Just got back from a wonderful vacation in Spain. We had an opportunity to visit the beautiful cities of Seville, Ronda, Cordoba, Madrid and Malaga. You can check out a few of our favourite vacation pics throughout this post.
Now that we’re back home on Canadian soil, I’m taking the time to reflect on the sharp contrasts between life in Spain and life here where I live in North America so I will be sharing about it in the next couple of posts, especially as they relate to our health.
One of the biggest adjustments for my husband was in how he experienced coffee. In Spain the mere notice of having a coffee to go seemed a foreign concept. As we searched shop after shop for a take out coffee so he could drink while traveling/working, we were hard pressed to find this. Instead we would wait 5-8 minutes while they took their time and brewed 1 single 4 oz. cup of coffee at their tender pace. Then you would be expected to sit and savour the sights and sounds of Spain while you savoured the taste of the coffee. What a strange concept this was to us. I hit me that our need to multi-task and do things on the go prevent us from being all who God has called us to be.
If you’re always in a rush; if you’re always disorganized; if you always seem to be under pressure then there’s a high probability that you’re over-whelmed with life right now. This spirit of over-whelm can keep you from reaching your weight loss goals on both a physiological, spiritual and emotional level.
Physiologically, when you’re overwhelmed, your body can chronically increase your cortisol levels (stress hormone) which has been linked to high levels of abdominal fat, as well as, many other health conditions.
Mentally, your mind is overworked and does not make good decisions. You make rational and sound decisions when your mind is at peace and can take the time of effectively process information.
Spiritually, when you’re overwhelmed, its almost impossible to be hear God’s voice. You’re so busy in catch up mode that your will will often win out over God’s best desires and intentions for you. Secondly, you render God powerless when you’re so busy doing everything on your own.
This week, I challenge you to ‘stop and smell the roses’. Like the Spaniards, take the time and slow down, relax and enjoy the moment without rushing and multi-tasking. It will improve your health and actually help you release excess weight.
Have a blessed week.
P.S.: Our July monthly 21 Day Weight Loss Challenge is off to a great start with a record number of participants. If you’ve been thinking about it for a long time, today is the day to take action.