Does faith have an impact on our weight? How about perception…..does that affect the scale? And if a calorie is just a calorie, then does what I do to my body (diet and exercise) really matter? On my personal journey toward complete wellness I've discovered that these three things have everything to do with overall wellness and to ignore even one of them will equate to our demise. When we realize that we are divinely made, unique but yet very much alike at our core then we uncover the purpose in the connection of the three. But it's more than just making the connection; it's understanding that the answer rests in bringing all three together.
So let's start with the mind. What we believe has everything to do with what we achieve, accomplish and determine ourselves to do. It's more than just setting "goals", keeping a diary or reading a stack of books to help motivate us. The mind is the most powerful tool the body possesses. "7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7. Our minds are either our most powerful tool or our greatest enemy. When we indulge in negativity we contradict our core belief that we can break free from any stronghold within us (that is, unless you don't believe in your own ability to break free). Food addictions….poor diet and exercise…..health related diseases and emotional/psychological conditions…..all play part in our overall wellness. Even though we might not be able to reverse our DNA, we can operate from the position of holding it "captive" through how we minister healing to our own bodies. If we ignore the power of our mindset then we surrender ourselves unable to break free and change. It won't happen overnight but it will never happen at all if we don't start with our thinking and perception.
The body connection. If you've ever felt that your body "betrayed" you (worked against you versus for you) then you're in good company. How many times have any one of us struggled with poor nutritional habits, cravings, especially excessive overeating, to find ourselves quickly regretting the end result; feeling bloated, stuffed and defeated? I liken it to driving a car too fast on an icy road, just knowing that you're about to spin out of control, all the while pressing the pedal to the floor. Why we indulge and overeat (again and again) has not only a lot to do with our mindset but also with our body. Once we've become accustomed to the "drug" effects food has on us, we do one of two things; quickly stop the cycle or indulge in it. As I've said many times before….food is a drug. And like any drug, food provides us with addictive side effects that may (for a moment) satisfy our body/mind/spirit but ultimately wreak havoc or provide health (food can be a good drug to our body, mind and spirit) to our overall well being. Once we break the cycle of this addiction we find ourselves stable, balanced and able to overcome. In my monthly seminars I teach the power of "detoxifying" not only our body but also our mind and spirit. When all three come into alignment, all three receive the benefit of one another.
Our spiritual purpose. God made us in His image, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27. But what does that really mean? I've come to understand that God has made us uniquely and divinely to overcome, live healthy and to be dependent upon our relationship with Him as our Divine Creator. When we eliminate the "spirit" connection God made between Him and us, then we forgo the tie that binds our life together. As a Christian, I've learn that Christ is the ultimate "key connection" between us and God. It took "divine intervention" to save us from ourselves, knowing that our human shortcomings would always leave us empty. Christ is the perfect example of what God had in mind for us (a life lived totally dependent upon God) but also what we could not achieve on our own and/or absent of Christ. If I did not have my faith as the core value of my life then I cannot say I would know what it would be to experience true and complete wellness.
When we make the connection between these three (body, mind and spirit) we engage our entire being. To omit the connection of one to another equates to an end result that simply recycles itself. So….does our mind, body and spirit have an impact on obesity? My answer is YES. I lost over 57 lbs and 57" practicing what I teach and live by. Start today by making the connection and you'll start seeing the connection reconnecting your entire being…….and what a difference that will make in your complete wellness and wellbeing.
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