them. I love hearing the stories and I feel like I have gotten to know many of you from your emails.
(This part isn’t so exciting.) After I returned from the Dominican, I realized my music licenses for TV were up for renewal. Unfortunately, at this time, I simply cannot afford to renew the licenses. I had been praying that DVD and membership sales would cover this hefty bill in “Year 2,” but they haven’t. When this all hit me last week, it made me super sad. In fact, the day I came to the conclusion that the show will need to come off Directv, Dish Network and SkyAngel, I cried on and off during most of the day. I cried because I felt like the TV viewers would think I stopped caring and that I had deserted them.
The hard thing about TV is that you can’t reach all the viewers to tell them why we have to stop the shows. If you know of anyone watching the program that is not receiving my emails please let them know what is going on.
I am extremely hopeful that the program will be back on TV eventually. I am exploring making all new programs that use only royalty-free music (if you know of any artists who have original, upbeat Christian music who might be willing to let me use their music on TV, please let me know). The good thing about producing new programs with royalty-free music is that I will hopefully be able to reach more people with God’s message. I have had to turn down other networks because of the cost of the existing licenses. There is even a network in South Africa that wants to start airing Faithful Workouts once my licenses are international!
I will continue to blog about faith, fitness and fuel topics that I hope inspire you to grow closer to God and to take better care of your body. I’m so happy that some of you have a DVD or have subscribed to the membership so that we are still connected.
One critical note: All of our DVD’s are already produced with royalties to musical artists pre-paid. So meeting our commitments to those of you with 3 and 6 month memberships is not a problem at all. It’s just those expensive TV licenses!! 
If you are interested in donating to Faithful Workouts so that TV viewers who can’t afford the DVD’s or memberships can still benefit from our ministry, you can go to http://faithfulworkouts.com/donate
One other thing of note: I am applying to convert Faithful Workouts from an LLC organization to 501C3 non-profit. This will allow me to apply for grants to help fund the production on new TV programs. Funny how God uses “curve balls” like the one I’ve been thrown to get creative about reaching more people.
It’s when situations get tough that we really have to lean on God more than ever. I’ve been trying so hard to listen to Him. I know He has a plan for Faithful Workouts and He is revealing that plan to me one step at a time. I’m excited to see the next step He has planned!!
Healthy Food of the Week: Avocado
Most people don’t know this but an avocado is actually a fruit – and a very healthy one at that. Avocados have a bit of a bad rap because they are high in fat. What some don’t realize is that our bodies need fat to function properly. Avocados are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids (healthy fat that that actually helps lower cholesterol). Avocados also contain oleic acid which has been shown to help prevent breast cancer.
Avocados also have many other health benefits. They are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Potassium can help protect against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke. The U.S. Food and Drug Association announced, “Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.”
One cup of avocado also has 23% of your daily needs for folate, a nutrient important for heart health. A study involving 80,000 women over a 14 year period found that women who had higher intakes of dietary folate had a 55% lower risk of having heart attacks or fatal heart disease. Another study showed that individuals who consume folate-rich diets have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Another benefit – even just a few slices of avocado tossed into your salad, or salsa will increase your body’s ability to absorb the health-promoting carotenoids that the vegetables provide.
Oral cancer is even more deadly than breast, skin, or cervical cancer, with a mortality rate of about 50% due to late detection, according to Great Britain’s Mouth Cancer Foundation. Avocados may offer prevention of oral cancer because of their phytonutrients.
Need more reasons to go out and buy some avocados – in addition they are a good source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and copper.
In a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, an extract of avocado containing carotenoids and tocopherols inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells. Researchers tried to use parts of the avocado makeup to determine exactly what was working against the prostate cancer cells. They determined that single components of the avocado didn’t work they needed to use the whole matrix of the avocado to kill prostate cancer cells.
Here’s what I find so interesting – when researchers determine that a certain food has health benefits they try and break apart the food to determine exactly what part of the food item is causing the benefit. Often they can’t find the answer. The food in its whole, natural state is making the difference. The food, in the state it was created, is making the whole health-promoting package. God created the food we eat to do so much more than just make our stomachs happy. I believe so many of our health problems could be solved if we ate the way God intended us to!
How to eat an avocado: Use a knife to cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Gently twist the two halves in opposite direction, the avocado will open. Remove the pit. I love to pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar into the hole left from the pit. Get a spoon and eat it right out of the shell. You can also peel it and dice it. An avocado will quickly turn brown unless you squeeze a little lemon juice or pour some vinegar on it.
Recipe for salad dressing:
1/2 cup ripened diced avocado, 1/2 cup diced tofu, 1/2 cup skim milk, salt and pepper to taste – blend together until smooth and pour over your favorite salad!
One note of caution: Although the fat in avocado is a healthy fat you still need to watch how many you eat if you are trying to watch your weight. The good thing is you don’t need a lot of avocado; one cup is enough, to receive the health benefits talked about.
I want to hear your thoughts!
I am so excited!! We’re getting close to launching a new concept for Faithful Workouts. We will offer a membership that will allow me to give you more ideas about faith, fitness and nutrition. The plan is to have the membership include exercise DVDs, a guidebook with faith, fitness and fuel tips, goal setting and journaling, emails with new exercises, cooking class videos with quick and healthy suggestions, a forum where you can connect with each other and more. Before we finalize this concept I would love to hear from you. What can I do to help motivate you to grow spiritually and physically stronger? Please send me any thoughts or ideas you have. Hope to hear from you.