The WHY Behind Our Healthy Lifestyle

Today on My Life Monday I am going to talk about the WHY behind our family's healthy lifestyle.

One of the biggest reasons is an innate desire to be healthy.  I have ALWAYS wanted to be healthy.  I enjoy nutritious food, it is not a chore for me.  I enjoy exercise, it is not a chore for me.  I crave activity (usually alone activity) and staying on top of my game.  I believe this desire comes directly from the Lord and is founded in His Word in many places.  I Corinthians 9:27 says, "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified."  There are various Bible translations available, but they all say to discipline, buffet, train and subdue our bodies.  As a child some of the men in our church (my Dad included) truly loved to eat (as do I), and in their talking about food they would say, "I thought the Bible said to buffet (eat as much as possible) the body, not buffet (train) the body."  Then everyone would laugh.  I would kind of grimace and smile, but somehow this bothered me.  Then when I got older and saw so many of those same men die young (not always from health related issues) I had to wonder if taking care of their bodies would have made a difference.  I love those men.  I'm not done with them in my life, yet they are gone.  They are happy in heaven with their Lord, for they had all accepted Jesus as their savior, but down here they are missed.

Now being married and having two young children of my own, and surviving my death bed at a young age, health is an even stronger desire inside of me.  It isn't a judgement on others as much as it is a longing to see those around me feel and be their best.  Hey, I want to feel my best!  And guess what?  My husband has jumped on board full force.  Actually, he is chasing after health even more furiously than I, and that is new for him.  While I have always been in some kind of sport or another and have always eaten healthy, he has not.  Fitness is new and exciting for him, and health became a priority when our little girl exhibited intolerance to artificial food additives.  Once he began to learn about our food in America his desire for true health escalated.  Now it is a family desire and it is a family JOY.  We ENJOY it, not dread it!

Recently a wonderful man in our church had a heart attack and survived.  As we have been praying for him my husband said to me that hearing things like that spur him on to even greater health and keep him from diving into a slump about it.  I see his point!

We want to be here, full of energy and abundance for ourselves, our kids and our grand kids.  There is no guarantee that we will live forever here on earth, for we all have an end here, but while we are here we want our lives to be full and joyful, and good physical health is part of that journey.