Healthy eating. Healthy Body. Healthy Mind.

So this page is going to be dedicated to healthy eating and a healthy self-image. I want to have a healthy relationship with food and exercise and think this is a great way to work on this!! Look for recipes, work-out ideas and updates on food and exercise!

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May 26, 2013

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 30:31

Lord, may we desire to fear you. That we would desire this more than being pleasing to the world.

February 7, 2013

The Mirror: A Love/Hate Relationship

Do you ever feel like your day is controlled by the mirror? I’ve realized how much my attitude towards the day depends on how I percieve the image that is reflected back at me. It’s like I stand there with my mental checkboard.
Hair?
Jeans?
Skin?
Overall?

The skeptic in me sits back and point out every little negative detail and maximizes the minimums….
Just for once it would be nice to glance in the mirror and be confident and unashamed. Anyone else feel that way? 🙂

So, instead of leaving my dorm room with a joyful heart, ready to seize the day, I leave with my heavy backpack and a couple of shackles around me feet… They jingle to the tune of “not good enough” and “not valuable/worth it” etc.

After wearing these shackles for so long, you kind of forget about them and go on with life, coexisting with the lies as if they are simply just a part of you.

Did you ever think that you weren’t meant to live that way?
What if the shackels aren’t meant to be a part of you?
What if they never were supposed to link to you in the first place?

You think, “Well that’s impossible. These things that I say to myself and how the mirror speaks to me is true.”

What we have to realize is that the mirror speaks lies.

Yes, lies.

In fact, this is the one of the most essential things to ridding yourself of these chains. To realize that the chains are lies.

Here’s the definition of a lie.

Lie. n. –> something that misleads or decieves
–>an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker

So, if the shackels are actually lies… the shackels that say, “you’re worth is dependent on your appearance,” or “you’re not beautiful until x,y, or z” or “you’re not good enough” or “you’ll never measure up….” then, we are living decieved.

I don’t want to live a decieved life. I want to live.

I heard a quote once that say that some die without ever actually living.

When I let the mirror and others decide how I view myself and posture myself and view my future, then all of my joy and life is gone.

Do any of you struggle with this same thing? Maybe it’s not to the extent that it’s always on your mind and it ruins your whole day, but nonetheless, if we even believe these things a little to where they’re in the back of our minds and we don’t root them out, then we are living in deceit.

Jesus came to give life and life to the full and he said to fix our eyes on things above – the things not seen.

How can we begin to look in the mirror and not be disgusted, or dissatisfied?

I think we have to start procliaming the Truth over our lives that our worth is not defined by what we percieve to be “beautiful.”
Proverbs 31:36 “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Beauty is not meant to be skin deep, ladies. It’s not meant to depend on your body shape, or how thin your legs are, or whether your hair is the perfect cut. Beauty is so so much more than this.

It’s the deep, perfect embodimenet of who you are – your character, your personality – how you’re eyes light up when you laugh.

We have to start seeing this as our beauty. Otherwise we will continue to strap the shackles on everyday. oh yeah, it’s you and me that are strapping them on. Jesus said, “For it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Gal 5:1

He has set you free, beautiful girl. If you feel stuck in all of this, I promise you, there is a way out. Hold onto hope and cry out for Jesus’ sweet Truth.

He has made you for so much more. I can’t even see you right now, but I can tell you, that you are beautiful.

Let His beautiful peace rush into your heart and push out all those negative thoughts. Let Him clean you up. He wants to hold you and show you how much He loves you.

Peace to you tonight.
Love, Bekah

Sure, we can say this, but do we believe it?

January 24, 2013

In the US, health is a large topic of constant discussion. Even more so amoung young women, there seems to always exist the desire, whether consciously or non consciously stated, to be “healthy.”

This is a reasonable and well, healthy desire and something that we should all strike for. But what about when this desire grows to become an obsession that starts to dominate your life? What then?

If you’ve ever experienced this, you know what I mean. The desire to become healthy suddenly becomes very unhealthy when you begin to be dissatisfied with your body type and then do things to change this to be something you were never meant to be

But how do you try and be healthy without crossing this line between a healthy desire and lifestyle, and an overwhelming, unhealthy burden?

It all is rooted in how we see ourselves.

Have you ever seen those mirrors that purposely distort your image so that your wavy or thin or really fat? Well, I believe that a lot of us women see a distorted view even when we look into a “normal” mirror.

What if you looked in the mirror and instead of seeing all the negative little things that seem so detrimental and awful so all these feelings of self hatred start building – what if instead, we saw what Jesus sees?

Remember, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and we are made in his image.

December 26, 2012

 

(this could also read prince, for all you men 🙂 )

Remember who you are and what you stand for. Lift your head up high because your Dad is looking down on you with love and pride! Live free because you are free and so loved!!

August 20, 2012

What a gorgeous day!!! It’s so so beautiful outside!!!

So, I thought I’d share my exercise of the day! To the fridge… back to the couch… to the fridge… back to the couch. 🙂 Jk. Some days just need to be that way, and I think that’s perfectly ok but not today! 🙂

This morning I went on a lovely 2 mi. walk with my mum ❤

And then did a up-tempo-ish 2 mi. run through the neighborhood. Then quickly dashed upstairs, tried to cool off, and flew away to my hair cut appointment. My poor hair stylist! 🙂 Oh well, they wash my hair anyway, right?

Right.

🙂

So now I’m home… with my new bright pink hair-doo…

Just kidding, it was just a trim! 🙂 My family may disown me if I dyed my hair bright pink…

Anyway, what are you going to do today to get active?

Go on a short walk during break? Play basketball or soccer tonight with your family? Lift weights or work in the garden?

Whatever it is, make it fun, because being active should be FUN. 🙂

Make the most of today!!! It’s yours for the making!

Cheerio!

August 17, 2012—-Healthy Mind——-

Wow. God has been teaching me a lot about having a healthy mind. A lot about how important it is to feel good about yourself and be proud of who you are.

The past few years I’ve really struggled with this because I’m like the world’s #1 best comparer. 🙂 Not a good thing, btw. Always, no matter where I am, I find myself comparing myself to the people around me – whether it’s body image, clothes, talents, successes.. etc. And boy, does it not bring life.

It just leaves you feeling like you’re never good enough. But that’s not where God wants us to be. He doesn’t look down at you and smile for a moment and then move on to the next person, marking you for your talents or as you think, lack of talents.

No, he looks down on you, YOU, and His gaze is ever fixed upon us. He doesn’t want us to be tearing ourselves down, never feeling like we’re good enough. Because the Truth is, we’re not good enough. None of us our- that’s why he came to save us and SET US FREE from the curse of sadness, loneliness, self-condemnation, depression etc.

The Truth is there is always going to be people to compare yourself to. As long as you live here on earth, there are always going to be people around you that might appear to have a better this or a nicer that. But God doesn’t say fix your eyes on your neighbor and measure your worth by what they have or look like. Instead we are to  “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2

We’re not just to look or glance at Jesus… but we’re actually meant to fix our eyes on Him. Think about that for a moment. When your eyes are fixed on something, can you really focus on anything else?

That’s what He wants us to do. Be so focused on Him so that everything else fades in the background.

There’s no way that I can get out of feeling down on myself or rid myself or self-condemnation without His grace and His Truth. Because no matter how hard I try, I always end back at square one. But when I submit these thoughts about myself to Jesus, and instead of asking what others or the mirror thinks, and instead ask Him what He thinks, then change happens.

Because His thoughts become my thoughts. And I can begin to see what He thinks about me.

It’s been so so unbelievably refreshing. Wow. Our Father is so good to us.

So instead of asking others what they think, or asking what the mirror thinks, ask your Daddy what He thinks. Instead of fixing your thoughts and your eyes on temporary, superficial things, and allowing them to discourage and define you, fix your eyes on Jesus, and ask Him what He thinks.

Because I promise you, His eyes are fixed on you and they are brimming over with love and compassion. He loves you. He loves you.  He wants what’s best for you. And He wants you to know that you are beautiful, you are more than worth it, and He wants you to live with PURPOSE, JOY and HOPE. Walk in freedom, today. You already have it.

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

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August 4, 2012 Chipmunk Cheeks and Ice Cream

The wisdom for today.

When you get your wisdom teeth out, you look like this:

You feel like this:

And you eat lots of this:

Happy camping!

Love your chipmunk-cheeked, tummy full-o-ice cream, wisdom teeth-less friend! 🙂

July 28. 2012. Runner’s High

Yup! New shoes! Aren’t they purty? 🙂 Not quite as vibrant as my last ones but still pretty sick! This is one of those “you know you’re a runner when” moments, because….  “you know you’re a runner when” it’s like Christmas opening that cardboard box and lacing up your new pair of shoes. The new shoe smell! Ah! Then taking them out and feeling like your flying as you coast down sidewalks and dance across grassy stretches. So special. You know what I mean. 🙂

I will miss these though: 😦

Along with my lovely butterfly friend, Alice. Haha!  Not really, she just stopped by for a rest one day 🙂

It’s been so wonderful to get back into running. I have been out for about a year and a half with tendonitis, and it’s been quite a journey. That being said though, I wouldn’t take back the journey for anything. God has taught me so much about myself and His plans for me. He’s shown me how He cares so much that He doesn’t want running or anything else to be my identity or consume me. I’m learning how to run for the right reasons and not just because I feel like I have to be a slave to exercise. I want to get to that place where I run because I love, love, LOVE it and not because I feel like I have to. It’s been a healing process – both of my heart and my mind.

Our bodies are temples for Him and I want to glorify Him with my thoughts and actions towards myself as well as with my body.

Continue to renew my mind, Lord!

So whether you run, walk, swim, bike, etc. … do it because you LOVE it. Not because you’re a slave to it. It’s not worth it. Ask God to renew your mind so you can see yourself as He sees you.