David:

[0:00] Hello, I'm super excited to have with me Karen Smith, and she is the author of Motivation to Move, plus like seven other books. And she had a crisis at birth at one time, and she almost died. And so after that, she used that as a motivation to start looking into what's wrong, what's wrong in becoming a detective that way. And over the years, when you seek information, you end up learning a lot. And so she wrote the book Motivation to Move. And so today we're going to talk about that and about being good stewards of our body and take care of that. So, Karen, welcome. And to begin with, what is one way you believe we can honor God in our business that other people may not know about?

Karen:

[0:42] Well, that's a great question. You know, we can run out of energy before we run out of time. And so it's really important that we are good stewards of our bodies so we have the energy to do the things that God wants us to do.

David:

[0:55] Very good. Very good. So take three or four minutes and let us know what the journey was, what motivated you to write Motivation to Move. What's the background of that book?

Karen:

[1:07] Well, my girls have danced for over 10 years, and I've just really seen how just really our bodies are made to move. And so I was really wondering, could my body help my heart love God more? And so that was the heart behind the book. But in doing it, I really put in the book all the ways that we can steward our bodies. Because I like to compare our bodies as to a city. And so the city needs to take the trash out. The city needs energy. And so I really looked at what are the ways I can steward my body and make it the best it can be.

David:

[1:43] Okay. Very good. And so over the years, you've put it all in a book, didn't you? Very good.

David:

[1:50] Yeah. Now, this may be a no-brainer, but I'm going to ask the question anyway. In our business, why should we make taking care of our health such a priority?

Karen:

[2:01] Well, just being in business gives our bodies or our cities specific challenges. Just think about it. We're sitting a lot of times. We're looking at screens, and our bodies are made to move. If we don't look at what challenges business brings to our bodies, it will break down. So, for instance, if you're sitting a lot, you need to know what stretches can you do that counteract those muscles that are being overworked and tired because they're sitting.

David:

[2:34] Okay. And so do you have any examples of what we could do? Like I have a desk job and I do get up and go to the production floor and talk to people and things like that, but I don't move around as much as I used to.

Karen:

[2:47] Yeah. So for instance, yeah, like specific, like you want to stretch out your hip flexors, that would be like doing lunges just to really get that muscle stretched. Or, you know, when you go through a doorway, just putting your arm up and stretching your muscles so that because when we're at a desk and we're typing, we're actually usually bent over. So it's really researching what stretches that you can do to help your body recover from sitting so much.

Karen:

[3:18] Also, like we're a lot of times we're near point focusing because we're looking at the computer. So just every 20 minutes taking a break to look in the distance, that relaxes your eye and it will help your eyes not get fatigued or have problems because you're so looking at the screen so much.

David:

[3:38] Okay. No, that's good. I'm guilty. I do it all. Because I get into it. I get into my work and do that. But I get interrupted a lot. So my face goes away from the screen quite a bit too. So I guess they're good interruptions. And so you talked about movement. But how does movement then help your business, help your body, help your spiritual life? You kind of put some things together there in your book.

Karen:

[4:10] Yeah. So part of my book I looked at, could my daily movements be turned into prayer? And so, for instance, I had you take an inventory of how you're moving in my book. And then I looked at those specific movements and made connected specific prayers to them. So, for instance, maybe if you're in a building that has steps, you want to attach a prayer to going up the steps. I use a forgiveness prayer usually because going up the steps is hard and sometimes it's hard to forgive. So I looked at how you can use your daily movements to

Karen:

[4:48] help you pray and draw close to God. And just the whole idea of just really taking an inventory of how much you're moving every day, I think is really good. So you can weave in those movements, maybe take a walk on your lunch break or think about parking farther from the grocery store if you're going to run in and get something quick for dinner, just so you have a few more steps in your day.

David:

[5:13] But it takes longer. Just kidding. Yeah.

David:

[5:18] So what are some common mistakes? I'm not sure how much you've talked to business professionals and that, but what are some common mistakes that you see that they're making in regards to not moving?

Karen:

[5:31] I think it's just being intentional, like a lot of things that keep us healthy, like just breathing deep. Just think about if you're excited about something or for your intent, maybe you're not taking those really deep breaths that you need to, or just staying hydrated. Our bodies need water to function. And maybe you're sitting at the desk and you're not being intentional about drinking water. Um so it's just really looking at are you meeting the needs of your body or maybe it's just like oh i don't have time to make myself something healthy so you just grab something that's processed because i always think about the fuel i'm giving my body to eat to nourish it versus just to eat.

David:

[6:14] Absolutely very much different um in your book you talk about 19 different ways to steward your body Right. And so what have you been able to rank those as one more important than the other? Can you do you know what the number one most neglected one would be?

Karen:

[6:32] Well, I think the first one I started out with is that you're unique. There's never, ever been another person just like you. And so just because something works for someone else, it may not be your key. So really, it's unlocking your uniqueness. And then once you know that, then you can look at how you can best steward your body. I think that, you know, that's why you hear someone say, you've got to try this product. It's like life changing. Well, maybe it was for them, but it may not be for you.

David:

[7:04] Okay. So going down that road, what do you do? You just say, hey, it worked for me, but not for you. So do you just give it a try and see if it works? Is that what you do?

Karen:

[7:15] Um, I think it's a lot of it is just really, um, getting that self-knowledge

Karen:

[7:21] to say, you know, what is your history? Like when I went through my health crisis, I really had to, my body was just so broken down. And so I had to see what I needed to do to build it back up. Like for me, it was like a specific supplement that my brain needed. Actually. Um, it was just very depleted. And so it's maybe you need to visit like someone who's a nutritionist or you're just getting a regular physical, but just kind of getting that baseline of where you're at, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, what do you need? And then that's where a coach can come in because someone who's read a lot of books has connections to resources. A lot of times we can't find these answers out on our own, but just connecting with a coach can really make a big difference.

David:

[8:14] Yeah, that's very true. Have you ever heard of a piggy? I worked at a place and there's an engineer who said, oh, that's a piggy. And I'm like, what's a piggy? P-I-G-G. He said, poorly implemented, good idea. P-I-G-I. I'm like, okay. And I wonder how many of these health things are poorly implemented, good ideas that would really be good for you. But I know some people, probably a lot of us get an idea and then just run with it, but they don't completely do the diet or do this or do that. They don't do the whole system. And so of course it doesn't work. I wonder how much of that happens as well.

Karen:

[8:58] Yeah, I've never heard of that acronym, but I love it. And really it's the daily things, the daily things we're doing on a consistent basis that are easy to do, but easy not to do. It's the small things like making, like I said, making sure you're hydrated, make sure you're moving, make sure you're breathing. They seem simple, but all those things cumulative add up if you do them on a consistent basis.

David:

[9:23] Okay. You keep mentioning hydration. How does dehydrated or not drinking enough, how does that affect your productivity during the day?

Karen:

[9:32] Yeah. Our brains are so much made up of water and our bodies. And if we're not hydrated, it will affect your performance. It affects you physically. And it's something that may just slip up on you. You know what I mean? You may not think, but just water is just such a great thing to drink versus anything that's sugary. And I like to add in things in my water. Lemon's great. You can do like water infusions with fruit or cucumbers. I like, but just really making sure you get enough water every day is really important.

David:

[10:09] Okay. Does, do you get brain fog or anything if you don't drink enough water?

Karen:

[10:15] I think it probably exhibits itself in different ways with different people. Okay. I know for me, I'll get more tired if I'm not hydrated.

David:

[10:26] Interesting. So let's go through a couple more of those ways to steward your body, because I think it'd be good for our audience to understand that. So we've talked about you're unique. We talked about water. What's another way we can steward our body?

Karen:

[10:40] I think one of the important things is stewarding our minds, especially when we're in the online space or in businesses, we're going to have things that we come against that are going to need to be taken captive thoughts. I like to think of it, if I'm outside on a sunny day and everything's going great, then I don't really need any equipment. But if I'm going out into a hurricane force wind or rain, I'm going to need a raincoat and boots. And I feel like sometimes we don't realize with business how we actually step into a storm in some ways. And so just really knowing that helps us to take the thoughts captive when we

Karen:

[11:20] come into maybe writing an email or posting on social media. What are the thoughts that are coming against us so we can take those captive and steward our mind well?

David:

[11:32] Okay. And what would you suggest for somebody to help them do that? I mean, because just saying, hey, do this, that doesn't always work. But is there some habits we can try to create to help us take thoughts captive?

Karen:

[11:49] I think it's just being aware of what thoughts are coming into your mind. And then also, once you're aware of them, then you can say, is that truth? How does that line up with scripture? And if it is true and it lines up with scripture, then to take that into your heart. But if not, to take that away. Again, This is where a coach can be super helpful because you can talk to someone else and say these are the things that I'm struggling with and they can help you discern what is that? Is that from God? Is that from yourself? Is that from the enemy? Just really talking it through with someone else really does make a difference.

David:

[12:31] I've noticed that. And sometimes it's just you talking, excuse me, you just talking is getting it out helps things make things seem, things seem not as bad or less complex. And that's why journaling is good. You know, you, when you journal, throw it out on paper, you're getting your thoughts out, but that's a discipline. That's a discipline. Getting an accountability partner or a coach is yes. Very valuable. Very bad. What's another one? What's in it?

Karen:

[12:59] I was just going to say, I was just talking to a friend and they needed to talk through something. And so I was just listening and they're like, oh, I already have the answer. But it was just in talking it out that they discovered that that was it. So I think that, let's see, I, let me just refer to my list here. I've got 19 different ways to steward your body. And that just knowing that one of them is that temptations will come. And that means that, you know, we're surrounded by good things, but we need to choose the best.

Karen:

[13:41] And just realizing that even in our health choices, like in what we're eating and how we're using to spend our time, just to really discern what is the best versus the good.

David:

[13:55] Yep i've heard that before too you know life is not always a this a challenge or decision between the good and the bad but it's between the good and the best and that's absolutely very good so reminders constant reminders it sounds to me like it's going to get down the habit route you have to start making these things a habit to think about drinking water moving taking every thought captive and things like that. Very good. What's some more that you have?

Karen:

[14:25] Well, detoxing is a huge thing because we are surrounded by a lot of things that are challenging our bodies. So I know for me, just making detoxing a priority, sometimes that will look like fasting. I love intermittent fasting. That's really worked well with my body. But like I said, each person has to kind of find out what works for them. And fasting for me is a way not only to draw close to God, but help my body

Karen:

[14:56] to clear itself from things that need to be cleared. So that has been something that's been actually a big blessing in my life.

David:

[15:08] Okay. So fasting, I've done that before and I know a little bit about it, but my audience may not know. What is fasting? How would you explain that to somebody?

Karen:

[15:18] Yeah. Fasting is deciding on a period of time where you will limit yourself. There's different types of fasts you can limit yourself with just not eating food and just drinking water. There is what's called an ester fast. And that is when you go without food or water for three days, But I only recommend you doing that if you've talked to your doctor and you feel very called by the Lord to do that. I have never done an Esther fast, but I know people who have. I have done, when I fast, I normally will just do water and some liquids. I don't normally do a no food fast. It's too hard on my body. Um, but I have done one where I'll do like just a restricted diet for a long time. So, um, I've done one where I've done a 40 day fast where like I started off with very limited eating and then just like for the 40 days did no meat, no sugar. Um, so I restricted certain things. There's the, you know, the Daniel fast where Daniel only ate vegetables. So there's a lot of different varieties, but the heart of it is the same, is that you're not doing what's normal for you. You're restricting your eating and you're doing it for a specific reason to either detoxify and heal your body or to draw close to God or both.

David:

[16:43] Yep. So how long does it take? Okay. You call it breakfast because in breakfast you're breaking your fast because, you know, you had dinner, you're not eating all night and you're breaking your fast. How long do you have to go without eating to detox or start to detox your body what does that look like

Karen:

[17:03] It this again comes down to that uniqueness factor but usually I would say after the 14 hour mark you start to get a lot of benefits 16 hours probably is ideal the way I've done it and also I've learned that, um, as you, depending on your age, you do it differently and your gender. So for instance, since I'm almost 60 and I'm a woman, then I, my eating window is a little bit different. So there's a lot of different, um, information you can find on that. But for me, my best eating window hour is six hours that where I just don't limit myself. I eat and then I'll stop eating like at six o'clock at night and won't eat until maybe 11 the next day.

David:

[17:50] Okay. So you're going without for 14 to 16 hours and you're eating during that six hour time frame. Okay. Very good. Good to know. Cause you know, you talk about fasting and my mind is like, Oh, a day or day and a half. And so I'm supper, nothing the next day. Then I don't eat till breakfast the next day. That's actually a 36 hour fast or you can do a 24 or 12. And you know, so it's, it's, we can do a whole podcast on that one, but not today, not today. Yes. Very good. and other things affect fasting too. So very good. So what's next for you? Do you have anything, another book coming out this next year?

Karen:

[18:30] Well, I just, the eighth book I've written is an Advent journaling book. And I'm using that template to help people spend time in different books of the Bible. So I'm hoping to publish Time with God in the book of John. And it will just be a journaling notebook to help people connect more with God and his word.

David:

[18:53] Is that just when they're going through the book of John or is that any book of the Bible?

Karen:

[18:58] So I'm planning on publishing it for every book of the Bible, but I'm just starting with the book of John.

David:

[19:06] Gotcha. So there's specific questions and things there?

Karen:

[19:10] So every, yeah. So I have, actually my son and I did this during his homeschool years and we have pretty much done the whole Bible. We still have a few books to do yet, but we asked four specific questions for every chapter of the Bible. What did you notice? What did you, what's your question after reading it? What'd you learn about God and what does God want to say? So I'm gonna include our answers in that book, give space for the reader to write their answers and also just have a couple other journaling ideas. So it's more of like a journal than it is a book to read, but there will be also things to read in it.

David:

[19:48] Very good. It sounds neat. It sounds neat because that's how you learn. The more time you spend in the Bible, in a particular verse or passage or paragraph, the more you learn. I learned that a long time ago. Very good.

David:

[20:01] So having talked, anyway, back up. Where can my audience find out more about you?

Karen:

[20:06] So my website is www.lifeconnections.com and you can just go there to connect with me.

David:

[20:15] Okay, very good. And we'll take all those notes and the books and stuff and put them in the show notes so you guys can get them if you're driving down the road, like I usually do when I'm listening to a podcast. So very good. Well, Karen, thank you very much for joining me today. And friends, that's all for right now. Thank you very much for this time. And I trust you've been inspired to redeem your business, to redeem your time and buy it back and use it for God's glory. And remember that time has limits. You can't do everything. So choose wisely.