Kimberly Mathews
Contact Info
- 707 Birdie Circle Sparta, WI 54656
- 608-487-4879
- kimberlyamathews@gmail.com
- Kimberly Matthews
I can not stop thinking about my diet. It bothers me that I just have not been able to stay with it. I lack motivation. What should I do?
Go have some fun! Your health and wellness is very important. Part of wellness is staying stress free, as stress free as possible. If your new life style is stressing you out, exhale and do something you enjoy that is healthful. Some healthful things I suggest are: playing with your children, dancing with your husband in the kitchen, laughing at a comedy, walking in the park, and day dreaming about a pleasant moment. There are so many things to do to re-create yourself. Once you do one thing nice for yourself, it is easier to take better care of yourself regarding your nutrition. You have to make your new life style fun, or it will feel like a diet. I suggest at least one fun healthful activity a day!
Psalm 144:15 NKJ “Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!”
I have felt so empty lately; when I feel this way I want to give up. I talk myself into reverting back to my old habits. How can I get out of this slump?
When I feel empty inside it is usually because I am feeding my flesh and not my spirit. I take a look at what my daily life consists of and evaluate whether or not I am living in accordance to Gods directives. First and foremost I should love Him with all my heart, mind and soul. When I concentrate on God’s love for me and my love for Him it I get filled from the inside out. This foundation allows me to move on to the next step loving my neighbor as myself.
How do I show that God is my center? I start out each day with reading His word. I think of how I can apply His word to my life. I pray and ask for His guidance. I trust that He hears my prayer. Life here on earth is a challenge. Knowing that God will never leave me nor forsake me and loves me always regardless of my circumstances fills me each day and gives me the strength to keep on keeping on. Other things I do to help stay focused on His love for me are: listen to Christian music, listen to Christian radio, fellowship with other Christians. With God as my center I am filled from within. The emptiness goes away. I have the strength to walk the walk.
Deuteronomy 6:4 “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.”
Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For he Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
It is Tuesday and even though I had good intentions this week I have already blown it. I feel to like giving up. Yet I do have the desire to see my dreams come to pass. There just seems to be so many obstacles in my way. How do I stay focused and get the job done?
First determine what it is you want to accomplish.
Write it down. Chances are you have a few things you want to get done.
Organize your list based on your priorities. Make sure your priorities align with God’s word.
Chose scriptures to help motivate you, memorize them and repeat them to yourself. I chose one scripture a day to keep me on track. Keeping things simple is the way to go.
Have weekly and daily goals. Check off your progress when you get something done.
Try to keep your list to a manageable size. Put the most important items on top and check off from the top down. If you only get the first thing done you have still gone in the right direction.
Allocate time for working on your list. Concentrate on what you can do, focus on solutions. When negative defeated thoughts enter your head just dismiss them and refocus on God’s love for you and your desire to do His work. Then just do it! Get back to your list.
Forgive yourself when you mess up and keep on keeping on. We are not perfect and we all loss focus and want to give up. God gives us strength to be who He has called us to be. Focus your mind on what you know that is and align your actions to match. Take one step at a time.
James 1:21 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Job 12:13 “With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding.”
I know I feel better when I take time to exercise and eat right. What do you have about excuses?
We all have excuses! The bottom line is you. Do you want to live a healthy life? If you do, then you have to do what it takes to do it. We can all find things to do instead of taking care of ourselves. It is often much easier to focus on others, then ourselves. If we do not take care of ourselves we become someone who, we do not want to be. It is horrible, to be uncomfortable in your own skin!! In order to feel good long term we have to do the right thing moment by moment. The moment you think,” I don’t feel like it”……say to yourself ……”I am going to do it! I promised myself I was going to be healthy and I am going to! Let my YES be YES! “
Thoughts are what get us to act or not. If you have a passing thought, like an excuse, you can nurture that thought and it will grow or you can dismiss the thought and intentionally do what you set out to do!
Thought + dismiss thought = controlled thought (do the right thing)
Thought +thought +thought=craving or feeling
Craving or feeling +thought=action (give in to excuse)
To control your excuses you have to control your thinking. If you want to be healthy then when you have an excuse simply combat it with; No! I am going to stick to my health plan! Your success or failure is largely determined by how you let yourself think.
Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
What type of exercise is the best kind?
The best type of exercise is the type you will do! Chose an exercise program you’ll enjoy and that fits into your lifestyle. A good fitness program includes strength, flexibility and endurance. We are all unique and one size does not fit all when it comes to fitness. Educate yourself on what strength, flexibility and endurance training entail. There are many exercises you can do, in each of these categories. Set up a program that is right for you. Fitness trainers are an excellent resource. During exercise, as in life attitude is everything. Educate yourself on which exercises that you can and will do. Decide to do it with a happy heart. These two scriptures help me seek knowledge and be happy in all things.
Proverbs 10:13 NKJ Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding. But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.
Philippians 4:11 NKJ “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am in.”
I have a pretty good figure except for my butt and my stomach. Do you have some exercises that can shrink my gut and butt?
I do have exercises that can help tone your gut and butt. There is no such thing as spot reduction. This means you can not do exercises for those two places and think that will change your body type. If you carry weight in your stomach and your buttocks and no where else, then when you lose weight you should lose it there. You will lose the fat where you carry it. Combine a nutrition plan with an exercise plan. A good exercise plan includes cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and flexibility. Spot training doesn’t work. Whole fitness training does. There are great exercises to tone one’s gluts (buttocks). I use squats, lunges, leg curls, and leg presses. For my abdominal area I combine crunches, leg lifts, planks and ball transfers. These tone my abs. You can tone specific areas, you can not spot reduce. Teach yourself to be knowledgeable in your fitness goals.
Proverbs 10:13 “Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.”
I want to strength train, but I can’t afford to join a gym. What can I do at home?
You can strength train in your home with no weights. Isometric exercises are great! Isometric exercises are contracting your muscles in a static pose. An example of this would be flexing your bicep, to show off your guns(like Popeye did for Olive Oil). Isometrics strengthen and tone your muscles. I use isometrics in my Grace class and participants love it! The nice thing about isometric exercise is that it is very easy on your joints. To get a full body workout using isometrics simply go through each major muscle group of your body tighten it up for 8-30 seconds, rest and repeat. Major muscle groups would be chest, back, abdominal, buttocks and legs. There are contraindicates for isometric exercises like high blood pressure. I recommend that you speak with your doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if you have any health risks. Strength training can be so much more then the gym. Isometrics is just one form of strength training. Strength training is important for your health.
Psalm 27: 14 NKJ
“Wait on the Lord:Be of good courage,and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
I have a sedentary job. I know I need to exercise. I don’t have time. The time I do have at home, I devote to my husband and my children. How can I possibly fit exercise in?
Super Cool! Sounds like your priorities are on track… Keeping God, your husband and your children first is a basis for inner peace. Your health is also part of this equation. I think of Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God, and 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In order to take godly care of your husband and children you need to take care of your relationship with God and your physical body. When we are empty we have nothing to give.
A big dilemma today is how to fit it all in. I suggest time management. Plan your day. Schedule in prayer time and workout time. If your time is packed try to incorporate your family in this time. Family devotionals and family fitness produce happy families. Family fitness can be: playing soccer all together in the backyard, sledding, walking or doing a circuit training workout in your living room. Having the family involved in a fitness routine aids in motivation. This also helps the family stay on track nutritionally.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NKJ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to you children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
I know I need to exercise. I really do not have time and I don’t have the money to buy new fitness equipment. What can I do that will benefit me?
Move more! Exercise is cumulative. If you do it five minutes at a time throughout the day, you still derive benefit. (Cardiovascular conditioning needs to be done continuously.) Most of us can squeeze five minutes in, on the hour. If you do it at work, you are likely to feel more energized and productive the other 55 minutes. Take a five minute break and walk around the office, your home or to the corner and back. You can also stretch or strength train during that time. Everything you do counts. You will derive benefit from these short bursts of exercise. You just have to do it!
Proverbs 10:4 “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the diligent makes rich.”
I really don’t like to exercise. Is it really necessary?
Absolutely! Our fitness level is important. It is a major indicator of our mortality. Most of us have heard the statement, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” It’s true! Muscle starts to atrophy (lose strength, deteriorate) within the first 48 hours of rest. Our muscular strength is necessary, not only to maintain our fitness level, but to support our skeletal system and internal organs. Increasing muscle (even just toning) increases your metabolism. This is especially important if you want to lose weight. Regular exercise is an important part of living a healthful, fit, well rounded life.
1 Timothy 4:8 NKJ “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
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