How important is diet and exercise?
My comments are in red... Hope you enjoy this read... And it makes you think for a moment. Even if you AREN'T a Christian wife and Mama... lol
Q: How high on the priority list should diet and exercise be to a Christian wife and mama? I try my best to exercise five days a week, but it is hard to make super healthy meals on a tight budget. I have some friends that seem obsessed with their weight, and others who don't seem to care at all. I believe in being modest and wearing clothes that FIT, not ones that are the size I wish I wore :) but was wondering what your thoughts are on it.
A: I've taught on this topic quite a bit at various conferences and retreats around the country, and I can say that it has been one of the favorite workshops for many ladies. One thing that I've repeated often was this: "She who dies the thinnest still dies." It got a lot of laughs, but it's true! We are made of dust, according to Scripture, but since we have a thing called a "scale," many of us are obsessed with how much our dust weighs! On to your question... LOVE that quote...
You are off to a good start with your outlook on this topic. You're exercising, making healthy meals within budget, and you even wear clothes that FIT! Park there for a second: If more women would wear clothes that fit rather than going by the size in the tag, I think we'd greatly reduce the crabbiness level in this world. How many of you have ever worn a garment that had just enough room to wear only while standing up, with your tummy sucked in and no breathing allowed? Those kinds of outfits aren't clothes; they're prison sentences! Isn't that so true? How many times have you not enjoyed an occassion because you were busy messing/worrying with/about your clothes??? In addition to wearing clothes that fit; we need to quit wishing that we could be some other size and dress for current shape and size. It's possible to look great by just wearing things that fit right for your body type. (Much easier to do when you have an awesome Mom and two cool sisters who run a "What Not To Wear" session for you! SO FUN!!!)
There are two questions in your paragraph: How high on the priority list should you put this item, and what are my thoughts on this topic. Priorities are a personal matter. There are some things that we'll share in common, such as having a daily time of Bible study and prayer, but others are entirely up to you and the Lord. I can't give you a number where you should place it on a list of 1-10, but I'll give you some points to ponder:
If we take poor care of ourselves, we will not enjoy high-quality health. If I am in poor health due to bad habits, it's a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In fact, I took very poor care of myself during my 20s and 30s, and didn't realize the collision course I was on until my weight had ballooned up over 250 lbs. While I am no where near that point now (and what I weigh is classified information), I am still overweight for my height. If I had taken better care and appreciated my health when I was at a normal weight in my earlier years, I wouldn't be battling so much bulge in my later years! What a blessing to spend the first 30+ years of my life without giving much thought to taking care of myself. But on the other hand, how much better would the rest of my life be if I had been taking care of myself..... Interesting thought.
That being said, it is our personal responsibility to take the best care of ourselves possible. We don't know how much time we have on this side of heaven, but we do know that it is limited: "Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away." (Psa. 144:4) I now exercise regularly, eat as healthy as possible within reason, and I get proper rest or make up for it when I get home from traveling. We can't buy an new body on aisle 29 at the discount store, so we'd better take care of this one and only soul carriage while we're living in it.
You can take great care of yourself, but God is in control of the outcome. People who could pose for health magazine covers could also die suddenly from undetected heart disease. I went to the funeral of a former Olympic athlete who was far more fit than many men half his age, and yet he died of cancer. "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24) We don't have complete control over the outcome of our health habits, because we are not God. I believe that we should all do the best we can, but results will vary, and even our best efforts may fall short at times. We have no idea how hard some women work just to keep from gaining weight, let alone losing any. Diet and exercise will always help, but we can't expect to control our health by our own human efforts. We can do our part, but God will determine the results. In my class, we talk about taking steps to reduce risk. (I teach life insurance, for those who don't know...) I always tell the story about Dr. Atkins. Super healthy. Super fit. Super dead. He slipped on the ice, walking to work, hit his head and died as a result. We can do lots to reduce our chances of dieing and to improve the quality of life we are living, but only God knows the number of those years.
Resist the urge to compare yourself to other women. As I write that sentence, I can almost hear the "what-ev-er" coming from the brains of women around the world! Stop comparing ourselves? Doesn't every woman do it? Yes, it's common for us to do, but just because something is common doesn't mean that it's right. "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (II Cor. 10:12) This verse was written in relationship to the prideful tendency to compare accomplishments. Sound familiar? We still possess the pride-filled weakness of comparing how we're doing against how someone else is doing. I would have picked the "putting off the natural man" scripture. Just because it's "natural" to compare yourself to others, doesn't mean its a desirable trait. Something I need to work on more (and more and more and more...)
You can't go to any women's function without hearing diet talk. And it's usually when the food comes out! Please do me a favor, ladies: If you're going to promote your latest diet, could you wait until after we're all done eating our meal so that we can enjoy it in relative peace? (Ha ha ha ha ha) I'll never forget being at a restaurant with a group of ladies and we had ordered onion rings for an appetizer. Now we were all going to share one order, so that meant that we weren't going to get more than maybe two a piece. Well, just as I reached for my golden, crispy, batter-dipped beauty, the lady across the table said this: "I've just lost 35 pounds, so I don't eat those." Oh well. We ate hers. (More laughter!!!) One of the T-Tapp ladies shared that when she meets her quarterly "sister group" at Olive Garden, she never orders the soup and salad. First, she makes BETTER soup with higher quality ingredients at home, and she looks forward to this as a TREAT. Something you only do a couple times a year and look forward to. But the highlight of the luncheon is the people. She might really enjoy the pasta and breadsticks, but months later, it will be the friendships she will remember.
How important is diet and exercise to a Christian wife and mother? It matters some, but it's not the center of your life. Don't miss a day in the Bible and in prayer. After you've taken care of your wife and mother duties, book a slot of time for some exercise, even if it's just taking a walk. Eat a diet that will allow you to enjoy food without becoming obsessive about it. Weigh yourself regularly to keep your weight within a range, rather than to look for weight loss. And when you've overindulged due to some special occasion, put your calories on a budget rather than putting yourself on a "diet." Spend some calories through exercise, while saving some calories by eating a little bit less while your body balances itself again.
The human body is amazing! God designed it to carry us around for about 70-80 years, and some people get to live even longer than that! Since our days are numbered and we don't know the exact number, we should live as if we're going to get at least 70 years on this earth. Instead of dieting and exercising to impress others with our weight loss and our figures, we should take good care of ourselves out of gratitude to the Lord for our lives.
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psa. 139:14)
A: I've taught on this topic quite a bit at various conferences and retreats around the country, and I can say that it has been one of the favorite workshops for many ladies. One thing that I've repeated often was this: "She who dies the thinnest still dies." It got a lot of laughs, but it's true! We are made of dust, according to Scripture, but since we have a thing called a "scale," many of us are obsessed with how much our dust weighs! On to your question... LOVE that quote...
You are off to a good start with your outlook on this topic. You're exercising, making healthy meals within budget, and you even wear clothes that FIT! Park there for a second: If more women would wear clothes that fit rather than going by the size in the tag, I think we'd greatly reduce the crabbiness level in this world. How many of you have ever worn a garment that had just enough room to wear only while standing up, with your tummy sucked in and no breathing allowed? Those kinds of outfits aren't clothes; they're prison sentences! Isn't that so true? How many times have you not enjoyed an occassion because you were busy messing/worrying with/about your clothes??? In addition to wearing clothes that fit; we need to quit wishing that we could be some other size and dress for current shape and size. It's possible to look great by just wearing things that fit right for your body type. (Much easier to do when you have an awesome Mom and two cool sisters who run a "What Not To Wear" session for you! SO FUN!!!)
There are two questions in your paragraph: How high on the priority list should you put this item, and what are my thoughts on this topic. Priorities are a personal matter. There are some things that we'll share in common, such as having a daily time of Bible study and prayer, but others are entirely up to you and the Lord. I can't give you a number where you should place it on a list of 1-10, but I'll give you some points to ponder:
If we take poor care of ourselves, we will not enjoy high-quality health. If I am in poor health due to bad habits, it's a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In fact, I took very poor care of myself during my 20s and 30s, and didn't realize the collision course I was on until my weight had ballooned up over 250 lbs. While I am no where near that point now (and what I weigh is classified information), I am still overweight for my height. If I had taken better care and appreciated my health when I was at a normal weight in my earlier years, I wouldn't be battling so much bulge in my later years! What a blessing to spend the first 30+ years of my life without giving much thought to taking care of myself. But on the other hand, how much better would the rest of my life be if I had been taking care of myself..... Interesting thought.
That being said, it is our personal responsibility to take the best care of ourselves possible. We don't know how much time we have on this side of heaven, but we do know that it is limited: "Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away." (Psa. 144:4) I now exercise regularly, eat as healthy as possible within reason, and I get proper rest or make up for it when I get home from traveling. We can't buy an new body on aisle 29 at the discount store, so we'd better take care of this one and only soul carriage while we're living in it.
You can take great care of yourself, but God is in control of the outcome. People who could pose for health magazine covers could also die suddenly from undetected heart disease. I went to the funeral of a former Olympic athlete who was far more fit than many men half his age, and yet he died of cancer. "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24) We don't have complete control over the outcome of our health habits, because we are not God. I believe that we should all do the best we can, but results will vary, and even our best efforts may fall short at times. We have no idea how hard some women work just to keep from gaining weight, let alone losing any. Diet and exercise will always help, but we can't expect to control our health by our own human efforts. We can do our part, but God will determine the results. In my class, we talk about taking steps to reduce risk. (I teach life insurance, for those who don't know...) I always tell the story about Dr. Atkins. Super healthy. Super fit. Super dead. He slipped on the ice, walking to work, hit his head and died as a result. We can do lots to reduce our chances of dieing and to improve the quality of life we are living, but only God knows the number of those years.
Resist the urge to compare yourself to other women. As I write that sentence, I can almost hear the "what-ev-er" coming from the brains of women around the world! Stop comparing ourselves? Doesn't every woman do it? Yes, it's common for us to do, but just because something is common doesn't mean that it's right. "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (II Cor. 10:12) This verse was written in relationship to the prideful tendency to compare accomplishments. Sound familiar? We still possess the pride-filled weakness of comparing how we're doing against how someone else is doing. I would have picked the "putting off the natural man" scripture. Just because it's "natural" to compare yourself to others, doesn't mean its a desirable trait. Something I need to work on more (and more and more and more...)
You can't go to any women's function without hearing diet talk. And it's usually when the food comes out! Please do me a favor, ladies: If you're going to promote your latest diet, could you wait until after we're all done eating our meal so that we can enjoy it in relative peace? (Ha ha ha ha ha) I'll never forget being at a restaurant with a group of ladies and we had ordered onion rings for an appetizer. Now we were all going to share one order, so that meant that we weren't going to get more than maybe two a piece. Well, just as I reached for my golden, crispy, batter-dipped beauty, the lady across the table said this: "I've just lost 35 pounds, so I don't eat those." Oh well. We ate hers. (More laughter!!!) One of the T-Tapp ladies shared that when she meets her quarterly "sister group" at Olive Garden, she never orders the soup and salad. First, she makes BETTER soup with higher quality ingredients at home, and she looks forward to this as a TREAT. Something you only do a couple times a year and look forward to. But the highlight of the luncheon is the people. She might really enjoy the pasta and breadsticks, but months later, it will be the friendships she will remember.
How important is diet and exercise to a Christian wife and mother? It matters some, but it's not the center of your life. Don't miss a day in the Bible and in prayer. After you've taken care of your wife and mother duties, book a slot of time for some exercise, even if it's just taking a walk. Eat a diet that will allow you to enjoy food without becoming obsessive about it. Weigh yourself regularly to keep your weight within a range, rather than to look for weight loss. And when you've overindulged due to some special occasion, put your calories on a budget rather than putting yourself on a "diet." Spend some calories through exercise, while saving some calories by eating a little bit less while your body balances itself again.
The human body is amazing! God designed it to carry us around for about 70-80 years, and some people get to live even longer than that! Since our days are numbered and we don't know the exact number, we should live as if we're going to get at least 70 years on this earth. Instead of dieting and exercising to impress others with our weight loss and our figures, we should take good care of ourselves out of gratitude to the Lord for our lives.
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psa. 139:14)
http://help.keeptheheart.com/#!/2012/04/how-important-is-diet-and-exercise.html
This article was shared by one of my T-Tapp friends and I found it really thought provoking! Rozann and I were talking about our workouts of choice yesterday - and we both agreed (didn't we?) that we love what we do and have found something that fits well in our lives, while leaving us the time and energy to do the other things we love / need to do daily. And isn't that the goal? To live as well as we can, while still working towards the ultimate "Well done, my good and faithful servant".
This article was shared by one of my T-Tapp friends and I found it really thought provoking! Rozann and I were talking about our workouts of choice yesterday - and we both agreed (didn't we?) that we love what we do and have found something that fits well in our lives, while leaving us the time and energy to do the other things we love / need to do daily. And isn't that the goal? To live as well as we can, while still working towards the ultimate "Well done, my good and faithful servant".
1 comment:
too true!!
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