Less soda.
I love coke. In fact, I could give up any food in the world, but would never want to give up coke. I am not a stress eater, but there is nothing that relieves some tension in my life like a coke will! However, there is nothing good for my body in a coke. Not only is it filled with all kinds of grossness, there is no benefit to my body from drinking it. So, I have stopped buying coke for our home. I no longer have sodas in the house (which is good for our whole family). I do allow myself, and my kids to get some cokes when we go out to eat, but other than that...we try to stay away from them. At first...this was soooooo hard for me, but it is becoming much easier. I won't say that I don't still love it...I do, but I have gone from 2-3 a day, to about 2-3 a week!
More water.
Our bodies need water for a million reasons, but I never used to drink any. However, since giving up coke at home (and at school btw), I have had to replace it with water. I actually am beginning to love a tall glass of cold water. It has taken a while, but my body is beginning to crave it more and more, and I am enjoying it more and more!
Nutrients.
I used to skip breakfast, have lunch out (Chik-fil-a, Tokyo Grill, Moes, etc.) and then make something at home for dinner. I realized that my body was not getting a whole lot of vitamins, or proteins. So, instead of skipping breakfast, I usually stop by Starbucks and get a coffee and an Oatmeal, or Artisan Sandwich (yes, this is budgeted in....my little bit of fun money mostly goes there, and it is worth every penny!), and then have a protein shake for lunch, and dinner at home. The protein shake gives me a bunch of vitamins, and a good amount of protein for the day.
Portions.
I am learning to control the portions I eat. Not restrict myself from eating anything, but eating good foods (both in taste, and nutritional value) in appropriate portions. If we are having macaroni and cheese for dinner, I am not going to not eat it at all, but I may just have a small helping and some veggies. I am still working on this, but have been doing a whole lot better.
I am sure there are millions of other things that could go on this list. I love Laura's suggestions here. The point of exercising and eating well, is that we were given these bodies by God for a purpose. The temple in the Old Testament was treated with the utmost respect and kept undefiled on every level. If we really believe that our bodies are God's dwelling place through His Spirit, then we will treat our bodies differently. We can't do this in our own strength. We need to ask God to give us the desire to avoid temptations, and to give us eyes to see the way out of them. Find a friend, or your husband and ask them to keep you accountable in this area. Just like spiritual disciplines, if we don't consistently work towards them, asking God to work in us, we will grow weary!
Lord, I pray that you would help us in this area of our lives. Lord, may we view our bodies the way You do. May we have eyes to see clearly the importance of caring for this temple you have given us, without obsessing over numbers, or outward appearances. Lord, help us to make wise decisions about what to put in our mouths, and how to be more active. Lord, help us to do this for Your glory and not our own, so that Your name might be praised, and not our own.
5 comments:
Yes, I have given up soda for more water as well. And I can tell a tremendous difference in my energy level. I didn't drink a whole lot before but now 2 or 3 times a week and I can see the difference.
Helpful post!
Good for you! American's take less care of their bodies than any other nation and that is SAD! I have done a fair job most of my life but I definitely still have room for improvement. I need to drink more water but have such a hard time with that. It's not that I drink anything else, I just don't drink. Shame on me and your post has served as a great reminder. Blessings!
I've actually added soda to help take care of my body. Yes, I know that sounds crazy. But I've got a sleeping disorder and I discovered that I was actually able to maintain a normal schedule if I had soda in the morning for the caffeine! It was amazing. I hate coffee, so I've never drank it, but I realized that oh yeah, every person in my family but me has caffeine in the morning, maybe that's one reason I struggle so much with my sleep... so we started buying soda for me.
It does work, and getting sleep on a somewhat normal schedule is more important to me than the calories, but unfortunately I've discovered that ahem, hormones apparently deactivate the affects of the caffeine in me. So the week prior and during that time of the month, it doesn't work. But at least it's helped me learn something about my psycho-when-it-comes-to-sleep body. (I've had weird sleeping patterns since I was a kid)...
Okay, random, I realize, but I just thought "Hey! there's at least one good thing soda does, for at least this weird body of mine! I should share!"
Well now you have got this far you should read "The China Study".
I started like you and now are vegan. Not fanatical but just got a check up at the doctor and he said my cholesterol level was unbelievable low.
Taking B12+D+Calcium supplements that's all.
All food is made from scratch. It is easy and you get to like it, so there is no way I am going back. Put veggies in a blender and drink it as you would soft drinks, ad an apple or other fruit for a little sweetness.
Best of all after eating you do not get this drowsy feeling, which was why I started to cleanup in the first place.
You can join my No Sweets November! LOL!
Post a Comment