Faith Podcasts

Staying On Course – Podcast Episode 415

by Cliff Ravenscraft on July 6, 2009

in The Old Pursing A Balanced Life Podcast

[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/generallyspeaking/PABL415-StayingOnCourse.mp3]

Happy Monday to you all. As most of you know, Monday is my weigh-in day. I'm very excited to announce that I have lost an additional 2 pounds this past week.

That means that I've lost a total of 26 pounds and my waist size as gone from 46 inches down to 41 inches since May 1st, 2009.

In this podcast episode, I share that this past week has been challenging in that I had a few days where I simply lacked motivation and drive. In spite of the way I felt, I was still able to maintain a healthy outlook and attitude toward calorie counting and staying within my minimum goal of working out an hour per day, five days per week.

It's a shorter episode than usual. Even though the sun was shining and I was feeling better, I've still had quite a bit of stuff on my mind as of late. I'm trying to stay productive and moving forward with worthwhile projects and staying free from distractions at all costs. Not only that, I'm desperately trying to maintain my ability to go to bed early so that I can get that much needed early start to the day.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment on the blog! You can help motivate me and inspire others by providing your audio feedback for the podcast. Call the voice mail feedback line directly at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. You can also email an audio file to [email protected].

Don't forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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More Than Just Health And Fitness – Podcast Episode 411

by Cliff Ravenscraft on June 22, 2009

in The Old Pursing A Balanced Life Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/gspn/PABL411-MoreThanHealthandFitness.mp3]

Oddly enough, too much focus and attention on the Health and Fitness aspect of our lives can cause our lives to be thrown off balance. Since May 1st, I've been pursuing a healthier lifestyle that incorporates a generous amount of daily physical activity. I have also had a major paradigm shift in the way that I look at food and its nutritional value.

While I've been devoting a large portion of this blog and podcast to the topic of Health and Fitness, I've been just as focused on focusing more attention to the other areas of a balanced life such as Community, Work/Career, Family, Faith, Personal Development, and Recreation. It's a balance between Health/Fitness and all of these areas of our lives that truly cause us to enjoy the abundant life that God has provided us.

In this podcast episode, I share several things that took place over this past weekend. Prior to my focused pursuit of a Balanced Life, I would not have been able to enjoy all the events things that took place. However, because of the values and principles that I've been learning and applying to my life, I found myself living in the moment on a more consistent basis.

By the way, I mentioned that when I posted this episode, I'd put my weigh-in day results in the show notes. I'm excited to tell you that I've lost another 2 pounds in the last seven days for a total of TWENTY ONE POUNDS LOST SINCE May 1st!

Don't forget to tweet about your pursuit of a balanced life, joining us in the #PABL campaign.

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One Month Later Fourteen Pounds Lighter – Podcast Episode 405

by Cliff Ravenscraft on June 1, 2009

in The Old Pursing A Balanced Life Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/generallyspeaking/PABL405-1MonthLater14PoundsLighter.mp3]

In this episode, I look back at the month of May to see the achievements that I've made. During the month of May, I lost 14 pounds and I lost 3.5 inches around my waistline!

Not only that, but since I kept a great log of my step counts, I thought it was impressive that I walked 289,800 steps which turns out to be approximately 145 miles.

I shared some thoughts from an article that my good friend, Richard Emblem, sent over to me. The article is titled How soup can help you lose weight.

Richard tells me that medical journalist Michael Mosley investigated the latest scientific breakthroughs in slimming and that he uncovered ten of the simplest ways you can shed those pounds.

1 Don't skip meals
2 Use smaller plates
3 Count calories
4 Don't blame your “metabolism”
5 Protein staves off hunger pangs
6 Soup keeps you feeling fuller for longer than solid food
7 The wider the choice the more you eat
8 Low-fat dairy products help excrete more fat from all your food
9 Exercise goes on burning calories when you've stopped – even while you sleep
10 Keep moving even in the home or at work to lose weight

I also mention the blog post titled “Eating Healthy Has A Made All The Difference” that I posted this weekend. In that post, I share the types of foods that I've been eating lately that have allowed me to lose so much weight and not feel like I was depriving myself.

Erik Fisher had asked if were a non iPhone calorie counting app for the non iPhone user. I did find a program called Diet Controller for Mac, Windows, or Linux users as well as a program from Calorie King for Windows users. They are expensive in comparison to the iPhone apps though.

However, a quick Google Search for “online calorie journal” turned up a few online solutions. Some are free, some have membership fees. Here are three you might want to review.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com
http://www.myfitnesspal.com
http://www.myfooddiary.com

Jenny H. sent in an email telling me about an audio lecture titled “Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers.” It's a part of the Stanford University's Healthy Living series on iTunes University.

I'll let you listen for full details on all of the above and and the few other things that I've covered in this episode.

After you get a chance to listen, feel free to leave a comment here on the blog! Or you can call in your feedback on our Voice Mail Feedback Line at 859-795-4067 or toll-free at 800-757-1158. Also, don't forget to add #PABL to all your tweets related to pursuing a more balanced life.

Right-Click Here To Download MP3 Version of this Free Episode

Subscribe To Pursuing A Balanced Life Podcast – Free Feed:

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Life In Perspective – Nick Vujicic

by Cliff Ravenscraft on January 17, 2009

in The Old Pursing A Balanced Life Podcast

It was many years ago that I caught the end of tv show that featured the life of Nick Vujicic. I recall wanting to go and find more information about him. However, I had only seen the end of the program and didn't catch his name and back then, the internet was not then what it is today.

Fast forward to today. i got a noticed that someone had commented on my last blog post about me being on the road to recovery. I clicked to check out the commenter's blog and saw a YouTube video featuring Nick.

Nick Vujicic is a 25 year old man who was born without arms or legs and given no medical reason for this condition. Faced with countless challenges and obstacles, God has given Nick the strength to surmount what others might call impossible. Along with that, the Lord has placed within him an unquenchable passion to share this same hope and genuine love with more than two million people all over the globe.

Traveling extensively to over 19 nations, Nick has had continuous opportunities to share his testimony along with the hope that we have in Jesus with people in so many nations and situations.

I recall sitting in the hospital, knowing that I was going to miss my trip to Las Vegas to cover CES. Praying through my disappointment, God began to speak to me about having a proper perspective on life. God's had these talks with me in the past. They seemed to make a difference for a while, but over time, I've always seemed to slip into the mindset that the world revolves around me.

It's easy to get caught up in fear and anxiety when something happens in our life that we didn't expect or plan for. If there is anything that God has been showing me over the past year or so, it is that God is control, He loves me, and that everything is going to be okay. That's going to be true whether I worry about things or not. And well, God would simply rather I would focus on taking the next step on my journey than to throw myself pitty parties when things don't go my way.

I thought I'd share these two short videos from Nick to help bring some perspective. I'm so thankful to have come across the story of Nick's life again. He's inspired me and I pray that his story will inspire you! [click to continue…]

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