Living an authentically wholesome life

of the Holy Spirit? Don’ t you see

“ Or didn’ t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place

that you can’ t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.”( 1 Cor. 6:19-20 MSG)

This Scripture highlights the fact that, as Christians, our bodies are sacred dwelling places for God. We are stewards of this body, we need to take the best care of it.

We hear the terms“ eat healthy,”“ exercise,”“ stress kills,”“ spend time in the Word,”“ find time for those who matter to you.”“ You have to get your rest.”

These admonishments speak to good nutrition, regular movement, controlling your thought life, daily spiritual practice and tending to your relationships. All of these are elements of a wholesome life, and should characterise the Christian’ s life. We are often unintentional about these facets of our lives until something starts to go amiss.

What does eating healthy mean?

It’ s eating clean. Clear skin, weight loss, increased energy, stronger hair and nails, improved mental health

and better sleep are all the benefits of eating clean. It’ s easy to eat your way through two or three bags of your favorite chips or cheesy snack. A plate of fruit and vegetables doesn’ t seem so appealing. Eating foods that occur in nature and that do not go through a lab or manufacturing is what eating clean looks like. These are whole foods. They fill you up and fuel you. Whole foods improve your mindset. You feel like you have treated your body right when you fill up on genuine nutrients. They regulate cholesterol levels, ward off cancers, dementia and a plethora of other conditions. Plus! The high fiber content of fruits, vegetables and whole grains helps keep the digestive system in tip-top shape, which is essential to optimal health.

Many of us know or have access to this information. However we still struggle to make healthy choices. We battle to give up the taste and flavours we love. Here is what I recommend, take it a little at a time Increase your water, increase your fruits and vegetables and reduce your sugar.

Keep track of sugar!

Sugar is sneaky. It gets into bread, crisps, spaghetti sauce, it loads tomato ketchup, it is everywhere even places you think it’ s not. So if you must eat packaged / processed food, read your label. look at the sugar listed in the ingredients and match it with the nutritional panel. Ensure that, if you are an adult female, you only have 6 teaspoons

of sugar or less, per day, and an adult male is allowed up to 9 teaspoons or less. To calculate the amount of sugar in the package, divide the amount of sugar in grams by 4 and multiply by the number servings. Is it within limit? Please note, Sugar is more addictive than cocaine and the packaged food industry knowing this, relies on sugar to keep business up.

Keep active

Timothy 4:8 states, that bodily exercise profiteth us. These days, we live sedentary lives: we sit at our desk, we drive to work, to school, to the store. We use the remote to change the channel or worse our laptops, phones, or tablets sit on our laps or in our hands as we imbibe media. There is no reason to get up or to move. When we sit to eat, energy foods fill our plates. Energy foods are starchy foods which convert to sugar and when unused, convert to fat. Regular exercise is crucial to supporting a fast metabolism and burning up the calories we consume daily from this food group. It also helps you maintain your muscle mass and supports weight loss.

In her article, the top 10 benefits of regular exercise, Arlene Semeco, MS, RD, defines exercise as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories. These include, but are not limited to, swimming, running, jogging, walking and dancing. Being active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally.

• It can improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

• It helps you build muscles and strong bones. It may also help prevent osteoporosis.