Be Healthy-Be Happy

Hi Girls,

Got that jogging outfit on? No? Well go change right now. This is your encouragement to get up, get out and stretch your legs! Yes, excerise, that 'e' word that causes us so much trouble sometimes. I know girls who would like to get in shape; they admit they're out of shape, overweight, unsatisfied with themselves and wish to be healthier but when it comes to the nitty gritty, the hard part, the doing- something happens. Which is often absolutely nothing! For some reason, complacency sets in and we seem to just accept the way we are even if we aren't happy. Why? To me that sounds really foolish. It's because we have no faith that we can change ourselves and that's okay because it's God we need to have faith in. God can give us the drive and motivation to do well by our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 tells us "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."  Well, to honour God with our bodies, that means keeping them healthy. God does not want to dwell in a house that's rundown, broken, damaged, deteriorating...and neither would we! God wants to take want is broken and fix it but we need to put out effort to make that happen!

Getting in shape is difficult. It's no easy thing because it takes a lot of determination. Everyone needs to exercise too, not just overweight people. Excerise is more than losing weight; it builds muscle, gives health to our bodies, keeps us active, energetic and increases our mental health. I can attest to this because excersing makes us feel good about ourselves, that we are doing something worthwhile.

Eating right is important too. If we eat junky fast foods a lot, our efforts at physical fitness won't amount too much. Remember the book of Daniel in the Bible? When Daniel and the other Hebrews were captured, they didn't want to defile themselves by eating the food from the king's table (recall that Israelites had many dietary rules) so Daniel convinced one of the palace attendants to feed him and his friends only vegetables and water for a time. In the end, they turned out to be the healthiest men of the entire group! Now, don't think I'm saying we need to become vegetarians. I love meat. I'm just using this example to illustrate how good dietary decisions can have a huge impact on our health.

Okay, so all this is right and good and probably doesn't come as a shock to most of us. We know what we need to do. The hard part is the doing! When is there the time? Or the energy? Well for one, exercise will give you energy if you can just get yourself out the front door. When I was doing a teaching placement, I was pretty well close to burnt out every evening and dreading the next day but I wanted to excerise so I got my husband out with me and we would walk or jog almost every evening. Know what? I consider that a big part of why I managed to stay healthy during the placement and maintain a good mood. Personally, I really want to stay fit but I have to confess, that I miss days, skip them b/c of laziness or tiredness. No routine will turn out to be perfect everyday; sometimes we'll mess up but that doesn't mean we should give up.

And don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. This is one area where we learn patience and endurance. Change takes time, no matter what we're after- building muscle or losing weight. And neither does it all happen right away for a healthy diet. There is a lot to learn about eating healthy and it takes time but there are some obvious ways to begin- no fast food, no junk food, veggies, home cooked meals, portion control... It also costs money because vegetables, fresh meats, eggs, dairy, it's all more expensive than food from a cardboard box or a can. Yet it is worth it and if you're a person used to going out to eat, you'll actually save money by buying healthy foods and eating at home.

Which brings us to the last aspect of putting this all in place- time. Basically, you have to make it. I've wanted to help my friends who struggle with this stuff, to help them make a plan and follow it and encourage each other. So I'm here; if you need a help!! haha. This stuff goes best when you don't have to go it alone. Then you're accountable. Do whatever you need to do- wake up earlier in the morning (not really my thing cause I love sleeping!! but great for my husband), cut out some TV in the evening to go for a run, take a walk first thing when you return from work (helps clear your mind)...get your friends, husband, kids to go out and join you. Whatever you chose to do, do it consistently, regularily!!! In this case, it's the turtle that gets the prize not the hare!