Intentional Health

I recently asked this question to my social media feed:

What part of your life is the hardest to be intentional with?

66% of the responses had to do with personal health, whether it was nutrition, exercise, or taking a break from the rush of life.

Why do we have such a hard time taking time, and doing the right thing, for ourselves?

 

Maybe it has to do with comfort. It's just easier to grab junk food and prepackaged food. Hitting the snooze feels so much better than lacing up the shoes and hitting the pavement. Taking the path of least resistance is just easier, and so we tend to go that way.

 

Maybe it has to do with time. Our schedule is so packed with work, school, errands, clubs, etc, that it's tough to find a block of time to spend exercising or doing something just because we enjoy it.

 

Maybe it has to do with our perspective. We either are filling up our days with all the things because we feel we have to, or we have gone so long thinking this is how it is supposed to be that we haven't questioned it. 

 

Which one of those categories do you fall in to?

I've always had a hard time embracing the idea of “self care.” It just feels, so, well, selfish. But I have also heard the benefits of giving ourselves a time out. So, how do we find that time, and how do we find the balance so that we don't become absorbed with “me time?”

 

Choose discomfort. This may mean removing those easy to buy, easy to eat junk foods from your grocery list. Go for an evening walk instead of binging on a show. Force yourself to stop doing and be still. Find a quite spot and spend time in scripture and prayer, even when you know there are so many things that need to get done.

 

Re-evaluate your schedule. Can you choose the bit of discomfort of getting up a bit earlier so that you can get your exercise in before the rest of the house wakes up? What are time wasters in your life (I'm looking at you social media!) that could be pared down to create that needed space. How can you plan ahead to have meals and snacks prepared that are portable, if needed, and healthy. Or, just ready to eat when you get home, with minimal prep.  

 

Shift your perspective. Though we don't know all the daily workings of Jesus, we do know that, once people caught wind of His ministry, He could hardly go anywhere without being bombarded one way or another. Despite this, His every interaction was Kingdom focused. Even his alone time. There's the saying, “you can't pour from an empty cup” as support for the self-care movement. True, you can't give of yourself if you're not filled up. But that's exactly the point. What are you filling yourself up with? True self-care is not me-focused. It's Christ-focused. When we look at our own health as a way to glorify God, it can help us be motivated to eat better, spend time better, and move better - for Him.

 

Tell me, which one of these will you be looking into this week when it comes to being intentional with your health? And I would love to hear feedback. Let's start a conversation!

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