Body Challange

Last week in my blog Bloom Where You Are Planted I mentioned 3 questions that Elizabeth George asks herself to stay on course, one was, Am I properly fueling my body with sleep, nutrition and exercise for maximum results? When I asked myself this question the answer was yes. Most nights I do get plenty of sleep. I am a night person though and I like the quiet, distraction free calm that comes with the night in my house. So that environment mixed with a good book can lead to a late night, but that is only occasionally. I think my nutrition is average; over the holidays I ate a few more sweets than normal but who doesn’t. I also exercise 4 to 5 times a week. Looking at the question a little differently I asked myself, are you taking care of your body the best you can so that you can best serve your God and your family; and the answer to that was no.

I don’t know if this is true for all moms but I know it is for some of us, we take care of ourselves last. I have had some headaches and some other stuff going on for about 3 years. I went to the doctor at first when it had gotten really bad, he told me it was allergies and I would probably have to just take medicine all the time. So I did what he said and there was some improvement but there was still a lot of discomfort and days where I was useless. Now 3 years later, still no improvement, and I ask myself this question… of course I am not taking care of myself the best I can. There has always been some excuse for not dealing with it but now I feel very convicted that I need to do my best to get some help.

This was the first time I ever realized that my own personal neglect was keeping me from what God has for me. Keeping me from being the mom and wife I am supposed to be. Keeping me from being able to put everything I have into all the areas God has called me to because I don’t feel good so much of the time. I honestly don’t even think I thought of it as personal neglect, I thought of it as serving, putting others first. There is always so much to do and so many people to take care of in our family of six. There is also the problem of not wanting to inconvenience my husband or the kids with my own appointments, as if I do not inconvenience them by being shut up in my room with a headache. Why it took me so long to get that, I don’t know. But asking myself that question was what I needed to push me to do something.

We used to have this old Buick and it would make this funny noise when it started like it was struggling to start. Then after awhile we had to lift the hood and hit a certain spot with a hammer to get it started each time, then it finally just wouldn’t start and we had to take it to the mechanic. That is what I have done with my body. I am past the funny noise part, now I have to hit it with a hammer to get it going.

God gave us a body to take care of, a body that He wants to use for His good to serve others. Are you taking care of your body to the best of your ability? Do you treat your body like most of us treat our cars and not take it to the doctor until it is REALLY broken?

Being the best mom you can be starts with taking care of yourself; mind, body, and heart. This week be honest with yourself, are you taking care of your body the best you can. If not what can you do to change that? Where can you start? Is it eating better, sleeping more (which may not be an option if you have little ones), getting some exercise or making a doctors appointment for a long overdue checkup? Whatever it is I challenge you to take a step and do at least one thing on that list this week.

I think some of us assume we are being selfish when we take time to do things for ourselves like a doctor appointment or an hour of exercise, when really, we are being selfish if we do not take care of ourselves. My husband appreciates that I take care of my body with exercise and nutrition; he would also like it if I took care of more of the fine-tuning like why I have headaches all the time. My kids want me to be around for them as they grow up, not to mention what an example it is to our kids for them to see us exercise and eat healthy.

“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.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

In context this verse is speaking of sexual immorality, that it is a sin against your own body. That of course is not what I am talking about here but couldn’t the same apply that we need to honor God with our bodies, we need to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit the best we can. I have devoted my life to serving Christ, each morning I wake and read Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” I don’t know about you but I want to offer God the best I can. Some days that may be praying in bed with a headache but maybe not if I do the best to take care of my body.

I know that our lives can get so busy there doesn’t seem to be time for exercise, healthy eating or appointments. I remember getting so frustrated when after each baby I would try to start an exercise routine and it never seemed to work, somebody always needed me. If that is the case for you I understand. What I had to do is forget the “routine” and just get the exercise where I could, but I was intentional in figuring that out: a walk with the kids, chasing them around the yard, a workout video with the older kids why the baby napped. It may not of been an hour and it was definitely not routine, but something was better than nothing. I am simply encouraging you to do the best you can do, not what someone else does. For you that could just mean cutting dessert except for once a week or evening snack. I don’t know what taking better care of your body looks like for you but God does, go to Him in prayer and ask for his help and his guidance then listen and obey.