I was asked recently to speak about why it is important for Christians to be physically healthy. This post is going to be bit different than my last posts and will cover a lot of religious language that may not be appropriate for some of my readers.
From first blush, the line from the Bible that comes to mind is the whole notion of our bodies being temples and then my ADHD goes down a track and looks at the Calypso poet and prophet, Jimmy Buffett who says he “treats his body like a temple while you treat yours like a tent”.
All silliness aside, looking at another aspect of faith in a bigone era, there was a movement where we called to be ready, there was a time of the church militant and in my active ministry days, the Left Behind and Rapture mentality.
To be physically healthy is to be able to be ready to do the work of God, to be able to serve lunch afte church; to be able to work on the local mission project, to be physically and mentally able to mentor the next generation of believers.
To close, if we are in poor phsyical health, this becomes a concern for our communities of faith. “For example, when a member of a church has cancer, it does not only affect the individual, but those around them. However, we can be good stewards of our health by attempting to prevent illnesses and diseases”(https://www.newcitylex.com/new-city-stories/physical-health-and-the-christian-life).
There are three things you can do to begin to better your health:
1. Exercise/move regularly, as little as 30 minutes a day every day can go a long way.
2. Talk to a professional, a nutritionist, diabetes specialist, therapist, physical therapist or a personal trainer will all have insights as to how to help you begin the journey to better health.
3. Eat and sleep regularly. Missing sleep and not eating regularly can mess up hormones which can lead to a whole host of long term probelms physically and mentally.
This Week’s Menu
This week’s menu features Chili Colorado made with chicken instead of pork shoulder and Pesto Chicken Casserole with Feta Cheese and Olives, both a low carb/highish fat meal.
Chili Colorado
https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/chile-colorado/
Pesto Chicken Casserole with Feta Cheese and Olives
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/270280/pesto-chicken-casserole-with-feta-cheese-and-olives/
In my training the last week, I have returned to the use of intermittent fasting (IF) and eating my breakfasts after my morning workout. I am fasting around 12-14 hours making my workout done on an empty stomach.
I am not intermittent fasting for weight loss as much as I am using it for the benefits of cellular repair; improving insulin sensitivity; increasing human growth hormone(HGF) and gene expression. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#methods). I have used IF before and have really like the benefits that I have observed. Most notably, I find that my sugars feel more stable and my energy is better during the day.