As we get caught up in the whirlwind of our hectic schedules, it’s easy to forget that we are to do all we do to the praise and glory of God. But as we keep our goals with God’s glory in mind, we stay connected to His supernatural power.

Examine where you might have “settled” in your daily routine. How can you determine to access more of God’s power in your eating and exercise habits? Be eternally minded and think of developing more self-control, faithfulness and endurance as you take your health and fitness goals to the next level. Most assuredly, as you get healthier, it brings God more glory.

Jesus said in John 14:31, “But [Satan is coming and] I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world would know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Lord has instructed me to do.” To be most effective, even Jesus had to draw some boundaries. Let’s stay focused on our goals, while not letting the busyness of life steal our time, and make sure that we stay headed in the right direction—doing only what the Father has instructed us to do. We do not want to waste one minute pursuing things that would take us in the wrong direction – leading us away from God’s purpose.

Make a list of all your activities and ask yourself if they are in line with God’s call on your life. Are you really called to be involved, or are some activities pulling you away from God—away from Love? Think about how healthy boundaries would alleviate much of your stress. Think about how when we operate our lives within the borders of God’s instructions, we will experience more and more success in the areas that are truly important. Think about how living in this busy day and age with healthy boundaries will help us experience a more peaceful life.

As we get closer to Christmas, let’s commit to know God better in “all things,” and to acknowledge Him in “all our ways,” and we can rest assured that He will lead us where we need to go, and what we need to be doing.

Morning, noon and night, continue to acknowledge the Way of the Word—God’s ways. It is through knowing Him and what He says that our paths lead us to victory.  Are you flexible enough to change course if needed? Are you patient enough to continue down a long path?

And speaking of flexibility, take 10 minutes in the evening to sit and stretch your hamstrings, neck, back and shoulders. Use this time of relaxation to acknowledge God’s love and wisdom, and thank Him that He is directing your paths!

If you want to cut calories to lose weight for the holidays, please do not skip breakfast!  Make sure you eat something every morning to get your metabolism burning. Eating a healthy breakfast and a healthy lunch will help you fight off excess hunger later in the evening. You can do it!

Our bodies are uniquely different because that is the way God created us. He knows us inside and out, He knows exactly what, when and how we should eat to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy body. The Lord will help us become consistent in eating a healthy, balanced diet so we can lose weight.

I encourage you to use your faith to retrain your thinking and senses. One of my favorite scriptures is found in Hebrews 5:14: “… for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law” (AMP). Our senses are trained by “reason of use.”

Each time we make the right choices, we are training our senses to do the right thing.

Each time we eat only when we are hungry rather than when we are stressed, we are training our senses.

Each time we overcome temptation, we are training our senses.

Each time we walk away from overeating in favor of eating healthy and “doing,” something productive, we are training our senses.

Before we know it, healthy eating habits, routine exercise and feeling great will become a part of a healthier lifestyle.  The Bible tells us, that as a man thinks in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7).  I encourage you to:

1. Think about how much God loves you, right now, just as you are. You must learn to love yourself and your body just as God loves you.

2. Stop thinking of yourself as overweight. Every time you think of your weight, confess your ideal body weight. Say this: “Father, I thank you that I weigh______ pounds. I enjoy healthy food, I am committed to exercise, and I always make healthy choices. I lose weight quickly and easily, and my body maintains its ideal weight. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I am so glad that you have made the decision to seize the best God has for you. The Lord created you and loves you, and He desires for you to be blessed in every area of life. I admire your determination and courage.

We also would be honored to have you join our prayer team. You can sign up on HigherFitness.com. It’s free, and we pray for each other every day.  Each month I send out an email with a prayer and a few scriptures to mediate on.  It’s great to know that people are supporting you in prayer and joining with you in faith on this journey of attaining health and Higher Fitness.

Muscle is valuable for many reasons, including its ability to burn calories. In fact, 1 pound of muscle burns about 35 calories a day, whereas 1 pound of fat burns only 2 calories.

Studies tell us that between the ages of 20 and 30, without weight-resistant exercise, we begin to lose muscle. As we age, the rate at which we lose seems to increase slightly. As we lose muscle, our basal metabolic rate slows down, which means we are burning fewer calories. This change in metabolism generally means a gain in fat. Let’s say that between the ages of 30 and 40, we have lost 10 pounds of muscle and gained about 10 pounds of fat. That means that in 10 years, we would have a 20-pound body composition change and still weigh the same amount.

There is another interesting aspect to muscle. Muscle is denser and takes up much less space than fat. You could therefore maintain the same weight you are now and be 2 sizes smaller by gaining 10 pounds of muscle and losing 10 pounds of fat. Just think, by increasing your muscle, or your lean body mass by 10 pounds, you would increase your metabolic rate by about 350 calories a day. Just gaining 5 pounds of muscle would increase your calorie expenditure by 175 calories a day. That’s 63,875 calories or 18 pounds a year.

No wonder as we age it is so easy to gain fat simply by not exercising. Many people are frustrated by the fact that they eat just as they always have, but now they are gaining weight, not realizing that each year without resistance exercise, their metabolisms are slowing down. Exercise is the only way to reverse this effect of aging.

Many people, especially women, are afraid of getting “too muscley,” so they avoid strength-training exercises altogether. I know because I used to be one of those people, but that was before I discovered that muscle not only makes you feel better and look more toned, it also greatly increases your body’s ability to burn fat. After so many years of starvation dieting, my metabolism needed to be raised from the dead. It seemed as though it was impossible for me to lose weight and keep it off. Replacing lost muscle was crucial to reaching and maintaining my weight-loss goals.  I encourage you to take action now to gain muscle so that you can reach and maintain your weight-loss goals.

I have found that I get quicker and more lasting results with weight loss when I do these two things together – increase my exercise and decrease my calories.  Can you lose weight by only reducing calories?  Yes, but by adding or increasing your exercise, the muscle that is gained will help burn more calories, and you will lose weight faster.

Consider this:  just by adding a fast 15-20 minute walk (approximately 1 mile) to your routine, you can burn 100 extra calories per day. Do this, and nothing more every day for a year, and you will lose 10 pounds, assuming your food intake just stays the same.

Now if you also eliminate 100 calories from your diet each day (perhaps a soft drink, cream in your coffee or sweet treat), you could knock off another 10 more pounds that year. These two easy adjustments could make you 20 pounds lighter in one year, and if you choose to do add more exercise and reduce more calories each day, you will lose much more than that!

Remember, for lasting weight loss it is best to decrease calories and increase exercise.  By doing these two things, you can be on your way to reaching your health and fitness goals!

It is not worth it to make healthy choices all day and then “blow it” by eating something late at night that will take you away from your goals. Keep in mind, I’ve been workimg for many years to learn about healthy eating and have discovered  what works best for me.  So will you! I’ve found  that an occasional healthy treat helps me enjoy life more and keeps me from feeling deprived!

God is perfect, and although we sometimes make mistakes, He is in us and turns our weaknesses into strengths. God had to deliver me from “a perfectionist” mentality so that I could be free from shame and guilt when eating one wrong thing.

The important thing is that we want to improve and get better and stronger. As long as we keep moving in the right direction, we are succeeding. When you are eating healthy and getting the results you want, then what you are doing is working for you! I consider it a wonderful thing to enjoy an occasional treat without experiencing any shame or guilt. It’s a choice that I’m free to make. But I’ve also learned to choose “healthier treats.” God wants us to be free, to live moderately and to enjoy our lives. If you occasionally “blow it,” don’t let shame and guilt pressure you to continue to overeat. Repent, receive forgiveness and cleansing, and immediately get right back on track and God will most assuredly help you.