January 25, 2017
Taking Good Care of Your Physical Body
Several years ago I owned a dog that I loved very
much, but I did not take as good of care of him as I should have. I feed my dog
generic brand dog food from Wal-Mart, gave him high-fat treats, and never walked
him. I know, you must be thinking what a terrible pet parent I was, truth be
told I did not really believe taking good care of my dog by providing exercise,
healthy, nutritious dog food, and offering wholesome treats would matter. I was
wrong! My dog started to experience heart problems and was overweight. I took
him to the vet and he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. Despite all
the changes that I made to his diet, including giving him a ton of medications,
he still passed away. Years and years of unhealthy eating and no exercise, I believe
contributed to my dog’s health problems. Lesson learned! The two dogs that I
have now are taken much better care of. For starters, they eat a healthy and
yes more expensive dog food, they get two walks per day, I give them vitamins,
and they only get healthy dog treats. I just took these two dogs to the vet and
guess what? Their heart, lungs and joints are healthy! They both received a
clean bill!
So what does my dog’s health have to do with our
health? Lots! We can learn a lot from taking care of pets. Keep reading.
Reflect
and ponder: Do you care for your physical body the way
that you should? What changes can you make this week to start taking better
charge of your body? Be specific! Make goals and write them out, such as I will
walk 30 minutes, 3x a week.
Counselor’s
advice:
Here are some practical ways to get
started taking care of your temple:
1. Get
enough sleep every night, at least 7-8 hours. Our bodies repair when we sleep
at night. Go to bed and get up at the same time during the week, and on the
weekends you can add 30-60 minutes extra sleep time.
2. Balance
what you eat. For instance if you have to have that cheeseburger, go ahead but
instead of fries have a salad and a piece of fruit. Also, having a cheeseburger
once or twice a month is fine, but if you are having one several times a week; that’s
a problem. It does not have to be a cheeseburger, you may like a good steak or
some lip-smacking fried chicken. I love to eat, so as long as I bring balance
into my meal planning, it works out great. As a general rule, try and have 2
servings of fruits and vegetables per day, lots of water, limit or have no
sodas and high caffeinated drinks, cut back on sugar (try to eliminate sugar as
much as possible, instead opt for a natural sweetener like Stevia), limit fried
foods maybe once per week (if you have to have), and drink lots of green tea
with Stevia of course! I like Moroccan mint green tea (you can find on amazon).
3.
Exercise.
Walking is one of the best ways to exercise. Just 20-30 minutes of brisk
walking, 3-4x per week can have incredible benefits to your overall health, including
a natural stress reliever! Aerobic exercise like running and swimming are great
as well for cardiovascular health. It does not matter what type of exercise
that you do, the health benefits will be there. The point is, just do something-walk
your dog!
4.
Take
a multi-vitamin, fish-oil, b-vitamins, and any others that you research that
can benefit your health. The key to great vitamins is not to just buy anything
because they are cheap, some have fillers that are not beneficial. Do your
research on the vitamins you choose and the companies that sell them. Read the reviews
on the supplements. I recommend going through a nutritionist or someone who
specializes in selling supplements. (The above statements are not medical
disclaimers.)
5.
Limit
stress. I cannot emphasize this one enough. Stress can cause a host of medical
aliments including depression and anxiety. De-stress every day! Find what works
for you-quiet time with God, a cup of tea, a light stroll, a warm bubble bath,
or a funny movie.
6.
Take
warm baths using a combination of 1-2 cups of Epson salt, 10 drops of lavender
essential oil, and 3 tablespoons of baking soda. The health benefits of taking
Epson salt baths are phenomenal! Google benefits of Epson salt baths to see the
benefits, and an add on bonus with these baths, it is a de-stressor!
MEDITATE
ON THESE SCRIPRTURES:
Do
you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a
price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
For no
one ever hated their own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ
also does the church. Ephesians 5:29
