Hey ya’ll! My apologies for being MIA lately, the action that was missing here had been temporarily re-directed to studying for my A&P exam (Which was not failed, yay praise God!) So now I am excited to begin this Do Hard Things chapter of my blog, which will come in a couple installments because that seemed like a good idea. So now. Health.
I don’t think enough people realize how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, I think that (Thanks to todays media) people have a distorted idea of what really is a healthy lifestyle. And lastly, I feel that not enough people realize how closely related living a healthy lifestyle is to growing in your relationship with God.
Now first of all, I’m going to tell you what really is a healthy lifestyle. Not only is it eating healthy, wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, healthy fats etc.; exercising every week; drinking lots of water; getting proper sleep. Living a healthy lifestyle also entails having a positive attitude; loving yourself and your body; laughing and being joyful; appreciating the people you know, the people you don’t, the life you have; being grateful; pursuing life with a passion. Often times we see men and women in the media who are attractive and muscular: models, actors, body builders. But the majority of them are not living a healthy lifestyle. They go on diets which mess up their metabolism, causing them to gain and lose wight like a yo-yo cycle, they deprive themselves to achieve the body they think they need, they’re insecure, they let their fitness overtake their lives so that’s all they ever know and do. This is not healthy. The first person who comes to mind when I think of healthy living is Bethany Hamilton. (If you don’t know who she is, that’s a shame. She had her arm bit off by a shark when she was 13, went on to become a pro surfer, and is now married with a baby etc etc. Look her up. She’s amazing.) Anyway. I follow her on Instagram (whoop whoop for social media!) and she is honestly one of the most inspiring people, and has the healthy living down pat. She is confident, strong, joyful, she eats right, exercises, and is a role-model wife and mother. Some say that she does not live up to the beauty/weight standards of today and she is criticized for that. However Bethany blocks out the negative, only channeling the positive vibes, because she loves her life and loves her body. That, my friends, is a healthy lifestyle. The physical aspects and the mindset/attitude absolutely go hand-in-hand. Each one is essential for the other.
I think it’s obvious how important it is for us to live that kind of life. If we didn’t, would there be any meaning to our existence? We’d walk around eating Cheetos, getting sick, being grumpy, insecure, and doubtful of our abilities and strength. Interactions with others would be negative. Right before death we would look back and think, what did I accomplish? I spent my whole life caring about the opinions of others and disrespecting my body. Even if someone had fame and fortune, and at the end of their lives this was all they had to look back on, then did they really accomplish anything? Being a healthy person in mind and body is crucial if you’re going to live your life to the fullest.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “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”
We were made in the image and likeness of a perfect God. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are told to honor God with our bodies. This means that whenever we hate on our bodies or the way we look, whenever we binge on fattening junk food, whenever we starve ourselves, compare ourselves to others, refuse to exercise or sleep, we are disrespecting the most basic, yet precious gift God has given us: our unique and beautiful bodies. God gave us nutritious, powerful foods to keep our bodies strong and healthy, He gave us the gift of sleep to rest our minds and souls, He gave us legs to run, and He made us as beautiful individuals, unlike anyone else, in His own image. When we hate ourselves, we’re hating His handiwork. When we don’t take care of ourselves, we are abusing his creations. Everyone has one body, one mind, one soul, one life, one opportunity to be good stewards of God’s gifts, to utilize our talents and abilities, to bring joy to people’s lives and contribute to the good of the world. And it absolutely breaks my heart when people don’t realize this, and they waste their existence on empty, temporary pleasures.
Now. The reason this health post is part of the Do Hard Things chapter is because living a healthy lifestyle is not easy, at least not at first. You’re all busy. It’s hard to make time to sleep, rest, meditate, make healthy meals, practice positive self-talk and self-love, and exercise. But does God call Christians to live an easy life? Absolutely not.
Acts 14:22 “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
So there you have it, the lives of Christians were never meant to be easy. But! (Another fave verse ahead!)
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
We can do it, guys! I’m encouraging you all now with all my heart to embrace the healthy lifestyle God intended for us to have and see how the changes affect you. No fad diets, food deprivation or weight obsession. Just the simple, wholesome foods (with sweets in moderation of course, because lets be honest, in order for us to be positive and joyful we need some chocolate and ice cream in our lives at some points) healthy exercise, and self-love! Woo! I’m excited already for ya’ll! I’ll even post some of my favorite healthy meals, snacks and sweets, my gym routine, etc. if you want (you can comment if you do…but even if you don’t I’ll most likely put them up anyway)
OK! I feel I overstayed my welcome as a blogger in your life today, so I’ll end here. If you have any questions or would like to know more about what I do to stay healthy, just comment, or my contacts are in the About post. Also, if you would like to keep me updated on how your healthy living is going, I’d love to hear it! Until next time. Stay Sweet.
~Cassie
Cassidy Sangster 