My Cup Runneth Amok

By Deborah Layman

Is anyone here old enough to remember the Ed Sullivan Show? It was the first variety show on TV. One of my favorite acts was the Plate-Spinner – the guy who would start a plate spinning on a tall, slender pole, and then add more and more plates spinning on poles – running back and forth to keep all the plates spinning. Can you relate?

What if I told you that I'm convinced there's a way to keep your plates spinning – to do everything you want and need and ought to do, while walking in peace – not stress – through your days? What if I told you that the first step to getting out from under your life and getting on top of it is not about time management or prioritizing or hiring a nanny, but is a physical fix?

The answer: Build Stamina. Literally.

To tackle your “to do” list with grace and efficiency, functioning at full capacity and giving 100% in all arenas, you have to strengthen your body, fuel it properly, and treat it right. It's the vehicle that carries you through the day from carpool to laundry to office to classroom to church to kitchen to bedroom and back again.

It's simple – Make up your mind and do what you know is good for you: Exercise and Eat Healthy Food.

Need to lose ten pounds? Twenty-five? Fifty? Lose them. If you're carrying around extra weight, it’s no wonder you feel tired and strung out! Start eating sensibly – any healthy diet plan will do – and stick to it.

If you have trouble kicking off an exercise program, start walking. It's the easiest way for a busy woman to exercise because you can do it wherever you are – in a neighborhood, around an office park, on a country road, on city streets. Start slow if you need to and work towards walking farther and faster. Your body will be capable of more as you build your stamina.

I reclaimed my body a few years ago, and I won't let it go again. I wish I had started years earlier, but I was, I thought, too busy to exercise and, goodness, I had to eat that piece of pie because I needed fuel just to make it through the day! Thirty pounds later, I was not feeling my prettiest or healthiest. I made up my mind one day when I looked in the mirror and heard myself whine, “I want my body back!”

Now I've learned that exercise builds energy and fresh air clears my mind. I feel healthy and I accomplish more with less angst and more satisfaction.

I realize it’s less than a week before Christmas, and not necessarily the most ideal time to start a new regimen, but it's a good time to think ahead to the new year. So get ready to shine up those vessels, sisters, and be mindful of what you put in them. A strong, healthy woman serving the Lord can do a lot of good.

Deborah R. Layman, a native New Yorker, is a writer, producer and marketing consultant based near Birmingham, Alabama. She is the mother of three grown sons and has a reputation for being opinionated and bossy, but it’s for your own good. Read her blog at www.deborahlayman.blogspot.com