During this quarantine it seems like folks have fallen into two camps:

Those on their way to quaranTINY

Those on their way to quaranTHICK

Now I’m not sure which of these camps you’ve aligned with. If pursuing quaranTINY, congrats and I pray your decision is rooted in obedience to God and seeking to honor Him in your temple. If you’ve fallen in with the quaranTHICK, let me say that I recognize your need for comfort, solace and and perhaps just something to do to stave off boredom. For where ever you find yourself in this season, I want to encourage you to love yourself enough to honor your temple.

After all, the bible is very clear that your body is not even your own.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

So whether you are slimming or snacking, exercising or over-eating, here are 3 Practical Ways to Care for Your Body.

NOURISHMENT

Your body is a finely crafted, multi-million dollar machine. If you own a luxury vehicle you don’t fill it with 87 and expect it to run at peak performance. The same can be said for your body. Your body is a prized possession. It is a multi-million dollar, top of the line, custom model. So you cannot fill your body with junk masquerading as food and expect it to operate optimally leaving you feeling energized, healthy and strong. If you fill it with junk though you CAN expect to feel sluggish, inflamed, exhausted and frustrated.

That’s why adequate nourishment is critical. And you don’t have to be a nutritionist, a dietician or even a health nut to know exactly what to eat. Let’s make this super simple. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Start there. Eat them close to their original state i.e. peel the orange as opposed to mandarin oranges in the little fruit cup or eat the veggies roasted or steamed as opposed to slathered in a sugary, cloying sauce. What you eat truly does result in what your body becomes. It’s a simple principle of input & output. Put LIVING foods in = Feeling ALIVE.

It brings to mind a PSA I heard as a kid (I’m going to date myself here but that’s ok). I can literally remember EVERY word. To this day I can hear Time for Timer saying, “You are what you eat from your head down to your feet….All these motors in your body need a lot of fuel to go on. Like carbohydrates, fats and proteins, vitamins and so on.” And while it was a cheesy PSA, it was and still is true. You really are what you eat. So be mindful of what you’re choosing to fuel your body with and I implore you to choose well. And because I’m committed to helping you choose well, I have recipes on my website. You can also get 30 salad & homemade dressing recipes in my book 30 Days 30 Ways to Salad Heaven

REST

Rest is a bit counter culture. We’ve all seen the journals, mugs and T-Shirts that say “Hustle Hard” “Grind Hard”. Well there is a time for work, but there is also time for play and for rest. In fact, Psalm 23 opens with David telling us he lacks NOTHING. Then David proceeds to give the prescription. Why does he lack nothing? Because the Lord made him to lie down in green pastures. Are you accepting or rejecting the Lord’s instruction to come aside and lay down for a while? David goes on to say that the Lord led him beside still waters and God refreshed his soul.

Will you allow yourself to be refreshed? Don’t make me get tough on you. For those of you who are obedient and accept the Lord’s invitation, enter into His rest. For you who are a tad bit hardheaded, overzealous, have issues trusting God, or just feeling like you gotta do EVERYTHING, let me say this, “Go Setdown Somewhere!” Give yourself permission to rest that you may lack nothing.

EXERCISE

Let me tell you, exercise is not necessarily my favorite past time. I do like the camaraderie of exercising in a group and I do like dance classes but I almost never get to do those forms of exercise. Even before Corona, my workouts were all at home. And it takes discipline and diligence to stay committed to honoring the body through working out. But exercise is key. Not only does it help you sleep better and feel stronger, it relieves stress, it strengthens your heart, it improves and supports bodily systems like your lymphatic systems and your circulatory system and that’s just to name a few.

Your exercise routine doesn’t have to require special classes or equipment. Just walk if you can. Move your body. Stretch from head to toe. Run with your children. Workout with your spouse. If you need support, find an online class. I’ve seen many many fitness instructors offering free or nearly free classes. Remember, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And just as you are diligent in strengthening your inner man, it would serve you well to strengthen the physical body. From the dawn of creation man has been walking, working, and moving this body. Let us not give way to a sedentary lifestyle. Your work may have to strapped to your chair and computer so it’s critical that you are purposeful in ensuring you move.

My friend, you get that one body, so I encourage you to care for it while you have the chance. Here’s your 3 steps formula: Nourishment, rest and exercise. Now go be great!

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!