January's Prayers: An Overview

I hope this month's prayer topic helped you stay on track with your health goals that you set at the beginning of 2015. As we move on to February, and a new prayer topic, keep these prayers close by, so that on the hard days you can come back to them. I pray for each of you that reads this blog, that 2015 would be the year that your health goals are met for good!

1. Father God, I ask that you would fill me with motivation to exercise, especially now, when it is hard to get started. Show me favor in this goal. I ask that you would bind Satan in these coming weeks as he tries to come against this health goal. IJN Amen

2. Father God, give me the strength to make exercising a lifelong, healthy habit and not just a temporary try. Continue to fill me with perseverance to run this race to completion.

3. Father God, in your word it says that "steady diligence pays off." I ask that you would fill me with the diligence it takes to workout consistently this year, no matter what distractions, or surprises come my way.

4. Father God, in your word you say that accountability is important. Please send someone to walk along side me in my diet and exercise goals. As iron sharpens iron, bring me someone that will pick me up when I fall, and equip me to carry them through their hard times as well.

For more on exercise and new year's health resolutions, click here to read January Prayer Blog Topic.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

The Secret Ingredient to Exercising

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." John 7:37b

Water is the universal source of life. Without water, nothing can exist on this planet. Every cell in our body needs water in order to function. In fact, the human body is made up of 65% water, and the brain, 75%!

This is why being dehydrated is a much bigger deal than we give it credit for. When we are dehydrated, our cells start to dysfunction, and then break down. If this is a pattern, it can cause major harm to the body over time.

How can you tell when you're dehydrated? Unfortunately you can't. The body doesn't have a mechanism for thirst. The brain communicates this through the feeling of hunger. When your body gets dehydrated, it will communicate to you that you are hungry. The reason for this is that most of the water we consume is in the food that we eat.

This month, our weekly prayers have focused on exercise, since January is the month to join the gym. As I've said previously, I'm a huge fan of exercise, and I think it's one of the best things you can do for your health. If you are one of the people who has recently started exercising as part of your New Year's resolution, be mindful of the amount of water your are drinking, knowing that you will need to increase your intake as you increase your exercising. It is most important to hydrate right after working out. If you want to feel the positive effects of exercising quickly, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate afterward!! This will help you to have more energy, sleep better, and recover more quickly.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

Announcing Baby Shroka! Coming in May

Yep, there's a bun in the oven! 

Greg and I had been praying a lot through 2014 about when to start our family, so when God gave us the go ahead…. well the picture says it all ;)

What better way to tell a guy he's going to be a dad than with his favorite food?

At our first ultrasound, we found out that our due date is May 29th 2015. 

At our second ultrasound, we found out that we are having a baby BOY!!

The last couple of months have been crazy! In the beginning it was ROUGH!! I had horrible morning sickness (read all day and all night sickness) from week 5 - week 15. For those 10 weeks the only thing I could get down was peanut butter toast, smoothies, and meal replacement shakes. Before people go crazy about the meal replacement shakes, it was seriously the only thing I could get down. For some reason, I could take liquids ok, but nothing else. So I researched the best all natural brand of meal replacement shakes and would have two a day in order to keep my calories up enough. I was also waking up in the middle of the night during those weeks and I would have to eat or I would get very sick. I had someone tell me that until you experience morning sickness, you really can't understand how bad it is, and I would definitely agree. There was even one point (or maybe a couple of times) that I told Greg I was never having another baby because I couldn't handle the morning sickness. There may have been tears involved with it too… but now that I'm feeling better, I'm back on board with having more kids in the future.

We had also decided not to tell anyone other than our families until I was out of the first trimester, so I had to pretend to feel ok when I was out in public. So, for anyone that I cancelled on at the last minute over the fall, I'm sorry. You now know why. It was also a good reminder for me to be nice to people because you never know what they're going through! 

Being sick also served me a piece of humble pie. When I got pregnant I was REALLY determined to eat healthy throughout this pregnancy. However, once I got sick, I wasn't able to eat any veggies or protein. My body was rejecting those foods every single time I tried to eat them. So, for the first 15 weeks of my pregnancy, I survived on carbs, many of them processed. Through that experience I kept reminding myself that all you can do is your best. This is something I preach to my clients, so it was a good reminder for me too. It's never an excuse to skip out on healthy foods, but it is a reminder that we don't live in a perfect world with healthy, tasty, whole foods waiting for us at each meal. The bottom line is, I have a healthy baby growing inside of me, and that is what's important. And, now that I'm feeling better I've been able to add more veggies and protein into my diet. 

Other than morning sickness, the rest of my pregnancy so far has been uneventful, in a good way. I'm feeling so good now and we are so excited to meet our boy! I love feeling him move around and kick! I look forward to it everyday and it is the best part of my day! Every time I go for an appointment they tell me that he is extremely active, so we are pretty sure we have a mini Greg on our hands.

For now, we are doing tons of research in order to make all of the (overwhelming) decisions that come with having a baby.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness

Abby

Top 10 Reasons to Exercise

"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." 

James 2:18b

Exercise may be the closest thing to the fountain of youth. Not only does regular activity strengthen your muscles and improve heart and lung function, but it can also reduce your risk of major diseases, stimulate the growth of new brain cells, and even add years to your life. Studies show just 30 minutes of physical activity on most days is all that's required to reap big benefits.

The range of health bonuses now attributed to exercise has surprised even doctors. Research suggests that workouts may do the following:

1. Keep You Young - Workouts such as brisk walking or cycling boost the amount of oxygen consumed during exercise. Improving your aerobic capacity by just 15 to 25 percent would be like shaving 10 to 20 years off your age. Aerobic exercise may also stimulate the growth of new brain cells in older adults.

2. Reduce Infections - Moderate workouts temporarily rev up the immune system by increasing the aggressiveness or capacity of immune cells. That may explain why people who exercise catch fewer colds.

3. Prevent Heart Attacks - Not only does exercise raise "good" HDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure, but new research shows it reduces arterial inflammation, another risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.

4. Ease Asthma - New evidence shows that upper body and breathing exercises can reduce the need to use an inhaler in mild cases of asthma.

5. Control Blood Sugar - Exercise helps maintain a healthy blood sugar level by increasing the cells' sensitivity to insulin and by controlling weight. Regular brisk walking can significantly cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

6. Protect Against Cancer - Exercise may reduce the risk of colon cancer by speeding waste through the gut and lowering the insulin level. It may also protect against breast and prostate cancer by regulating hormone levels.

7. Combat Stress - Regular aerobic exercise lowers levels of stress hormones. For many people, exercise helps relieve depression as effectively as antidepressant medication.

8. Relieves Hot Flashes - Increasing fitness by walking or practicing yoga enhances mood and reduces some menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

9. Protect Men's Health - Pelvic exercise helps prevent erectile dysfunction and possibly benign prostate enlargement, a common cause of urinary problems.

10. Prolong Life - Studies lasting many years have consistently shown that being active cuts the risk of premature death by about 50% for both men and women!

Ultimately, the key to exercising consistently is finding out what works for you. If you try to fight with your body, you will never exercise long term. If you're a social person, make exercising a weekly ritual with your best friend. If you're a competitive person, set some goals and find some other people you can compare results with. If you're adventurous and love the outdoors, find outdoor activities that get your heart pumping every week. The point is, find what you love to do, and add a little movement to it.

The Power of Perseverance

In thinking about perseverance, I can't help but bring up my absolute favorite movie, Gladiator. The main character, Maximus, is the definition of perseverance. The evil emperor tried everything humanly possible to break his will, his spirit, his determination, his character, his very life; but Maximus continued to persevere through it all. In the final scene of the movie, the evil emperor challenges Maximus to a gladiator style fight to the death. At this point, all hope seems lost in the movie and Maximus is bleeding to death. As you watch the scene, you see Maximus fade in and out of consciousness as he is clearing dying. In one particular part, he has fallen to his knees, dropped his sword, and has begun to hallucinate. It's clearly the end. He's had enough. The evil emperor comes behind him with his sword drawn ready to behead him, and at the last second, Maximus has just a little bit left.

PERSEVERANCE

In the book of James, he says that perseverance through trials matures our faith. When our faith is fragile, we are like a wave in the sea that is blown and tossed around in the ever changing wind. When we allow ourselves to be tossed around like a rag doll, we become unstable and anxious, and that is when things start to fall apart. As our faith matures, we learn to stand firm on Jesus through our trials so we won't be swayed, so our spirit won't be broken. We learn to persevere through every trial and obstacle that comes our way.

As January is coming to a close, some of you may have already started to give up on your new year's resolution and health goals. You may feel yourself slipping into the waves. You may already be tossing and turning in the churning water, completely lost already. You may be hanging on by a thread, determined to persevere, even though the odds seem totally stacked against you. I would encourage you to dig in. Dig in to God and his word. Pray that God would fill you with the perseverance to see this new healthy habit through. 

News flash: I do NOT love eating veggies everyday. I would much prefer to eat Oreo's everyday instead. But, I do love the way that veggies make me feel after I eat them. I love the health benefits, both short and long term that they have. I love the way that veggies help to improve my skin and digestion. I love that they work to prevent diabetes, which is VERY prevalent in my family. I love the energy that veggies give me. But let me tell you it takes some perseverance to make veggies a regular part of my diet. Veggies take more time to prepare, they're expensive, and they don't taste great. I have to continually remind myself that eating veggies is worth it. 

Why? 

Because perseverance always pays off. Just look at every person you know who's life has been changed by Jesus. It took serious levels of perseverance for him to complete his death on the cross. I can't even imagine how many times he was SO CLOSE to giving up, calling down an army of angels to fight for him, end the pain, remove the shame. His death was long, humiliating, and brutal. I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that Jesus chose to persevere. 

And if he could persevere through that death to his resurrection, you can persevere through your current health issues. Don't give up on the goals you've set for yourself. Don't give up on the healthy lifestyle you're trying to implement. When you feel beaten down and discouraged, just give it a little more. Like Maximus, that one last push could save your life and make all the difference. 

Wishing you Health, Hope, & Happiness

Abby

p.s. If you haven't seen Gladiator, I highly recommend it.

Pray Your Way Through the Gym in 2015

Joining the gym has become "the thing" to fix your health. In 2005, there were 40.8 million Americans that belonged to the gym. Today, there is over 55 million Americans with gym memberships. And January just happens to be join-the-gym month. Not surprisingly, more people join the gym in January than any other month of the year. The sad truth is, within 90 days, between 20-30% of people have stopped going to the gym on a regular basis, and by April, the numbers drop off even more.

So, for this month, the weekly prayers will focus on exercise; the motivation to get it done and the perseverance to stick with it all year long. (To learn more about the weekly prayers, read 52 weeks, 52 prayers).

I will also be posting more blogs this month on the importance of exercise, but for now, let me leave you with this:

You may not enjoy exercising, but will you enjoy heart disease, diabetes, and cancer? These three diseases are DRASTICALLY reduced by REGULAR exercise. When you choose a sedentary life over regular exercise, you are choosing one of these diseases, and when you get that diagnosis, you will have wished you had stuck it out at the gym!

To find the prayers each week:
Head over to our website each week where the current week's prayer will be posted on the right side bar.

Follow me on instagram, @abbyshroka, or like us on Facebook by clicking here, to see each week's prayer.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

New Year, Same God

With the new year right around the corner, it can be a really exciting time, and it can also be a really scary time. For some, the unknown is thrilling, but for others its a complete dread. Whether you are excited, or anxious about the new year, one thing is for certain, God always goes with us. Each year as we count down the seconds until the ball drops and we officially escort in a new year, God is right there waiting to cross that threshold with us. This same God that has been with us from day one. This same God that has carried us through every trial we've faced in past year. This same God that loving forgives us and delivers us over and over and over again. 

When we choose to embrace this God as our Lord and Savior, we can look to the future with peace and confidence instead of worry and dread. Even though you may not know what lies ahead, you do know who lays ahead.

Weekly Prayer:

Father God, I am so grateful that you never change and that you are always with me in every new phase of my life. I ask that you would go before me in 2015. Please lead and guide me exactly where you want me to be. Bless me and show me favor in this new year. IJN Amen