Discipline of your Body, Health & Fitness

“Your fitness is 100% mental. Your body won’t go where your mind doesn’t push it.” ~ Selah

Motivations is what gets you started but habit is what keeps you going. Beginning to develop disciplines for your life in the areas of body, health and fitness are very important.

This lesson will help you with some practical ideas on how to enhance your health, energy and vitality. Most women are so busy giving to others that we neglect ourselves. We let our health slip and we take our self-care and put it on the back burner.

Before we know it, we are so far down a road that we cannot see how to gain back that part of us that needs health and wholeness.

We will talk about some practical day-to-day self-care strategies you can implement to intentionally improve the health and well-being of your life.

One of the main reasons this is an important topic is because you need to be healthy in your body to accomplish the plan of God for your life. You cannot do that sick.

I want you to learn these things: 

• The importance of taking CHARGE of your health and well-being, and keys to improve your health and well-being
• How to develop a basic eating and fitness plan to reach any goals you may set
• Help with enabling you to reduce stress and recover from its effects

You are probably busy and thinking I don’t even have time to implement a self-care plan. I can assure you we are all busy, BUT your body, soul and spirit all work together in harmony and they make up the real you and they must be taken care of.

Your Body

You are body, soul and spirit. You cannot get away from that. Well-being is about taking care of all 3 parts.

Your goal is to take care of all 3 parts of yourself. To do this you must be intentional about your wellness and living a healthy lifestyle.

Do you think that you live a healthy lifestyle? If so, describe it.

Motivation

So how do you get motivated to do what you know you should do but you don’t feel like it. How do you choose to be healthy? What is driving you to be healthier? It could be you have bad health, emotional problems or physical ailment. These problems or something similar could be a motivating factor for you.

What is your motivation to gain a healthier lifestyle?

GOALS

You need to have a sense of where you are going with your body and health. You will need goals on this journey of health. Goals help set the direction you want to go and help you make it on the journey there. Goals help you focus and push you to the end. They give you something to strive for. Your goals may be that you want to lose weight, get off meds, to live a long life, rest more, restore your body, to honor your body or different reasons.

Write out at least 4 goals you have. 

OBSTACLES

You will not reach a goal without an obstacle or two showing up. You must keep this in mind as you are going forward. Obstacles will happen. They will come. Think about your goals above and then think about what could stop you in each goal. Be HONEST. Be prepared because obstacles will come to sabotage you and stop you. What could those be – boredom, family, repetition etc.

List some potential obstacles here to your goals.

As you look at your goals and then look at your obstacles, you will have to construct a plan to overcome the obstacles in advance. Why? Because, if you don’t you will fail to reach your goal. We usually fail because we didn’t anticipate the obstacles. We didn’t account for them and when they show up, we are defeated.

How to overcome obstacles:

• Set accountabilities in place
• Set short term goals you know you can meet
• Do what is right for you and do what you know you can handle
• Ask yourself how can you reach the goal? What needs to change, what must you let go of in your schedule to do this?
• Be patient. To reach a goal will take time. If you had a life long battle with a goal you will have to break habits and thinking patterns. The Lord will help you.
• Have a plan to get back on track when you get off

What or who could you be accountable to that will help you reach your goals?

What do you know you can do to reach these goals?  

What needs to change?

What do you need to let go of to reach your goals?

BASIC EATING PLAN

Eating healthy is also one part of self-care. This one is probably the hardest of all for most people to make changes in. How to eat healthy is probably something you already know in its most basic form. But in case you don’t, below is a basic plan to help you get started.

Servings

Divide your plate into thirds

• Eat protein on 1/3. It should be about the size of your hand or deck of cards
• Eat less processed food or the most healthy protein (chicken, fish, etc. )
• Eat complex carbs. 1/3 of your plate should be the size of your fist. These are found in foods such as peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables
• Eat 1/3 plate as veggies

Eat good fats like a good olive oil, canola oils, and flax seed oil, avocado oil

Water

Drink plenty of water. Drink ½ your body weight in oz’s a day in a good water. Carry bottled water with you.

Frequency of meals

This is important because as women we get busy and we either over eat or under eat. But be intentional here and eat 3-5 meals depending on your body need in meals a day. Eat good healthy food or supplements.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

If you are deficient in something take a good multi vitamin or minerals. Some good companies for this are:

www.melaluca.com

www.puritan.com

Botanical supplements or herbs

Stay with companies or products that have studies to back up their claims. Stay with quality brands. Do some research. Consult a doctor for advice regarding some things you take as medications can interact with them.

Here are some suggestions: 

St. John’s Wort – for depression, Gabatrol – for depression, Cava cava – for anxiety, Valerian root – for sleep.

Foods to Avoid

We all love desserts and snacks. I am not saying you cannot have them but they MUST be eaten in moderation.

• Lots of sugar
• Lots of salty chips
• Caffeine (in moderation)
• Lots of fried foods

MEAL PLANS

Breakfast

Scrambled egg or egg whites on whole wheat grain toast, oatmeal with raisins, whole grain flax seed waffles, with maple syrup and fresh fruit, calcium fortified orange juice; bagel or muffin with low fat crème cheese and all fruit jam; cereal, low fat yogurt, veggie omelet.

Mini meals

A protein shake or bar, halved sandwich; eat half as a mini meal and half for lunch. Snacks: bananas, tomatoes, walnuts, soy beans, fruits, crackers, bread, starchy vegetable, dairy products, chicken, turkey, white fish, peanut butter, baked chips, rice cakes, bean dip, pita and or hummus

Lunch

Keep it light and low in fat high in protein. Turkey sandwich with soup; salad with chicken or tuna, burrito with chicken, bean, cheese, rice, and fresh salsa. Sandwich on whole wheat or pita with tuna or sliced meat, tomatoes, lettuce, onions or sprouts. Broiled chicken, or fish with a side salad.

Dinner

Choose pasta, rice dishes, bean soups, cooked vegetables, salads, fish, other dishes high in complex carbohydrates. You can also collect recipes and start a recipe file. 

WEIGHT LOSS

There are many, many weight loss plans. There are many eating plans. People are doing Keto, Intermittent fasting, and more. There are too many to put here. But here are a few you probably heard about or ways to lose weight and other ways to help you stay trim.

• Cut back on sweets
• Exercise
• weight watchers
• trim healthy mama
• cut your portion sizes down or eat off a saucer
• stop fast food eating
• stop drinking sodas
• trim down club

These are just a few ideas. There are many more. You may already be on a plan or know what to do and you are not implementing it. Please revisit what you know works for you and do that.

EXERCISE/KEEPING FIT

Start an exercise plan. Start slow. Exercise is a way to recover from stress in a healthy way. It helps with staying relaxed and balanced.

• Do what you love and enjoy
• Do some resistance training
• Be accountable to someone
• Plan of action
• 3-5 days a week about 45 min each session (Cardio, bike, swim, tennis, walk)
• If possible use a trainer to help you get started

INTENTIONAL SELF-CARE & STRESS REDUCTION

Establish a routine for basic self-care. What does this look like? This could be things you do daily or monthly. You need to do something regularly, just for you, that help reduce stress.

• massage, nails, hair done, facial, acupuncture, sauna, whirlpool, hot bath with candles
• Good smelling, relaxing lotions
• Soft things you touch and sleep on
• Bath salts
• Create a home spa for yourself with nice robe, candles, a great magazine, bubble bath, chocolate, soothing music, etc.
• Go to an actual spa
• Create a retreat space in your home that you go to that is special for you and put special things in that place. It’s a place where you have order and quiet
• Create a prayer room in your home

SLEEP

Get adequate amounts of sleep. Take naps if you need to. Drink relaxing tea before bed like sleepy time, chamomile, hot bath ritual etc.

DOWN TIME

When you have down time do things that make you feel good like:  participate in your own hobby such as knitting, crochet, writing, journaling, scrapbooking, note cards to friends, letters to friends. Be intentional to do things that bring you pleasure.

GET OVER FEELING GUILTY

Do not feel guilty over treating yourself once and while. Visit a spa, get a massage, shopping, etc. These things are okay to do.

Do what is physically honoring to you. Spend time with the Lord. Spend good time with yourself and give yourself permission to take the time off from life and demands. They will be there tomorrow.

Jesus took time for himself. He went off to be alone many times. Jesus took a nap. When you rest like this and take care of you…you are more available for the Lord.

What do I need to stop feeling guilty over?

What ways could you implement self-care?

What physical activity could I add to my life

*Here is the link for this lesson in my coaching workbook on Amazon called Grace to Live Coaching Program. Click Here.