The Simple Life

Life Style Choices. - Simplicity Is Key.

Ever looked in the mirror and realized you've put on a bit of weight, and then noticed your jeans are just a bit too tight and your gut is sticking out a little more than usual OR Woken up on a Saturday and been tired and unenthusiastic about life? Yeah me too.
Unfortunately for me, I lack in a minor (major) essential attribute required for success in life; Discipline (that in turn means patience). I have this strange way of dreaming BIG and forgetting the baby steps to the bigger picture, so I get really really addicted to something, but don't often see it through. So I did a bit of research on how to get healthier, progressively. Here's my conclusion.

If you're anything like me, you wake up in the middle of the night and opt for that quick late night snack and go back to bed, you set your alarm for 6am but find an excuse to stay cozy in bed instead of go for that early-morning run and you always, always make excuses when it comes to unhealthy luxuries- i.e 'This is the last time' OR 'Only one bite'.
Here are some simple and easy to follow guidelines on how to keep both mind and body happy, and HEALTHY!

FIRST
Forget your crash diets, and fat burning pills, your soup diets and your personal trainer. This isn't the biggest loser, no one will force your dieting and working out on you. It is not an instant makeover #InstaSkinny #NoSuchThing

SECOND
Get moving. No walking from your bedroom to the kitchen and back doesn't count, lazy. All it really takes is 20 minutes a day of getting your heart pumping... Go for a run/a bike ride/ do a boxing session, pick anything! Cardio is good for the heart and good for the mind. Stress does not help weight loss!

THIRD
Eating healthier. No, don't go cutting out all your favorite chocolate's and candy. Depriving yourself will not teach you anything about discipline, once you're off your diet, you will jump back on the fast food train and all your efforts won't be worth it. Portion control is key. The easiest way of watching what you eat is by increasing your intake of whole grain, fiber, fruit, veg and protein. By no means should you cut out all the things you love to eat, you should just condition your mind into thinking them of them as more of a treat than a go-to snack. Also, try your best not to eat fast food. It's full of trans fats which usually leads to high cholesterol and diabetes.

FOURTH
No more smoking and/or alcohol. Again, this doesn't mean you can't ever have the occasional beer with friends, but all either do is impair your judgement and condition you to think that you NEED an un-natural substance, to aid you in day to day life. They serve no good purpose, if you can, cut it out!

FIFTH
Sleep! A friend of mine not too long ago, stressed to me the importance of sleeping a minimum of 7 hours and a maximum of 9 hours every night. This isn't only good for your brain, it's good for your body too. Resting helps your muscles relax and repair after a long day. NO this does not mean you can oversleep and become a sloth, this means you sleep the appropriate hours and get back up healthier and in a much better mood. Sleeping in makes you more tired than sleeping less. Remember that.

LASTLY
Stress? What stress? No secret's here, there is stress in everything you do, typing this means I stress my mind and my fingers into taking action, but I can't stress to you enough - see what I did there?- the importance of de-stressing. The easiest way to de-stress is to talk about, and let go of your problems. But beware, the relationships around you shouldn't be a constant cause of stress for you, a friend who puts you down, or makes you feel bad, isn't a friend, they're a foe. Be wise in your decision making and make sure you always keep good, strong and positive people around you at all times.
To be honest, the only full proof form of stress relief I have ever participated in, was prayer and meditation. I think a lot of people have a big problem with accepting that there is a God who is in control of our lives, because we are so caught up in taking control ourselves. I find it rather comforting that the big guy in the sky is looking out for me, plus, I always know I''m not alone!

So to simplify,
FOOD = GOOD FASTFOOD = BAD

EXERCISE = GOOD SMOKING = BAD

SLEEP = GOOD DRAMA =BAD

I hope my guide lines helped, they sure as hell were a great stepping stone for me!

The Forgiven And The Forgiving

Sin. It tears us away from God. What many people don't realize is that God is not the one who moves away from us. We are the ones -- who by committing sin -- separate ourselves from Him. In failing to realize this, we also do not realize, that the only thing keeping us from going back to God, is our guilt - our pride. But the reality of all of this, is that God is always waiting, always wanting to accept us back into His arms.

Does this not then indicate how incomprehensible God's love is to us as mere humans? That He does not give us pre-mature judgement, but rather accepts us, gives us a chance to return to Him, and then upon our return welcomes us back into His loving embrace? Does this not lead us to conclude that OUR God is a God of love and forgiveness.
Does Christ not speak of the good shepherd who after losing one of his one hundred sheep, return in search of the one he has lost, until he finds it?  The truth is there is no love greater than His love. No mercy, greater than His.

How is it then -- While all of us feel grateful for the mercy and forgiveness that we readily receive from our Creator -- that we ourselves struggle greatly in offering forgiveness to those who have offended us?
It is that we are not like God. We are not overflowing with Mercy and Graces. Some of us go a lifetime harboring hatred for those that have mistreated them.

Despite our humanity, God commands us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us for all our wrong doings. He even goes as far as saying that if we cannot forgive one another, He will deny us forgiveness of our trespasses. God will not fully free us from our inequities unless we too free others of theirs. Ergo, forgiveness is a gift and when we give this gift to others, we also give this gift to ourselves.

Nevertheless forgiveness does not come easy to us. Why? Because it is part of our human nature to protect ourselves. It is a primitive survival reflex to remember what hurt us and never return to it, or to try not to allow ourselves to be hurt by it again.

It is only by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we are able to go against our human instincts and really forgive and let go of all the pain and fear that we feel.
Now, let's say for a minute that you are like me, and that forgiving someone -- despite wanting to -- does not come as easily to you. I have found a way that works for me. That way is to logically forgive a person, on the grounds that I too am human and that I often make mistakes, am imperfect and despite that do not feel a dire need to protect myself from myself.

Why?
Because despite my imperfections, and what I dislike about myself. Despite the stupid things I do and the hatred I might harbor for the actions that I commit against myself, another and God, one thing does not change; Although I don't always like myself; I always love myself.

You see; God doesn't necessarily ask us to like one another, or to like the actions we commit, or the things we say, but He does require us to love one another. It is not enough to tolerate each other, or to turn the other cheek. We must bring ourselves to realize that we love ourselves despite our imperfections, just like God loves us despite our imperfections.

'Everybody thinks forgiveness, is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive' C.S Lewis.

So next time you are wronged by someone, remember a time when you wronged someone else, and put yourself in that person's shoes. God see's everything and he knows what is in each of our hearts, He does own them after all.