How I Stay Healthy and Do Life

How do I stay healthy and do life when most people my age and a whole lot younger are struggling to get through the day? Health is a gift from God and at any given moment we could lose it because of a tragic accident, cancer or some other debilitating disease.

Yet . . . I can squander what God has entrusted to me and throw it away by poor choices I make.

You don’t have to look far to find people who are struggling to stay healthy.

It’s not that they are complaining. They have legit discomfort.

Things I Do to Stay Healthy

Just a few years ago I was beyond exhausted by early evening. Even by mid-afternoon, I could easily doze off.

I remember driving in the afternoon while seriously fighting the urge to get some shut-eye. Not a good idea when you’re driving 7 kiddos in a 15 passenger van!

It was even worse in the evenings when I would be with them at church. Driving them home was literally dangerous. Staying awake was a challenge. It was indescribably bad.

I thank God for His protection!

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may exult in you. Psalm 5:11

Even once my kids grew up and our nest emptied, I had minor health issues that concerned me that could lead to trouble.  My family’s health history isn’t perfect.

So there have been some things that I have implemented in order to do the best possible to stay healthy in the temple that God has given me.

What things have you implemented to improve where you’re at for the glory of God.

1. Daily Time with God

Daily spending time with God is so key to staying healthy.

Right at this moment, you might wonder why I’m talking about your Quiet Time!

When you spend time with God and don’t neglect Him,  you will be more upbeat and encouraged as you start each day.

Without Jesus being at the center of everything you do, all is done in vain.

The whole purpose for living as a Christ-follower is so the Holy Spirit will guide and do our life IN and THROUGH us.

Our body has been given to us to do life. Our real self is on the inside. That is kind of backward to my finite way of thinking.

Who I am is defined by who I saw in the mirror this morning. That is wrong thinking because who I am is who I am on the INSIDE.

Actually more accurately, who I am is who I am in Christ Jesus.

All that being said still means that I have been gifted a very special body.

I need to be a good steward of my body and actively work towards staying healthy and balanced.

2. Workout Daily

One thing I do to get my sixty-something body going each morning is to workout every day. Now don’t get any crazy ideas that I’m talking about an extreme workout or Crossfit training.

You might like trying this FREE 5 Day Faith + Fitness Jumpstart Challenge to help you get back on your journey to health. I have been loving it!

 

There are so many benefits to doing a workout to stay healthy!

Do you workout?

3. Get Outside Daily

There are times that I would much rather stay inside the entire day and not step foot outside. It’s not that I always want to get outside.

Thing is that I have a small dog that has to be walked. I can’t just send her outside like with the bigger dogs we used to have. We have deer and occasionally a bear that she’d love to chase. She thinks she’s invincible!

What I’ve found in having a little Bichpoo helps me on my health journey. I tend to walk so much more. I get outside every single day.

Even during a snowstorm, she Must go outside!

The fresh air is good to breathe and on a sunny day, the rays bring a good dose of Vitamin D that without sun causes so much distress. The biggest benefit for me is that getting outside brings my heart rate up as I walk around the yard.

They say that mini-workouts are the best way to lose or maintain weight. I know this has helped me.

Walking outside also helps to clear my mind so I can think and pray while I walk.

4. Stay Healthy and Eat to Live

I would have said that I have eaten healthy food for years. I was what they call a crunchy homeschooling mom. I made everything from scratch and tried to cook healthy food for our family of nine.

But . . . as you might know, ‘things’ change as you get into your 30s!

I can no longer eat the same amount of carbs (homemade bread) and my Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies and other desserts without packing on the pounds.

A few years back, I was over 25 pounds heavier. Last February, after many trips to Florida and a month helping my mom, I had gained 7 pounds.

Workouts and eliminating carbs (most of the time) really helped me lose the weight and stop the binge-eating patterns that were spiking my insulin levels (I am not diabetic but you can still spike) and I would have kept gaining if I had not changed what I was eating.

BUT . . . there is one more thing that would bring me back on track now that my life had settled back down to normal.

I hope you have a way of bringing yourself back to normal when you’ve been out of town.

5. Supplements that Changed my Life

Remember how I shared that my energy levels were extremely low and depleted by afternoon and evening. That is what I felt on the inside but on the outside, it might not have been obvious.

Five years ago, I came across a line of supplements that changed my life. I was the queen of supplements but hated swallowing them, and I was terribly inconsistent.

Everyone these days (or so it seems) is on some sort of supplement regimen. They are all advertised as the best but I have never ever seen the transformational health testimonies as I’ve seen with mine.

I was a little overweight but to most people, I was not.

I know my short torsoed body has nowhere for those pounds to pack. It doesn’t take much weight gain to feel sluggish, unhealthy, and develop a negative self-image.

Can you relate?

Yes, our bodies aren’t important in the long run but we have to live with them in the meantime.

I hear plenty of people bemoan that they can’t stay healthy because an issue is hereditary.

You can at least try!

Do I give up or do my best with the gift God gave me in my body?

I have a message that matters to share with the world and it is much harder to do in a hurting and unhealthy body.

Amy Carmichael wrote and ministered from her bed for 20 years in India so it is possible.

But if God allows, my desire is to stay healthy so it is easier to write for His glory.

I’d love to share a little about my supplements that make it possible to get up and go strong and live to the full.

 

Do you struggle to stay healthy? Would you like encouragement or prayer over your health?