My physical health is on the struggle bus. Pandemic has been a roller coaster. I’m a stress eater, need I say more? I eat when I’m bored, need I say more?
Is physical health an end-all be-all? No. But is it important? Yes. Physical health, emotional health, mental health, and spiritual health is all important. Raise the bar on one area of your health and you just might see all areas rise up. Lower the bar? You will begin to feel an impact on other areas of health. My mental and emotional health definitely suffer when my physical health suffers.
Health has been a battle for me. I used to weigh 275. In about 10 months or so I lost about 115 pounds. For me, a healthy weight is 164 (according to BMI). I’m currently about 15 pounds over what is considered healthy. I have a battle going on to lose weight. I do have a few habits in place helping me towards better health. I am battling, I have room for improvement, but even with that let me offer three suggestions for those on this journey with me. Note, there are a thousand suggestions one could make. Note, everyone is different so some advice would be different. The suggestions I am making here I hope capture the value of simplicity. Four simple pieces of advice anyone at any level can tackle TODAY and begin seeing improvement. These suggestions are not exhaustive, but it is a start. Ready? Read on.
Find Motivation: Why put the hard work in? Why grind? You must answer this. Need a biblical reason? Check these verses:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
We can honor God in our physical health. Let that motivate you. What else? Your family. Longevity. Saving on life insurance. Etc. Find multiple levels of motivation and truly let it motivate you.
Start your day with water: Your body functions better with water. Your body will function better throughout the day if you begin with at least 12 ounces of water. Your body will not function as well (obviously it will still function) if you begin with food. Water is the best kick starter.
Drink more water: When I was losing weight, the days I drank the most water were the days I lost the most weight. I saw first-hand the importance of water intake. I drink a gallon of water a day. I recommend it. However, consult with your doctor. You can drown yourself with too much water. Whatever the case may be, I'm sure you need to drink more water. Do it. Set a goal and do it daily. This will help you cut out soda. Soda is poison. Water is life.
Get active: I recommend the app Couch to 5K. Get active. Get a Fitbit. Get those steps in. Hit at least 10,000 steps a day. Up your activity level. Sign up for a 5k and train for it. You can do it. The excuses you just started coming up with in your head are garbage. DO IT. And if you get a Fitbit, friend me and I’ll add you to the weekly challenges. We can hold each other accountable.
Yes, I didn’t mention diets. I didn’t mention specific workouts. Start here. Simply start here, then let's talk more after this. You can do this today at little to no cost. So, the only thing stopping you is you. DO IT.
The longer you are around on this planet, the more you can Pray for ONE. The more you are around Praying for ONE, the more people God just might use for building kingdom purposes. That sounds exciting to me!
So? Keep praying for ONE
Written by Pastor Jason Coache,
Lead Pastor of Wellspring Church
