Where you can find something else that’s holding you back? Under your hood! Now, I’m not talking about your actual car, but your health. But the analogy is a great one.
Have you ever had a car give out on you, just when you needed it most? Yeah, me too! You want to know what’s going on with your engine, and keep it in good condition, so it’ll get you where you want to go. Like, there was this one time when my Subaru was leaking water, and we didn’t know it. That totally messed up our car, and almost stranded us.
In the same way, you want to pay attention to what’s going on with your health, and take care of yourself, so you can get to where you want to go in life.
WHAT IS IT? Sometimes it’s obvious that your health is an obstacle for you. But the state of your health can also be a hidden obstacle, because you’re not seeing or admitting that it’s holding you back.
There’s just something about people, that we tend to ignore our health.
We don’t get enough sleep. We eat too much sugar and junk. We drink too much caffeine or alcohol. We don’t get exercise. We put off going to the doctor.
But then we still go merrily on our way, thinking we can juggle all the balls, and achieve all kinds of objectives. How are we going to do that, if we’re not running on all cylinders? We don’t set ourselves up to win.
In fact, we may be setting ourselves up to lose. We build habits of comfort, and surround ourselves with bags of snacks and bottles of brewskis. And that’s not wrong in itself, but we can become dull, and lose our momentum. “He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.” (Prov. 21:7)
One other health related obstacle can be the tradeoff we make to feel good in the moment. We have energy drinks to get through the day, but they take a toll on our sleep. We take a med for one health problem, but it causes another one. In the end, we have to figure out if the gain is hindering us more than helping us.
So, you want to take a good look at our health, and the choices you’re making. Here are some questions you can ask yourself that will help.
QUESTIONS:
What gets in the way of me feeling vibrant and healthy?
When have I ignored these obstacles?
In what ways do I make the choice between feeling good now or later?
What health condition do I have that I’ve been procrastinating on addressing?
What helps me feel like I’m running on all cylinders? (Diet, exercise, etc.)
OBSTACLE BUSTERS
Start doing what you CAN do to feel like you’re running on all cylinders! For me, it’s eating fruits and veggies, drinking lots of water, breathing deeply, being active outdoors. If you don’t know, start experimenting.
Envision and articulate clearly where your actions are taking you, health-wise. Is this where you want to go?
Decide that self-discipline is your friend. It might be unpleasant, but feeling better and getting further is totally worth it! That’s why there are scriptures like, “I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that . . . I myself will not be disqualified.“ (I Cor 9:27) God wants us to wrestle with our physical self, so it won’t get in the way.
Take baby steps. It may feel overwhelming to work on your health, but decide to do one thing. One thing you will quit or cut back on. One habit you will start. One health condition you will address.
Pray! God can help you, when you are stuck.
Get accountability. It really does work.
CONCLUSION – There’s so much more to gaining physical health. We’re just getting started. But what’s important here is that you:
See more clearly what’s holding you back.
See more clearly how much of a difference it makes when you work on your health drainers, rather than back burner them.
I want to leave you a with quick story about our friend Javier. A few years ago, Javier lived here and was having multiple health issues. He frequently couldn’t even get out. Javier moved away. Over time, he found things that helped him feel better. Then, recently, Javier came to visit us. I couldn’t believe the difference! He got up in the morning, drank some kind of green juice, and jogged on his mini trampoline for 20 minutes. He was so full of energy, passion and plans for his life.
May this be our inspiration. Let’s start doing the things that rev our engine. Let’s pay attention to our health drainers, and address them. We'll be cruising, and shining in our lives!