Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening
Day 4:
How We Eat Drink & Live
James Hackley
© Copyright 2011 James Hackley
All rights reserved. This book is protected under the
copyright laws of the United States of America. No
portion of this book may be reproduced in any form,
without the written permission of the publisher.
Permission granted on request.
Published by:
Omega
Consulting Enterprises, LLC
P.O. Box 2892
Sterling Va.
20167
email: info@jameshackley.com
www.jameshackley.com
1
(571) 315-5923
To my wife,
Angela,
Without whom I would not be on the journey I am today;
And to my daughter Landon,
a perfect reflection of the best things in life I’ve ever known;
and to my mother,
for continuing to pray over my life since the time I was conceived.
This book is also dedicated in memoriam to my father, “Mel,” who taught me the value of hard work, the importance of honor and to make full use of all the tools God provides for each of us.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost I would like to give honor to God: the Master, Creator and Supreme Basileus of the Universe. Thank You for dowsing me with an anointing to touch lives.
To my beautiful wife Angela and little princess Landon, thank you for putting-up with all the time I spent sequestered bringing this guide to life.
To my mom Landonia, your love & prayers guided me back to the path God intended.
To my sisters Deirdre and Cassandra, thanks for being two of the most incredible women I’ve ever known. You both truly inspired me to be the type of man I prayed that would one day find each of you.
To my father-in-law Vincent Jones Sr., thank you for continued prayers and support. As promised, I will always take care of “your girls.”
To my sister- and brothers-in-law, Tonya Crawford, Vincent Jones Jr., Vance Hall, and Brent Parham; thank you for being the best in-laws a guy could ever ask for.
To my friend Andrea Williams, thanks for taking the time to review my manuscript. Words will never be able to express my gratitude.
To my aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends; thanks for your thoughts and prayers and please know that your journeys are far from over.
To my friend and spiritual advisor Pastor Michelle Campbell Thomas, thank you for single-handedly restoring my faith in the pulpit and feeding my insatiable hunger and thirst for the Word.
To my Facebook Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening, and my Holy and Whole Life Changing Ministries families; you guys have been the Aaron to my Moses.
To my brothers of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., friendship is indeed essential to the soul.
Although gone, never forgotten…
To my father James Hackley Sr., words alone could never describe my gratitude for what you meant to me, and time will never fill the chasm that still exists within.
To my mother-in-law Ms. Yolanda Jones, although I never got the opportunity to meet you, I’m blessed to see your spirit reflected in Angela and Landon each morning.
To my niece Brandice Jones, gone way too soon.
DISCLAIMER
The author of this guide is not a medical doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed spiritual advisor. He has no formal training at all. In fact, he’s a regular person, just like you, who received an extraordinary blessing. As a man who was anointed by God to become a “fisher of men,” he is presenting in this guide his observations and personal experience of the various techniques available to achieve a balanced body, mind, and spirit from around the world. Before beginning any exercise, fitness or fat loss program, you should consult a licensed health care provider and be monitored throughout your entire journey. This guide is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnose illness, or in any way attempt to practice medicine. It is not intended to replace personal medical care from a licensed health care practitioner. Anything recommended or suggested in this guide must be done at your own risk. This work is based on, and inspired by, a true story of the life of a single person and the voluntary personal testimony of others. Dates, names, locations, and actual events may have been changed, embellished, exaggerated, or fictionalized for dramatic effect. The author is forced to include this disclaimer due to the litigious nature of today’s world and the expected attacks, criticisms, and attempts to suppress and discredit this work.
Contents
Foreword i
Introduction iii
Body, Mind & Spirit Roadmap xvii
Body
Day 1
Cracking the Code 2
Day 2
Formula for Success 31
Day 3
Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements…Oh My 42
Day 4
How We Eat, Drink & Live 60
Day 5
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snacks 98
Day 6
Sweat Equity 106
Day 7
Building Your Home Gym 127
Day 8
Stalls, Plateaus and…the Last Resort 138
Day 9
Sometimes Life Gets in the Way 148
Day 10
I Believe the Seniors Are Our Future 158
Mind
Day 11
We Are What We Think 172
Day 12
Prayer and Meditation 189
Day 13
Stress,
Depression, Low Self-Esteem and Addiction:
The Four Horsemen of
Your Apocalypse 211
Day 14
Money, Power & Sex 223
Spirit
Day 15
Spirit vs. Soul 230
Day 16
What Religion is God? 239
Day 17
Abraham and the Buddha 252
Day 18
Fasting 273
Day 19
The Holy Spirit 282
Day 20
I Know, But…300
Day 21
Your Journey Begins 314
Appendices
Appendix I
Group Discussion Questions 321
Appendix II
Cost vs. Price 323
Appendix III
Glycemic Index (GI) Food List 327
Appendix IV
Calories Burned for Various Activities 332
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.’ So God granted him what he requested.” ~ 1 Chronicles 4:10
Foreword
As a Senior Pastor, entrepreneur, wife and mother of three; results is my middle name. For years I had mastered the art of managing my hectic schedule and masking my stress-driven life. This year as we turned the 5-yr corner in our ministry, I’ve already made four emergency room trips with one overnight stay and it’s only September. These unfortunate visits were not to check on a member of our growing congregation, but rather an account of the number of times my health had diminished to such a state; my family had to rush me to the hospital. Sadly, those numbers don’t scream “wholeness”; they scream “out of balance.” I can no longer deny that the body, mind & spirit must be in total alignment in order to achieve optimum performance and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This triune construct is the basis for the transformational inspiration found in the guide you now hold in your hands.
Just like you, my journey to wholeness first began with reading something inspiring by Bro. James. As I read each post in his Facebook Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening forum, James became my personal life coach, challenging me to change. His solid truths empowered me to make major moves, and the weight of what I said I wanted became my accountability system. In other words, after reading his posts and watching him master what used to master him, I decided that it was no longer acceptable for me to have a strong spirit and a weak body.
Body, mind, and spirit (BMS) is your GPS that will help navigate you through the process of total transformation. Bro. James Hackley uses this simple key to transform your life.
Inspiration + Application = Transformation
BMS speaks directly into your spirit, forcing your mind to make the necessary adjustments that translate into the forward movement of your body. James’ transformation story comes alive through the pages of BMS, as he guides us on an individual journey to achieving wholeness in every area of our lives!
As you read and reflect on each chapter of this 21-day journey, all that will be required of you is to leave your “old self” behind and simply…Go forward! Go forward! Go forward!
Rev Michelle C. Thomas,
Senior Pastor,
Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International
Introduction
“It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.”~ James Gordon, M.D.
Are you ready for a change? I mean, honestly and truly ready for a change? One of the earliest lessons my father taught me was to be direct, honest and always speak the truth. Unfortunately, many folks simply can’t handle either–but over the next few days, that’s exactly what you’ll get from me. Please know that what you’ve already begun reading is not just another “inspirational,” “weight loss” or “self-help” book designed to help you reach a short-term goal. This is a guide along a path that leads away from your current state of complacency towards total wellness. Greatness repels complacency, so if you have no desire to be great it’s best that you put this guide down now and continue on the path you’ve been traveling for far too long. However, I can assure you that your soul will never find the peace it so desperately desires above all else.
This guide will help you discover the anointing God has intended on your life since the dawn of time. Despite those old familiar doubts that may already be creeping into your mind, He has a plan just for you. Unfortunately, if you decide not to fulfill your destiny that assignment will never be accomplished. This guide allows you to get out of your own way and become not only a blessing to yourself, but to others. I truly thank God for allowing me the opportunity to be your personal Sherpa as you trek towards a goal that may now seem as impossible as climbing the Himalayas. Once you reach the summit of your success and look back from whence you’ve come, your heart will rejoice because it will realize you have everything within to conquer future mountains. Your body, mind & spirit will be awakened!
If you are unsure of what it feels like to be “awakened,” read on. Some things must be experienced first-hand to be understood and truly appreciated. However, a glimpse may be all that’s required to initiate an irreversible process in your life. For some, that glimpse will occur for the first time while reading this guide. For many others that have yet to realize it, the process has already begun. This guide will simply help them realize it. For some, it may have begun as a result of painful life-changing events; for others, through coming in contact with folks who simply have an unexplainable “light” emanating within, through reading particular books, a recent spiritual experience–or any combination thereof. If your awakening process has just begun, this guide will certainly prepare you for the journey that lies ahead.
It’s widely believed that it takes 21 days to break a habit–or better yet, just 21 days to create a new one and make sure you are on the right path towards your true destination. Therefore, I’ve broken this guide into 21 chapters that allow you to read, reflect, and begin to map your plan of action as you study a chapter each day. It’s highly recommended that you begin each chapter with a brief prayer so that what is conveyed will be received in the full purpose for which it was intended. In addition, because it’s so easy to become completely overwhelmed or discouraged by the enormity of this incredible life-changing task, it’s best that you simply stick to one chapter each day and let it marinate before continuing to the next. You may be tempted to jump to the days that appear to be the “most interesting,” but I truly advise against this. You’ve already learned that most of the short-cuts in life usually end up costing us more in the long run. Therefore, please know your success depends upon you adhering to the path as closely as possible.
That said, I’m extremely excited because I am well aware of all the new discoveries and revelations that await you. They happened to me! I’m not better, just different. And the difference is better. When we are blessed with a gift, we can either choose to hoard it for fear that the next blessings may be few and far between, or freely share it with others because we’ve learned that one of the keys that unlocks a door to happiness is the joy of giving. Despite our best efforts, we have no say in what others choose to give to us. However, we are in 100% control of what we decide to share with others. It is my choice to freely share this blessing with you. I pray that you make the most of it, because your future blessings may hinge on how you respond to this blessing.
Three Important Features
At the end of each chapter you’ll discover a section called Daily Reflection. These questions are virtual mile markers along your journey to not only remind you of where you’ve been, but where you’re going. At the end of your 21 day sojourn, you’ll also discover a series of Discussion Questions that you are encouraged to discuss with those you’ve invited to join your journey. Please believe that it’s impossible to have any substantive lasting success alone. We were designed to be a part of a community of others who all share a common goal: survival. Here is some additional information about what you will find in the question sections:
Mental Manna: This valuable piece of mental nutrition encapsulates the entire chapter into a single thought that you can reflect on throughout your day. It is my prayer that this thought propels you to the next day where you will read the subsequent chapter and begin to map the waypoints along your pathway to wholeness.
Question to Ponder: These questions force you to consider what was just read in the chapter and make a decision on how you can change your life in a positive manner. This is your guide, so I hope you’ll highlight the various points that speak to your spirit and ultimately string together the various pearls of wisdom to create a beautiful necklace of change.
Group Discussion Questions: Throughout your journey you’ll undoubtedly be reminded that there is indeed strength in numbers. In Appendix I you will find Discussion Questions. I strongly encourage you to get as many of your friends together as possible to join you in reading this guide over the next 21 days. You’ll be able to gain incredible insight and different perspectives on the salient points each of you glean from day-to-day. Afterwards, you’ll continue to have a ready-made support group that will be vital in your success in staying the course. Be it at your book club, church, gym or social networking web site; you can be the spark that will ignite a change like never seen before in the lives of those around you.
The Pathway
Let’s face it–changing your life the way you really know you should isn’t as easy as many of the self-help books lead us to believe. Every single one of us is still holding on to some kind of physical (body), emotional (mind), and spiritual pain and that’s why we all need healing. You may be holding on to so much pain that you no longer feel connected to anything or anyone, including yourself. Whether it’s something you ate, drank, felt, believed, injected or inhaled; chances are you’ve ingested way too much harmful stuff. These toxins that enter our body, mind, and spirit are what we must begin to rid ourselves of now!
Perhaps you’ve simply given up all hope of changing your life and drifted into accepting, “it is what it is.” I was in that same sinking boat of complacency until someone tossed a life preserver and pulled me aboard the S.S. Body, Mind & Spirit. This guide is your life preserver and I hope you grab it with both hands and refuse to let go.
Regardless of the money you spend on fitness gimmicks, cosmetic surgeries, psychics or faith-healers who only seem to cure folks when the camera is on and your wallet is full; you simply will not be compelled to change who you truly are until you’re either uncomfortable, evolve or are forced to do so. In other words, your “have to” becomes more important than your “want to.”
As you begin to journey further down this rabbit hole of self-discovery, your “want to” will begin to manifest as a “have to.” Therefore, let me address the #1 question that’s probably brewing in your mind right now, since all the other books you’ve read were also filled with such promises and yielded very few rewards. That question is simply…
“How is this different from all the other ‘inspirational,’ ‘self-help’ and ‘weight loss’ books?”
This is not just another diet or weight loss (loss of fat and muscle) book. Diets simply don’t work and we need to be more concerned about fat loss. In fact, I would better categorize this as a “Negativity Loss” guide. Loss of negative fat, negative habits, negative foods, negative people, negative thoughts, and negative actions.
This is not a second-hand analysis written by a Ph.D., M.D., certified this.., licensed…that. Nor is this an amalgamation of a 1,000 patient study that resulted from countless hours of paid sessions. This is a culmination of the blood, sweat, and tears from someone just like you who grew tired of a vicious cycle and discovered how to finally break through and improve total wellness.
This guide is not about a destination, but rather a lifetime journey.
This guide will not criticize other diet programs, philosophies or individuals. There’s simply no place for negativity in an honest effort to be positive.
This is not a condescending lecture of me vs. you. Rather, a candid discussion that will hopefully help all of us.
This guide travels a holistic and naturopathic path to examine not only the symptoms but the root causes of why we overeat, refuse to exercise, battle low self-esteem, and lack the confidence to do what God has called us to do.
This guide examines your vocation vs. avocation.
This guide compares religion vs. spirituality vs. science.
This guide addresses the age old question, “What religion is God?”
This guide is intended for: black, white, brown, red, yellow, young, old, Jew, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, agnostic, atheist, hopeless, and confident.
This guide shows you how to turn your body into a fat burning machine.
This guide will make you think, laugh, and hopefully take the next step.
This guide examines the “Tito Jackson” of the Seven Deadly Sins that most preachers, imams, and rabbis often fail to mention—gluttony.
This guide provides helpful insight into what to do when life inevitably gets in the way of your best intentions.
This guide not only examines the power of prayer and meditation, but provides additional instruction on how they can be done on a regular basis.
This is a self-funded grassroots approach that is not beholding to corporate sponsors, political or special interest groups.
This guide was not motivated by making money, but rather by making a difference.
This guide was written just for you!
Life is a journey that we’ll never truly master, and it is our best hope to simply be prepared to travel it without doing harm to ourselves or the other sentient beings God has given us dominion over. In addition, we all are in need of some assistance, encouragement, and guidance in order to fully maximize our potential. When we examine what finally sparks us to make a positive change in our lives, it’s usually an external pressure that either makes us no longer comfortable with the status quo, causes us to evolve like Darwinian primates from homo couchpotatoean to maximus fitnessmus, forces us to change because it seems to be the lesser of two evils or…we simply no longer have a choice. In short, we suddenly realize that we “have to” change.
Most of us are OK with our lives being out-of-order as long as we have no desire to put it in order. In fact, we often get our Al Bundy on by fooling ourselves into thinking that we are still the person we used to be until reality hits us with a Riddick Bowe upper-cut (Shout-out to my D.C. Homie!) and reminds us that our delusion is no longer true. When confronted with this uncomfortable realization, we may initially deny or dismiss the truth or simply hope the reality disappears on its own. When it doesn’t, we start with small and relatively easy steps to change the situation, because suddenly the discomfort of the truth becomes more unbearable than the comfort of denial. Finally, if those small steps prove to not be enough, we recite a few verses from the Apostle Popeye who so famously stated, “That's all I can stands because I can't stands n'more!” Suddenly, emotions kick into gear and give us the courage to take other steps that may be a bit more difficult, but are more likely to solve the problem once and for all.
Each of us has our own breaking point, and the emotional frustration may manifest in various ways. Some of us are very good at turning a blind eye to a situation that would drive others insane. For example, I always vowed that I would never purchase any trousers larger than size 34 waist. Nope! Just wasn’t going to happen, captain! Although I could still fit into my pants, I became rather uncomfortable after three close friends gave me a reality check (that I couldn’t cash) and placed my sedentary life in front of a mirror that I could finally see for what it truly was: complacency.
The first glimpse occurred while delivering a dining room table to my friend Palace, whom I hadn’t seen in about six months. Upon seeing me, one of her first comments was, “Looks like you are putting-on a little weight.” Oooooooouch!
Act 2, scene 1 ensues just a few short weeks later when my main man 50 grand, Ken Jennings Jr., a.k.a.”Man,” and his beautiful wife “J” were visiting from California and he also noted, “Dude, you are looking a little ‘thick.’ You need to drop about 15 lbs.” Wow! I mean, what in the sweet name of Chubby Checker was going on? Man’s words indeed bruised my "Thicky Ricardo" ego, but later I learned that temporary pain was the result of a seed of truth that he was courageous enough to have sown into my life. That seed had taken root in my fallow soul. This truth saved my life!