I would argue that one the the major reasons we are lacking in wellness is because we have been taught to think that sickness arises out of thin air, and we are rarely challenged to consider the connection between our personal decisions and our health struggles. The reality is that in almost every case certain conditions must exist within the body in order for sickness to arise. And more and more research is showing us that whether or not these conditions are present in our body depends almost entirely on the personal choices that we make on a daily basis. These choices include what we eat, what we drink, what we do with our time, how we handle stress, and even the way that we go about entertaining ourselves. Striving to make helpful decisions in each one of these categories is what we call pursuing wellness.
I'm not at a doctor. I know very little about sickness, drugs, cures, or conditions. This blog is not about how to deal with those things. I'll leave that stuff to the experts. This blog is about how to pursue wellness. Wellness is about common sense. You don't need a doctorate to understand wellness. Wellness is about daily choices, personal discipline, and investing just a little bit of time in understanding simple aspects of things like nutrition and fitness.
Really though, when it comes to wellness, 90 percent of what matters in behavior, and only 10 percent is knowledge. I know this to be true because for the last two years, I have had very detailed knowledge of what I need to do to pursue wellness in my life, and I have chosen to continue to make poor life choices. That stops now. Over the course of the last two weeks I've been implementing very simple, wellness based, common sense changes to the way that I live my life. Starting today, I want to invite you to join me. Over the next 40 days I will be writing here about my personal experience, as well as posting interviews that I'll be doing with some wellness experts who are friends of mine, and engaging in a conversation with all of you about successes and failures. My goal in doing this is not just to invite you to watch my journey, but I'm hoping to inspire you to join the journey with me.
Over the course of the next 40 days I would like to invite you to join me in making a goal to implement the following common sense health and wellness changes in our lives that we may be a better steward of the body that God has given is for the purpose of serving Him and bringing glory to His name:
Drink Water
This is a very common sense goal toward health and wellness. The average adult body is made up of somewhere around 60% water. Our body needs large quantities of water every day in order to function properly. I'll be shooting to drink about a hundred ounces of water a day. Make your own personal goal, and stick to it. Drinking water can have a profound impact on our wellness.
Eat Real Food
This will probably be the biggest struggle for me, because to be honest I don't like real food. I've trained my taste buds to enjoy the taste of garbage chemical based "foodish" products over the course of my life, and I need to make this transition. Over the course of the next 40 days I'm going to transition my diet from primarily processed food to real foods including at least 3 servings of real fruit and 3 servings of real vegetables a day.
Go On At Least a Thirty Minute Walk Every Day
Researchers tell us that the benefits of going one brisk 30 minute walk every day are virtually endless. (Example:http://www.active.com/walking/articles/forget-the-gym-why-a-brisk-walk-is-a-really-great-workout) It increases endorphins, decreases stress, and provides a long list of amazing health benefits.Right now I'm starting with 30 minutes. By the end of the 40 days I hope to be at an hour.
Go to Bed Before Midnight And Get At Least 8 Hours of Sleep Every Night
The list of benefits for sleeping 8 hours is at least as long as the list for walking is. This area has been a major area of struggle for me as well, and something I hope to improve upon significantly.
You will notice that nothing written above is ground breaking or innovative. Over the course of the next 40 days I hope to demonstrate the fact that wellness really isn't that complicated. In fact, by the time this is all done my ultimate goal is to demonstrate that health is really just about common sense. I look forward to writing more in each of these areas, and hearing your comments, successes, failures, and improvements on what I've written. It's time to get to work!
For His Glory
Pastor Derin
