Taking Care of Yourself: Body, Mind and Soul
Just as God is three in one; Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit, he created humans as 3 parts: body, mind and spirit.
There has been much evidence over the past years in the medical field regarding how a person’s faith and mindset affect outcomes in their healing and recovery. It has been shown that people who have a more positive outlook and a strong faith tend to have better outcomes than people with a more negative mindset and little or no faith.
Our bodies seem to respond to our thinking. It also affects us mentally when we do not feel well physically. Chronic illness can cause depression and anxiety. Prolonged stress and anxiety can cause GI (gastrointestinal) issues as well as tense, sore muscles, pain, high blood pressure and inflammation just to name a few.
New studies over the past few years have even shown that if our microbiome (Yep, our gut flora) is off, it can cause mental fog and anxiety. Who would have thought?
Physical exercise not only improves our physical health, but also helps to increase serotonin, decrease cortisol and helps to relieve stress and anxiety. So, as you can see this is just a few examples of why we definitely need to take care of ourselves in each area; body, mind and soul.
Here are some things the bible says about this:
- Proverbs 17,22 states: “ A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries bones.”
- Proverbs 3, 7-8 states: “ Be not wise in your own eye, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will bring healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
- 1 Corinthians 6, 19-20 states: “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you whom you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body.”
We live in a world filled with fast food, lots of additives and toxins, not only in our food, but also in our environment. We can not avoid all toxins and chemicals but we can start off a new year by doing our best to avoid these toxins by reading food labels, drinking enough water (at least 8-8oz glasses a day), getting enough exercise and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and avoiding high fat and processed food. I will go further into these in my upcoming Food For the Soul articles.
We also need to balance our work and relaxation. My meditation involves praying and reading the Bible in the morning. Some people like to do this on their lunch hour or before bed. I find doing this helps me to start my day off more relaxed and peaceful. It helps me to think of others throughout my day and be less stressed.
Of course, we will all have days when we get out of synch, have a bad day and stray from our healthy plan. We are all human. The important thing is to pick yourself up and keep moving forward. You deserve to be healthy!
During my recovery from cancer, I was inspired to create a cookbook of delicious foods. However, it was my decision that these recipes would be made healthier. Being a Certified Health Coach with over thirty-two years experience as a registered nurse, my goal is to help others in achieving a healthier lifestyle.
Every bite of food we take either feeds disease or fights it. Throughout my personal experiences as a nurse, as well as my personal research on food and nutrition, I’ve determined there is a glaring need for more nutritious ingredients in our foods with less refined sugar, fat, and chemicals.
Because I come from a family of bakers and good cooks. I love delicious food! Which, can often make things tough. So, I decided to compile some of my favorite recipes and make a few changes to the ingredients, ultimately making them healthier!
Besides publishing my cookbook, “My Favorite Recipes Made Healthier”, I’ve published this blog which includes recipes, how-to videos, as well as many other things to provide you with support for a healthier mind, body, and soul. My hope is that this will help many others to ease the confusion and frustration of healthier cooking and a healthier lifestyle. Enjoy!
