To start things off–let’s begin with:
Physical Wellness
This is the month that everyone I know (including myself) steps on the scale for the first time in a month, shrieks in horror(surely this is a joke), and puts on exercise gear with the singular goal of getting that excess weight to disappear as quickly as possible. This has been me every January of my life as long as I can remember.
But, this year, I want to look at it a little differently. Rather that try to race to lose any excess pounds as quickly as I can, I want to look at my health as a lifetime goal rather than just a quick fix for my ego.
Physical wellness is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress.
For me that means that I need to:
- Focus on what I eat: making sure I am giving my body the fuel it needs to function well for all the activities I do.
- Focus on exercising: so that my muscles and especially my heart and lungs stay strong.
PLUS, I believe (and have experienced), that when I do focus on these things–I feel better, I can do more and I don’t feel as anxious and stressed about life.
I’ll be honest with you–I am NOT a gym rat. I have many friends that have multiple memberships at various workout facilities and just LOVE it! That is just not for me at this point in my life. I appreciate that–like with so many other things–we have choices. And THIS is my gym:
To me there is nothing like breathing in some fresh air, rhythmically pounding my feet on the path (or cycling those pedals) and losing myself in the natural beauty around me. It’s kind of a twofer for me. You’ll notice that the center of the spoke on the Wellness Wheel is spiritual. I have THE BEST prayer time when I’m out on a trail or even jogging through my neighborhood.
I also have a “back up” home gym I use for those days when my boys are out of school and I’m unable to stick to my usual routine or on bad weather days.
We collected these apparatuses over a period of two years–two were free (folks had set them out by the curb to give away) (in a future “blooper reel” story I will share the fun saga of how I wrestled the fully assembled Bow Flex into my Jeep and somehow got it home)and the other two only cost $25 each. And I have a Beachbody video series I purchased a while back that is a good challenging workout to get me through the summer when my kids are home full time.
But the point is not what type of exercise or eating plan we do–it’s the fact that we do it. A long time ago, I participated in a Beth Moore study (I think it was Breaking Free) and she talked a little about diet and exercise. Her perspective on the subject has long stuck with me. As far as eating goes–we shouldn’t be obsessing about every bite that goes in our mouth. And as for exercise–just do the thing. Both of these areas can become forms of obsession if we aren’t careful. So, no matter what you prefer– just find what works for you, commit to it and get er done.
My Physical Wellness goals are pretty cut and dry:
- Keep at it with the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan.
- Exercise 5 days a week for 45 minutes or more–be it running, cycling or hiking.
- Get the rest I need
How about you? How do you plan to become Physically Whole this year? You can leave comments in the section below (keep scrolling–it’ll get you there eventually) or on the social media sites I share on. I pray you and I both will see positive results throughout the year as we commit to making this a priority in our lives.
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 1:24-25
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