Your Best You Blog Series (part 1 of 4)
Welcome to part one of my blog series, Your Best You. Today, I’m going to share about caring for our physical health to improve our overall well-being. After all, our physical body is the hub of all other aspects of our being. Therefore, it’s safe to say that being physically healthy helps all elements of our holistic health come together.
I am a runner. I didn’t use to be, but I discovered a love for it after my son was born. I always wondered what that “Runner’s High” felt like, and I found it! My passion for running grew, and it got to the point where I was running or walking six days a week. One year I completed my “Feb400 Challenge” when I ran or walked 400 km in February. It was terrific, and I felt good the whole time.
However, over the next few months, pain and fatigue set into my body, forcing me to decrease my activity level. After about six months, I didn’t even have the energy to go for a walk, and I had to stop all forms of exercise. Finally, one morning in March, I woke up to excruciating pain all over my body, and I could hardly get out of bed.
I attempted many things to try and fix the problem, the main one being researching inflammatory foods and making drastic changes to my diet to reduce the inflammation. The pain would be gone after taking out one food, and I would get excited, thinking I’d fixed the problem. However, the pain would return a few weeks later, even worse than it was before. Then I would take something else out, and the cycle continued until it got to the point where I was hardly eating anything, and I couldn’t think of anything else to take out!
Losing my ability to exercise or even pick up my children because of chronic pain and fatigue was exasperating. It brought about a state of depression and spiritual apathy, and all the steps I took to decrease my pain without success only added to my frustration.
A friend referred me to a doctor who did some blood analysis and DNA testing. I won’t go into the scientific details here, but suffice it to say, while certain foods may have contributed to the inflammation, they weren’t the cause. There were some discrepancies in the genetic function of my body, so just changing my diet was not enough. Fortunately for me, supplements are available to enhance those functions.
Once I started the supplements and maintained the healthy diet I had adapted, my pain gradually disappeared and did not come back after a few weeks as it had previously with just diet changes. My body was truly beginning to heal. After taking the supplements for four months, I was running again, and I felt terrific!
With the pain gone, my mental clarity returned, my depression lifted, and I began looking forward to getting up in the morning to spend time with God. Now, I am more present with my family, and we can go on outings again. I can walk and hike and enjoy picnics without worrying about my pain level or fatigue.
I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with unexplainable pain and that many have not found help. I pray that if you are suffering from physical pain, you could find a doctor who will care enough to dig deeper and find the cause of your pain and help you find relief.
If you haven’t yet developed a habit of caring for your physical health with a healthy diet and exercise, I encourage you to start. Experts recommend getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Even if that’s broken up into three ten-minute brisk walks around your house, that’s better than nothing. (Mayoclinic) Whatever your choice of fitness activity, I encourage you to find and stick with what works for you.
In addition to exercise, a healthy, balanced diet goes a long way in our physical health. Choosing whole foods found in nature over processed foods is a good start. A good tip is to shop the outer edges of the grocery store, keeping you in the natural foods sections, fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and bakery.
Through my journey, I am acutely aware of the importance of caring for my whole being—because it’s all connected. The apostle Paul says,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
As I discovered from my physical pain, if we suffer in one part of our being, the other parts suffer. So, we also need to care for our minds, hearts, and spirits. In my next post, I will discuss how staying connected with the Lord gives us spiritual food to guide us through all aspects of life.
What about you?
What is one thing you can change today to begin to improve your physical health?
I adapted today’s blog post from my book Living Uprooted: Encouragement for the Missionary Wife. The chapter in the book discusses the dietary changes made, while this post clarifies that more medical intervention was necessary. Thankfully, not in the form of medicine but through natural supplements.
If you want to purchase my book, you can find it at Amazon, Redemption Press, or Barnes and Noble.
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Congratulations on feeling better! It is easy to forget that we are complex beings and when one part isn’t working right it affects everything else. Your journey is an inspiration.
Thank you, Jessica. That is so true. It feels like just getting that physical aspect functioning better, all the other pieces are falling into place. God has created us as such intricate designs!
Yes! I’ve long discovered how impactful my physical well-being is to my spiritual and emotional well-being. I’ve begun HIIT (High intensity interval training) 10 minute daily workouts along with my walking (goal of 3 miles a day). I’ve cut sugars waaay down (but admit that I succumb to temptation too often). I have increased nutrition by eating lots more vegetables than in the past, and I try to buy organic as much as possible to reduce the toxin load on my body.
That’s great, Karen! HIIT is very effective. I, too, succumb to the sugar temptation on occasion. Now that my body can process better, it’s not as detrimental as it was. Thank you for sharing your efforts! I pray others are encouraged by your plan as well!