Friday, August 19, 2011

The Word Of Wisdom For Today ~

Good Nutrition and Exercise-
Our Word of Wisdom ~




Here it almost September and I feel like I haven't  had a chance to enjoy the summer. Part of the reason for this is because of the weather and another reason was recovering from ankle surgery. We had a very very long spring. I can feel fall in the air; and it is one of my favorite seasons of the year.
I am a goal setter but not good at being a doer. Thus when September comes every year; I re- evaluate my goals that I set for January. For the past 30 + years my goals each January are the same. I do add a couple of new ones every year; but basically the goals are  identical to the year before. A majority of these goals have not been reached at least in their fullness.
A few of the items on my forever list are to lose weight, exercise more, eat less and eat what is good for me. Mind you I have been struggling with weight issues for years. I am what is called a Yo Yo dieter. I never start a diet on Monday; because I will break it by Tuesday. I never diet on the week-end; because I can't resist eating out and or enjoying candy and popcorn at a movie. Therefore, I only have 4 days out of the week to actually stay on track which isn't enough time. I have tried every diet known to man. I could teach and have taught a class on what to eat, how much to eat, where to eat, when to eat. I truly do love food. I am addicted to chocolate and I may need to do the twelve step program for this one addiction. I also Yo Yo with my exercise programs.
In the last post I wrote about being dedicated to a cause. Losing weight is a commitment and no one loses weight until they have either been scared to death due to health concerns or commit totally to the concept of being healthy. I want to be healthy but I don't want to pay the price.  I have been thinking for a very long time that I need to make a health commitment in my life before it is too late for me to feel better. Already I am feeling the aches and pains of aging.
 I have hopes of living a long life because I have longevity in my ancestral lines. Right now I have 2 Aunts who are presently 97 and 90 years old. My father passed away at 86 and my mother was 90 years old.
One day I asked my sweet Aunts what they thought were reason for their longevity.

My Aunt Della and Aunt Alene
Here are a few of their thoughts. Growing up our family always had a garden and we ate mostly fruits and vegetables. We made our own whole wheat bread. Aunt Della started to make the bread for the family when she was 11 years old. We cooked from scratch and made bread, pies and apple dumplings were a favorite. When the harvest time came for our fruits and vegetables we would eat the fresh fruits and vegetables and  bottle the produce also for the winter months. We had chickens so we had eggs. We ate very little meat.  We didn't have cars so we walked every place. We played outside with friends and with our imagination we would make up games to play. We loved to roller skate and play physical games such as softball and kick ball.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have in our scriptures  Doctrine and Covenants 89; this is the Lord's revelation on health called the Word of Wisdom. This revelation was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith on February 27, 1833. Today this Word of Wisdom is the current belief in the world of good nutrition.
In this revelation we are commanded to abstain from : Alcohol, Tobacco, Coffee, Tea, Illegal drugs, and other harmful or addictive substances. As members of the church we are responsible to obey this commandment. The Word of Wisdom also teaches us that we should eat grains, fruits and vegetables. We are to eat meat sparingly.
The Apostle Paul referred to the body as a temple in 1 Corinthians 3: 16-17: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dweeleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. "
One of the main reasons we came to this earth was to gain a body. We do have a responsibility to care for this body, our  very own temple.
Here are the promises that are given to us if we obey this commandment as found in D&C 89:18-21:
18."And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones:
19. "And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge even hidden treasures;
20. "And will run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21. "And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel and not slay them. Amen."
I can see fully the path I need to take. I know that if I keep this commandment in my own life that I will be more sensitive to the Spirit, more receptive to guidance from Heavenly Father. I will hopefully listen more to this guidance. Just think we have the promise that our wisdom and knowledge will increase. We can have more peace and confidence in our lives and in our future. One of our most important assignments is to care for our bodies. In following D&C 89 we can exercise more self-control in all that we do with our body.  We can achieve a healthier body and mind. I hope to erase this one goal off my list by next January when I remake my yearly goals. I invite those who need these words to come on this journey with me.

If you have a moment stop by my blog; Serving In The Inner City Journal - You can find the link on the sidebar at the top of this blog.

9 comments:

Susan Anderson said...

I need to do the same with my diet. And I've made it through a whole week now, even eating out for lunch today and ordering salmon with brown rice veggies.

I am proud of myself.

Hope both of us can be successfu!

=)

Barb said...

Hi!

I soooooo needed to read this post!! I was just getting ready to go have a cookie!!

I think your aunts lived in a time that we should all take lessons from - what fun memories!

You are such an inspiration to me!

Hugs and Love,
Barb

Just Ramblin' said...

Oh goodness. I am also one of those yoyo dieters. Right now I am trying to stick with eating more healthy.
Will see if I can make it one week.
Reading about your Aunts reminded me of my growing up years. Hopefully we will all be successful on this journey! Nola

Grammy Staffy said...

Reading your post today is like I was reading from my own journal. I know exactly how you feel because I feel the same way. I have battled my weight all of my life. It is really hard for me now that I am so inactive and down in bed so much. Have you read the "I Can Make You Thin" book by Paul Mckinna (I'm not sure about his name???) It is a real help to me. There is a CD that comes with it that you listen to each day. It really has helped me.

It is not a diet. There are only 3 rules...
Eat only when you are hungry
Eat only what you enjoy
Stop eating as soon as you are satisfied.

Good luck with your goal... I am working on it right along with you.

Have a great week. Hugs, Lura

John said...

I am terrible at this too, and I think it is because I have always been very healthy without a healthy life style. I suspect it will catch up with me if I don't make any significant changes.

Chocolate of course comes from cocoa beans so it is technically in the fruit and vegetable category. ;-). My husband also likes to joke about Lehi getting to the tree of life and saying to his family, "The fruit is bitter, but it is so good for you."

Dolly said...

If I were to blog about a topic right now...this would be the same theme message:) I'm so not a serious health nut or exerciser. When my kids back in school after this next week...I'm heading out walking again. I'd like to know how far I can make it down my road from Riverton into Sandy. My seventeen year old is the motivator. He leaves in the morning on a fifty miler with his scout group!

Grammy Staffy said...

Hello again dear,
I just read a comment you left on Marie's blog today saying that your maiden name is Gledhill. Are you related to little baby Gracie Gledhill that died last year? I followed her blog every day. I prayed for them and put her name in the temple each week. I cried when she died after all she and the family had been through. If you are related to those Gledhills please tell them that Gracie's story and their faith touched my heart and made me a better person.

Have a good week as you serve on your mission. Thanks for being my dear blog friend. Hugs, Lura

Mom of 12 said...

When were you a nurse in Logan? We had our son at that hospital in 1987.
Sandy

Michaela Stephens said...

Me and one of my dear friends have realized/decided that we don't like to exercise to stay fit.
But we HAVE TO exercise to stay sane. Isn't that funny? We need the endorphins!