Being healthy and taking care of our bodies is a “Christ-Like” thing! God asks us to “Take care of our Temples (gifts from Him btw…)” and to honor God with our bodies! So why is it that we struggle so hard with this one?
I’ve found there are three areas that keep us from being Healthy and Fit and giving ourselves our BEST!
1.) How: We are bombarded with information but sifting through it can be difficult! Even when we manage to get through the minions of information, many times we end up with the wrong information! How in the world can we decipher through and know what we are doing is the ‘right thing’?
- First, we have to remember that we simply need to start by getting active! It doesn’t have to be BIG steps…they can be little. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. When we are dropping off our kids to their activity, walk around the park while waiting instead of sitting on the bench or in the car! Start small…and do it often. Shooting for activity in our lives on a daily basis is the goal! You can worry about getting more of it after you’ve created the habit of just being active!
2.) Discipline: The art and consistency of discipline is one of the toughest areas I fail the most! It’s difficult to push all distractions aside (inside and out) and simply do what you set out to do – GET IT DONE! I’m in awe of those that can get up and just do what they said they would do regardless of how they feel or what’s on their list of ‘to do’s’ for the day! They seem to set their alarm and go right into motion. I have a son that is an incredible runner. He’s so self-disciplined! I’m in wonder every time this 13yr old text messages me and lets me know that he just finished running and doing the workout that was expected of him! It’s amazing to see his improvements and the honors he gets from this simple (yet difficult) act he has developed within his young life!
We must remember, those that have that ability were NOT born with it! They had to develop discipline within their lives! I love to see people who join the gym who are brand new to the experience! They come in – hit or miss at first. Little-by-little, they get more and more consistent. Soon enough they create the habit (self-discipline) of coming in the gym and getting their work out in! I’m proud of them! When I set out a goal and day-by-day achieve it, no matter how long it takes, I feel so good about myself. It breads a confidence within me that carries me into other areas of my life! In our society of “Instant everything”, self-discipline is an art that we desperately need to return! Remember, God is asking us to take our health seriously…ask Him for the ability to be disciplined enough to do it! He’ll provide more and more as you step out in Faith daily!
3.) Body Image: This one is tough! We are bombarded daily with images and statements that we simply don’t measure up! Perfection seems to be “everyone’s” but ours. The magazines, TV and movies (and don’t forget fellow humans! Ladies, we need to start being nicer to each other!) show us what we are supposed to be looking like and when we look into the mirror…well, it’s no where the same. First we need to remember that we are unconditionally loved by the One who made us in the first place! He’s not asking us to take care of ourselves because He needs a better looking disciple! He loves you exactly where you are at and who you are right at this moment! He wants what’s best for us, and taking care of our bodies so that we have energy and are not sick is part of what’s best! There’s nothing like waking up feeling good, having energy and never worrying about getting sick!
We need to let go of what others say we should be and simply day-by-day take steps toward being healthy (the best version of ourselves). When we do this, we just simply think better about ourselves! We need to give it our best and do it daily. When we fall off and fail that day…get right back at it! It’s not time to barrage ourselves and crumble our emotions…it’s just a lapse. Get back out there and start again! It’s a lifetime journey. It’s a style that we need to adopt. It’s going to take some adjustments. I’m STILL adjusting…always will be so that I can give my life (the precious gift God gave me) the best I’ve got! I’m not comparing myself to someone in a magazine or in a movie…I’m looking into the mirror and knowing that God loves the one looking back at me and I have been charged with taking care of that person! I wouldn’t call a friend bad names and cut them down…why would I do it to myself? Stop it! That’s not how we need to talk to ourselves. We need to practice kindness…to ourselves so that we are in habit and can be nice to others as well!
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