February: Value Your Body

I have observed 2 general approaches to "health."
1. I want to pursue a healthy lifestyle because I do not like the way I look and want to change.
2. I want to pursue a healthy lifestyle because I value my body and want to take care of it.

To illustrate, I could create a healthy habit of exercising because I do not like the way I look or because I want to take care of my body.  The action will be the same, but the motivation is drastically different which will produce much different holistic results.  If I am choosing to eat carrots instead of chips only because I want my body to look different or to lose a certain number of pounds, I will be easily defeated when after two long weeks of carrots there are minimal physical results in appearance and weight.  Having already attempted the pursuit of "health" on the foundation of not liking myself, I can testify that it did not produce any lasting fruit in my life.  My desperate desire to look better only initiated a negative cycle of mistreatment which led to frustration and impatience which led to self-rejection which eventually led to depression.

Goal: This month I hope to start my health pursuit with the foundational attitude that I am thankful for my body, the understanding that I only get one, and the commitment to caring for it.  This will give me patience to endure the pains of discipline and motivation to make real lifestyle changes in the upcoming months.  I am not simply attempting temporary fad diets because I am not looking for specific results in my image or weight, but I am seeking to take care of my body.

I promise that we will get to the practical bodily implications of health such as sleep, drinking water, eating, and exercise in the months ahead, but it is so important that we first set the foundation of this pursuit on the life giving truth that our bodies are incredible gifts and vessels for the Holy Spirit.  After first asking for God's help last month, this is the next layer of a solid foundation as we seek health.

Habit: This month I will value my body by discipling myself to be thankful for it.  I will take time to meditate on the miraculous functions my body can perform and beautiful features I carry.

Challenge: I invite you to join me in saying two positive statements about your body every day of this month: one statement about a function your body can perform that you value and the other a physical feature that you appreciate.

Example: I am thankful for my functioning fingers that can type and the beautiful tones of my red hair.

If you really want to create this habit of appreciating your body then set up some accountability whether it is writing down your positive thoughts in a journal, sharing them with a roommate or spouse or friend, or posting them in the comments of my blog.  While I will commit to sharing with my husband each day, I plan to post my results at the end of the month as another means of accountability.

Romans 12:1-2  Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind He will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship Him.  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Disclaimer: I am going back to work in a few days and therefore will already set the expectation for myself and readers that I will be posting much less.  I will commit to posting every Saturday of this month, and while I would like to write more, it will only be if I find time throughout the week.