Posts

,

One Simple Way to Get Healthy

For the fourth straight year in a row, U.S. life expectancy has yet again declined.

How is it that the one of the wealthiest nations on the planet has the poorest health?

How is it in a world with access to money, food, and medical care that poor health is on the rise and life expectancy is on the decline?

Despite our nation having the highest per capita spending on healthcare, Americans are more likely to die from poor health by age 65 than their counterparts in other countries.

 

This news grieves me and I can only imagine it grieves God. It does not have to be this way. Sickness and disease do not have to be our portion. Here’s what Jesus has to say:

 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

 

It is God’s desire that we walk in wholeness. He said He would not put disease on us (Exodus 15:26). But let me say this. From the Word of God we see repeatedly that His promises have conditions. His promises require our obedience. In Exodus 15:26 He said He would not put the disease on you IF:

 

  • You heed His voice
  • Do what is right in His sight
  • Give ear to His commandments
  • Keep His statutes

 

So the first step, and one simple way to get healthy is to OBEY God. That’s it. It’s just that simple really. It all begins and end with obedience.

 

Obedience to God will show you what’s going on with your health and why. Obedience to God will empower you to make the right lifestyle choices for health. Obedience to God will activate the Holy Spirit’s power to work in you to will and to do for God’s pleasure as opposed to your flesh (Philippians 2:13). Obedience to God will enable you to walk away from those things that detract from your health.

 

Now I’m not saying that process is easy but I am telling you what I know. And I KNOW that obedience is one simple way to get healthy. How do I know? I’ve been walking the journey myself for over 15 years. Daily I present myself a living sacrifice. Daily I take up my cross and follow Him. Daily I recognize that body body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And daily He compels me to obey Him.

 

Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure in almost all cases can be eradicated with lifestyle changes. But it’s up to you to decide. It’s up to you to declare that you shall LIVE and not die then it’s up to you to follow through on that declaration with actions that support LIFE. We support life when we:

 

  • Eat the good of the earth, Genesis 1:29 foods
  • Eliminate processed foods
  • Cut the sodas, cookies, cakes and other sugar
  • Avoid the fatty fried foods
  • Get sunshine, clear air and exercise
  • Pray and meditate

 

In this manner you choose blessing not cursing so that you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

 

I’ve made CHOOSING LIFE accessible to you by pulling together 30 of my favorite salad recipes. These salads and homemade dressings support your body’s ability to ward off sickness and disease while enabling you to be healthy, strong and vigorous. CLICK HERE for my book 30 Days 30 Ways to Salad Heaven.

 

PRAY WITH ME……

 

Elohim, Mighty God you are my Creator. Thank you for forming me fearfully and wonderfully in your image. I thank you for your Spirit which dwells within me and empowers me to do your will. Lord I present my body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to you. I thank you Lord for sending your son Jesus through whom I have life and have it to the full. Lord I repent for the times I’ve dishonored you by abusing my body with lack of nourishment, lack of rest and lack of exercise. You said you would not put disease on me if I listen to your voice, do what is right and obey you. Lord I commit to listening to you and obeying you. It is because of your mercies that I am not consumed. Thank you for your abounding grace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired to Live Fully!

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

3 Step Easy Elderberry Syrup

Well, with five school aged children and a toddler who’s a thumb sucker, my crew has the potential to come into contact with lots of germies. So how do we keep our immune systems healthy and strong? We do that by eating lots of fruits and veggies, hand washing, exericse and getting adequate rest.

But to bolster our ability to fight off illness, we have another weapon in our arsenal.

Elderberry Syrup

As far back as Ancient Egypt, people have been using Elderberries as part of their wellness plan. Elderberries, also known as Sambucus, are used to treat a variety of ailments such as cold, fevers and nasal congestion.

Over the last few years I’ve been asked on many occasions my recipe for elderberry syrup so I’m finally taking an opportunity to write it down here for all my buddies who are looking for a recipe. Elderberry syrup can be purchased in your local natural food store but it’s just as easy to make and more cost effective to just whip up at batch since you may already have a few of the ingredients right at home.

Elderberry Syrup

1/2 cup dried elderberries

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

2 inch piece fresh ginger (peeled & sliced)

4 cups water

1/2 cup honey

Step 1

In a pot bring 4 cups water to boil. Add all ingredients except honey. Simmer on medium low for about 20 minutes or until liquid reduces by half.

Step 2

Remove from heat and strain.

Step 3

Add honey and stir well. Store in a mason jar in the fridge.

Here’s to keeping your family healthy and whole during cold and flu season.

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

/0 Comments/by

5 Steps For Reclaiming Your Health When You’ve Fallen Off The Wagon

All it takes is ONE thing. 

Any.one.thing.

Working late one evening.

Extreme fatigue one day.

A phone call delivering bad news.


Then, you look up one day and realize you’ve fallen off the wagon.

But such is life right? Stops and starts and stops and starts again. Life can be cyclical like that at times. But just because you binged on those cookies doesn’t mean you cannot recover well. It does no good to swim in a sea of self-condemnation because all that will do is drive you into the arms of the next cookie; nor does it erase all the positive steps you made in seeking to honor your temple. 

God saw you the day you kept walking past the office kitchen loaded with donuts. God saw you the day you chose the apple out of your purse instead of the candy from the vending machine. God saw you when you made it to your 6am bootcamp class when you wanted nothing more than to sleep late on that rainy morning. 

And because God sees you and loves you, He’s willing to help you get back on track. All is not lost. Here’s the good news. Falling off isn’t fatal, it’s staying there that will cause you trouble. Now get up, dust yourself off and get back on it! When we fall, God is faithful to pick us up and set our feet on solid ground (Psalm 40:2).

Here are your 5 Steps For Reclaiming Your Health When You’ve Fallen Off The Wagon


Destroy The Idols & Repent

Anytime we allow anything to consume us, to become an elevated object of our affection or to replace the space devoted to God, we allow that thing to become an idol. And food surely has a way of becoming an idol. Slothfulness has a way of becoming an idol. Right now in Jesus’ name we bring destruction to anything we’ve allowed to become an idol. Repentance is our inward response to knowing we’ve done something offensive to God. It is when we own up to our wrongdoing and decide that we will turn away from it. So today we stand and declare that idols are eradicated and we repent for dishonoring our temples.


Forgive Yourself

The enemy of our souls seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) and as such seeks to rip you to shreds. He will play the highlight reel of every stumble you’ve ever had. He will keep reminding you, “Guilty, guilty, guilty!”

BUT GOD! 

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed  you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:1-2

So forgive yourself and silence the enemy. Jesus’ death presents you holy, without blemish and free from accusation (Colossians 1:22). There is freedom in forgiveness so forgive yourself as God forgives you.


Self Assess

So how did you fall off the wagon? Were you overworked and overwhelmed? Were your hormones out of whack? Assess how you got here. Are there any particular triggers, patterns or even times of year that contribute to you neglecting your health? I had some triggers this summer. You can read more of that HERE. Knowing how you got here can help you cut it off at the pass should you start leaning off the wagon.


Enlist Support

We are not made to traverse the rigors of life alone. Thus, it is crucial that we are in a supportive community that encourages us, teaches us AND holds us accountable. Where is that community for you? Well, you’ve got one RIGHT HERE. It is not easy when you go to work and there is sugar on your co-worker’s desk. It is not easy when the grocery store is mainly stocked with junk masquerading as food. It is not easy when you truly don’t have the energy and motivation to workout. It is not easy when you want to read a novel more than you want to read your bible. Argh! But that is exactly when community support kicks in, giving us the prod we need to stay on the right track. In community we sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17), restore one another and bear each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-2).


Holistic Approach

Remember you are a triune being. You are a spirit, housed within a body, with a soul that allows you to engage with God’s creation. Thus any plan for honoring your health has to be a holistic one. You must nurture your spirit, nourish your body and regulate your soul. To neglect any one of these areas is to neglect them all. 

By employing the above steps, I’m certain you’ll be riding high on the wellness wagon. Let me know in the comments which step you might find challenging so that I can pray with you.

“Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20


For DAILY inspiration be sure you’re following me on FB & on IG


As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

/0 Comments/by
,

I Choose To Be Healthy

I haven’t always honored my temple.

 

I haven’t always known how.

 

When I look at pictures of myself from my thicker days, I thought I was doing some things right then. But I was young and didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t understand that though my frozen dinners were low in fat, they were high in sugar and sodium. I didn’t know that drowning my salad in blue cheese dressing undid all of what I thought I was accomplishing in eating the big plate of leafy greens.

 

Tyra in college

 

When I did learn how to honor my temple, I didn’t always obey. But I have to ask myself, “Do you want to be in health and prosper even as your soul prospers?” We have to decide. I choose to be healthy.

 

Even now, some days are difficult. Just recently I engaged in the battle of the bulge. You can read more about that here. I’m happy to say I waged an all out assault and have since claimed rounds 1 & 2 victorious! I’ve been even more disciplined in my exercise regime, I try to get adequate rest, though I think a new bed would greatly help in that area and my eating habits are good.

 

I would say my diet is very clean. That means I consume food that is minimally processed and most closely resembles its natural state. But even in that, I knew I could clean it up even more. So for those of us who already eat clean and for those who want to do better, here’s how I’ve raised the bar for myself in the past few weeks:

 

~Cut Back Sugar

On average, Americans consume about 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day. I probably consumed on average 4-6 teaspoons a day. It lurks in nearly everything. Even in a clean diet it can add up. Even if my healthy friends aren’t consuming refined sugar, several teaspoons a day of maple syrup, agave, honey, coconut palm sugar, Stevia, fill in the blank…add up. So see if there are ways to cut back. I used to have 2 teaspoons in the morning in my coffee. Then I cut that back to 1. Then I cut my coffee. Jesus is still helping me with that transition. You can read more about cutting coffee here. I also cut my “natural” treats like coconut milk ice cream, again the sugar.

 

~Cut Carbs

I am not waging a war against carbs. But really, do I need to eat pasta more than once a week, even if it is whole-wheat pasta? Do I need to eat a grain with every meal? I’m constantly challenging myself to rethink the plate. We’ve come to know the plate as large section of meat, medium sized portion of starch and small portion of vegetables (read more on that here). So lately I’ve been swapping out my pasta with zucchini noodles, cutting the amount of rice (even though it’s brown rice) and having no baked goods (bread, muffins {even though the muffins would be homemade using all natural ingredients}, cookies).

 

 

~Cut The Salty Snacks

Oh dear, I really love and miss tortilla chips. I could easily have tortilla chips 1-3 times a week. A moderate serving size coupled with my favorite hummus. I had rationalized, “I’m eating healthy here Lord, cut me some slack. It’s just organic blue corn tortilla chips and homemade hummus.” And while those snacks are much healthier than Lay’s potato chips, tortilla chips are still fried. And hummus while it is healthy is high in calories for a small serving. So again, it’s obeying God and knowing where I can cut back a little. I’m not saying I won’t eat them again, I’m just cutting back for a while as I temper my actions and taste buds with self-discipline and self-control (I also had to comfortably get back in my jeans). Even raw nuts, which are one of my go to healthy snacks have to be consumed in moderation because they are high in fat (albeit good fats but still high) and they are acidic. And really, who can eat just one serving of nuts? One serving of almond is just 14 almonds! Man, I can eat 3x that easily.

 

I keep this statement before me as a caution in helping me decide to choose well.

 

What will I do today to add to not detract from my health?

 

So throughout the day, when I am presented with CHOICE, I ask myself…

 

~Will eating a croissant add to or detract from my health?

 

~Will this cup of coffee add to or detract from my health?

 

~Will this kale salad add to or detract from my health?

 

~I’m sleepy but will this exercise add to or detract from my health?

 

There is no food Swiss neutral. What you consume either promotes or negates good health.

 

While this may be radical for some, for me it’s just obeying what God has called ME to do. I am not only responsible for my health, but I have to provide nourishment for my husband and my five children. The decisions I make today, will directly affect my children’s DNA thus directly affecting their children to come. I have to be an example for the women I serve in ministry. I need to be strong and healthy in my body to carry out all that God has tasked to my hands. I do not want to defile my body but want His light to radiate uninhibited from this temple so that it draws others near to Him and the decisions I make throughout the day directly impact that. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes I fail.  But I will try.

 

What is God whispering to you about what you can do to honor Him by honoring your temple?

 

So again I ask, not what can you do, but what WILL you do to add to not detract from your health today?

 

I choose to be healthy. And you can too. Discipline, self-control and obedience pay off.   I am still a work in progress but I feel strong and capable to run with endurance the race set before me.

before and after

Tyra Lane-Kingsland

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Feature Image Photo Credit
Happy to connect with friends at Dance With Jesus & Fellowship Friday

/6 Comments/by