Today, we live in a world that places extreme focus on the body. Though we all should strive to be healthy and fit, such attention on the body can (further) lead to compulsive behavior, feelings of inadequacy or poor self esteem. Eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia are common illnesses that are linked to dissatisfaction and self hatred of the body.

Our bodies are for the glory of God. Within us the holy spirit of God lives. For this reason the body is significant—because it is the residence of the Holy Spirit. However, the body is never to lead but rather the spirit of God. Nothing or no one should take the place of God. The body should never be given the attribute of a god: one of worship or the supreme importance appropriate to a god.

Click Here for The Ten Commandments for Living a Healthy and Fit Life

Transfer this thought to our lives. We are spiritual beings, rooted in spiritual stuff. But if our roots become weak due to a lack of care and attention, we begin to develop physical problems. For a while no one may notice, but eventually the physical being is unable to sustain itself without strong healthy roots. We all want to be and look healthy—looking fit and healthy being more appealing. But if we only work on our physical being and do not nourish our spiritual roots, we eventually weaken over time. It is our spiritual roots that maintain us, so that we grow healthily in every area of our lives.

We can eat the right food, exercise daily, and get sufficient sleep. Yet if our roots are not anchored, we can incur unnecessary pain on this journey we call life. Jesus is our rock. He keeps us anchored, especially when situations are beyond our control. No emotional instability here. We need to work from the spiritual to the physical. If we are going to lead a healthy and fit life, we must start from the spiritual and work towards a manifestation of this in the physical. A disciplined spiritual life should manifest itself into a disciplined physical life. There should not be imbalances between the two. How many times have we seen a spiritually strong person with a body or mind out of control or lacking discipline? If the spirit is truly nourishing the entire being, it should aid the physical being as care is given to the outward. Too many times this disproportion between the spiritual and physical life is seen.

Care must be given to both the spiritual and the physical. But as growth occurs in the physical, those spiritual roots are what will keep the physical grounded and connected to the Source, so that more growth is obtained.

Loving God

Just the other day I was talking to a friend who happened to be 52 years old and was about to do her second year of fitness competitions. We were talking about training and how the body can be pushed to do far more than we think. It was then I remembered a comment by a lady. It was about five years ago, I, too, was training. I was in the gym doing dead lifts. Just as I had completed lifting 180 pounds, a lady walked by and said “you look like you’re training for the Olympics”. I guess to this lady it would have made sense to take my body through such agony if I were training for such an event. But for a bodybuilding competition? I began to question myself too. Why was I doing this? For me, winning a competition, or obtaining a perfectly sculptured body was not strong enough to sustain me physically, mentally and spiritually. Instead, it was this thought that spellbound me: that He had created a human body that could be trained like an ancient Greek athlete and molded like clay. I loved Him even more because I appreciated His craftmanship. The body was an art piece, designed by Him. It led me into an act of worship for the Artist.

Loving Others

Similarly, the worship of the Artist should lead us also into an appreciation for His other art work. For example, our love for ourselves as God’s master pieces should extend to others as well, for we are all a part of His unique collection. Our bodies is a work of love—an expression of an artist’s love. It is an expression of the artist’s love for life—for health. As we understand more of what He has given to us, it should lead us into an adoration of Him. We, therefore, show our gratitude by caring for what He has given to us—giving ourselves proper nutrition, exercise and wholesome thoughts. True love is not selfish; it touches the lives of others as well.

What’s love got to do with it? Everything! Love should be the greatest motivation for disciplining our bodies. True love goes beyond ourselves. It, inevitably, should lead us back to the Artist.

Age–a number
Age is truly only a number—a number I define. I remember being inspired by my grand uncle’s new wife. They were both in their seventies when they married. He was 78 and she was 72. I was about 25 and had just gotten married myself. But this young couple amazed me. Yes, I did say young couple, because there was nothing old about them, especially my new aunt Lorraine. Aunt Lorraine was a character from the movies. She dressed in three inches heels, climbed trees and walked for miles in heels. One day, I watched this lady climb a guava tree. I was amazed at her agility. I never asked Aunt Lorraine what she did during her earlier years, but I made it up. In my mental screen play, I described her as a former go-go dancer. Her long lean muscles— athletic legs continued to define a woman of agelessness. I knew then that I wanted be like Aunt Lorraine not the go-go dancer but the woman who didn’t know how to age.

Immortality and Amortality
In a sense, if we believe part of our makeup is spiritual, we are immortals, making us amortals as well. The spirit never dies. The spirit never ages. We, then, define age. We define what we do or feel we can do at a certain age. Time is what each of us creates and defines. This I know for sure.

Like these women, I wonder how many times my expectations were inaccurate?  Many times, I think. These women did not believe Jesus.  They probably heard Him but probably said to themselves “yeah, right.  Resurrected? Okay.”  They did not expect to find an empty tomb.

The power of expectation is not just an idea. Beliefs are tied to expectations.  A recent study by British and German researchers discovered that positive or negative expectations affected brain activity in a group of healthy people by using brain scans. These researchers used a heat source to cause pain in the volunteers.  The pain medication, Ultiva—an IV surgery drug, was administered. Those individuals who expected the medication to work doubled the effect of the drug.  Those individuals who expected the medication not to work had results that were less effective.

Scientific evidence supports the law of expectation but so does faith. I don’t want to be like the women who heard Jesus but expected otherwise.  Such an experience reminds me of going to church and hearing the Word of God yet not really expecting the Word of God to have any effect.  The law of expectation is powerful.  When this law is combined with the Word of God, it becomes faith—faith that works in every area of life.

HAPPY EASTER!

In order to get the most out of exercise—to lose those pounds, the workout must involve some discomfort.  The heart must be challenged. But those who do not like the discomfort exercise brings tend to struggle to lose those pounds or maintain the weight loss. I remembered when I was training for my bodybuilding competition, a middle aged lady said to me “you look like you are training for the Olympics lifting all that weight.” I felt a little embarrassed by her remarks. Why was I putting myself through all of this discomfort? Training required a lot of work. After about 5 years, I have come to appreciate the rigid training I subjected myself to. This thought was affirmed by the late Jack LaLanne who said that in order to live a healthy and a fit life you have to train like an athlete. People may have looked at LaLanne as an extremist, but what he was saying, in other words, was in order for us to reach an optimum fitness and health level, we had to work hard at it. The pleasure would be the reward of a healthy body.

Pleasure without hard work is only an illusion.  Pleasure is temporary and fleeting.  That warm, cozy bed, that delicious crunchy bag of salty potato chips, that moist chocolate slice of cake, or that warm slice of bread with some butter smeared all over it are some pleasures of life that if indulged can cost us later. Hard work is a principle that is not limited to intellectual pursuits or a job. Physical exertion also applies to our bodies. According to Bob Greene, author of The Life you Want: Get Motivated, Lose Weight, and be Happy, physical exertion when applied is what “may separate those who are eventually able to lose weight and keep it off from those who can’t seem to get it right”.

So I will start from the beginning again: we were designed to gravitate towards pleasure and eschew discomfort and/or pain. Yet to live a spiritually and physically healthy and fit life, we must learn to tolerate discomfort. To arise early in the mornings to pray or work out, to find time for spiritual activities such as prayer or meditation, and to find time for physical exercise require discipline. The two—the spiritual and physical, appear to be polarities, but when disciplined, they complement each other, so that we can live a healthy whole life, enjoying life ABUNDANTLY.

Maybe I’ll become a vegetarian. I’ll eat only whole grains and vegetables.  All red meat will be eliminated from my diet. Yet is this being healthy?

I see many people at church—most of the time the same ones, lifting hands in worship to God and listening attentively to the sermon.  Yet, is this being healthy?

Who cares if I run my body down, serving in God’s kingdom? Who needs rest? There is much work to be done for God, and heaven is my reward?  Yet, is this being healthy?

I look fit. I look great! But I feel a wreck on the inside. My mind is cluttered. I struggle to focus. But I look great! I’m on the front cover of the magazine. Is this being healthy?

Is it being healthy physically? Or is it being healthy spiritually? Or is it being healthy mentally and emotionally?  To only be healthy physically is like a car without the internal organs—the engine, the radiator and all that makes it work.  To be spiritually healthy without being physically healthy is like a car with only the internal organs. How far will the car go without its body ? To be healthy mentally and emotionally only is like a car without its body and its internal organs. It just doesn’t exist.

To be healthy is to be one, whole—a body, mind and spirit engaged with its Creator.

Sh! It’s time to take a break. To do nothing but bask in love. God is love. Let every thought be about love. Let every thought dwell in love. Close your eyes. Be still and do nothing but bask in His love. For God is love. Let every thought be about love. Let every thought dwell in love.

Sh! It’s time to take a break.

Such a thought itself required meditation.  But, unfortunately, it was not long throughout the day as I was cleaning up my place, enjoying the solitude when my husband left that I wandered off into the Wasteland. I had no idea how I had gotten there. I found myself thinking about certain events that did not turn out the way I expected them to and people who had disappointed me. As I cleaned, disinfecting the counter tops, mopping the floor, I found myself growing angry. I became so angry that by the time my husband came home, I had no desire to speak to him. Though my anger had nothing to do with him, it was directed at him. He was confused; he had no idea what he could have possibly done. In actuality, he had done nothing wrong. Instead it was I.

I could not believe my behavior.  I was disappointed in myself. I had just made a promise earlier that day that I would watch my thoughts, and I had failed. I had entertained the wrong thoughts, resulting in an angry disposition which affected the way I reacted to my husband. I had not disinfected my mind or kept it clean.  Like staying fit and healthy, I realize this training of the mind will take some consistent work too.