Back 2 School

School is back in session so you know what that means. Meal planning and prepping for the kiddos is back in session. My planning game is about to be on point 😍 As parents we tend to go on “summer vacation” when the kids get out of school even though we are still working. So I decided to take it back to the basics to make life simple. Forget all these diets and just try to find a balance.

I decided to read The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen, and Dr. Mark Hyman. It inspired me to use some nutrition concepts in my families day to day life. This book is a faith based book however you don’t have to be religious to read it.

The book gives great insight on fitness, health and nutrition in the most inexpensive way. Based off of my nutrition and fitness studies the information in the book fell right inline with the similar guidelines that I was taught as well as the Dietary Guidelines of America (https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/) on the Health.gov.

In the beginning of the book Pastor Warren gives an overview of how he came up with The Daniel Plan. For those who are not familiar with this plan long story short the pastor realize over the 30 years he overseen the church he had gained some weight. He confessed to the congregation and invited them to join him on his quest to loose weight.

The Sunday it started the pastor named the plan The Daniel Plan, after a man in the Bible who refused to eat junk food and challenged the king to a health contest. Pastor Warren recruited two doctors (authors of this book) to ensure the plan will be on the right health track. This plan that was created was simple and inexpensive. One reason why I enjoyed it.

The book covers a lot of information in the book but there are five essentials that I took away from it. And may I add I am personally using these essentials to be successful in my current weight lost.

The five essential are food, fitness, focus, faith and friends. I think these essentials can help others regardless of someone’s faith. Personal it has helped me make life time commitment to my family as well as myself to be a healthier me through mind, body and soul.

Food

Choosing whole food is always best. Healthy with natural vitamins and minerals we need.

Fitness

It is recommended to get daily exercise. The book gives you some workout ideas that doesn’t required a gym. There is a plan to help take baby steps to increase your daily exercise too.

Focus

Renewing your mind. To help stay focus on your new plan it is always good to renew your mind and prepare for this life change. In the Bible Romans 12:2 says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.“

Faith

Having faith in what ever you believe in helps you reach your goal that much easier. Of course if your faith is different from mine feel free to add your own beliefs in this section.

Friends

The Daniel Plan is so successful when you do it in a small group (2 or more people) so the motivation and inspiration can be there at the time of need when trying to push forward.

I feel like I am that much more successful by following these essentials. Of course this is my opinion and what works for me . An opinion stemmed from five long years of diet after diet. Hours and days of gym sessions. Wanting to just find a simple balance without using the word “diet” is important to me. I also found out that the “One Size” doesn’t fit all.

Keep in mind when it comes to health changes seeking your physicians advice first is always best.

Remember 💜 Corinthians 13:7 “Love never gives up, never lose…”

Check out my photo gallery for meal prep ideas.

Also if you are interested in and learning more they have a great website https://danielplan.com.