Living a Full Life with JOY!

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40.31

Joy Johnson knew this passage of scripture well. She had a portion of this verse hanging on her wall in her kitchen. Joy died this week; one day after running her 25^th New York Marathon, which took place on Sunday. Joy was an inspiration to many people. Not only because of her incredible accomplishments, but also because Joy was 86 when she ran her last race. This inspiring widow and former PE teacher was said to have lived up to her name. Her friends and family say she was a joy to be around, and brought others so much happiness. In 2011 she told USA Today, “I want to keep running as long as I can drop in my running shoes when the time comes.”

I'd say this is a woman who knew what it meant to live life to the fullest. A passion for the Lord, a passion for life and the things that brought her joy during her time here on this earth. I'd love to go out like this – living fully and enjoying every moment.

Jesus talks about this kind of life in John 10:10. He is talking to a group of teachers of the law – Pharisees, who often in scripture were rebuked by Jesus for thinking they had all the answers, who lived life by strict man-made laws and regulations. He says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

So... who is the “thief?” The thief is Satan, and he disguises himself in many different ways. Think of things that rob you of a full life. Like the Pharisees, it could be legalism or trying to keep up appearances. It could by an over-booked schedule, your unhealthy friendships that do nothing to build you up and encourage you, your procrastination or laziness, contentment or even greed.

I think of another story in the Bible of a runner of sorts. This man is described as 'a rich, young ruler.' Mark 10:17 says the man saw Jesus while he was on his way somewhere (isn't that a typical picture of Christ – always on a mission, but willing to help those who seek him out along the way). The man ran to Jesus and fell at his knees, asking what he was to do to enter the Kingdom of heaven. It was established that this man was a “good man,” and appeared to have lived a very full life. He was young and wealthy, he had a genuine desire for the Lord, but when Jesus asked him to give up the one thing that had such a grip on him – his wealth, the man walked away sad and unable to commit himself to the Lord.

A full life has nothing to do with our wealth, it's not measured by our trophy case (of which I have zero trophies, so thank goodness for that), it's not even necessarily measured by our accomplishments. I would define a full life as described in John 10.10 as living life with the joy of the Lord. For me, it's finding His purposes in all that I do and abiding by the word as I participate in things that interest me. The Lord definitely has a plan for each of us, and what joy is to be found when you are striving to live every day in the will of the Lord. I think it would be impossible to feel any other way than completely full of life when every step taken is one on the path of God's purposes. Step one: tie up your laces, ladies. There's a full life ahead and our Savior is waiting at the finish line, cheering us on!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY set before him endured the cross, scoring it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12.1-2 

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle from The Humbled Homemaker

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle

Head on over to The Humbled Homemaker Blog for more information about this AMAZING bundle! I purchased mine this morning, and can't wait to start reading some of these great ebooks! There's a 12 week series of conferences beginning in January to kickstart a healthy year, as well as free products. I am looking forward to receiving my phosphate-free, 128 load free laundry detergent and a kombucha starter kit, which are included as some of the bonuses! This deal is going on November 4-9.

Feeding The Stomach Bug

My entire family came down with the stomach bug this weekend.  I can't stand it when my babies don't feel well. I feel horrible when their sweet little faces have turned pale and sickly. We did lots of cuddling on the couch with our favorite movies, and book reading. There was also a lot of clean up, interrupted sleep and baths as well.
If you find yourself in this situation soon, here is a list of foods that will help in Feeding The Stomach Bug, ensuring a quick recovery.

1. Oatmeal. It's bland enough for an upset stomach, and will fill you up. Try my recipe for Sugar Free, Dairy Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins. 

2. Yogurt, or other forms of probiotics such as a supplement or Kombucha tea. 

3. Peppermint tea. Peppermint soothes the stomach and helps with nausea. Also try luccorice root tea, chamomile, or ginger tea. (My kids like peppermint because they think it tastes like candy canes).

4. Honey. A teaspoon of honey can help with nausea and vomiting, and also works as a great cough suppressant, but shouldn't be given to infants under the age of one, as it can cause allergic reactions. 

5. Baking Soda and Water reduces the acidity in the stomach. Mix 1/4 tsp. with 1/4 cup water.

6. Water! Drinking lots of fluids (even when they have a hard time keeping anything down), is so important because it prevents dehydration. 

Do you have any natural remedies you like to use to help with overcoming sickness? Share it in the comments below. 

Denver Botanic Gardens FREE Food Day!

Denver Botanic Gardens is having their third annual Food Day on Thursday, October 24th, beginning at 10 a.m.. This is an all day festival with an expo, free food sampling and classes! Classes include topics such as Gardening in Raised Beds, and how to prepare your garden for the Spring, Cooking Demonstrations, Planning family meals on a budget, Food preservation and fermentation (I wish this class was being offered at a time when I could attend - I've been wanting to learn more on fermented foods), and Edible Education. This last class I am excited to attend. It will host Denver Urban Gardens, Denver Green School and Denver Public Schools. It will cover subjects like school gardens, reforms to cafeteria meals, nutrition education and will connect parents and teachers with local resources that are working towards building healthier schools and children.
Click the below link to find more on the Denver Botanic Gardens website:

Denver Botanic Gardens Food Day

My Favorite FREE Exercise Apps

I love the convenience of apps on my phone and tablet. I use them every day and each serves it's own purpose. There are so many to choose from, but I would like to share a few of my FAVORITE FREE APPS that are related to health and fitness.

• Sworkit 

This app is great to use at the home or gym. You have the ability to 

choose Strength Training or Cardio, as well as the type of workout 

you are looking for and the length of time you have to spend on it. For instance, on a day where I'm working out from home I might choose Strength Training, then Full Body workout for 45 minutes. It will then begin a Circuit Training Exercise with 30 second intervals. The exercise will change every 30 seconds. If you are unsure of what that particular exercise is, you can pause it and watch a demonstration video of a really, REALLY cool dude in his gym gear, out in nature who is ready to help. 

You also have the ability to play your own music while you "Sworkit," which is a necessity for me.

• Rock My Run

The Rock My Run app is essential for me when I'm running. I really can't get into the groove if I don't have some tunes. This app is great because you can download free mixes according to length of time (up to 45 minutes for the free version), beats per minute (which will help you keep a consistent pace), and genre of music. It's wonderful for keeping you energized, and I like it because you don't have to spend all of this money creating playlists for this purpose. The app is free, but there are upgrade versions as well. Honestly, I haven't felt the need to do the upgrade because the free version is THAT good. This one's probably my fave.

My only complaint is that it was a little tricky for me to get the hang of when I first downloaded it. My husband was the one that first told me about it, so I had his help, but if you play with it for a few minutes and do a little browsing in the "get mixes" section, I think you'll enjoy it too.

• Calorie Count

Okay - for the average healthy person, in their day-to-day-life, I'm not a fan of counting calories. But there have been times over the years when I was trying to shed some pounds and used this RELIGIOUSLY as a tool to do so. You have the ability to count the calories of every stinkin thing that goes into your body. There are thousands of foods in the data base that allow you to access all of the nutritional information you would need in that particular food. These days what I use it for most is finding out the nutritional information of recipes I create. Our family doesn't eat very many things that are processed or ready-made, so to find nutritional info on homemade recipes is impossible for me without this tool. It's easy to plug in your recipe ingredients, and within seconds you have all of that information at your fingertips: grams of protein, fat, carbs, calories per serving, etc. It's all there. 

Another great thing about this app is that it will give you an analysis at the end of the day, and an A to F rating. (yikes!) It will show you areas where you are not deficient and where you are over your optimal intake. There are pie charts that give you a great visual of what it is that you are actually eating. I know I was first shocked at the amount of carbs I was eating when I first starting using this app several years ago. It's very useful, and you can also find the full version online (which is even better) at caloriecount.com.

• Map My Run

My husband and I (let's be honest- mostly my husband these days, as the mornings have gotten COLD and I refuse to run in the cold... maybe some day) use this app to track our mileage and route. It's fun to see your progress and successes, as well as finding new routs that others in your area take. Monotony is one thing I don't enjoy about running, but I find that if I will change up my route, it keeps my interest and focus. It's easy to find friends around you that also use Map My Run. If you have a neighbor that also enjoys running, encourage them to use this app, and benefit from each other. You can turn it into a competition when you see that your girlfriend down the street ran 3.5 miles. Send her a text that says, "way to go on your run today. And by the way, I'm going to smoke you. Eat my dust." Or something to that effect.

• Interval Timer 

This one is super basic, but I really enjoy using it at the gym. Especially if you like circuit training, like I do, this helps you to keep track of your intervals without being close to that one tiny clock on the gym wall. You have the ability to select intensity - low or high, and the duration of your intervals. You can play music as well, and an alarm will sound and/or vibrate when it's time for the next interval. I never do circuit training without the use of this app. 

Do you have a favorite app that you use for health and fitness? Share it in the comments below. 

Welcome!

Welcome to Her Healthy Home Blog!
I am excited to start my journal here of healthy living! You will find daily posts on subjects of health for your entire family! Look in the "Kitchen" for recipes, links to those hard-to-find natural and organic coupons, and diet-related articles. "Kids Playroom" has ideas for healthy activities to be enjoyed with your children. Here you will find anything from incorporating movement and activity with your children to kid-approved healthy snacks and lunches. "The Cleaning Closet" holds recipes for DIY household cleaners, organizational tips (that I will surely be pulling from other resources), and like most cleaning closets, other miscellaneous articles because I'm not quite sure where else to put them. The "Her Health" tab will host articles for Women's Health. A mom's health isn't complete if her spirit is drained. Weekly devotionals will be posted in "Spiritual Health" and are designed specifically for moms.
I'm excited about starting Her Healthy Home, and hope to be a resource for others who are interested in healthy homes and families!