Is It Time to Re-Establish Your Physical Health?
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
I’ve recently been working through “My Life in Color—A Reflection Guide of Emotions.” As I moved through the colors and emotions, I came across the word “disappointment” and realized that there’s a big area of my life that is disappointing . . . and neglected.
I have seriously neglected my physical health . . . especially during these long months of COVID. Quarantine and lockdown have not been good for my body.
Recently, I woke up and realized that I have “let myself go.”
I have not been taking care of myself in the area of my body and health. No, quarantine hasn’t helped, but that’s no excuse! I guess it goes back to the idea of “self-care” feeling selfish. My life—my time and energy—are all consumed with caring for others in my family and my work.
There is little time left over for me!
Recently, at See Beyond, we’ve offered a series of articles on self-care covering topics such as sleep, rest and vacations, and laughter.
However, as I look at the list, there seems to be a major topic missing—physical health!
When I realized that I had “let myself go,” I thought about all the areas that I had neglected in the past days, weeks, months, years . . .
It’s like I looked in the mirror that morning and “woke up” to my reality. I realized that I had a good 10 pounds to lose. Sometimes, you reach a point where you can’t ignore it any longer. It’s in your face!
That morning, I also realized that I’ve been consuming way too much sugar, sodas, and processed foods—not putting “good fuel” into my body.
“Try to include 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet everyday.” I know that’s what I need to do, but when I’m tired . . . it’s much easier to grab some of the kids’ cookies out of the cupboard!
Exercise? What’s that? Living in North Africa has not been conducive to me going out for runs, walks, bike rides, etc. I never see people out running on the streets, and riding a bike can be pretty dangerous in the crazy city traffic. I also don’t really have anyone around me to exercise with and to motivate me to get my body moving. Excuses, excuses, excuses . . .
I know that “walking 30 minutes a day, three times a week will greatly improve your health,” but I don’t have the time and energy to even get started.
Pain—physical pain—has also become very much a reality in my daily life. I injured my hip over a year ago, and I still haven’t taken the time to start physical therapy. The orthopedic surgeon said that if I don’t faithfully do my exercises, then I will eventually need surgery.
It’s not just about my hip—when was the last time I had a thorough medical check-up? I can’t remember.
Why is taking care of my body so hard? It all feels overwhelming to me!
But . . . It’s time—time to take care of me—time to take care of my body. Today, I decided that it’s time to re-establish my physical health.
In fact, I chose that word for my theme for this year—RE-ESTABLISH.
I need balance, and one of the first areas of my life that I need to RE-ESTABLISH and bring back into the center of my attention is my physical health—my body.
want to learn 6 powerful ways to take care of yourself?
How to Get Started When It Feels Overwhelming
Do you wonder where to even begin when things are seriously out-of-balance and out-of-control?
Here are some tips to get you started:
Find an accountability partner to walk with you through these life changes. Maybe your friend or spouse would like to “re-establish” with you.
Make small, achievable steps. Baby steps in the right direction are better than none at all.
Tell people what you’re doing. Make appointments and keep them. It’s easier to make excuses and backtrack when your plans and resolutions aren’t public and out in the world.
Build habits. They say it takes 30 days to start a new habit. Use a 30-day habit tracker chart that you can cross off each day for the first month. After that, your new habit will be well established and a part of your daily life.
Photo by Andrea Leopardi on Unsplash
My Personal Plan
I may have “let myself go” for awhile, but I’m reigning myself in now. I’m taking back control of my physical health before it gets further off track and spins out of orbit.
This week has been radical, but that’s what I needed to do.
I walked into the physical therapy office in town (much easier than trying to explain things in Arabic over the phone) and made an appointment to start my hip exercises. I had my first appointment yesterday and made a commitment to do my exercises until this hip is fixed!
I found a friend to hold me accountable to begin watching what I’m eating every day (tracking my food and calorie intake), with the long-term goal of gradually shedding those extra ten pounds.
My friend is also doing an exercise program with me, and we have both committed to do some form of physical activity and movement for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, five days a week. We may not be comfortable going out for walks in our neighborhoods, but we can certainly move our bodies in the comfort and privacy of our own homes. “Just Dance” on YouTube is a great and fun way to exercise—either alone or with our kids after school. Leslie Sansone also has some great “Walk at Home” online videos that really get our heart rates up.
I called the doctor’s office and made that long overdue appointment for a medical check-up.
Sometimes, we have to make a conscious and intentional decision to RE-ESTABLISH, and that’s what I’m doing.
Rebekah Lyons, in her book, Rhythms of Renewal, says, “It’s never too late to re-establish what you want your life to be about.”
So it’s not too late for me to make a fresh start, to bring my life back into balance, to stop and evaluate.
According to Roger Williams University, “There are five main aspects of personal health: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual. In order to be considered ‘well,’ it is imperative for none of these areas to be neglected.”
I can see that I’m out of balance, so I’m taking the first step today to re-establish my physical health.
What about you? Are you ready to make changes in your life? Are you ready to begin the journey of re-establishing? Let’s hold each other accountable. We can check back in with each other in six months or so and find out how we are doing with re-establishing our health.
