The Change That Will Change Your Life!

Click HERE to go to www.JoyfulShepherd.com and read Spiritual Veganism. Follow my journey as I discover just how life-changing becoming a vegan can be!

Joyful Shepherd is the spiritual side of Pink Sheep of the Family.

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A Healthier You in 2009!

Click the little lamb to read my article 5 Easy Steps to a Healthier You!
Take control of your health and self-image.

www.JoyfulShepherd.com

Hallelujah! Pass the Freedom Fries

Yippee Skippee! I am so excited. Have you heard the news?

McDonald's has banned trans fats in all of its stores in the US and Canada!

Trans fats are nasty fats that have been chemically altered through a process called hydrogenation that turns oil into shortening. The added hydrogen molecules makes the oil solid at room temperature and lengthens its shelf-life. It also causes it to coat the lining of people's arteries. Trans fat is the main reason why 1 out of every 2 people in the United States dies from heart disease.

Now that I know Ronald's freedom fries aren't gonna kill me, I can eat them again!

Just for fun, here is the very first commercial featuring Ronald McDonald. It features weather man Willard Scott. Warning: it is extremely scary.

Laughter: Make it a Priority

Laughter is a major ingredient for a successful life.

If you are laughing, then you are not depressed. If you are laughing, you are not stressed out. If you are laughing, you are not fighting with your partner.

Create more laughter in your life.

Allow your kids to be silly during their play time. It will help differentiate work time for them. Let them eat their cereal with serving spoons. Let them wear cowboy boots with shorts. What different does it make?

Being silly isn't just for kids. Allow yourself to have more fun at work. Tell you coworker about the crazy phone call you just received, or about the outrageous shoes your last costumer was wearing. No one is so busy that you can't laugh for a couple seconds between tasks or on your lunch break.

I feel sorry for people who live for the weekend. Why celebrate just Friday through Sunday? Here are some suggestions for creating more laughter in your life.

Don't' take life so seriously. Try watching I Love Lucy one night instead of the evening news.

Put on an outfit that is still in your closet but you know is no longer in style. Or crimp your hair. Or do your eyeliner like Amy Winehouse. It will make you and your friends laugh.

In happy marriages, the couples tease each other and stay creative. Everyone laughs, including the one being teased.

Push each other on the swings at the park. Have a bubble gum blowing contest. Paint each others toe nails (especially if you are straight, LOL).

Allow yourself to be sillier at work, at home, in the grocery store, wherever. It's okay to have fun.

Laughter will make you a better partner, parent, employee, or boss. Make it a priority.

Mmmmm.... Slater

Saved By The Bell is the M*A*S*H of our generation.

It gave voice to the social ills of our times. Like that time Jessie got addicted to caffeine pills.

Deep stuff, man.

I never liked Slater. I saw him as Zack's competition. And that was not cool.

I was a Zack devotee. I made a conscious decision in junior high to be a "preppy" because I thought Zach was hotter than Slater.

Much like Mario Lopez's glistening mullet, those days are over! I am now on team Slater!

Mister Lopez has released a new book on fitness! And, boy, does he practice what he preaches!

Look at those abs! It's like he's half B-list celebrity and half robot.

I'm definitely gonna have to buy the book. I probably wont read it, just stare at the cover.

Meow!

Deep Sundays: Color Your Life

Your home is your sanctuary. It should reflect your personality.

No one who reads this blog has a bland, empty personality. You're full of life and zest, or you wouldn't be reading Pink Sheep of the Family.

Allow your zest for life to be reflected in the colors of your home.

If you're itching for a change in life, paint can be an emotional reset button you're looking for.

There is no cheaper, faster, more dramatic way to make-over your home than wall color.

Imagine completely changing the look and feel of your everyday life. And all it takes is twenty bucks and an afternoon.

I love painting. Perhaps you will too, if you've never tried it before. Use it as a form of meditation. Your body moves, but your mind is still. It's very cathartic.

Here are some tips to adding color to your life.

Keep it simple. Do not try some fancy sponge technique. Believe me, you will be the only who thinks it's pretty. Plus, it takes more time than it's worth. Just buy a disposable roller and brush.

Pick one color and paint all four walls that same color. Leave the trim white or natural wood stained. This way you can paint the walls again and again, and the trim will never clash.

Use semi-gloss in the kitchen and bathroom. Use flat paint in living and bedroom areas.

Don't be afraid to be bold. If you end up hating it, no biggie. All you spent was twenty bucks and an afternoon. Just redo it the next weekend.

Try painting your bedroom a peaceful shade of blue, green, or brown. Use warmer, brighter colors in the living areas. If you want to go wild, do it in the kitchen or bathroom. Anything goes in either of those rooms!

If you need inspiration head to your closet and find your favorite outfit. Choose a color from the outfit, and head to the paint store! If it makes you feel good when you wear it, why not surround yourself with it every day?

Push your own emotional reset button. Paint something this weekend.

Deep Sundays: Revive Your Resolution

So, how's your New Year's resolution going? We are coming to the end of the first quarter of 2008. It's time to take inventory.

Are you still going to the gym? Are you still eating better? Have you used all your flex points for the next two months?

Here are some Beej-tips for better living in 2008.
They are easy-breezy ways you can improve how you look and feel.

Here are five simple steps you can begin doing today to gain control of your health.

1. Throw away your scale.

I do not own a scale. Nor will I purchase one.

The number of pounds your body weighs is completely irrelevant. It is not a good marker of how healthy you are. Healthy bones and strong muscles weigh more than cellulite and love-handles.

If you must count something, count inches. Buy yourself a measuring tape and begin obsessing about how large your waste is. The larger your belly, the more likely you will die from heart disease. That goes for men and women.

2. Hydrate.

Drinking a glass of water is a super cheap, refillable way to make yourself look and feel better.

If you are having a hard time quitting smoking, try switching to bottled water. Water will flush the nicotine out of your system. Plus, it will give you energy and provide the hand-to-mouth fixation you crave.

Throw away your soft drinks! Soda is associated with fattening foods. If you can train yourself to like water, you can train yourself to stop craving greasy, calorie-packed fast-food. (Yes, it's true diet soda has zero calories, but emotionally it is linked with high-calorie unhealthy food. Plus, you don't need all those artificial chemicals in your body.)

Often times we mistake thirst for cravings or hunger. Usually you are just plain thirsty. If your belly and mouth are constantly being filled with water, they won't be filled with junk food.

3. Eat More Fiber.

Fiber makes you full, and keeps your blood-sugar stable. Therefore, it staves off the munchies!

There is no fiber in meat. No fiber in cheese. No fiber in sweets. Fiber is in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Try adding vegetables to all your recipes. It fills you up, with out adding extra fat.

Try eating a cup of old-fashioned oats and a scoop of whey protein for breakfast everyday (add cinnamon for flavor). Automating your breakfast routine cuts down on your morning routine time. Plus, it keeps you from eating high-fat, high-calorie foods in the morning that weigh you down like eggs, bacon, or waffles.

Don't skip breakfast! That's a huge no-no. If you're not a breakfast eater, start! Force yourself to eat, whether you are hungry or not. It will prevent binging on empty calories later in the day.

4. Move, Stretch, Breathe.

You don't have to spend a fortune on a gym membership or equipment. But you do have to move. Don't stress about getting the closest parking space. Take stairs instead of the elevator.

When you put moving, stretching, and breathing together you get yoga. For some reason, the word "yoga" scares a lot of people in the Bible-belt. So don't use that word, and quote the Bible while you stretch.

Do some deep breathing and stretching every morning and evening. It will boost your immune system and give you energy. Start reaching for your toes. Eventually you'll get their. I promise.



5. Live, Laugh, Love.

Laughing is an immune booster. It's also a calorie burner. Get undignified occasionally. Enjoy life, not just vacation. Learn to laugh, and you will feel better about yourself, and therefore eat less.

Feeling great and looking great all begins in your mind. If you love yourself and enjoy your life, you will attract positive attention from others. Therefore, you'll create your own attractiveness.

Attractiveness has nothing to do the way your body looks. It has everything to do with how you feel about how your body looks.

Take control of your health and your life. It's possible to love who you are and how you look. No matter how things look right now.