When my hubby is on the road, I usually put on a movie or show of some sort to watch before falling asleep so I'm somewhat distracted from the idea that he's not there next to me. So last night as I curled up in bed I browsed through Netflix for something to watch. I have no idea why, but one of the "suggested titles for Jennifer" (as Netflix so considerately puts it on the screen), was a show called "Super Size Me". I remembered hearing about it a long time ago, but had no clue what it was. Out of curiosity I clicked on it figuring I could always exit out if it was no good.
I certainly didn't expect to watch the entire show, much less receive the conviction I had lingering in my mind and heart as the credits rolled the screen. To keep it as simple as possible, the guy in the show wanted to see what would happen if he lived solely on fast food with little to no exercise for 30 days. Obviously none of us (gosh, I hope none of us) are living one three meals a day from fast food joints, but what about the foods we're buying and preparing at home in addition to those quick stops while out and about at good ole Mickey D's? Not to mention, how busy do our schedules get that we blink and the day is gone as we collapse into bed from errands, work, kids, etc, without including in some exercise of some sort. I know, chasing kids, bending over to pick up laundry off the floor, walking the grocery store, and mopping the kitchen floor (especially when done all in sequence) sure feels like exercise on the old body some days when the days finally comes to an end... but more than likely, the blood isn't pumping enough to do the job that actual exercise provides.
And aside from the obvious gluttony in super sizing a meal at the fast food joint just to be able to devour an extra serving of those yummy fries, I know I'm not the only one guilty of having more junk in the pantry than I do fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge. It's funny how the chips and cookies in the house are always gone in no time, but how often the fruit goes bad in the fruit bowl before anyone even realizes there's something in it... or how easy it is to whip up a pot of mac and cheese when a snack attack hits, yet how time consuming throwing a bowl of fruit salad together can seem.
So why is all this important? I caught myself in and out of actually watching the show as the images of greasy foods and overweight people on the screen gave me a realization. If we can find time in our week to hit up the shopping mall, read a book, watch a favorite television program, go see a movie, voluntarily sit on the phone for lengthy conversations, freshening our nail polish, and spending time on Facebook... what good excuse could there possibly be for not taking care of our bodies??
I Corinthians 6:19-20 says:
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
Briefly back to the show I watched:
As the guy ate poorly and exercised less than what his body was accustomed to prior to the experiment, he expressed ongoing headaches, depression, day long fatigue, and lack of motivation. Not one of those symptoms could be pleasing to God in reference to the above verse! Granted, we will all at some point be wore out or get a headache... but how much of this can be avoided by the food and exercise choices we make... especially if those symptoms are chronic ones in our lives effecting our temples!
Now, I'm certainly not saying that we should obsess over the size of our waste-lines or put gym time before God. Even I Timothy 4:8 says "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come". However, exercise and proper diet are two of the most effective ways to take care of your body (God's temple!), to help give us the physical strength, stamina, and sound mind that bad eating habits (which can quickly result in gluttony) and poor exercise can rob from us.
So, if we combine spiritual and physical exercise (keeping into God's word and praying AND eating right with good exercise habits), we can be in better shape in the mind, body and spirit! Cramming our faces with sugars, sweets and grease becomes a self gratification to save us time cooking, making us lethargic, and distracting our minds and bodies from the better day we could be having otherwise. I'm not saying having cookies and milk after dinner or grabbing a candy bar snack on occasion is going to hinder our walks with God. What I am saying is choices develop habits. Habits can have consequences. Shouldn't the consequences of our habits be as glorifying to the Lord as a testimony we share or act of kindness we perform for someone?
Then I remembered our push mower. If you've seen our place, push mowing wouldn't be any one's first choice, in fact, with our next tax refund Mike wants to get a new riding mower. We have a four acre lot, half wooded, the other half... mow-able. I debated for a minute, then the whole "take care of your temple" thing came rushing back to mind from the previous night. It wasn't going to kill me to push mow our property!
I'm not even sure how long it took me to mow. However, I'm well aware of how I felt during the mowing! I sang songs of praise, I admired the nature around me from squirrels to flowers to the trees and clouds being moved by the wind, I prayed for family, friends, and lost loved ones in our lives, and at the same time, I was being productive getting a chore done that wasn't going to do itself. And bonus: I got some serious exercise in! Our property isn't a flat surface by any means... we have rolling hills all over the place that my legs and buttocks are still feeling hours later! The rest of my day flowed like a river... it was productive, I felt good, I was in a better mood, I smiled more, my phone conversations with my husband weren't so structured and tense because of stressful surroundings and feelings, and I ate a dinner that was good for me instead of a quick fix high fat meal to save time due to a stressed overload of have to's... I was enjoying my day rather than wondering when in the world the day would finally come to an end!
I love the way I felt today. I love the way a stupid show on Netflix opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart to a healthy alternative. I was able to take care of my physical and spiritual being today all at once. It's not the first time I've push mowed in my life, it's not the first day I've gotten some exercise or eaten better foods. But, with it having a better purpose than getting into a smaller size of jeans, it made all the difference in the world. It motivated me to keep at it without the intimidation of failing a diet ritual... it's instead opened a door to grow in the spiritual through the physical!
*Side Note*
As for the show "Super Size Me", I was a irritated at a couple instances of language used, and a scene displayed at the beginning... the show would have had the same impact without either of those included... so keep in mind, if you do decide to watch it, that it is rated PG-13 for a reason. Otherwise highly recommended as a very informative and eye opening presentation!
