Active Hands

"She...willingly works with her hands."
Provers 31:13

This whole trash your dress has really gotten me thinking about why I am so out of shape. Yes my body has changed a lot since the pregnancies and birth, HOWEVER I have seen women whose bodies have changed and yet through diet and exercise got it back to even better than before! THERE IS HOPE! :) (Oh Rebecca - LOL! - if there is hope for me there is hope for you!) :)

I remember watching a 20/20 special sometime back. It was done on a doctor who was studying if it really was metabolism that kept us skinny. What he found was that metabolism didn't matter. (Shock you? I know it did me!). What mattered was the amount of activity a person had a day. Those who were skinnier had 2 hours MORE of activity a day than those overweight.

The doctor had changed his office after this so that he walks SLOWLY on a treadmill throughout the day. It is his computer "desk." And everyone who works for him has the same kind of set up. He even insisted that his interview be done while he was on his office treadmill. And you could see him doing computer work while walking, his secretary answering the phone and writing while walking. It really was amazing.

And while yes, a Momma is a very busy Momma, I had to ask myself how much ACTIVITY I was getting. I mean, after all, I was asking my daughters to run upstairs and grab me diapers instead of getting them myself. And while cooking, I was asking the girls to get objects out of the pantry for me. And I do spend a lot of time on the computer with research (and reading blogs, which can't I call that research too?! :D ) I read a lot, but that is always sitting.

So I started thinking about what the Bible has to say about idle hands or working hands. Maybe my idleness ...ok, not maybe. My idleness WAS a huge contributing factor in me being and STAYING overweight. I will post my short Bible study on this tomorrow.

SO what are something things I can do with my hands?

I have FINALLY gotten off my duff and made each of the girls pillowcase dresses/nightgowns! I have collected SEVERAL vintage pillowcases that I plan to make into dresses for family as well as possibly sell in the craft fairs around town. I really want to sew more. My husband has decided (and I agree with him) that the clothes out there are just too hoochie mamma for our girls to wear. And while we have been buying clothes that are bigger sizes, they just don't fit them right. I have a link on this here.

I can clean. And I don't mean just the decluttering that I have been doing lately where I basically shove everything in a drawer so it is out of sight or in a box to sell. But actual cleaning. Vacuuming more often (I really should be for the health of the carpet as well as the health of my family). Dusting (living in CO where you don't have an air conditioner, your windows are open 5 months out of the year, that let's in a LOT of dust!). And just beautifying my home in general.

Gardening. I have been wanting to do this for a while, and just as we had gotten our garden started at our old house, we had to move. My husband is wanting to build me a green house. And I really want to re-landscape the front yard for a flowering garden that I can cut flowers to bring in to beautify the home. I found a WONDERFUL short read on Growing A Cutting Garden from Elizabeth's Flowers and a few other things (Rebecca and Nancy, you will LOVE this blog!)

Cook and bake. I need to do more of this from scratch. I was reading a blog (please forgive me for not remembering who you are) about how where she lives there is NOTHING premade. So everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is made from scratch. All her seasoning mixes, her tortillas, her bread, etc. I think it would be wonderful to have the girls help bake cookies and take them the the shut in's around town (or even in our neighborhood).

I can reach out to those in need. I think my girls are old enough now to start working with organizations that help the poor (or those in a children's hospital, or nursing home). There are also the older generation in our neighborhood that we can go and clean their house, or bring them meals. We can also make meals for new mothers (even if it is 17th child, she's still a "new mom").

I can crochet and do other handiwork. While it is true that it is not as active as running, I am still using my mind and hands in a creative way. And if nothing else, it will keep me from being lazy and keep my mind sharper. I have noticed that those who continue to DO with their hands tend to not have Alzheimer's. But that is a whole different subject. :)