1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Taking care of your health in American society today is very counter-cultural. So many people struggle with excess weight, food compulsions and addiction. Even with the abundance of nutritional and fitness information we have at our disposal we still are killing ourselves with food.Taking care of ourselves requires 4 things, I like to call them the “Four D’s”.
- Decision – Coming to the place of realization that something has to be done.
- Dedication – Making a commitment that you are ready to pursue a healthy lifestyle.
- Determination – When temptations come against you, you have to prepare yourself through God’s word to fend off disobedience and attacks of the enemy.
- Discipline – Practice makes perfect. Have a plan, set a schedule, prepare, and keep practicing.
Deciding to take care of yourself is a process. You can start "hard core" and and change everything in your lifestyle to achieve weight loss. Some individuals will have a result that’s long lasting, but most will experience short term success. In fact the average time for success on a very strict diet and exercise program is 42 days. It took me almost two years to lose 90 pounds. It was the small steps, the little changes and daily obedience to what God was asking me to do that has given me long term freedom and has helped me keep the weight off 10 years.
Start somewhere. If you can walk to the mailbox today, do it! Tomorrow walk there again and a few steps further. The next week walk to the end of the road and back. Just keep doing a little bit more each day. If you don’t eat any vegetables now, it would be counter productive to force yourself to eat a vegetarian diet right away. Think about adding one vegetable a day to start, then add two in a few weeks and grow from there.
America tends to be an all or nothing society. But God sees things differently. His word says, “from glory to glory He’s changing us”. If you drink water today – GLORY! If you walked for 5 minutes – PRAISE GOD! If you read His word and received wisdom – YES! If you let go of anger, hurts and extended forgiveness – AWESOME! That is how you change your life, one little step at a time.
