Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

How many of us really know how to relax and unwind? Do you know how to push the pause button in your brain? Do you know what refuels you? I'm not talking about mindlessly numbing yourself through screen time or binge eating or drinking... I mean being truly refreshed! Our bodies need rest. We need proper sleep as a way to heal our bodies and reset ourselves. We also need to find healthy ways to relieve the stress that we each face in our day to day living. Honestly this is one of my most difficult changes to make... getting adequate sleep. The problem, I stay up late and then I struggle to get up early. Repeat. I know getting enough sleep helps me function better- mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. But sometimes feels so out of reach. I know also managing stress is very important for my health. I love hot baths and soothing teas. Reading a great mystery. Baking or cooking a new recipe. Painting my nails. Taking a quick nap on a Sunday afternoon. What refreshes you? H

Do your remember the movie "Madagascar"? That film still triggers images of my kids jumping and down squealing, "I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. MOVE IT!" Do you like to move it? Use it or lose it... this includes our muscles, our flexibility and our strength. We need to be moving around, bending, stretching, reaching, pushing, pulling... in other words active to keep ourselves strong. This doesn't mean you have to go run a marathon... Do activities you love... walking, cycling, dancing... Making those chores serve an extra purpose: cleaning your house with gusto, raking, vacuuming, scrubbing. Fit it into your daily life: Squats and toe raises by your desk, lunges as you walk to the copier. Arm workout by lifting your baby over your head. Parking farther away and walking the extra distance. The point is don't get caught up on doing it "right" or perfectly. Don't let yourself stop becau

It's easy to remember to drink water in the hot summer months but when the weather has turned cool and Fall has arrived I somehow manage to reduce my water intake by half. Dehydration sets in... Yuck. So again I have to remind myself to drink. To hydrate. This article has 10 great reminders, or in it's own words, life changing reasons to drink more water... https://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/10-life-changing-reasons-to-drink-more-water So pick up a glass and fill it to the brim with water... Cheers

I love how God is always bringing things together in my life. How He slowly and surely guides and directs my paths... leading me, guiding me, giving me new resources. I love how so many different things converge into one thing.... My life has been on a path of transformation for a while. I have gone from a person who struggled with what other people thought of her to one who is so enraptured by God that others opinions have greatly diminished. I have gone from a victim: of sexual abuse, of difficult circumstances to a hero of my own story who sees every challenge as an opportunity, every difficulty as another story to tell to encourage, serve and bless others and every suffering as a means to draw nearer to Christ. I have shed a lot of my perfectionistic tendencies for good enough... If something is worth doing, it's worth doing imperfectly. I am learning to run, literally. It's the craziest thing. I would never have seen myself as a runner. I'm not an elite athlete