"BUT MOM...IT'S JESUS"

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." — Matthew 1:23

Out walking with their parents on a recent winter evening, Prayfit VP Eric Velazquez's little Mya and Ella came upon a scene that they could not resist. It’s not often that you run into a nearly-life-size donkey and cow begging for you to hop on their backs, right? Passing on propriety, they sped by their parents, the wise men, jumped right into the large nativity, and made themselves at home. Faces full of delight...click! A moment is captured forever and in the next, cautiously put on Facebook for friends near and far to enjoy.

Their parents questioned the appropriateness -- Mya and Ella questioned their caution.

“But Mom, it’s Jesus!”

Where are we in this picture? In Matthew 8, Jesus says that unless we become like children we will never enter the kingdom of Heaven; a child’s faith -- so pure and trusting -- is necessary for a relationship with Him.  As adults, bogged down with day-to-day issues, it’s easy to lose the child-like ease that intimacy with the Father brings. Knowing God's character, I believe it was not only okay for Mya and Ella to make themselves at home with Jesus, He’s waiting for us to join them.

--Catrina Vargas-Cormell

An entrepreneur, Catrina Vargas-Cormell was one of the first members of the PrayFit community. Catrina is now a PrayFit executive committee member and PrayFit Group leader in El Paso, Texas. For more from Catrina, join her group, “Hungry!,” on Facebook or visit her PrayFit workout journal.

SHOP & STAY LEAN Don’t let holiday shopping  derail your healthy-living goals

“It’s the heart of the holiday shopping season: Malls are flooded, parking lots are jam-packed, and your inbox is overflowing with e-coupons,” says Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, PrayFit’s resident healthy-eating expert. “Whether you’re hitting up the food court or doing your shopping online, keep these tips in mind.”

Don’t…

…munch on free samples. The calories can add up fast.

…shop hungry. Eat a sensible meal before you head out to the store or sit at the computer.

…swig liquid calories. Large sodas and full-fat peppermint lattes can have as many calories as a meal.

…go overboard on holiday goodies. Just because you can buy a 10-pound bar of chocolate shaped like a Christmas tree doesn’t mean that you should.

Do…

…resist the wafting smells from the pretzel and cookie stands. Save those calories for holiday parties.

…pack power snacks. Granola bars, fresh fruit, peanut butter crackers, and trail mix are good options.

…keep your mouth occupied. If you find yourself mindlessly snacking, chew sugarless gum or sip on a  calorie-free drink.

…wash your hands before you eat, especially after a day of shopping.

>> For more healthy holiday tips, visit Dana’s Healthy Eats blog on the Food Network.

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

A FALL IN THE DARK

May 4, 2011Read: Genesis 3

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." --Genesis 3:6

It's not unusual to hear various levels of mischief in my daughter's room after lights out. Possessing the requisite toddler appetite for adventure -- and an apparent immunity to my sweet lullabies -- we sometimes hear her shuffling about in the dark of her room. Normally this isn't cause for alarm but a few months ago, on one of my routine parental patrols, I opened her door.

My eyes still adjusting from the brightness of the hallway, I caught a glimpse of Mya's silhouette across the room. Standing precariously on the three-inch wide, five-foot high edge of her toddler bed, she reached for the highest of the new glow-in-the-dark stars that I had just placed on her wall. Time froze. My chest tight with anxiety, my first instinct was to shout at her to stay still. Fearing that this would cause the very fall that I was afraid of, I quietly strode toward her with outstretched arms. Noticing me in the room, she turned.

"Hi, daddy," she said, caught.

Taking hold of her, I placed her back in bed and calmly explained the danger of playing nighttime gymnast on her bed rail. She knew that the stars were off limits, for her own good -- daddy's orders. She didn't understand it but by reaching for them from such a precipitous position, she was setting herself up for a fall in the dark. Sometimes, the most alluring things in this world are the ones that place us in the most peril.

This incident holds parallel for us all, doesn't it? As our childlike curiosity urges us to reach higher and farther, it's important to remember that our Father always knows best, that He will always be there to help us down from dangerous heights and, when we fall, He'll be at our side an instant to help us up.

--E.V.

SHAKE WEIGHT Which type of protein is best after a tough workout?

You just finished a tough leg workout. (One based on the almighty lunge, perhaps?) Time to replenish damaged muscles with the building blocks they need to come back stronger next time. The strategy is to consume some fast-digesting protein within 30-60 minutes of your last rep, which is why protein powder is ideal. For a long time, it was thought that whey protein -- which digests rapidly in your body -- was the bar-none choice for your post-workout shake but newer research is making the case for casein.

Casein is a very slow-digesting form of protein because it "clumps" in your digestive tract, therefore breaking down at a significantly slower rate. This is good because it provides your body with a sustained trickle of muscle building amino acids, the building blocks of muscle.

"Research has also found that when casein is taken after training, it boosts protein synthesis (muscle making) well as whey does," says Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days."  "In addition, Baylor University (Waco, Texas) researchers reported that when trained lifters added casein protein to their postworkout whey shakes for 10 weeks, they gained significantly more muscle mass than study subjects who didn’t get casein after training."

So don't throw out your whey but it may be time to invest in some casein powder. In your post-workout shake, mix the two in a roughly 2:1 ratio. Hard training individuals should be getting 30-40 grams of protein after a hard workout, with men being on the higher end of that recommendation.  That equates to around 20-30 grams of whey and around 10-20 grams of casein.

Source: Jim Stoppani, PhD

>> NEW TO PRAYFIT?: If you're a new visitor and are wondering where to get started, click here. Or, if you're just in search of some structure for your journey to greater health, pick up PrayFit in print today!

BETHLEHEM ECLIPSED

December 21, 2010Read: Matthew 2

"...where is the one born King of the Jews. We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." --Matthew 2:2

It's been 372 years since the last lunar eclipse occurred on a solstice, so last night's celestial phenomenon was as rare as it was spectacular. But if you're like me, you missed it. Chances are we were all asleep, exhausted from work, school and Christmas shopping. Who has time for star gazing anyway?

It was 2000 years ago this week that God placed the star in the east to announce the birth of Jesus. But much like last night's midnight miracle, most everyone missed it. The calendar on Bethlehem's Blackberry was booked -- too busy, too stressed, too in control. Things had to get done and nobody else could do them. And yet, Jesus came to earth. Despite a limited live audience, life's main character was born.

Simply put, a lunar eclipse occurs when our world gets in the way of the sun. Lord, may we never let the same happen to us.

--J.P.

FIRST LADY: ADVOCATE FOR HEALTHY KIDS

Regardless of what side of the aisle you are on politically, there's reason to cheer one of the latest bills signed into law by President Obama. With his wife at his side on December 13, 2010, the president put his John Hancock to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which reauthorizes the federal nutrition program, a $4.5-billion measure that expands free school meals for the needy. The biggest difference is that it sets nutritional standards for all food in schools, including what appears in vending machines, and is designed to fight the growing epidemic of child obesity.

Opponents of the bill claim that it is another example of America becoming a Nanny State, wherein citizens need their lifestyle choices made for them. But advocates of the legislation believe that simply making better choices available to our kids where they spend a great deal of their time each day is a good first step that can help stem the tide of a growing problem.

Urging people to depoliticize the issue, the First Lady said: "“We can agree that in the wealthiest nation on earth, all children should have the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow," she said. “Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children. Nothing."

>> For the full story from the L.A. Times, click here.