Take Care of Your Body—It Belongs to God!

By Poppy Smith–

Standing in the grocery line recently I scanned the wildly appealing promises on the covers of a dozen women’s magazines: Burn 300 Calories in 22 minutes—Strip the fat off your body fast. The Pasta Lover’s Diet—Flatten and Fill Your Belly! Lose 5 Pounds This Week.   The claims were so unbelievable, I was tempted to wave the magazine and loudly address my silent companions shuffling towards the check-out register, “Can you believe this? Are they saying we can devour plates of Spaghetti Bolognaise and still look good? Do they think we know nothing?”

Eat Smart

Let’s be honest. We’d all like to eat what appeals to us until we’re so full we can’t swallow another bite. We wouldn’t call ourselves gluttons we just like good, yummy food. But where does our unwillingness to control ourselves lead? I know only too well—to uncomfortable and unattractive flesh that we do our best to disguise. To thrive physically, we have to quit putting excess food in our mouths.—and that takes a deliberate mindset and daily choices to eat smart. We also need to exercise smart.

Exercise Smart

Exercise not only gets your body in shape, it also helps your brain to grow. Research is showing that regular aerobic exercise—the kind that makes you breathe hard and want to quit—increases “brain volume in areas related to attention and memory.” It also “increases blood flow to the brain and decreases your risk of stroke.” In addition to exercise, studies indicate that our brains are helped by what we eat—particularly fruits and vegetables that are brightly colored.[i]

If we’re serious about taking care of these amazing bodies and brains that God gave us, we have a part to play. Here’s a short list of what we can do—for our own good.

1. Walk. Jog. Lift weights. Get your blood pressure checked—as well as other body parts as you age. Floss daily. Watch your meat intake. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, protein and fiber but don’t over-eat, smoke, do drugs, or sit for too long in one place.

Whew! Does it seem overwhelming? Are you tempted to tune out and go get another piece of pie? To cheer you up, here are some fun comments about exercising. Just don’t take them seriously!

• My idea of exercise is a good brisk sit. ~Phyllis Diller
• Aerobics: a series of strenuous exercises which help convert fats, sugars, and starches into aches, pains, and cramps. ~Author Unknown
• I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing. ~Marsha Doble [ii]

Sleep Smart

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. ~Irish Proverb

In a bulletin titled, Sleepless in Oregon, the Oregon Public Health Division stated that we need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Plus, they claim that early to bed and early to rise might not only make you healthy, wealthy, and wise, it can also reduce obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression and other illness.[iii]

What’s their message? Get to bed in good time or take naps if you want to avoid accidents and enjoy a healthy life.

Practice these three things and you’ll not only be healthy, but more importantly, you’ll be honoring God who views your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6: 19-20).

Poppy is a fun, inspiring, and passionate speaker. Visit www.poppysmit.com for more info and to contact her for your next event.

[i] Luedtke, Heidi Smith, Tuning Up the Brain, The Costco Connection, June, 2012
[ii] http://www.quotegarden.com/exercise.html
[iii] Oregon Public Health Division, http://oregon.gov/dhsph/cdsummary