Auntie's Full Shelf Challenge 03

Book: The Daniel Plan.

Author: Rick Warren, et al

Info: Copyright 2013 by Zondervan

Where acquired: Gift from a friend.

Why:  Several years ago when Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California (also home to the Celebrate Recovery Program) introduced the Daniel Plan, I gathered with a group to take the video course.  Unfortunately, the course left me a little high and dry.  It gave a lot of dos and don'ts, but not many how tos.  Once the course was over, not many stuck with it--OK no one I know of stuck with it and the leaders of the course didn't follow through.  When a friend of mine excitedly gave me the book, I thought Why not?  My hope was that the book had more meat to it than the video course and reveal the secrets of lasting change. 

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 hashtags):  # # # 1/2

What it's about:  Warren and company presents five keys to total fitness (faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends) and expounds on each one and how they work in concert.

Favorite Quotes: 

"What you do with your body sets the tone for everything else." - p. 17

"Health comes from recognizing and using God's power in your life and treating your body and mind with the care that He intended.  - p. 33

"When I run, I feel God's pleasure." - Eric Liddel - p. 42

"Being overweight or unhappy is as much a ' thinking disorder' as it is an eating or mental disorder." - p. 202

"Trying to change everything at once almost inevitably invites disappointment.  Don't try to change dozens of unhealthy habits at once.  Start with a few vital behaviors--the ones that will have the biggest immediate impact--and go from there."  - p. 252

What I Liked:

• A majority of the ideas are practical--there was no "one size fits all" approach.  As long as one sticks to the 5 basic essentials, methods of achieving the desired result can differ.  In other words, if you hate running and gag on broccoli, it doesn't ruin the entire program for you.  There are lots of choices.
• The examples of success weren't sensationalized and all the participants weren't cookie cutter examples. 
• Scriptural encouragement and examples were cited much more than in other supposed Christian based literature and programs I've dealt with.
• I liked that their use of the "aside box" contained useful information, rather than simply repeating what was already said in the main text.  HOWEVER...

What I didn’t like: 

• Whoever decided to put light grey/green lettering on top of a light lime green text box wasn't thinking about the reader.  Squint city.
• I never knew who was speaking.  Chapter one is listed as being written by Rick Warren.  The other chapters do not identify the author(s). This made some chapters bog down with awkward sentence structure.  In other words, having pronouns running around without knowing to whom they refer confuses the daylights out of the reader.  Hello, Sybil!
• Too much "voo-doo science."  Yes, we all need to eat cleaner and exercise more.  However, there were a few unnecessary pieces of tripe hype thrown in.  Things like implying that getting healthy prevents global warming (James Spann would be cussing right now), and trying to invoke shame by saying "humans are the only species who drink milk after weaning."  So?  We're the only species that can cook and put on pants too, but I'm not going to stop doing those things just because the rest of the species aren't doing it.  There's enough bad information out there without ruining an otherwise good book with more of it.

To sum up: 

The Daniel Plan is a great jumping off point for establishing healthy routines for spirit, soul, and body.  I've already been working on my health for a while, so this is not a new "diet" I'm trying.  This is another piece of arsenal in my recovery process.

I would recommend the book to anyone interested.  I would, however, caution the reader to take some of the information with a grain of salt (the "voo-doo science" I mentioned earlier).  I would also caution not to throw out the entire program because of something you can't or don't want to do.  Take it a piece at a time.

So, how is everyone's "Full Shelf Challenge" going?

The White Stuff: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Want to join the party?  Go on over to From This Side of the Pond  for the Hodgepodge link-up!

Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)  Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?

No, I didn't watch the Oscars.  The only Best Picture nominee that I even heard of was American Sniper, which I have not seen.  I quit watching the Oscars years ago because of that very reason--every nominee was from some obscure movie I'd never heard of.  Plus, the winners are usually based on politics and butt kissing rather than artistry and content.

As far as promoting social/political agenda in an acceptance speech, cut the crap and get on with it.  The fact that the Oscar broadcast is longer than a Major League Baseball game in extra innings is already a pain; let's not gum it up with hyperbole and inane diatribes on issues these people were told by their publicists to care about.  I think everyone should just do what singer Billy Ocean did when he won awards--simply say "thank you" and get off the stage!

Speaking of the movies... are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast food, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie!

I've not done that, so I'm sure if I would be comfortable with it or not. 

What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself? 

Does an appliance repair count?  At my old apartment, I had my washing machine repaired.  And, no, I could not and would not have attempted it myself.

Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown? 

I think I did once, but I don't really remember.  I would like to try it enough to actually remember.  As far as I know, we don't have any Indian cuisine anywhere close by.  I think I'd have to go to Birmingham for that.

A song that reminds you of your parents? 

 

 

This was my parents' love song.  I remember them throwing parties when I was a kid.  At some point they would put on the 45 and slow dance.

 

 

The 26th of February is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with a particular fairy tale? 

I really wasn't into fairy tales as a kid.  They were too  depressing.  Even as a young girl, I couldn't relate to them.

What's a problem you solved yesterday? 

Can't think of anything. 

Insert your own random thought here.

Everyone is freaked out because there's a chance of snow in the forecast today (goodbye bread and milk).  I'll be glad when it's over with.  I'm ready for spring.

I'm trying to decide if I want to bite the bullet and go to the gym.  I got caught in the ice storm last year and had a hard time getting home.  I live six miles from the Community Center, so I would have a heck of a time getting home if I get caught out this time.  BUT I need to work out and I'm trying to get my mileage for the month.  What to do, what to do. 

I just looked at the radar.  I better stay right where I am.  Don't need any of this...

Trying to get home in last year's ice storm.

I'm also ready for spring because I feel the "blahs" trying to hit me again.  Winter was better for me mentally this year.  There were some rough patches, but not paralyzing depression.  I'm starting to get cabin fever, plus it's been 3 weeks since the weather cooperated with my workout schedule.  I'm like a kid denied recess for too long.

Hey Look, A Squirrel: The Simple Woman's Daybook

If you would like to join in and post your own Daybook, please head on over to visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today:  Sunday, February 22, 2015
 

Outside my window … Woke up this morning to the sound of the birds chirping in springtime.  The rest of the day has been rainy, but not cold.

I am thinking... about whether it is counterproductive at best, or arrogant at worst for me to read books on leadership.  I know that the basic definition of leadership is "influence."  However, since I'm not actively leading or mentoring anyone, should I bother reading any of this stuff?  The books are great, but dreaming of being a leader and being one are not synonymous.  BTW--when I say leader, I'm not talking about being a "boss."  There's a big difference.

I've been commanded by bosses and mentored by leaders; leaders get the best work from me.

I am thankful... I got my score and new lesson from the Bible Correspondence Course.  I got 100.

In the kitchen...  Cooking ahead seemed to work very well.  I'll try the same thing this week.  On that note, does anyone know how to make brown rice with some flavor?  I tried cooking my brown rice in low sodium chicken broth, yet the rice still had no real taste.  Surely, there's a way to get tasty rice without adding a ton of salt.
 

I am creating... A better environment and comfortable spaces.  When I first moved here, I just stuffed things where they would fit.  Now, I'm going through and getting rid of what I don't need (Really?  Can you believe I have anything left to pear down?) and making spaces more inviting.  In just moving my bed and bookshelf, I've got a more comfortable and brighter place to sit and read.

I am going...  to work on getting the rest of my miles in for February.  To keep pace with MAD x 2 (mile a day x 2), I needed 63 miles this month.  So far, I have 40.
 

I am wondering... What my fellow Anniston Runners Club members mean when they talk about "foam rolling."
 

I am reading... I'm nearly finished with The Daniel Plan.  Yes, I know I said I would finish it this week, but one section really bogged me down.  I should finish it this week and start a new book.  When I'm doing housework, I'm listening to The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  This book makes this brief harsh cold snap we've had here in Alabama seem like child's play; they had seven months of blizzards and nearly starved.
 

I am hoping... to have a good week, to get in all my miles, to get the office and pantry organized.

I am looking forward to... The community band concert on March 5th.  Then, Mr. Alpha Male can have it.  I'm also looking forward to my first 5k race for the year--the Parker Memorial Pancake Run.  I'm sending off my entry form tomorrow.
 
I am learning…  I actually learned something new and useful about marriage at church today.  Out of all the sermons I've heard about marriage, I've never heard anyone say that marriage is supposed to be a representation to the world of the love Christ has for the church.  It's never been given any spiritual significance, only presented as the only usefulness for a female.  In the book Fight Like a Girl, Lisa Bevere says that the purpose of a woman is to "complement men."  Need I say more about why the marriage message has been so warped?

 

Around the house...  Hopefully finishing up the organization.

 

I am pondering...  A quote by Dave Ramsey, "Children do what feels good. Adults devise a plan and follow it."  He is speaking specifically about finances and I've heard him say it many times, but it hit me this week this quote could refer to how I view eating and food.  Do I want to be a grown up and plan ahead for more success, or just grab what feels good like a baby does?  Baby eating = baby rolls, which are cute only on a BABY.

OK, not every baby.  BTW--that's me at 6 months old
(before you think I'm being mean to someone's kid).

 

A favorite quote for today... 

"Other than wrong notes and bad intonation it wasn't too bad." - Dr. David L. Walters, retired band director, Jacksonville State University.

"Never let the sense of failure corrupt your new action." - Oswald Chambers

"Oh, I'd have got a PhD!" - Greg Burgess on if his college had offered Fermentation Science as a degree.

One of my favorite things... Cold Cream.  When the Dollar Tree gets theirs in again, I'm buying several jars of it. 

A few plans for the rest of the week:   More organizing, more reading, more planning.

A peek into my day...  

I don't know what was going on with me today, but I swear I ate Stupid for breakfast.  I forgot stuff, was fidgety, had ADD moments during worship (squirrel!), dropped stuff, and couldn't concentrate.  I don't think I got enough sleep this week, or something.