Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening
Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening
James Hackley
© Copyright 2011 James Hackley
All rights reserved. This book is protected under the
copyright laws of the United States of America. No
portion of this book may be reproduced in any form,
without the written permission of the publisher.
Permission granted on request.
Published by:
Omega
Consulting Enterprises, LLC
P.O. Box 2892
Sterling Va.
20167
email: info@jameshackley.com
www.jameshackley.com
1
(571) 315-5923
ISBN: 978-0615546568
LCCN: 2011914283
To my wife,
Angela,
Without whom I would not be on the journey I am today;
And to my daughter Landon,
a perfect reflection of the best things in life I’ve ever known;
and to my mother,
for continuing to pray over my life since the time I was conceived.
This book is also dedicated in memoriam to my father, “Mel,” who taught me the value of hard work, the importance of honor and to make full use of all the tools God provides for each of us.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost I would like to give honor to God: the Master, Creator and Supreme Basileus of the Universe. Thank You for dowsing me with an anointing to touch lives.
To my beautiful wife Angela and little princess Landon, thank you for putting-up with all the time I spent sequestered bringing this guide to life.
To my mom Landonia, your love & prayers guided me back to the path God intended.
To my sisters Deirdre and Cassandra, thanks for being two of the most incredible women I’ve ever known. You both truly inspired me to be the type of man I prayed that would one day find each of you.
To my father-in-law Vincent Jones Sr., thank you for continued prayers and support. As promised, I will always take care of “your girls.”
To my sister- and brothers-in-law, Tonya Crawford, Vincent Jones Jr., Vance Hall, and Brent Parham; thank you for being the best in-laws a guy could ever ask for.
To my friend Andrea Williams, thanks for taking the time to review my manuscript. Words will never be able to express my gratitude.
To my aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends; thanks for your thoughts and prayers and please know that your journeys are far from over.
To my friend and spiritual advisor Pastor Michelle Campbell Thomas, thank you for single-handedly restoring my faith in the pulpit and feeding my insatiable hunger and thirst for the Word.
To my Facebook Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening, and my Holy and Whole Life Changing Ministries families; you guys have been the Aaron to my Moses.
To my brothers of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., friendship is indeed essential to the soul.
Although gone, never forgotten…
To my father James Hackley Sr., words alone could never describe my gratitude for what you meant to me, and time will never fill the chasm that still exists within.
To my mother-in-law Ms. Yolanda Jones, although I never got the opportunity to meet you, I’m blessed to see your spirit reflected in Angela and Landon each morning.
To my niece Brandice Jones, gone way too soon.
DISCLAIMER
The author of this guide is not a medical doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed spiritual advisor. He has no formal training at all. In fact, he’s a regular person, just like you, who received an extraordinary blessing. As a man who was anointed by God to become a “fisher of men,” he is presenting in this guide his observations and personal experience of the various techniques available to achieve a balanced body, mind, and spirit from around the world. Before beginning any exercise, fitness or fat loss program, you should consult a licensed health care provider and be monitored throughout your entire journey. This guide is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnose illness, or in any way attempt to practice medicine. It is not intended to replace personal medical care from a licensed health care practitioner. Anything recommended or suggested in this guide must be done at your own risk. This work is based on, and inspired by, a true story of the life of a single person and the voluntary personal testimony of others. Dates, names, locations, and actual events may have been changed, embellished, exaggerated, or fictionalized for dramatic effect. The author is forced to include this disclaimer due to the litigious nature of today’s world and the expected attacks, criticisms, and attempts to suppress and discredit this work.
Contents
Foreword i
Introduction iii
Body, Mind & Spirit Roadmap xvii
Body
Day 1
Cracking the Code 2
Day 2
Formula for Success 31
Day 3
Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements…Oh My 42
Day 4
How We Eat, Drink & Live 60
Day 5
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snacks 98
Day 6
Sweat Equity 106
Day 7
Building Your Home Gym 127
Day 8
Stalls, Plateaus and…the Last Resort 138
Day 9
Sometimes Life Gets in the Way 148
Day 10
I Believe the Seniors Are Our Future 158
Mind
Day 11
We Are What We Think 172
Day 12
Prayer and Meditation 189
Day 13
Stress,
Depression, Low Self-Esteem and Addiction:
The Four Horsemen of
Your Apocalypse 211
Day 14
Money, Power & Sex 223
Spirit
Day 15
Spirit vs. Soul 230
Day 16
What Religion is God? 239
Day 17
Abraham and the Buddha 252
Day 18
Fasting 273
Day 19
The Holy Spirit 282
Day 20
I Know, But…300
Day 21
Your Journey Begins 314
Appendices
Appendix I
Group Discussion Questions 321
Appendix II
Cost vs. Price 323
Appendix III
Glycemic Index (GI) Food List 327
Appendix IV
Calories Burned for Various Activities 332
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.’ So God granted him what he requested.” ~ 1 Chronicles 4:10
Foreword
As a Senior Pastor, entrepreneur, wife and mother of three; results is my middle name. For years I had mastered the art of managing my hectic schedule and masking my stress-driven life. This year as we turned the 5-yr corner in our ministry, I’ve already made four emergency room trips with one overnight stay and it’s only September. These unfortunate visits were not to check on a member of our growing congregation, but rather an account of the number of times my health had diminished to such a state; my family had to rush me to the hospital. Sadly, those numbers don’t scream “wholeness”; they scream “out of balance.” I can no longer deny that the body, mind & spirit must be in total alignment in order to achieve optimum performance and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This triune construct is the basis for the transformational inspiration found in the guide you now hold in your hands.
Just like you, my journey to wholeness first began with reading something inspiring by Bro. James. As I read each post in his Facebook Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening forum, James became my personal life coach, challenging me to change. His solid truths empowered me to make major moves, and the weight of what I said I wanted became my accountability system. In other words, after reading his posts and watching him master what used to master him, I decided that it was no longer acceptable for me to have a strong spirit and a weak body.
Body, mind, and spirit (BMS) is your GPS that will help navigate you through the process of total transformation. Bro. James Hackley uses this simple key to transform your life.
Inspiration + Application = Transformation
BMS speaks directly into your spirit, forcing your mind to make the necessary adjustments that translate into the forward movement of your body. James’ transformation story comes alive through the pages of BMS, as he guides us on an individual journey to achieving wholeness in every area of our lives!
As you read and reflect on each chapter of this 21-day journey, all that will be required of you is to leave your “old self” behind and simply…Go forward! Go forward! Go forward!
Rev Michelle C. Thomas,
Senior Pastor,
Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International
Introduction
“It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.”~ James Gordon, M.D.
Are you ready for a change? I mean, honestly and truly ready for a change? One of the earliest lessons my father taught me was to be direct, honest and always speak the truth. Unfortunately, many folks simply can’t handle either–but over the next few days, that’s exactly what you’ll get from me. Please know that what you’ve already begun reading is not just another “inspirational,” “weight loss” or “self-help” book designed to help you reach a short-term goal. This is a guide along a path that leads away from your current state of complacency towards total wellness. Greatness repels complacency, so if you have no desire to be great it’s best that you put this guide down now and continue on the path you’ve been traveling for far too long. However, I can assure you that your soul will never find the peace it so desperately desires above all else.
This guide will help you discover the anointing God has intended on your life since the dawn of time. Despite those old familiar doubts that may already be creeping into your mind, He has a plan just for you. Unfortunately, if you decide not to fulfill your destiny that assignment will never be accomplished. This guide allows you to get out of your own way and become not only a blessing to yourself, but to others. I truly thank God for allowing me the opportunity to be your personal Sherpa as you trek towards a goal that may now seem as impossible as climbing the Himalayas. Once you reach the summit of your success and look back from whence you’ve come, your heart will rejoice because it will realize you have everything within to conquer future mountains. Your body, mind & spirit will be awakened!
If you are unsure of what it feels like to be “awakened,” read on. Some things must be experienced first-hand to be understood and truly appreciated. However, a glimpse may be all that’s required to initiate an irreversible process in your life. For some, that glimpse will occur for the first time while reading this guide. For many others that have yet to realize it, the process has already begun. This guide will simply help them realize it. For some, it may have begun as a result of painful life-changing events; for others, through coming in contact with folks who simply have an unexplainable “light” emanating within, through reading particular books, a recent spiritual experience–or any combination thereof. If your awakening process has just begun, this guide will certainly prepare you for the journey that lies ahead.
It’s widely believed that it takes 21 days to break a habit–or better yet, just 21 days to create a new one and make sure you are on the right path towards your true destination. Therefore, I’ve broken this guide into 21 chapters that allow you to read, reflect, and begin to map your plan of action as you study a chapter each day. It’s highly recommended that you begin each chapter with a brief prayer so that what is conveyed will be received in the full purpose for which it was intended. In addition, because it’s so easy to become completely overwhelmed or discouraged by the enormity of this incredible life-changing task, it’s best that you simply stick to one chapter each day and let it marinate before continuing to the next. You may be tempted to jump to the days that appear to be the “most interesting,” but I truly advise against this. You’ve already learned that most of the short-cuts in life usually end up costing us more in the long run. Therefore, please know your success depends upon you adhering to the path as closely as possible.
That said, I’m extremely excited because I am well aware of all the new discoveries and revelations that await you. They happened to me! I’m not better, just different. And the difference is better. When we are blessed with a gift, we can either choose to hoard it for fear that the next blessings may be few and far between, or freely share it with others because we’ve learned that one of the keys that unlocks a door to happiness is the joy of giving. Despite our best efforts, we have no say in what others choose to give to us. However, we are in 100% control of what we decide to share with others. It is my choice to freely share this blessing with you. I pray that you make the most of it, because your future blessings may hinge on how you respond to this blessing.
Three Important Features
At the end of each chapter you’ll discover a section called Daily Reflection. These questions are virtual mile markers along your journey to not only remind you of where you’ve been, but where you’re going. At the end of your 21 day sojourn, you’ll also discover a series of Discussion Questions that you are encouraged to discuss with those you’ve invited to join your journey. Please believe that it’s impossible to have any substantive lasting success alone. We were designed to be a part of a community of others who all share a common goal: survival. Here is some additional information about what you will find in the question sections:
Mental Manna: This valuable piece of mental nutrition encapsulates the entire chapter into a single thought that you can reflect on throughout your day. It is my prayer that this thought propels you to the next day where you will read the subsequent chapter and begin to map the waypoints along your pathway to wholeness.
Question to Ponder: These questions force you to consider what was just read in the chapter and make a decision on how you can change your life in a positive manner. This is your guide, so I hope you’ll highlight the various points that speak to your spirit and ultimately string together the various pearls of wisdom to create a beautiful necklace of change.
Group Discussion Questions: Throughout your journey you’ll undoubtedly be reminded that there is indeed strength in numbers. In Appendix I you will find Discussion Questions. I strongly encourage you to get as many of your friends together as possible to join you in reading this guide over the next 21 days. You’ll be able to gain incredible insight and different perspectives on the salient points each of you glean from day-to-day. Afterwards, you’ll continue to have a ready-made support group that will be vital in your success in staying the course. Be it at your book club, church, gym or social networking web site; you can be the spark that will ignite a change like never seen before in the lives of those around you.
The Pathway
Let’s face it–changing your life the way you really know you should isn’t as easy as many of the self-help books lead us to believe. Every single one of us is still holding on to some kind of physical (body), emotional (mind), and spiritual pain and that’s why we all need healing. You may be holding on to so much pain that you no longer feel connected to anything or anyone, including yourself. Whether it’s something you ate, drank, felt, believed, injected or inhaled; chances are you’ve ingested way too much harmful stuff. These toxins that enter our body, mind, and spirit are what we must begin to rid ourselves of now!
Perhaps you’ve simply given up all hope of changing your life and drifted into accepting, “it is what it is.” I was in that same sinking boat of complacency until someone tossed a life preserver and pulled me aboard the S.S. Body, Mind & Spirit. This guide is your life preserver and I hope you grab it with both hands and refuse to let go.
Regardless of the money you spend on fitness gimmicks, cosmetic surgeries, psychics or faith-healers who only seem to cure folks when the camera is on and your wallet is full; you simply will not be compelled to change who you truly are until you’re either uncomfortable, evolve or are forced to do so. In other words, your “have to” becomes more important than your “want to.”
As you begin to journey further down this rabbit hole of self-discovery, your “want to” will begin to manifest as a “have to.” Therefore, let me address the #1 question that’s probably brewing in your mind right now, since all the other books you’ve read were also filled with such promises and yielded very few rewards. That question is simply…
“How is this different from all the other ‘inspirational’, ‘self-help’ and ‘weight loss’ books?”
This is not just another diet or weight loss (loss of fat and muscle) book. Diets simply don’t work and we need to be more concerned about fat loss. In fact, I would better categorize this as a “Negativity Loss” guide. Loss of negative fat, negative habits, negative foods, negative people, negative thoughts, and negative actions.
This is not a second-hand analysis written by a Ph.D., M.D., certified this.., licensed…that. Nor is this an amalgamation of a 1,000 patient study that resulted from countless hours of paid sessions. This is a culmination of the blood, sweat, and tears from someone just like you who grew tired of a vicious cycle and discovered how to finally break through and improve total wellness.
This guide is not about a destination, but rather a lifetime journey.
This guide will not criticize other diet programs, philosophies or individuals. There’s simply no place for negativity in an honest effort to be positive.
This is not a condescending lecture of me vs. you. Rather, a candid discussion that will hopefully help all of us.
This guide travels a holistic and naturopathic path to examine not only the symptoms but the root causes of why we overeat, refuse to exercise, battle low self-esteem, and lack the confidence to do what God has called us to do.
This guide examines your vocation vs. avocation.
This guide compares religion vs. spirituality vs. science.
This guide addresses the age old question, “What religion is God?”
This guide is intended for: black, white, brown, red, yellow, young, old, Jew, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, atheist, hopeless, and confident.
This guide shows you how to turn your body into a fat burning machine.
This guide will make you think, laugh, and hopefully take the next step.
This guide examines the “Tito Jackson” of the Seven Deadly Sins that most preachers, imams, and rabbis often fail to mention—gluttony.
This guide provides helpful insight into what to do when life inevitably gets in the way of your best intentions.
This guide not only examines the power of prayer and meditation, but provides additional instruction on how they can be done on a regular basis.
This is a self-funded grassroots approach that is not beholding to corporate sponsors, political or special interest groups.
This guide was not motivated by making money, but rather by making a difference.
This guide was written just for you!
Life is a journey that we’ll never truly master, and it is our best hope to simply be prepared to travel it without doing harm to ourselves or the other sentient beings God has given us dominion over. In addition, we all are in need of some assistance, encouragement, and guidance in order to fully maximize our potential. When we examine what finally sparks us to make a positive change in our lives, it’s usually an external pressure that either makes us no longer comfortable with the status quo, causes us to evolve like Darwinian primates from homo couchpotatoean to maximus fitnessmus, forces us to change because it seems to be the lesser of two evils or…we simply no longer have a choice. In short, we suddenly realize that we “have to” change.
Most of us are OK with our lives being out-of-order as long as we have no desire to put it in order. In fact, we often get our Al Bundy on by fooling ourselves into thinking that we are still the person we used to be until reality hits us with a Riddick Bowe upper-cut (Shout-out to my D.C. Homie!) and reminds us that our delusion is no longer true. When confronted with this uncomfortable realization, we may initially deny or dismiss the truth or simply hope the reality disappears on its own. When it doesn’t, we start with small and relatively easy steps to change the situation, because suddenly the discomfort of the truth becomes more unbearable than the comfort of denial. Finally, if those small steps prove to not be enough, we recite a few verses from the Apostle Popeye who so famously stated, “That's all I can stands because I can't stands n'more!” Suddenly, emotions kick into gear and give us the courage to take other steps that may be a bit more difficult, but are more likely to solve the problem once and for all.
Each of us has our own breaking point, and the emotional frustration may manifest in various ways. Some of us are very good at turning a blind eye to a situation that would drive others insane. For example, I always vowed that I would never purchase any trousers larger than size 34 waist. Nope! Just wasn’t going to happen, captain! Although I could still fit into my pants, I became rather uncomfortable after three close friends gave me a reality check (that I couldn’t cash) and placed my sedentary life in front of a mirror that I could finally see for what it truly was: complacency.
The first glimpse occurred while delivering a dining room table to my friend Palace, whom I hadn’t seen in about six months. Upon seeing me, one of her first comments was, “Looks like you are putting-on a little weight.” Oooooooouch!
Act 2, scene 1 ensues just a few short weeks later when my main man 50 grand, Ken Jennings Jr., a.k.a.”Man,” and his beautiful wife “J” were visiting from California and he also noted, “Dude, you are looking a little ‘thick.’ You need to drop about 15 lbs.” Wow! I mean, what in the sweet name of Chubby Checker was going on? Man’s words indeed bruised my "Thicky Ricardo" ego, but later I learned that temporary pain was the result of a seed of truth that he was courageous enough to have sown into my life. That seed had taken root in my fallow soul. This truth saved my life!
Epilogue: during the annual Hackley Kwanzaa Celebration, my line-brother Martin Astrop exclaimed, “I see the married life is treating you well!” as he patted the keg that used to be my well-chiseled six-pack midsection while we were pledging Omega Psi Phi during the spring of 1987. (Shout-out to the Bruhz! Roo!) All I could say internally was, “And down goes Frazer!” in my best Howard Cosell voice. After hearing this true but stinging comment, my ego deflated like the tires of a tandem bicycle ridden by two sumo wrestlers.
Glory be to God, later I began to understand the Biblical significance of the number “3” and the way God often uses others to help us see a point we ignored when the Holy Spirit was trying to tell us from within. I now felt such a deep appreciation for these three individuals who cared and loved me enough to be candid and shine a much needed light into my darkness of self. If not for these individuals, I literally could have been simply fat, dumb and not really happy for the rest of my life. By the way, when we receive three indications, reminders, warnings or whatever; usually it’s a sign that God is trying to tell us something.
“3”
is Indeed a Magic Number Those
educational School
House Rock programs
truly changed the lives of so many kids growing up in the ‘70s &
early ‘80s, and they were on to something with the concept that “3
is a magic number.” Three represents the triune God and is the
number of personal completeness. It is formed by 1+1+1, but if the
1s are multiplied, the result is still 1. So God is three in one and
one in three. In geometry two lines cannot enclose an object. Hence
2 is an incomplete number, while 3 is a complete number that can
frame an object as well as an issue or warning God is trying to
reveal in your life. As God has shown Himself to be represented as
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, He created man out of dust to be
made as body, mind & spirit.
There
are many references to the number 3, and I’m sure if you pause to
look back on your life, you’ll also find several examples of its
completeness. Please make a point to notice it going forward–that
observation may be just the sign you’ve been waiting for to get
you back on the right path to happiness.
I now know that it’s not just about the size of our waist or how much fat we need to lose. The big picture and true key to happiness is being fit as a “whole.” Not just in body, but body, mind, and spirit. Show me a person with a fit body who has a troubled mind and/or spirit and we’ll discover an unhappy person beneath that buff exterior. Or a spiritual person who can recite the Bible, Qur’an, Torah, and Thripitaka (the Dhamma as told by Buddha in three parts) but is severely overweight; and we’ll also find a troubled person. Balance is indeed the path to lasting success, but how do we get there?
Here’s something that will totally blow you away and perhaps instill a bit of confidence that the $19.99 you paid for this guide may be the best investment you’ve made all year.
As strange as it may seem, you’ve never actually seen your face before with your own eyes. Contrary to what you may be thinking right now, when you look in a mirror you aren’t really seeing yourself. Rather, you’re viewing a reflection. Think about it—you’ve always seen a reflection of your face, never the real thing! Even though it’s only a representation, you’ve learned to trust this reflection. What you see in the mirror is not totally the truth, but rather a product of the type of mirror you use and your state of mind as it examines the reflection. Deep, huh? When you go to the circus and view yourself in either a fat, skinny, tall or short mirror, you are well aware of the distortion in advance. Are you equally aware of the potential distortion your mind may have when you look in your regular bathroom or hallway mirror? By the end of this guide, you’ll be clear about how you truly look. Even more, how you truly are.
What about your mind? How do you make sure your mind is in order? To gauge our mental state, we simply have learned to ask ourselves how we are feeling. It’s a question that typically doesn’t require much thought. We know exactly how we are feeling. If it’s a bad day, we don’t feel all that tough. However, when it’s a good day, there’s usually extra pep in our step and we may even be dancing around like the Cracksemite Sam character Gator, in Spike Lee’s movie, Jungle Fever. “’Cause, I’m a cra-cra-cra-cra-crackhead”!
Finally, what about your spirit? This is often a very difficult question to answer, because many of us have either lost touch with our spirit or never knew it to begin with. In fact, since we are unable to use our natural senses to touch, smell, see, taste or hear our spirit; we often doubt that it even exists. Please know that God’s Word perfectly reflects who you are in the spirit. It’s the only way you can know for sure. We can’t just assume something this important is OK. Besides, always remember that which is spirit is spirit and that which is flesh is flesh. Flesh can never be used to discern spirit. So once again, how is your spirit? If you can’t answer this question now, please don’t fret. By the end of this guide, you will indeed have an answer and hopefully even a solution that will get you back on the right path. Knowing your spirit is the key to knowing yourself.
Now that I’ve got your mind wide open like a 7-Eleven, how do we begin to change things to make sure that your body, mind, and spirit are in alignment so you can be well on your way to realizing a happiness and success you’ve never even imagined? No matter how you slice it, there are three reasons why we all change from birth ‘til death: evolution, inevitable stages of life and our response to either desperation or inspiration.
Evolution
One of the dearest moments I’ll always treasure is witnessing the birth of my daughter Landon. When the doctor removed her from the comfort of Angela’s womb, Landon was the most beautiful, yet helpless, thing I had ever seen. For the next 12 months she would be totally dependent on others for her basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and mobility. I couldn’t wait for her to figure out how to crawl because then it was just a matter of a few short months before she would learn to walk. Now, at 4-yrs-old, she is reading her own stories, taking her own showers, cutting her own pancakes and her potential is truly limitless because she’s yet to learn what “She can’t do.” Fortunately, she still views her natural evolution as a simple fact of life. Although Angela and I coached and coaxed her along over the years, it was just the way she was wired to evolve since birth.
Unfortunately, once we’ve matured and begin to believe that we are now “successful,” or believe the world when it continues to remind us of the things we can’t or used to do; we begin to actively resist the same evolutionary process that was responsible for our growth and success up to that point. In my case, I was 45-years-old, married, had a beautiful family, nice house, and a nice gig. I was set! Or so I thought… I simply stopped evolving, and laziness began to rob my wife and daughter of the one man in this world who loved them both more than life itself. Contentment is the antithesis of evolution and it was slowly killing me.
Inevitable Stages of Life
Be it dating, graduation, marriage, birth of our children, kicking them out of the proverbial nest or the onset of old age; each stage of our life creates a different climate that facilitates the next stages of our growth and development. Generally, as we begin to age and come to grips with our mortality, it seems that only then do we begin our quest for deeper spiritual meaning and endeavor to grow closer to God. Why is He such an enigma that we seldom bother to investigate during our youth?
In truth, the more we're in touch with these naturally occurring stages, the easier it is to shift directions when old patterns (or people) no longer fit. We become as the caterpillars that begin to realize that they simply were not meant to crawl and see the world from the ground-floor their entire lives. We go into our cocoon of introspection and emerge beautiful butterflies that can now see the world from a whole new perspective. Like the caterpillar, we too will experience the inevitable stages of life and hopefully begin to view the world from an improved butterfly vantage point and no longer that of our old caterpillar selves.
Desperation or Inspiration
Each Sunday, Pastor Michelle Thomas preaches from the depth of her soul in hopes that the words spoken from her Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries pulpit will resonate among our growing congregation in Lansdowne, Va. Most sermons are meant to encourage us to live with renewed commitment to a set of higher principles so we can indeed say that we are shalom (nothing missing, nothing broken) in our bodies, minds, and spirits. This weekly form of inspiration truly grounds me in Christ and be you Christian, Muslim, Jew or even Buddhist, I encourage you to fellowship as often as possible so that your spirit can be recharged on a regular basis. For the inspirational words heard may also allow you to become an inspiration to others.
Unfortunately, some fail to heed the life lessons and warnings issued from the pulpit, close friends, relatives or even that still small inner voice that whispers to us all. As a result, we find ourselves in a desperate situation where change is our only option. Ever been to the doctor and received some news that forced you to stop eating this and start doing that? Desperation can be as compelling a motivator as inspiration. Unfortunately, responding while desperate often leads to disappointing results.
Regardless of what finally sparks us, no one really wants to be forced to do anything; be it by someone else or perhaps even a circumstance. In fact, being forced to do something is probably the least effective method for creating permanent change in our lives. When we go to the doctor’s office and discover high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes or a host of other potential maladies, we are forced to make changes or suffer the consequences of deteriorating health. The ultimate price, of course, is no longer being around to care for our children and loved-ones.
When the stresses of life cause us to toss-and-turn at night and we desperately seek a way to quiet our minds, we have to find a solution. The restless mind leads to a lack of sleep, which leads to deteriorating health. In addition, when the Holy Spirit “knocks” at the door of our hearts and we fail to answer the call, this creates an emotional fissure that seems to grow the more we ignore Him.
Bottom line: whether forced or not, we have a choice. The prudent choice is to always choose the option that leads to longevity, because we have to remain whole…we have to be obedient…we have to stay alive!
My Journey Begins…
In the poem “Little Gidding,” T.S. Eliot writes, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the
end of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time.” In other words, our life is a journey that doesn’t require us to go anywhere. It’s a journey without distance because we travel it within. Make no mistake–we are all on a journey, but some of our paths are simply leading us in one continuous circle. When we find ourselves overweight, absent from God and doing the same things we were doing more than 20 years ago; this is a perfect indication that our evolution has ceased and we’re not living the lives we were intended to lead.
After more than 20 years in sales & marketing, I knew the key to getting folks interested in improving their total lives was to advertise the changes they would first see in their body. Let’s be clear–we live in a society where physical attractiveness trumps mental and spiritual maturity, and the majority of us are more interested in learning how we can lose 50+ lbs in less than four months, rather than strengthening our minds and growing closer to God. Just think about how many infomercials you’ve seen and radio spots you’ve heard in the past few days to get your body ripped. Now compare those to the advertisements you’ve either seen or heard focused on quieting your mind or improving your relationship with God, outside of viewing a Christian television network or listening to a Christian radio broadcast. The answer… crickets chirping.
When I tell folks I’ve lost more than 50 lbs in just four months, the first question is “What’s your secret?” When my response is God, many unknowingly change their facial expressions instantly as if to infer (Imply is what the speaker does, and infer is what the hearer does. I learned this distinction watching an episode of Law & Order), “That surely can’t be the answer.” Unfortunately, we’ve been programmed to believe that the primary reason people lose fat rapidly is the d-word. The next most popular method assumed is weight loss surgery (WLS). Third, “He must be on ‘dat stuff!” In my case, the only stuff I was on descended from Heaven like manna and my life and those around me has not been the same.
It
was Saturday morning on February 26th,
2011 and my wonderful wife Angela had to meet her dad very early over
in Southeast D.C. (District of Columbia). Every Saturday morning
during the prior few weeks I would wake up and go running, but if I
wanted to get my 4-miles in on this particular a.m., I would have to
rise & shine and hit the pavement before the sun had even yawned.
I had logged many miles on this same route consistently over the past
few weeks, but on this particular morning things would never be the
same. About a mile into the run, I entered into a transcendental
zone where I would travel hundreds of yards and not know how I had
gotten there. The single transcending thought that had dominated
my mind during each pounding stride was simply:
"You have
to write a book titled, ‘Body, Mind & Spirit’."
Now, although most of us have dreamed of writing a book about something, I knew that my writing skills were a bit...umm...how can I put this? WEAK!! As the hundreds of yards turned into miles, it became even clearer that by writing this guide, God would improve my writing skills and provide the people and wherewithal to breathe life into this project just as He had done to Adam. Besides, a few people that I’ve known for years had published books. Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson had written Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs, which was reviewed in the New York Times, and Dr. Tamara Brown had published African American Fraternities and Sororities, which explored the rich past and bright future of the nine Black Greek-Letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Why couldn’t I also produce something that’s socially relevant?
Usually after running four miles I would be winded and my muscles would be stiff, but one of the most incredible things about this unforgettable run was that I was not winded at all after my last stride! In fact, I felt as refreshed, as if had just gotten out of bed after a very restful sleep. Looking back on this life-changing run from a heightened spiritual perspective, I had received an anointing.
Upon entering the house, the first thing I told Angela was, "Baby, I think I'm going to write a book." Perhaps she may have thought I had slipped and hit my head, but her response was rather encouraging and she even brought a book home from the grocery store later that day that provided some valuable insight into my task at hand. My help mate took the very first step in the incredible journey that my wonderful family would later take as one.
Unfortunately, like most good ideas, doubt and negativity began to enter my mind as the day went on, but for every reason I may have thought of why I shouldn't invest the time, energy and money into writing and publishing this guide, 20 reasons emerged why I should. I've long believed in the power of speaking things into existence, so I immediately posted my public proclamation in the Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening Facebook group and vowed to donate one-half of all revenue (not profit but revenue!) generated from the sale of the book to my new church home of Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International located in Lansdowne, Va. I kind of felt like Moses who, despite his speech impediment, God allowed to do great things. God sent Aaron to Moses and I truly believe He sent me the wonderful folks in my Facebook group to offer assistance, encouragement and various perspectives.
So what is this guy talking about?
You see, since January 3rd, 2011 and that life-changing run on February 26th, 2011, I had already lost 30 lbs of fat. At the time I sat down to write this guide on April 1st, 2011, I had lost a total of 43 lbs. That’s 43 lbs in three months! People simply couldn’t believe that I had lost such a significant amount of fat in just a few short weeks and I’m sure most were convinced that I would inevitably gain the majority of it back–and then some. What most people didn’t realize is that I had totally undergone a change of mind. I had an amazing epiphany of how the body, mind & spirit were all connected and that we would never truly accomplish any lasting fat loss objectives if we didn’t:
Put God first and accept the fact that fat loss needs to be for the Glory of God and not the vanity of man if we expect it to be lasting.
Realize diets should be considered the d-word because the only lasting results they yield are the eternal feelings of failure.
Learn new ways to focus and strengthen the mind, as well as the body to resist the inevitable urges to return to bad eating habits and an unhealthy way of life.
Accept the fact that improving body, mind & spirit is not a destination but a lifelong journey that will continue until God calls us Home.
To date, I’m proud to say that I’m now more than 50 lbs lighter, I have found a new church home for my entire family, and have found ways to quiet and center my mind in the midst of the daily chaos that attacks us all. In addition to the personal success, my life has been a source of inspiration for a number of family members and friends. Even more, God has allowed me to chronicle much of the information I’ve read, lived, and observed into this guide that will hopefully inspire you to either continue or begin a journey towards total wellness in your life and the lives of those around you. Each of us has the incredible potential to spark a change in others. Not just thru our words but most importantly thru our actions and success.
Your Journey Begins…
Your journey actually began when God first thought of creating you. Yes, God thinks. Therefore, He put events in motion that not only allowed your parents to meet; but God also orchestrated all the generations on each side of your family tree just so you would have the genetic code that allows you to be the extraordinarily unique individual that you are. Your very existence can never be considered an accident, for although our world is unfortunately filled with many illegitimate parents, God has yet to create a single illegitimate child.
Upon birth, you had to rely on your parents, or parental figure(s), to care for, nurture, and help shape your future. However, around 17- to 18-yrs-old, you began to make your own decisions that have largely influenced and led to where you are today.
. -------------------------------------------------------
When you examine “the dot” and “the line” above please know the dot represents your time on earth, which for most of us will be 70-80 yrs, God willing. The line represents eternity. This guide will help you rethink the dot of your earthly existence in preparation for eternity. Once you truly begin to understand how everything you do today matters forever, you will begin to make different choices–better choices. For in the grand scheme of things our existence, “the dot,” amounts to a simple blink of an eye when compared to eternity. Unfortunately, many of the decisions we make are motivated by the pleasures sought during our temporal earthly stint at the cost of the eternal rewards received by simply obeying the Word of God. This may be man’s greatest forfeiture.
When our less-than-healthy way of living leads to unhappiness and poor health, we find it extremely easy to look beyond our own culpability and assign blame. Why? Because it’s easier to cast blame than to fix the issue; it’s easier to criticize those who are already successful instead of improving ourselves. So instead of rolling up our sleeves and solving our own problems the right way, we are inclined to limit our activity to blaming, criticizing, and very little else. Therefore, our problems remain our problems.
So when it comes to your own body, mind, and spirit, assume control and accept full responsibility. It’s the only way that you’ll ever be able to not only look at yourself in the mirror with pride, but see the reflection of that same pride in the eyes of those who love you.
The one thing I've discovered over the past few months is that once the mind has been expanded there's no going back. Therefore, I truly thank God for trimming my body, expanding my mind, and speaking to my spirit...With that said, it is my sincere prayer that you unearth some valuable pearls of wisdom that will help on your journey to improve total wellness. Although I am a Christian who fully believes in the Trinity as well as the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; this guide is intended for any faith and even those who may see themselves as faithless. The one thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t make mistakes, and if you are reading these words it was meant for you to do so for a glorious reason.
Body, Mind & Spirit Roadmap
The “Introduction” is supposed to set the mood for the entire book. If you are like me and would rather simply have a cheat sheet that covers what you can expect to get out of the time (and hopefully money–at least three copies worth) you’ve invested in picking up this guide; here you have it.
Area of Focus Revelation _____________________________________________________________
Body
Number of Meals Eat 5-6 times each day with 3 meals and 2-3 snacks just a few hour before lunch and dinner
Total Calories No more than 2,000 calories from food and drinks each day
What to Eat? Green Leafy Vegetables (The greener, the better!)
Oat Meal
Dairy (Non-fat or low-fat ONLY)
High Fiber Content
Almonds and nut butters (Natural)
Smoothies (Not the fast food kind)
Protein (Various legumes and lean meat)
Olive Oils (For cooking and salad dressings)
Whole grain bread, cereals and pasta
Eggs (Excellent source of protein)
Raspberries and other berries
Exercise At least 3 days a week combining aerobic exercise and strength training
When Life Gets In the Way… Have options to keep nutrition and exercise on track
Mind
Motivation Self-Actualization and Visualization Techniques
How to Quiet the Mind Fundamentals of Prayer and Meditation
Stress and Illnesses How to Recognize Symptoms and Seek Help
Spirit
Who is God? No one can completely define God except God
Spirituality vs. Religion These two things are not the same and one’s spirituality typically begets their religion
Religion vs. Science Non-believers will use science to disprove God and bring attention on the fallibilities of organized religions. Science can also be used to prove not only God’s existence but how we are all connected.
The Buddha Buddhism is not a religion. It’s a philosophy that we can all greatly benefit from.
God of Abraham All three of the major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have more in common than they have differences. In fact, they all are descendants of Abraham.
Beginning the Journey If we don’t change for our own sake, then we MUST change for God’s sake and those we love. Bottom line, change is not an option. It’s a lifeline.
Success We know that we are on the right path when our influences, perspectives and surroundings begin to change.
Body
Day 1
“Happiness
isn’t found on a clothing tag. We’ve looked! We find happiness in
making healthy choices, getting outside and keeping fit-choices that
make us feel better, inside and out. Often, living a healthier
lifestyle begins with what we choose to eat… and that moves us to
be more active.”
~ The Bear Naked Team of 100% Pure and Natural
Granola
Cracking the Code
Make no mistake, it’s extremely profitable keeping us fat. Not for you of course, but for the food and drug industries. The drug industry is well aware that people who are fat, overweight, and obese have increased medical issues and buy more non-prescriptive and prescriptive drugs than the Tyrone Biggums character from the Dave Chappelle Show. There is an unspoken financial motivation to keep folks overweight because overweight people are sicker, make great customers and simply add to the bottom line. Unfortunately, in the drug industry it’s simply not profitable to make and keep people healthy. Remember, many of the drug and food companies are publicly traded corporations whose only objective is to increase profits and shareholder value.
Food companies just want to sell us more additives and foods that lower our metabolism and increase hunger (like high fructose corn syrup). This makes us fatter, which makes us want to buy even more unhealthy food. And eventually, we get sick. And what happens when we get sick? We have to buy more drugs. This premeditated vicious cycle doesn’t end until you either figure it out or ultimately allow the final cog in this vicious fat cycling machine to also profit: the funeral home.
But let’s not forget the silent partner is this lucrative three-legged stool, the diet industry. The “weight loss” or diet industry primarily consists of companies that sell exercise equipment, weight loss pills, protein powders, prepackaged food, low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie food, and every other kind of weight loss hustle you can imagine. And you know what? We’ve all fallen for it at some time or another. And to add insult to injury, these companies are usually owned by the same guys who head-up the food and drug companies! In the immortal words of Evelyn “Champagne” King, this is just a “low-down dirty shame.” Now that your eyes are wide open, let’s make sure that the wool is never again pulled over them. Let’s crack the code to getting your life back on the path that God intended. Obesity ends now!
A person is considered obese when their weight is 20% (or more) above normal weight guidelines. Unfortunately, obesity has become a National epidemic and hopelessness appears to be the fastest growing religion. It is a chronic disease affecting increasing numbers of children and adolescents as well as adults. Rates of obesity among US children have doubled since 1980 and tripled for adolescents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 17% of children from 2- to 19-yrs-old are considered overweight compared to over 66% adults who are considered overweight or obese. A primary reason that prevention of obesity is so vital in children is because the likelihood of childhood obesity persisting into adulthood is thought to increase as the child ages. Once you’ve read this guide, if you are still not convicted to make a few positive lifestyle changes in your life for your own sake, I ask you to consider making changes for the sake of your children. Anyone with kids has already learned the important lesson that our children imitate what they see. Therefore, if they only see high caloric foods with limited nutritional value, this becomes their reality and what they’ll consume.
Obesity is a costly condition that can reduce quality of life and increases the risk for many serious chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and premature death. We are simply digging our graves with a fork and even more, killing our children.
In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) required that:
Labels provide information on how the food fits into an overall daily diet
Labels include information on the amount per serving of saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and other nutrients of health concern to today's consumers
Terms such as “light," "fat-free," and "low-calorie" meet government definitions
Be consistent across product lines to make comparison shopping easier
Units be expressed in common measures
Reflect amounts people actually eat
How many times have you begun a new can’t miss diet, skipped meals or followed an extremely low-calorie diet? We’ve all learned the hard way that these strategies are not the answer for losing a significant amount of fat over an extended period of time. Extreme calorie deprivation only sets us up for yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling. Our weight will continue to go up and down for the rest of our life. We get on a rollercoaster pattern of fasting, then slipping up and bingeing, then fasting again. Maybe we desperately want to lose weight for a wedding, high-school reunion or perhaps another very special occasion and figure that only a couple of weeks at 800 calories a day can give us the results we want. Maybe it does…but then what happens when we go back to a normal eating pattern? We tend to blow-up like Eddie Murphy’s Sherman Klump character in the movie, Nutty Professor.
In addition, while we were depriving ourselves of the necessary calories, our levels of T3, the thyroid hormone that boosts metabolism, plummeted and we slowed down our metabolism. Also, our response to insulin has taken a hit, so instead of glucose entering our cells, where it can be used for energy, our body lets it roam around in our blood, where it can cause trouble. Our sensitivity to leptin (which regulates appetite) is also reduced, so we're never quite sure when to say, "Enough" at the table. Plus, the hormone that tells our brain we're starving, called ghrelin, shoots higher than ever. And this is just the beginning of our problems. When we inevitably start gaining back weight, we start the cycle of yo-yo dieting all over again. Of course it gets more and more frustrating every time we do it.
Since we have to eat to survive and each healthy meal has the ability to prolong our life, it’s essential to have a firm understanding of every food and beverage consumed in order to make an informed decision on what we are putting into our mouth–and most importantly, how much of it. One of the beautiful things about learning to decipher food labels is it provides instant portion control. Theoretically, the only way we can truly use the labels in the way they were intended is to measure and eat portions based on the recommended serving sizes. Some type-A personalities will indeed carry around measuring spoon kits and even food weighing scales. The good news for the rest of us is that in time, assessing the serving size of our favorite foods will become second nature.
If the mere thought of measuring food servings seems a bit too tedious, within a matter of weeks, you can learn to eyeball servings and practice automatic portion control once you get a visual idea of the true portion sizes. In addition to initially weighing your food, you may also want to include keeping a food journal detailing every single thing consumed each day. Many folks drastically underestimate the total number of calories consumed each day so keeping a food journal has resulted in them being Scared Straight, but without the jail bars or inmates yelling about phone and commissary privileges (Having an HBO Oz series flashback).
Once we assess our caloric needs, food labels will help us identify areas in which we can cut back painlessly and lose fat. For example, when you see that your favorite “healthy snack” contains 225 calories per serving, it will be much easier to identify one that contains only 100 calories if you simply check the nutrition label. If you eat that same snack every day, this one change can cut over 875 calories from your diet each week. Now that’s 3,500 calories saved each month! And remember, every 3,500 calories saved or burned equals one pound of fat lost. Booooyah!
Most experts seem to agree that a successful fat loss program consists of 70% nutrition and 30% exercise. Let’s take a look at what we should be consuming on a daily basis according to the FDA. Food labels were regulated in 1994–before then, food companies could print their products’ nutritional information basically anywhere they wanted to (and often in really small print). The FDA required companies to format the information in a structured way and to include helpful information on the label in a set size and organized manner.
These regulations required both the ingredients and nutritional information to be provided along with a food label of a standard size and shape (a rectangle) labeled Nutrition Facts. In the following box, we will find nutritional information listed in order of importance.
(Based on 2,000 calories a day for adults and children over 4 only)
|
Food Component |
DRV |
|
Fat |
65 grams (g) |
|
Saturated |
fatty acids 20 g |
|
Cholesterol |
300 milligrams (mg) |
|
Total Carbohydrate |
300 g |
|
Fiber |
25 g |
|
Sodium |
1,500 mg |
|
Potassium |
3,500 mg |
|
Protein** |
50 g |
**DRV (Daily Reference Value) for protein does not apply to certain populations; Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for protein has been established for these groups: children 1 to 4 years: 16 g; infants under 1 year: 14 g; pregnant women: 60 g; nursing mothers: 65 g.