Fresh Start

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Prayer: Lord Thank you for the start of something NEW today. I pray, as the word says, for YOU to put a NEW SONG in my mouth. Today, I choose to seek YOU in everything I say and Do. I pray that the NEW song is one of praises to you that comes from a thankful and joyful Spirit. Direct me today, Guide my thoughts and actions through the power of your Word. Amen

DAY 1

Spiritually: I choose today to do "all unto the Lord". As I speak, eat and move... may it be to the Glory of God. I will Use HIS word to find Strength to DO what I know I should DO. Today is a fresh Start for me. This is the beginning - a new thing! So again, I pray that as I meditate on His word, speak His word and Live His Word I will be successful in starting NEW habits and lifestyle Choices.

Mentally: I will start today learning about "Detox" of Thoughts and emotions

From Dr. Caroline Leaf's book

"Who switched off my Brain?"pg 106-108

DETOX STEP 1

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How may "could-have," "would-have or "should-have" statements have you uttered today"
• How may "if onlys" were part of your inner vocabulary today?
• How many times have you replayed a converstaion or situation in your head that pained you?
• How many scenarios have you created of the unprediciable future?
• How much time do you spend speculating?
• Is your mind passive?
• Are you honest with yourself
• Do you go through the motions of the day, not really committed to a goal, saying one thing but meaning another
• Is your thinking distorted? Are you forming a personal identity around a problem or disease? Do you speak about "my arthritis," "my multiple sclerosis" or "my heart problem"?
• Do you ever make comments like "nothing ever goes right for me," "everything I touch fails," or "i always mess up"?

If you answered yes even to one of these, your thought life needs detoxing right now.

Consciously controlling your thoughts is not just the first step in this process; it is the main step. Medical research increasingly points to the fact that this is one of the best ways, if not the best way, of detoxing your brain because it allows you to get rid of those toxic thoughts and emotions. in fact, forward-thinking doctors won't administer drug therapy anymore without some form of cognitive behavior therapy which aims at changing behavior by changing thinking.

Dr. John Sarno, a professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine at New York University school of medicine, has authored many excellent books including a groundbreaking one that proposes the theory that most back pain stems from psychological problems rather than physiological. Such theories lie at the heart of the body-mind connection. in this case, Sarno hones in on how thoughts can harm the body by causing debilitating back pain.

In his book, The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders, Sarno dissects the full Spectrum of "psychosomatic disorders." An illness is deemed psychosomatic when doctors can't find a physiological cause for it, somethings dismissing it as "all in the mind." while there diagnosis is right, their reasoning is wrong. Thoughts do cause illness and should thus be studied and controlled. If they are powerful enough to make us sick, they are powerful enough to make us healthy as well.

That's why a change i your thinking is essential to detox the brain. consciously controlling your thought life means not letting thoughts rampage through your mind, but learning to engage interactively with each one. Your job is to analyze a thought before you decide either to act or reject it.

How do you go about doing that? By "looking" at your mental processes. That may sound strange since it is impossible to crack open your skull like an egg and have a look at what is going on inside your brain. It is possible, however, to learn about your mental processes and then actively get involved in changing them. in fact, it's not just possible, it's essential.

Although, this is just an excerpt from the book - It's a NEW start today to "think about what you "think about". Choose to think about today :

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4

Physically: Today make time for a 15 minute BRISK walk. During the day make your self Stretch, reach, bend, squat .... MOVE MOVE MOVE any opportunity. THINK about how you feel as you do these movements. SAY TO YOUR SELF.

I FEEL SO GOOD when I stretch, walk, MOVE!

Have you ever thought about how Toddlers are so active (not many fat toddlers!)

So, find ways to move, move, move - Sounds crazy but skip, jump and play!!! today.

Eating: Today, take the challenge to look at food as a source of energy! If you reach for something that is "not healthy" (full of fat, fried, high calories) then AT LEAST stop and say before you choose it "THIS IS NOT A HEALTHY CHOICE".

If you still choose to eat this food, then SAY TO YOUR SELF as you eat it "I really don't like eating this, I know I won't feel good after I eat it.... this is NOT a good choice". There is power in our words!!!

Salute! To the NEW DAY!