The Heart of the Matter: Thirty Days toward Health & Wholeness!

By Linda Amara

Have you ever wanted to be free from the punishing mindset of diet and exercise and simply learn how to eat and exercise to give your body what it needs to function best? To be free from stress eating or comfort eating?

Food has so many emotional connections to the choices we make. We respond to stress, celebration, comfort, loneliness, fear, and so many other feelings with food. As we come to a deeper revelation of the unconditional, unstoppable love of the Father, renew our mind with the word of God, and replace those areas in our heart that used to be medicated by food or a workout, we can be set free from a cycle of dieting, losing weight, and then back to eating a bag of cookies when stressful situations arise. Instead, we will learn to run to the One who is our Comforter, our strength, our peace, and the lover of our soul. His name is Jesus!

It is my sincere desire that as you take this thirty-day journey of health and fitness that you would get to know how precious, valuable, and beautiful you are to the One who knows you completely, loves you unconditionally, and wants you to have life to the fullest!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098092900

Book preview

Day 1

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

—John 15:3 (NIV)

We are clean because Jesus Christ made us clean by taking all of our sin and all of our unrighteousness to the cross! "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21 NKJV). Precious one, He loves us so much that the only way to make us clean and right with God is for Him to have paid the complete debt we owe that we could never repay! Because of God’s love for us, He made a way to wash us clean of all the gunk that keeps us from who He made us to be. His name is Jesus! When we say yes to receiving the gift of righteousness that Jesus paid for, we are made clean."

Clean eating is in line with who we are and what is best for this body that we have been given. Clean eating is best described as avoiding refined or processed foods that do not come directly from the ground. The diet is based on fresh, natural, and whole foods that best provide nutrition, such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, poultry, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fats. An easy way to remember what foods are best is if it doesn’t rot or sprout, throw it out. Processed foods do not provide the quality ingredients that will help fuel your body throughout the day. They are chemically processed with highly refined ingredients and artificial additives, which are designed to make us want to eat more without providing adequate nutrition and can contribute to inflammation and disease.

God is all for what is best for us and desires for us to live in His grace and freedom. Let’s choose what is the best choice not out of restriction, but out of wanting to give our body what is best for us to feel good and have more energy and vitality to enjoy life!

Pray or Meditate for Seven Minutes

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption a sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Eph. 1:4–5 NKJV)

Nutrition Tip

Be aware of how much processed food and artificial sweeteners we are consuming each day. Check the labels of your food. If there are ingredients that are not from a whole food, avoid choosing that particular item.

Seek to replace with a whole food choice from the list.

Use herbs and spices to enhance flavor.

Choose a vegetable and occasional fruit from every color of the rainbow each day. Your veggies are unlimited, but fruits should be limited to 2–3 servings per day.

Try to eat your fruits and vegetables instead of juicing to increase your intake of fiber (daily recommended fiber is 25–30 grams) to keep a healthy digestive system.

Consume half of your body weight in ounces of water each day.

Exercise Tips

Power walk today! Walk at a brisk pace with your elbows bent, abdominals engaged, and posture tall. Begin with a slow walk and gradually increasing your pace until you are working moderately hard or at a pace that you are able to speak four words consecutively before taking a breath. Try to walk for 15–20 minutes then gradually slow your pace to cool down for approximately 5 minutes followed by a stretch. (There are stretches in the back of this book for quadriceps, hamstring, and calves.).

Walk up and down a set of stairs in the evening, if possible, followed by a seated stretch while relaxing for a minimum of 30 seconds of holding the stretch without bouncing or forcing. Sit on the floor with your back against couch or wall, legs side by side, toes to ceiling, knees almost straight, and breathe in a relaxed manner. Release the stretch and repeat three more times of holding the stretch for 30 seconds.

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man (woman) to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. (Rom. 4:7–8 NKJV)

You are clean. You are loved. You are an amazing expression of His love. Clean eating makes sense to give our body the best fuel.

Blessings,

Linda

Day 2

"I am the true vine and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

—John 15:1–2

In this passage, Jesus is describing Himself as the true vine and us as the branches. In a vineyard, the vinedresser would regularly tend to the grapes and the branches for the best harvest. A new branch has a natural tendency to droop on the ground and get covered with dirt and mud, unable to bear fruit. The vinedresser, knowing how precious each branch is and its potential to bear fruit, takes away (the Greek’s word is airo, meaning to lift up) the branch. He lifts the precious branch up out of the mud, cleanses it and places it high on the trellis to receive nourishment from the rain and the sun. So it is with our heavenly vinedresser. He loves us so much and lifts each one of us out of the mud of our lives so that we can be cleaned and lifted higher to receive nourishment from His Son!

Journal

Are there areas that God is wanting to lift you out of, cleanse your thoughts and attitudes, and bring you to a higher place to receive the light and nourishment that only He can give? As we spend time to read His word and pray, He is able to illuminate an area that we might be trying to fill with comforting food. All we need to do is ask Him if there is any thought or attitude that we might be holding on to that makes us run to a favorite comfort food or overindulge in a certain food. He wants us to allow Him to wash us off, lift us up, and nourish us with His love. Ask Him today and allow Him to lift you to a higher place!

Seven-Minute Prayer or Meditation

Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, and I have loved you. (Isa. 43:4 NKJV)

Nutrition Tip

Take a look at the oils and fats you are using. It is best to use organic oils as nonorganic oils may contain pesticides.

Extra virgin olive oil (best used cold or at low temperatures when cooking)

lowers risk of heart disease,

lowers cholesterol, and

helps with blood sugar control.

Coconut oil (can be used at any temperature and is a good choice when cooking at high heat)

provides immediate energy;

boosts the immune system;

increases energy expenditure by 5 percent;

kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi;

helps to reduce appetite; and

provides therapeutic effects on brain disorders.

Butter is a healthy choice, particularly from grass-fed cows (avoid any margarines or butter substitutes as they are trans fats, which increases inflammation, heart disease, and cholesterol.).

Avocado oil or avocados

Walnut oil

Macadamia oil

Flax oil

Sesame oil

Nuts and seeds

Healthy fats should be approximately 30 percent of our total dietary intake. Fats will keep you satisfied longer and allow your body to process vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Exercise Tip

Try a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) according to your fitness level. It is designed to challenge you at your level to increase your metabolism for the majority of the day! The intervals will be twenty seconds, followed by a ten-second recovery. Your heart rate will be on the higher end of the perceived exertion scale (1–10) as the twenty-second intervals with a ten-second rest will challenge your cardiovascular system. Your perceived exertion may be 6–8 on a scale of 1–10. Listen to your body and take a longer rest than the ten seconds until your breathing returns to a normal, not panting.

Try performing this circuit three times:

march or jog in place (twenty seconds with ten-second rest)

jumping jack (low impact, step out one leg at a time)

jump rope (march or jog and circle arms like you are jumping rope)

plank hold (on forearms, tuck hips under and pull abdominals in as you forcefully exhale)

cool down by walking around and follow with stretches from the flexibility exercises.

You are a precious branch with a destiny to bear fruit. Abide in Him and He in you. He is a loving and good vinedresser to His precious ones.

By His grace,

Linda

Day 3

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus