~The Speth Family~: Would you believe me?

Monday, March 21, 2011

Would you believe me?

Would you believe me if I told you I was giving up (mostly) on chocolate? I have known for years that it makes me terribly sick, but it tastes SO GOOD! Sometimes I think that since I am not obese people expect me not to worry about my health or eating habits, and really I haven't, but yesterday at church we talked about the Lords Law of Health (which is mostly a light discussion on why we don't drink coffee, tea, alcohol, or smoke tobacco and stuff like that).

So it got me thinking. I mean THINKING about the other half of the law - the part where we treat our bodies like temples and choose not to defile them with things that are bad for them. We take care of them (exercise) and put healthy food in them and in return we are promised good spiritual health. Except I don't really keep that part of the law. Not on purpose, of course, but on account of the fact that I didn't realize it was part of the law and all.

And now I am thinking that I need to do these things and I have spent 33 years ignoring my health and I think I should start taking better care of my body - because it is a gift that Heavenly Father gave to me. Not only me, but my children who will learn their habits from me - what am I teaching them and what effect will it have on their health? John and I decided that tonight for Family Home Evening we would talk to the kids about what we put into our bodies and how to make healthy choices so this morning I looked up the effects of sugar on the body (because that is my big gluttonous sin, that one) and well, I knew sugar was bad for me, but I don't think I have ever contemplated HOW BAD or why until I read this. And even though its not a scientific article, it still drove the point home and now I wish I could start all over with a new body! Except I can't so my goal is to learn healthy eating habits and take better care of my body.... i.e. choose better snacks, loads less sugar and fatty junk, some exercise and possibly a vegetarian meal here and there????

So I'm recording my thoughts in hopes that I will be accountable for my decision and maybe over the next couple of months I can keep tabs on how our family is doing. My main goal is that we choose fruit over candy, spinach over quesadillas and water over Kool-aid. I'd love any tips....

2 comments:

wanderlustfamMarch 22, 2011 at 6:47 AM
Interesting, I was also thinking about the lesson yesterday. I will call you later with more ideas.

exercise idea #1 take a family walk after dinner (good for chatting, reduces chance of snacking, and is a beautiful time of day)

nutrition idea #1 make veggies at least 50% of every meal

Love you
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JulieMarch 23, 2011 at 1:58 PM
you are so sweet! You are welcome to copy any ideas you like because I've copied all of them from somewhere else too! :) (I wish I could claim them)
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“Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind, has been given by direct revelation from God. … We should take advantage of all these great discoveries … and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work”
(Brigham Young, Deseret News, 22 Oct. 1862, 129).

“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become..."
~Elder Dallin H. Oaks

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~Elder Orson F. Whitney~

"Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer—from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems—they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees"
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~Russell M. Nelson

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~Church News, 24 Dec. 1960~

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Enos 1:9-10
9Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began to feel a ^adesire for the ^bwelfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did ^cpour out my whole soul unto God for them.

10And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my ^amind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments...

"We demonstrate our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior when we place our faith in Him, repent of our sins, and receive the saving ordinances required to enter God’s presence. These saving ordinances are symbols of the covenants we make. The covenants of obedience to His laws and commandments bind us to God and strengthen our faith. Our faith and steadfastness in Christ will give us the courage and confidence we need to face life’s challenges, which are part of our mortal experience."
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Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

"This is a troubled world. Discord and disaster are everywhere. It sometimes feels as though mankind itself may be hanging in the balance."Foreshadowing our day, the Lord said, 'The heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve' (Moses 7:61; emphasis added). We should take great comfort in this promise."
~ Keith B. McMullin"~

Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter."Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect."
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~Neil L. Andersen~

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1 Nephi 7:12

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"When the Saints in Utah were still struggling to produce enough food to live, they started schools. They felt driven to lift their children toward light and to greater usefulness by education. That drive is more than a cultural tradition passed on through the generations. It is the natural fruit of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see it today across the world in our missionaries coming home from their brief service in the field. Those who have planted the good word of God and have served faithfully invariably have awakened in them a great desire for self-improvement. And with that comes a desire to learn more and to gain greater skills."The purpose of God's creations and of His giving us life is to allow us to have the learning experience necessary for us to come back to Him, to live with Him in eternal life. That is only possible if we have our natures changed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, true repentance, and making and keeping the covenants He offers all of His Father's children through His Church."So the leaders of the Church have always known that the drive for learning among our people must have a powerful spiritual component. That spiritual element, when it is effective, refines and uplifts the aims of our total education."
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~Richard G. Scott~

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"From your study of Church history, you will all know something of the experience the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brethren had while imprisoned in [Liberty Jail] during the winter of 1838–39. This was a terribly difficult time in our history for the Church generally and certainly for the Prophet Joseph himself, who bore the brunt of the persecution in that period. Indeed, I daresay that until his martyrdom five and a half years later, there was no more burdensome time in Joseph's life than this cruel, illegal, and unjustified incarceration in Liberty Jail. . . ."Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a 'jail' or a 'prison'—and certainly it was that. But Elder Brigham H. Roberts, in recording the history of the Church, spoke of the facility as a temple, or, more accurately, a 'prison-temple.' . . ."But tonight's message is that when you have to, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."
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~Henry B. Eyring~

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"There is a guide for receiving the Lord's power of deliverance from opposition in life. It was given to Thomas B. Marsh, then the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was in difficult trials, and the Lord knew he would face more. Here was the counsel to him that I take for myself and offer you: 'Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers' (D&C 112:10). "The Lord always wants to lead us to deliverance through our becoming more righteous. That requires repentance. And that takes humility. So the way to deliverance always requires humility in order for the Lord to be able to lead us by the hand where He wants to take us through our troubles and on to sanctification."
~Elder Henry B. Eyring~

A Future of Peace
"What kind of existence can we hope for? Those who come unto Christ, repent of their sins, and live in faith will reside forever in peace. Think of the worth of this eternal gift. Surrounded by those we love, we will know the meaning of ultimate joy as we progress in knowledge and in happiness. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Corinthians 2:9)."
~Dieter F. Uchtdorf~