| 
The
Tools at the End of Our Arms
By Carolyn Allen
I am receiving such lovely emails from
many of you, including several Young Women leaders who are using
these thoughts in activities to help their girls develop healthy
habits. Today’s message lends itself well into a family or
Personal Progress activity for Choice and Accountability where you
could make a healthy recipe and discuss the importance of wise eating
and exercise for looking and feeling their best. I love hearing
from you! Please send your emails to Carolyn@MyWeightLossFriend.com
and sign up for daily messages at www.MyWeightLossFriend.com.
Today’s Quote: “Self
control is knowing that you can, but deciding that you won’t.”
(Anon.)
As I recently watched my darling 8
½ month old grandson hold his bottle and feed himself, a
“weight loss made easy” truth powerfully washed over
me once again: Only infants and those who are seriously ill or aged
are fed. The rest of us put every bite into our bodies ourselves.
This is more than obvious, of course, but once we acknowledge the
powerful tools at the end of our own arms, weight loss success is
literally at our fingertips.
At an early age, we teach our littlest
Primary children to sing “I Have Two Little Hands.”
Its message is deceptively simple:
I have two little hands folded snugly
and tight
They are tiny and weak but they know what is right
During all the long hours ‘til daylight is through
There is plenty indeed for my two hands to do.
Kind Father, I thank thee for two
little hands,
And ask me to bless them ‘til each understands
That children can only be happy all day
When two little hands have learned how to obey.
(Primary Children’s Songbook,
Page 272)
©iStockphoto.com/Jean Schweitzer
Today’s thoughts and two exercises
come from a powerful activity I do with those who attend my weight
loss motivation classes. These handy exercises (pun intended!)
are easy to repeat many times each day to help us avoid poor choices
and to eliminate negative thoughts, fears and doubts. They’ll
also help us actively recommit to personal accountability, healthy
eating and weight loss goals.
Before doing them, stop reading and
look at your hands. Spread them out in front of you. Stretch each
finger. Massage each knuckle. Open your hands, close them, then
make a tight fist and wiggle your fingers freely. Turn them over
and study your palms for a moment. Is there a more brilliant creation
under the heavens than the human hand and its ability to instinctively
grab, grasp, open, close, and move with lightning speed as we put
it to work with our mental commands? Surely they are a testament
to our Heavenly Father’s divinity!
Exercise No. 1
Get some soothing lotion and squirt
some on your hands. Lovingly rub some into each finger and crevice.
Acknowledge the strength and flexibility in each finger, both individually
and collectively. Marvel as they seamlessly work together to obey
your will. Thank them for how they work and serve you. Then read
these words:
I can stick my pointer finger into
a can of frosting or use it to dial a friend, schedule visiting/home
teaching, or email a relative who needs me.
I can use my thumb and finger to
eat potato chips or cookies while no one is around, or I can use
the pair to pick up a pen and write in my journal, do genealogy
work, or scrapbook.
I can use one hand to pick up a spoon
and the other to hold a container and eat mindlessly, or I can
use them to tie on my sneakers, open the front door and head out
for a walk.
With my two hands get together, I
can eat more than is appropriate, or I can use them to hold a
book, clean a drawer, work at the computer, prepare a lesson,
garden, fold clothes, care for a pet or play with a child.
Wow! How productive and positive …
or how destructive and negative our two hands can be.
Recently one of my students shared
the following experience after we’d done the exercise together
in class. (By the way, I always add soft, pretty music to provide
some emotion for this exercise when we do it in class. It adds a
surprising amount of power, as music always does. You can do that
too.)
There was a pot luck luncheon at
my work. As we went through the line, it was as if my eyes were
zoom lenses on a camera that focused on everyone’s hands,
including my own, as we filled our plates and ate. I watched as
some heavily loaded their plates with overly rich food, then emptied
them in into their mouths in an incredibly short period of time.
I wondered if they’d even tasted what they ate. Then I watched
my own hands carefully choose what I would eat. I sat down so
I could be comfortable, taste it, and enjoy it properly. It felt
so good to know that I was in control of both my choices and my
actions. I had new respect for my own hands, and the power I have
to make them work for me.
Exercise No. 2
The common expression, “I
wash my hands of it” is often used to convey being unwilling
to engage in a business or proposed activity, or to go all lengths
to rid oneself of an undesired situation. I think you’ll agree
that we need this metaphor, both vocally and literally to help us
move past overeating or binges.
When you find yourself straying from
what you know is right for you to be doing or eating, take a second
and slip into the bathroom or over to the kitchen sink. Run a little
warm water and literally wash your hands of the things they were
getting into, or thinking of getting into.
Use some soap to make some sparkly,
rainbow bubbles. Rub and massage each finger with the soothing lather.
Then rinse it all down the drain as you visualize your own eating
detour and temptations being literally washed away as well. Say
to yourself, “I wash my hands of it.” Carefully dry
your hands, thank them for obeying and once again, put on some fragrant
lotion. Take a deep breath. Pop in a cinnamon breath mint or piece
of cinnamon gum. (Did you know that cinnamon naturally inhibits
the desire to eat? Think about it!)
Now, go find something find something
for those two marvelous hands to do as
you hum “I have two little hands” and move forward into
health and peace.
See?! You’re on your healthy
way again! Doesn’t it feel great?
Today’s Empowerment:
“My best helping hand is the one at the end of my
own arm. My two little hands help follow my plan to make healthy
choices today.”
Journal Prompts/Discussion
Starters
- What foods or situations have your
own hands been involved in over the past several days that you
can do differently the next time?
- Make a list of alternative positive,
productive activities to post where you can see it often.
- Trace a picture of your hand in
your journal or on a piece of paper. Put it on the refrigerator
as a reminder.
- How can I personally apply the children’s
song “I Have Two Little Hands” to my goals?
Today’s Recipe: Family
Swiss Steak (Makes 6 Servings)
2 Tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
½ tsp. crushed, dried thyme
¼ tsp. sweet paprika
1 ½ pounds boneless beef round steak, cut 1” thick
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Cooking Spray
1 large garlic clove, peeled and sliced thin
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
4 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (or 1 can low sodium tomatoes)
½ can reduced sodium canned beef broth
- In a small bowl, combine flour,
thyme, and paprika. Using a pastry brush, brush steak pieces with
Worcestershire sauce. Dredge in flour mixture.
- Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet
with cooking spray. Place on stove over medium-high heat. Add
steak pieces and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
- Transfer steak pieces to a 3-quart
(3-liter) or larger crockery slow cook. Top with garlic slices,
celery, onions, and tomatoes. Pour beef broth over the top. Do
not stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10
hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
To serve, transfer steak pieces and
vegetables to a heated serving platter. Spoon any pan juices over
the top and serve at once.
191 calories (21% calories from fat),
28 g protein, 4 g total fat (1.4 g saturated fat), 8 g carbohydrates,
2 g dietary fiber, 71 mg cholesterol, 102 mg sodium
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2007 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
