God loves His daughters and He wants us to be healthy. That looks like putting Jesus first, eating healthy, exercising, resting, and building community.
Jesus First
We take all of our cares, worries, stresses, hurts, heartbreaks, and pains to The Lord. We bring all of our needs before Him and we trust in Him and rely on Him to meet our needs. When we do that He helps us process things and heals us. We get to process in a healthy way.
Eat Real Food
Eat the foods that God made and limit or avoid the foods that man made. Eat natural foods that come from the earth.
Meat: Beef, chicken, lamb, eggs, seafood, etc.
Vegetables: All kinds
Fruit: All kinds
Nuts and seeds
Legumes
Healthy Fats: avocado, olive oil, walnuts, etc.
Dairy
I recommend always buying organic products whenever possible.
(Conventional: With chemicals, Organic: Without chemicals)
Drink water, coffee, tea. You're better off eating your fruit than drinking it, as juicing strips the fiber and you end up drinking a large quantity of sugar that spikes your blood sugar.
Exercise
You need to get in movement daily. I typically rest on Sundays but I often serve at church, so I'm getting in some steps anyway. I recommend going for a walk 3 or 4 days per week. You can go for a walk everyday if you're up for it! I would recommend it, but if life is too busy for that then at least try to get in 3 walking sessions per week. About 30 minutes of walking.
It's super important for us as women to do strength training. It's not just for weight loss; we need strong muscles and bones for our health and longevity. It's also super important for blood sugar and hormones! Get in a workout 3 or 4 days per week. You can start with low weights and gradually over time increase the weight. You will not get bulky. Building a lot of muscle is way harder than you think. You would have to train like an athlete for years to look like a body builder. That look doesn't happen by accident! Your form is very important, therefore I recommend if you're new to working out watch videos of trainers online or hire a personal trainer. You may not need one, but if you're unsure where to begin it can help.
Rest/Sleep
Sleep is not optional, friend. You need it. Your body and brain both need sleep. As women we need about 7-9 hours of sleep every night. If you can't figure out why you're not able to lose weight or lose your belly, lack of sleep could be a huge contributing factor. Our brain needs to process information at night and our bodies heal while we sleep. Your cortisol levels will be higher if you don't get enough sleep. Your hunger hormones will be out of wack if you don't sleep. You'll have more junk food cravings and your body won't register that you're full the way it normally would. So, you'll be eating large quantities of the wrong foods. Also, you're going to be more irritable and short tempered. Things that normally wouldn't bother someone when they've had a full night's sleep will bother them when they didn't get enough. Basically, in order to function normally, we need sleep!
Building Community
We were never meant to do life alone. Getting connected at your local church is a great way to build community with like-minded people. Volunteer, lead a group, join a group, connect with women in your church. We get to build each other up. encourage each other, help and support each other. Sometimes we don't notice our strengths until someone else points them out to us. We all go through things in life and having a group of women that you know are trustworthy and supportive to be there for you through the rough stuff is incredibly helpful. It also blesses us when we can be a blessing to others. You might want to start a fitness group at your church or just connect with someone that can be your gym buddy. The Lord doesn't want you to do life alone. He created the church for a reason. We're here to help each other!
Health is a beautiful thing, and it's God's will for you to be healthy and to feel good!
If you need help on your health and wellness journey, I offer one on one coaching for women. Send me an email and we can get you set up! info@ajmhc.com
