Surmising a Slimmer Summer

Though I posted this several posts ago, now seemed like a good time to dig it back out since summer seems to be on the horizon.

Well, we finally made it. Last month I was really wondering if it would ever come. Thank God it’s finally Spring! I am not a cold weather person. I would sooner sweat than shiver so I’m always glad to see that last pile of you-know-what melt. I’m of the opinion that it’s actual name is a four letter word for a reason. And now that my least favorite season is out of the way, I expect that most of us are pondering the ways in which we can look less like Frosty and melt away that pesky winter weight. Here are a few healthy ideas for a slimmer summer.

Though it originally took me some time to get used to the idea, whole wheat flour is not only beneficial for the digestive tract, but it has the potential to bring some stability for those who find that their blood sugar tends to run high. Eating whole wheat breads and pastas in place of the "bleached, enriched" white stuff is an easy change that can make a noticeable difference when done consistently. And these things can be easily found at your typical grocery store.

Another easy change is oatmeal in place of potato chips and pretzels. And when I say oatmeal, I’m not talking about the stuff that comes in little packets that’s loaded with lots of sugar and midget pieces of dried up polygons that they try to pass off as fruit. I’m talking the old fashioned stuff that comes in the cardboard canister. By the way, the old-fashioned stuff can be microwaved. Don’t let the "old-fashioned" thing fool ya. This also can be purchased at your typical grocery store. And it’s not bad at all when you mix it with a teaspoon or two of a sugar substitute and some REAL fruit – like a chopped banana, apple or some strawberries.

And speaking of sugar, the white granulated stuff is one of the worst for interfering with weight loss। For whatever ridiculous reason, almost every food manufacturer likes to include it in prepackaged items. They like to use high fructose corn syrup and dextrose, too. And you’ll find it in the most unexpected of places if you’re an avid label reader – places such as spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, even canned fruit and breakfast cereal. The good news is that some sugar substitutes that you can cook with include Splenda, Altern and Aprive. And they can even be sprinkled over cereal, in coffee or tea or wherever you might want a little extra sweetness. Once again, stocked in your typical grocery store.

As much as most of us don’t like to hear the "e" word, exercise that is, it does make a difference. Not only in our weight, but also in reducing our stress level. Finding a form that you like is really important because it can make a big difference in your ability to motivate yourself to stick with it. Having an "exercise buddy" can be helpful, too. Walking and hiking are great forms of exercise. Other options are dancing, swimming, biking, chasing after your kids and just about any sport that gets you up and moving three or four days a week for at least 15 minutes. While this is by no means a complete list of options for a slimmer summer, it will hopefully spark a few ideas along the way.

Refocusing our Trust

One of many things that I have found to be key in the Christian walk is focus. Distractions can come in many forms. Relationships, money (or lack of it), pain possessions, issues at work, even simple discomfort from extreme heat or cold can steal our focus. And when we let these things distract us, then we forget that God is our provider, healer, peace, joy and basically, able to give us all that we need to handle any struggle that we bring to Him. But some distractions aren‘t viewed as a hardship. Holidays can be a distraction. So can things like sporting events, movies, electronic gadgets and concerts.

Distractions are not prejudiced. They transcend race, gender, age, denominational affiliation, vocation, social class and more. They may look slightly different from generation to generation, but we’ve all anxiously encountered their hungry persistence. They’re like stray cats who feast on our keynote musings. If you continue to feed them and let them hang around your back porch, they won’t go away. And when they draw a person’s focus away from their personal relationship with Jesus, they become a form of idolatry.

There are a lot of people who are pretty rattled over the loss in value of their 401K, the future of health care, all the irresponsible bail outs going on in Washington, and the overall future of where our economy is headed. And if your company is struggling you might even feel that your job isn’t real secure, either. Now I’m not trying to minimize anything. These concerns are some tuff stuff with which we all have to deal. But in the midst of all this, when we know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, those things can draw us closer to Him and not drive us away – it just depends on where we choose to focus. Realizing that we don’t have any control over our future, and that He is the only one who can get us through the tough times can be a springboard that makes us choose to deepen our relationship with Him. That can be accomplished through prayer, reading and memorizing portions of His Word that bring us comfort, and trying to stay in fellowship with people of like faith who encourage us in our walk with Him.

The Twila Paris song that I mentioned several posts ago, "God is in Control" continues to run through my head. Especially the concept in the first verse that this isn’t the time to be in fear; this is a time for faith and a time to be determined to hang on to the vision that God has placed in our hearts for our futures. At the very least, we can know that God has a future of peace and hope for His people because of Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11 – and some of us of may have even been given a more specific vision than that in our times of prayer with our Lord.

Jesus tells us not to lay up treasures on earth, but to lay them up in heaven (Matthew chapter 6 verse 19). Given the days that we are in presently, we are certainly being tested as to what values we hold dear, and in what, or whom, we are choosing to place our trust. But we can’t allow ourselves to get distracted by the tenacity or the intensity of the test. You see, a test is for a limited time only. Even if it seems more like a college exam, it’s still going to come to an end. The good news is that this test is open book, and we have a moderator who is allowed and wants to lead us to the right answers. Sometimes those leadings take on the form of "godly" counsel from those more experienced than ourselves, and sometimes we’ll receive them by a "revelation" in our times of prayer and /or Bible reading, but we can be sure that God has not abandoned or forsaken us when we have a mind to seek His will and ways - and refocus our trust on Him.