Equipping Thoughts

11.) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat Blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

12.) Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13.) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14.) Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15.) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class ……but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16.) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17.) Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18.) Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

19.) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20.) Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

It’s unfortunate at times when we receive so many emails - they are great, but long, and we have more emails to open, read, cruise & sort through — emails galore. Here’s an email that I almost deleted, but as I read through, I heard a voice within my heart, saying, “Live, Love, Laugh…on Purpose Rod!” Here’s part 1 of 4. Enjoy…and live, love, laugh…on purpose!

1.) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate Antidepressant.

2.) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3.) Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and Get more sleep.

4.) When you wake up in the morning complete the Following statement, ‘My purpose is to________Today. ‘

5.) Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6.) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.

7.) Always pray and make time to exercise.

8.) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of Six.

9.) Dream more while you are awake.

10.) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

Sleep depravation and improper sleeping habits affect our health - physically, emotionally and spiritually. I’ve been reading up on how to live a healthy lifestyle. It’s been an adventure discovering how I’ve misguided my health because of poor sleeping habits (& other poor habits I have - bummahs!) Check this out…

“The National Sleep Foundation states that “sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, and negative mood and behavior.” Dr. Cherry writes, “If you haven’t had a good night’s sleep, you’re likely to pay for it. The price may be high: reduced energy, greater difficulty concentrating, diminished mood, and greater risk for accidents, including fall-asleep crashes. Work performance and relationships can suffer too. And pain may be intensified by the physical and mental consequences of lack of sleep.”

The take home for me…”Rod, get adequate rest. Make an appointment with your pillow and bed and don’t violate your health needs!” Psalm 127:2 says He gives His beloved sleep.

OK Lord! Help me to obey!!

I’m no health expert - that I want to make clear. I do know that I feel the best I’ve ever felt, have more energy than ever before and more healthy than I’ve ever been (not considering the 5 years of boxing 17-21 years of age - way back when…!)!

My quest for living a better, healthier lifestyle began when chest pains were bothering me in Dec. 2002. I had been back in Hawaii for a year and a half, gained 20 pounds eating all the “local” foods, at all the potlucks, just enjoying being back home with all the rice, mac salad and greasy grinds!

My cardiologists (I’ve never had one before) said to me, “Rod, if you want to live healthier and feel better, take care of your heart - it’s the most important muscle in your body.” There began my quest - NOT to lose weigh - but to live a healthier lifestyle.

My suggestion to you - begin by evaluating your motives and goals for living a healthy lifestyle. Many people I’ve talked to want to lose weight, look good - not bad motives at all. In my opinion, the motive of taking care of myself to be the best I can be for God, my family and the goals of strengthening my heart muscle, improving endurance, living more effectively and having more energy were lifestyle challenging and altering.

Do you live tired? Are you able to give your family or loved ones your best in energy and attitude? Does God see you as living at your best unto Him?

Your God and your loves ones are worth you living a healthier lifestyle!

When I am inspired, I give myself whole heartedly to a goal, activity or cause. I believe every person has inspiration to live a healthier life. That inspiration just gets buried beneath other acute-short term and short lived inspirations.

There are eternal inspirations that must outweigh what inspires the temporal and earthly parts of us. Some Christians have been deceived into thinking that our earthly bodies are temporal so we don’t need to care for them. The reasoning is that we’ll get new bodies in heaven so just do God’s work, not caring for our physical health.

We Christians have “let our health go.” Rather than being inspired, we expire ourselves to apathetic life choices that result in poor health. We don’t eat right, we over eat, we don’t exercise, we get over weight and inspiration to live healthy disintegrates. Yuk, Yuk, Yuk…I know the feeling. In fact, I still battle those feelings but choose to yield to some eternal inspirations. What are those eternal inspirations? For me…

• To give and live my very best to please God. I know - I KNOW that He wants me to take care of my health.
• To be an example to those around me of a man of God who loves God, loves life and people enough to take care of my spirit, soul and body. This love inspires me to want to live longer - as much as it depends on my obedience.
• The fear of the Lord to honor Him through obedience inspires me. I have a conviction to obey the Lord in every area of life, including physical health.

(Proverbs 22:4 True humility and fear of the LORD lead to riches, honor, and long life.)

In partnership with God, I desire to live a healthy, long life that brings pleasure to Him!

Sleep depravation and improper sleeping habits affect our health - physically, emotionally and spiritually. I’ve been reading up on how to live a healthy lifestyle. It’s been an adventure discovering how I’ve misguided my health because of poor sleeping habits (& other poor habits I have - bummahs!) Check this out…

The National Sleep Foundation states that “sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, and negative mood and behavior.”

Dr. Cherry writes, “If you haven’t had a good night’s sleep, you’re likely to pay for it. The price may be high: reduced energy, greater difficulty concentrating, diminished mood, and greater risk for accidents, including fall-asleep crashes. Work performance and relationships can suffer too. And pain may be intensified by the physical and mental consequences of lack of sleep.”

The take home for me…“Rod, get adequate rest. Make an appointment with your pillow and bed and don’t violate your health needs!”

OK Lord! Help me to obey!!

Trying to lose the 20 pounds I gained my first 2 years back in Hawaii was part of my goal. I never used the scale in my home till I realized my energy level was waning. The scale was a friend and foe. A friend when it reminded me of the need to care for my health. A foe when I jumped on it and measurements did not change.

I’m sure you are like me. You know all the things you SHOULD BE DOING to live a healthy life. We each have our reasons, excuses and justifications. For me, the bottom line came when the Lord challenged me when I encountered chest pains. “Will you do your part to care for your health so I can do my part through you? asked the Lord within my heart. I seriously started weighing the benefits of taking better care of the body God gave me to steward. Nuff said - why don’t you “weigh the benefits of eating right, exercising and getting good rest?”

Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Plain and simple - Cut back on the greasy, oily foods and sweets. How can we ever accomplish this in Hawaii? When I moved back to Hawaii in August 2000, My goal was to eat everything I missed out on while living in Kansas City. That wasn’t difficult since New Hope included food at most events and activities!! By August 2002, just 2 years later, I went from a 30 waist line to a 34! That would be 20 pounds added to my figure!!

How did I scale back on the greasy, oily foods and sweets? I made one wise decision per day. Instead of having my “local grinds” lunch and desert - I would have just eat my “local grinds” - but without the extra scoop mac salad. Instead of sweets 2-3 times per day, I would narrow it down to 1-2. Instead of a “juicy burger”, I ate a chicken sandwich.

One wise decision at a time! A couple of health analysts friends told me that it’s all about making wise choices. That sounds pretty Biblical doesn’t it?

Another *key motivating factor was a deep desire to please the Lord by acquiring more energy. I knew that the way I consumed greasy, oily foods and sweets had to change. Not only my waist line would continue to change but so would my energy level, resistance and metabolism and health.

Another tip? I started reading more about health, the effects of certain foods, I searched the website, I bought a couple of books, talked to people at a local health food store and asked questions of some people I knew took care of themselves and lived a discipline lifestyle.

I still eat everything I used to, just smaller portions and I’ve substituted some food items with healthier alternatives.

It’s incredible how much we can accomplish and do, with productive and fruitful results when we are healthy.
There’s no magic potion or pill you can take to handle and do more in life.

In my life, I’m learning to:
• Live out my God given passions.
• Discipline my spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health.
• Focus intently on my God assigned responsibilities.
• Prioritize relationships to insure health, peace and fruitfulness.
• Live towards and fulfill the purposes and vision of God for my life.

The key, operative word is learning. I have not come close to mastering or achieving the list above. But the list above has been turned from ink on a paper (otherwise known as goals) to desires and disciplines of my inner heart. The passage below is worth considering as we move in the direction of being life long disciples, committed to handling and doing more without burning out.

Colossians 2:7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.

More to come in scene 2.

NO…the “S” does not represent “Super Shimabukuro!”

I loved exercising my right hand with the weight of a fork, bending my elbow, tilting my head, opening my mouth…and Ah-h-h-h…the taste of all the delicious varieties of food we are blessed with in Hawaii! I would even pray before my meal workouts, 3 times a day, asking God to bless the food to my body. But I realized that my bodily exercise routine needed to be accompanied by another type of workout.

Choice #4 - Exercise your heart.

When I visited the cardiologists about 4 years ago for a heart condition, he told me I needed to E_ _ _ _ _ _ _. Do you like fill in the blanks? You are correct, I needed to exercise! But I do; I walk down the halls at work, to the refrigerator at home, I even play with my kids outdoors. You know where I’m headed. I knew where the Doctor was headed. Exercise meant consistently getting my heart rate up by increasing my cardio workout (brisk walking for 30 min., running).

I began a regular, consistent routine of exercising my heart at least 3 times per week. I cannot tell you - I am a changed man. Not on the outward necessarily, but on the inward. Increased circulation, energy and capacity. I have so much more energy, I think clearer (my wife doesn’t think so … :), I can handle tough situations better…I am more fit to Live a Healthy Lifestyle…to be a better husband, father, leader and servant for God!