The Head, Heart, And Hands Newsletter For Better Health

Things to think, feel and do for better health.

Guys, it’s like five days until Christmas. I’m feeling it. Trying to get all the things done so the whole family can head off to NYC for our yearly Christmas visit. I feel very blessed each year that we get to go as a family, and this year, we get the added gift of our soon-to-be daughter-in-love coming with us. It’s going to be a wild time. Not to mention the main reason we are going is because it’s Sophia’s 21st birthday. Her birthday wish to turn 21 in NYC was a seed planted about five years ago, and here we are. Sophia will become a full-fledged adult, with all the rights of an adult, in NYC. (Ladies and gentlemen, the fact that she wants to spend her 21st birthday with her parents in NYC ought to cool anyone’s jets concerned about her getting wild and crazy with the adult things she now has permission to do :) Her father and I are so proud of how she’s walked through the fire of high school and has come out the other side brighter, stronger, and wiser about who she is and what she’s called to do. If any of you have kids who are going through it keep walking and keep the faith. It will all be worth it.

Photo: The Keeton fam, 2021, NYC.

With all this going on, you are all on my mind. I know you are gearing up for the holidays, trying not to lose yourself, and perhaps excited about some new health habits you want to pursue in the new year. So, without further ado, let’s discuss a few things that I hope help you move toward abundant freedom and love for your body.

Something I’m learning:

People, dawn your fire-retardant clothing because this girl is getting FIRED up! Recently I’ve been on a mission to figure out how the beauty industry took off. As a 53 year old woman in the health industry, I’m very aware of how intrinsically tied together the beauty industry can be with the health industry. Health is one thing, but beauty is a whole other beast. Health is needed for our bodies to have ability, but beauty?

Beauty isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. It’s a wonderful thing we each have that reflects God's image. But because of sin’s bent, beauty can turn easily to vanity. What if our pursuit of beauty is just us looking for fig leaves to cover up what we think is wrong? How can we know when we’ve gone too far in our quest for beauty? And who decides what’s beautiful anyway? Or like God asked Adam and Eve, “Who told you?” Who told us that we weren’t beautiful? Spoiler alert: it’s the media and big industry preying on our vulnerabilities meant to lead us toward God, not a $250 jar of face cream. None of us are qualified to define beauty. That’s something only God gets to do. We get to enjoy beauty and beauty was never meant to be boxed, bought, sold or traded.

So that I don’t get long-winded on this subject that I’m just beginning to peel back the historical layers on, I leave you with this thought to think about based on something I recently learned. Did you know that the root word for glamour comes from a word that mean sorcery and witchcraft? The Latin grammatica, from which glamour comes, was often used in the Middle Ages to mean ‘scholarship and learning in occult practices’. Basically, to glamour or glamourize something or someone is to deceive.

**mic drop. jaw on the floor.**

I’m just going to leave that right there and then leave you with this regarding what I’m learning regarding beauty - friend, don’t be deceived. Don’t allow yourself to be convinced that there’s something wrong with you. Improving your health will go well for you if you start from the bedrock truth that God loves you and your beautiful body right now, as you are! He’s not mad at you. He’s not shaming you. He’s calling you into The Way of walking with Him as the beauty you already are. As you walk with Him in your beauty, He will lead you to The Truth that brings you REAL LIFE. It’s possible to grow so much in love with God and love for your body that you don’t feel the need “look better” through injections, facelifts, or a $250 bottle of face cream. (But you may want to wash your face as needed and apply sunscreen because that’s good care and hygiene for your skin. :)

Until I write again, perhaps ask the Lord to help you recognize where you’re being deceived. Who told you your body is a problem that needs to be fixed? (I’ve got so much more to say on this subject, so keep the fire extinguisher nearby and stay tuned.)

The book I’m reading right now on the history of the beauty industry

Something I’m loving:

Still a broken record over here regarding my walking pad. Yup. I’m loving it. I won’t force myself to tell you something new I love to keep things fresh. Nope, what’s old is new, and this old walking pad continually gives me new energy when I have to do things I don’t easily want to do. I love to read, but I don’t always want to read. But I’ve found that when I start reading and walk at a super slow glacial pace of 1.5 to 2.0 mph, I can’t stop. Because I’m walking so slowly, I barely know I’m walking, and the bilateral stimulation going on in my brain keeps me so focused that I 1. retain the information better and 2. lose track of time. It’s like my body becomes a human metronome rocking me into a meditational state of mental focus and relief. And the research keeps coming in to prove you don’t need to workout or a home gym, you just need to MOVE more. Moving more keeps biomarkers of poor health at bay.

What are you waiting for if you haven’t got on the walking pad train? I recently bought a new one because my old one was starting to squeak, but I couldn’t part with a working walking pad, so I moved that one out of my office and into my living room.

My old squeaker walking pad I moved into my living room, much to my husband’s chagrin :)

Right now, on Amazon, walking pads can be found at incredibly low prices. Here’s an affiliate link to the brand Urevo that I love and use. This one is only $100 with the Amazon coupon!

Remember the trillion cells of your body expect movement. Please do whatever you can in 2025 to make it more challenging for you to sit than move. Improving your health does not have to be hard, harmful or complicated.

Something I’m doing:

I will be hosting a four-week, 45-minute body health and healing class open to everyone for free! Come in comfortable clothing and be ready to connect with God in your bod! Recently, He’s been telling me, “Alisa, please just invite them to come and meet with you on a mat so I can meet with them.” If you’re longing to encounter the presence of God in your body for insights on your body and mental health, please come.

If you’re subscribed to this email, you will be sent the link in the New Year (once back from my family vacation). It’s looking like I will host this class on Sunday or Monday nights at 7 pm EST.

Comment below to let me know which times work best for you if you want to come.

Be sure to share this newsletter with a friend and tell them to subscribe if they want to come; that way, they will have the link.

God is eager to meet with you, His beautiful and beloved one. He gave His body so yours could be loved and set free.

Thanks for caring about this message I’m carrying and for making this a place I can put it.

I pray you have a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Alisa