{Faith & Fitness}: Food for Thought

I'm sure you've heard the saying "the human body is the only machine that breaks down when not used." Have any of you experienced that feeling? I know I have. It seems that sometimes my body feels WAY older than it actually is. Some of that has to do with getting older and the effects of athletic injuries, but a lot has to do with my level of activity. I always feel so much better when I'm working out and have the muscle mass to support my body.

But sometimes it's hard to get your body working if you aren't putting the right things in it.  I've been thinking a lot lately about what kinds of things I'm putting in my body. Lord knows there needs to be improvement. It's so easy to get into a food rut, especially with the way our society eats. The simple fact is, though, if you eat the right things, you feel better and are more likely to work out. And if you are working out and staying active, then your body won't break down as easily.

So here are some things to challenge yourself in doing:

1. DRINK LOTS OF WATER! A simple formula for the amount of water you should be drinking is your body weight divided in half. This will equal the number of ounces of water you should drink in a day. Cut out the sodas, diet drinks, etc. And if you are a diet drinker like me, you need to start doing some research and see the seriously negative effects that fake sugar has on your body. It's frightening and is a habit I'm trying to quit.

2. EAT THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF FRUITS/VEGGIES. Have you ever thought about that? What if we each challenged ourselves to eat the recommended servings of fruits and veggies a day. If you did that, you probably wouldn't have room for the junky stuff. Seriously. The latest recommended amount is 9 servings a day, which translates into 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of veggies everyday. Holy moly!! Do any of you do that? I certainly don't and need to!!!! Plus think of the added benefits your body would have by eating such fresh foods.

3. THROW OUT FOOD IN YOUR PANTRY THAT LASTS MORE THAN 6 MONTHS. Someone mentioned this to me the other day and I had never thought about it before, but it makes total sense. Search your pantry and refrigerator for things that don't expire within 6 months and toss them out. The logic behind this is if something lasts that long then it has preservatives and unnatural things in it that aren't compatible with our bodies. The whole idea is to eat fresh foods.

Whew! I know for me doing numbers 2 & 3 consistently will be tough, but I think I'm up for the challenge. Even if I'm not perfect all the time, I'm bound to be better off than where I am now!

And the bottom line is I want my body to be a well oiled machine.

"Do you not know that your  bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20


To see the previous posts in the {Faith and Fitness series}, go here.

About the Author: Jessica Vick Lewis is a Worthy of the Prize volleyball coach. She was the assistant volleyball coach at Martin High School for 5 years and the assistant volleyball coach at Seguin High School  for 1 year, before she began "staying home" with her boys full-time. Check out her Advocare site for all of your health and wellness needs and follow her family blog to see what her and her boys are up to! Jessica is married to S, a Construction Manager, and they have 3 little boys...c, e and n.