Focus On Wellness by Lena Wright

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to a young church where conflict, strife, division and sexual misconduct were going on. I love how God does not ‘mince words’. Re-read the verses above and you’ll see that it is pretty direct and straightforward. The Truth is that God sacrificed His only Son to save us. Those of us that have heard and accepted this gift have received the Holy Spirit and are born anew. This means that our bodies do not belong to us. We need to evaluate how we are doing at being good stewards in regard to our physical being. Are we taking care of our bodies? Are we honoring God with our bodies?

Here are some tips on how to do just that:

1) Get moving. Take a walk. You can do this at the mall, the YMCA or a local gym or right in your own neighborhood. Take a Tai Chi or Pilate’s class. Gentle, slow moving stretching is good for your muscles and your mood. Park further out from the store when you’re running errands or shopping and walk the extra steps. Our bodies were created to move and often we don’t move them enough. It’s about movement more than it is about exercise. Physical activity is a great stress reliever, plus it helps us to sleep better and improves our mood. So, get moving!

2) Rest. While movement, activity and exercise are great ways to burn off stress, it is also important to get enough rest. Our bodies refresh and rejuvenate while we sleep and when we short change ourselves in this department we make life harder than it needs to be, emotionally, physically and mentally. Some studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to be heavier and sicker than those who do get their zzz’s. Besides, if God rested on the seventh day, I think that us humans might need to rest too.

3) Eat right. This can be a particularly challenging task. I’m not suggesting that you deprive yourself but rather that you are mindful of what you are putting in to your body. Be aware of how caffeine, alcohol and sugar affect you and your mood. I encourage you to do a three day experiment where you write down everything you eat and pay attention to how you feel, both physically and emotionally. You may be surprised to learn that what you put into your body not only affects your physical health but also your mental and emotional well being.