Pray It Off 10/07/10 Self-Control is Exhaustible, Faith, Hope and Love, Dr. Oz Tips, Chicken Fajita Wrap

Why Change Is So Hard: Self-Control Is Exhaustible By: Dan Heath

You hear something a lot about change: People won’t change because they’re too lazy. Well, I’m here to stick up for the lazy people. In fact, I want to argue that what looks like laziness is actually exhaustion. The proof comes from a psychology study that is absolutely fascinating.

So picture this: Students come into a lab. It smells amazing—someone has just baked chocolate-chip cookies. On a table in front of them, there are two bowls. One has the fresh-baked cookies. The other has a bunch of radishes. Some of the students are asked to eat some cookies but no radishes. Others are told to eat radishes but no cookies, and while they sit there, nibbling on rabbit food, the researchers leave the room – which is intended to tempt them and is frankly kind of sadistic. But in the study none of the radish-eaters slipped – they showed admirable self-control. And meanwhile, it probably goes without saying that the people gorging on cookies didn’t experience much temptation.

Then, the two groups are asked to do a second, seemingly unrelated task—basically a kind of logic puzzle where they have to trace out a complicated geometric pattern without raising their pencil. Unbeknownst to them, the puzzle can’t be solved. The scientists are curious how long they’ll persist at a difficult task. So the cookie-eaters try again and again, for an average of 19 minutes, before they give up. But the radish-eaters—they only last an average of 8 minutes. What gives?

The answer may surprise you: They ran out of self-control. Psychologists have discovered that self-control is an exhaustible resource. And I don’t mean self-control only in the sense of turning down cookies or alcohol, I mean a broader sense of self-supervision—any time you’re paying close attention to your actions, like when you’re having a tough conversation or trying to stay focused on a paper you’re writing. This helps to explain why, after a long hard day at the office, we’re more likely to snap at our spouses or have one drink too many—we’ve depleted our self-control.

And here’s why this matters for change: In almost all change situations, you’re substituting new, unfamiliar behaviors for old, comfortable ones, and that burns self-control. Let’s say I present a new morning routine to you that specifies how you’ll shower and brush your teeth. You’ll understand it and you might even agree with my process. But to pull it off, you’ll have to supervise yourself very carefully. Every fiber of your being will want to go back to the old way of doing things. Inevitably, you’ll slip. And if I were uncharitable, I’d see you going back to the old way and I’d say, You’re so lazy. Why can’t you just change?

This brings us back to the point I promised I’d make: That what looks like laziness is often exhaustion. Change wears people out—even well-intentioned people will simply run out of fuel.


SELF CONTROL: FAITH, HOPE and LOVE – Godthots.com

So WHY did Paul, given the chance to speak to a king about Jesus, decide in the Spirit to speak to Felix of “righteousness, SELF CONTROL, and the Judgment to come”? (Acts 24:25)

What does “SELF CONTROL” have to do with anything—other than losing weight or other forms of difficult restraint? Surely we “buffet our bodies daily” and we “make our bodies our slaves” to the praise of His Glory. But, what is SO significant about SELF CONTROL that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would use such a limited and rare opportunity before the nations and its kings to speak of SELF CONTROL?

Self Control is far from some isolated “good character attribute” of athletes and Pharisees.

The truth is SELF CONTROL, in its essence, is really all about FAITH, and HOPE, and LOVE. And nothing could be more profound and practical than that. SELF CONTROL is a statement before God that YOU CAN by His Spirit and Life, AND WILL for His Glory, RESTRAIN AND REFUSE “instant gratification” of your flesh. You will “CONTROL SELF” and “deny your very self” as Christ taught us—by FAITH, for the HOPE of what is to come, and for the LOVE of the One who is Coming.

OF COURSE God’s Heart regarding “self control” is that it is always “for” and “in” Christ—not a prideful or man-pleasing exhibition of self-life or vanity.
SELF CONTROL—we willingly restrain and deprive sensual indulgence of the eyes and flesh. We withhold immediate satiation of our own appetites, desires, and preferences of flesh—for the sake of Jesus and FUTURE Reward. Self Control involves what we are called to DO (yet do not desire), as well as the “desirable” things we are called to withhold from ourselves. THIS is Biblical “self control.”

Self Control is clearly an outward expression of an INNER “FAITH, and HOPE, and LOVE.” We choose to do what pleases HIM and so “for the joy set before us, endure the cross.” Self Control is an upward-looking choice, day by day, situation by situation, connected to the Head, and abiding in the Vine. We choose to act upon, to do or not do, what our flesh or desires or ambitions would not normally desire to choose. And we do it for His sake, for the greater Call beyond “immediate pleasure” or “immediate satisfaction” or “personal desires.” Delayed gratification, intentionally, for Jesus—that is SELF CONTROL. As Father therefore described it, self control is a “fruit of the Spirit”.

“From Him and through Him and to Him are all things!”

“Righteousness, SELF CONTROL, and the Judgment to Come.” Good News and Life that is Truly Life.

Self Control is but an outward expression and reality joined to Him… of FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE. Self Control, delayed gratification in Faith, for Him and others, and for the sake of the Blessed Hope.

For the Lamb of God who was slain, who rose from the dead triumphantly, and who is Coming again to claim those who are His.


Dr. Oz's Longevity Plan For the 50-Plus by Vanessa Voltolina

Dr. Oz is certainly not lacking in enthusiastic followers of his healthy living and lifestyle advice. But recently, the favorite physician focused on a new market by teaming up with AARP Magazine and creating a six-month plan for increasing longevity.

Oz, who himself is on the verge of turning the big 5-0, provided the publication, which focuses on the 50-year-old-plus population, with a regimen that features 18 stretching, strength and balance exercises, most of which can be done at home, according to Reuters. Oz also provided dietary guidelines and checklists to the magazine. The staple of the plan is a daily, 30-minute walk.

"This six month plan is designed to be a gradual process that will put you on the road to a longer, healthier life," Dr. Oz told AARP. "Consider it as a long journey in a car with a friendly GPS system. You might make a wrong turn along the way, but you simply take the next available U-turn to correct your course. It is meant to allow you to 'recalibrate' without judgment."

Here's a preview of a few of Dr. Oz's exercise tips from the May/June 2010 issue of AARP (these steps are found in month three of the plan):

Week 1: Boost your aerobic activity by stepping up the pace of your walking -- you should be breathing fairly hard -- and by adding 3,000 more steps each day.

Week 2: Add a short, 10-minute strength-training program to your routine. Start with scissor legs, then add exercises to strengthen your shoulders, arms and legs.

Week 3: This week, start each day with a 10-minute stretching session. Flexibility is key to ensuring that you don't injure yourself as you increase your physical activity. You'll want to stretch your chest, back, abdominals, hips and hamstrings.

Week 4: Our sense of balance is coordinated by three things -- our proprioception (which is our brain telling us where we are in space), our vision and our hearing. As we age, our ability to integrate the signals from these three systems declines. But it takes only a few minutes a day to fine-tune it.

Walk 30 minutes: Working out has benefits for your heart, weight, even your sex life. It may also help stave off Alzheimer's, new research finds.

Brush and floss: Brushing removes only about 60 percent of the germs from between your teeth.

Drink two cups of green tea: Green tea may lessen the risk of some cancers, plus it lowers cholesterol levels.

Take 400mg of DHA omega-3s, 1,000 IU vitamin D, and 1,000mg calcium: Omega-3s diminish cognitive decline; calcium and vitamin D boost bone density.

Sleep seven to eight hours a night: Our bodies use downtime to repair cells, process information, and raise growth hormone levels, which can up bone density and decrease body fat.

Meditate for five minutes: Yoga, prayer, meditation -- they're all key to reducing stress and finding purpose (more on these in Months 4 and 5).

Chicken Fajita Wraps*

Servings Per Recipe: 2 servings

Calories 299.0
Total Fat 7.0g
Saturated Fat 1.0g
Cholesterol 66.0mg
Sodium 529.0mg
Total Carbs 29.0g
Dietary Fiber 3.0g
Protein 28.0g

Ingredients

• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast , trimmed of fat
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt , divided
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Several dashes of hot sauce to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 each small onion , thinly sliced
• 2 each whole-wheat tortillas , heated (see Tip)
• 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 each plum tomato , thinly sliced

• Preheat broiler.
• Place chicken in a shallow dish and sprinkle with lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Whisk sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, cumin and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
• Place the chicken and onion on a lightly oiled baking sheet and broil for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and stir the onion. Broil until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into thin slices.
• To assemble wraps: Place the tortillas on a work surface or plate. Top each with half of the chicken, onion, lettuce and tomato. Top each with half of the sour cream mixture and roll into wraps. Serve immediately.


*http://health.discovery.com/national-body-challenge/recipe-individual.html?action=showRecipeDetail&recipeId=6075

Photos: shadowandact.com, desheacreek.com, dietsinreview.com, picsicio.us