Guest Speaking at Lakewood Church

photo credit: Krissy Orborne Photography

Recently, I had the most amazing opportunity to be a guest speaker at my church on the topic of nutrition. After I shared the photo above on my social media, my inbox was flooded with questions. "You spoke at Lakewood Church? How did this happen? What was your message?" I was pretty quiet about my preparation for this speech because of a couple reasons, for one, I only had 5 days to prepare and also because I like to stay quiet and in my own head when I'm preparing for something really important to me. That's the same reason why I was always quiet on social media when I competed in fitness competitions.

One thing that I've always loved about Pastor Joel Osteen is that he speaks to all angles of our lives; helping us to grow into the best versions of ourselves. Lakewood Church is opening the conversation about mental health, fitness, and nutrition. Nutrition is where I came in. My message was simple and easy-to-follow for the beginner and a great reminder to those that may have fallen into a rut. It's something that I'm proud of and wanted to share with you here.

"Don’t worry; I’m not here to tell you everything you’re eating is wrong or bad...

I’m here to encourage those of you that want to tap into their full potential and be the best versions of yourselves this year by optimizing your health from the inside out.

What we put into our bodies can either negatively or positively affect our moods, our energy, our performance (like our workouts), our memory, our mental clarity.

You don’t need to study nutrition to know that sugar, fried & processed foods aren’t the best for you. That Venti Mocha Frappuccino with extra whip and chocolate drizzle isn’t the best afternoon pick-me-up. We know this, right?

Don’t overthink good health/nutrition or think good health and nutrition is unachievable. My method for anyone getting started on the road to better health is simple and can be done in 3 easy-to-follow steps...

1.) Eat natural, whole foods. Foods in their most natural organic state.

◾️Instead of grabbing chips when you need a snack, grab an APPLE + almond butter

◾️Instead of highly processed pasta, have you tried zucchini noodles? They’re good, ..hey, don’t cringe!

◾️Try swapping your fried chicken & mashed potatoes for quick/easy rotisserie chicken & roasted vegetables

Remember: HEALTHY SWAP, STAY ON TOP

2.) Boost the variety in your meals by aiming to eat the colors of the rainbow everyday (and I don’t mean skittles)! Think outside of just bananas & apples. There are so many fruits & vegetables to choose from!

◾️Add spinach to your smoothie

◾️Swap your post-dinner ice cream for a fresh berry parfait.

When your focus is more about what you CAN have you’re less likely to crave what you probably shouldn’t.

Remember: EAT THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW EVERY DAY.

3.) Take it slow. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I recommend taking 1-week to an entire month to break just one bad habit like your afternoon Dr Pepper.

◾️Try swapping it for a healthier treat like a Kombucha or Matcha Green Tea.

Create a new lifestyle for yourself without it & then move on to the next good habit you want to implement, like COOKING YOUR DINNER at home rather than dining out. OR STAYING AWAY FROM FAST FOOD.

Remember: SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE. TAKE IT ONE DAY, ONE STEP AT A TIME.

By taking these steps of action you're honoring God by taking care of your body. We’ve got this one body, let’s be great stewards of it.

Thank you. God Bless you."

I hope this message spoke to you as well. What's a healthy habit you can start implementing right now?

xoxo,

Hil

Special thanks to my friend @TerryTheTrainer for including me in this mission to bring health and nutrition to the church. If you're in the downtown Houston area and looking for a gym home, check out Terry's gym The League: Elite Training Facility. Also, Terry now has an app!! It's a great place to find workouts, recipes, and encouragement.

Find his app here: TerrytheTrainer app

And thank you Lakewood Church for having me and treating

me so kindly during my visit. I truly felt like you rolled out the red carpet for me and that is something I will never forget.