“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2.

Health. Though it is something that we know we all want and need, it can often conjure up interesting images in our head of crazed exercise trainers and extreme diets. As I’m writing this, I’m remembering an episode of Friends where Monica goes completely crazy training Chandler. Rest assured, that is not what I’m advising in this post.

What this post is about is being all-around healthy. This means taking care of the temple that God has given us and making smart choices to feel great from the inside out. We were made for something great, and we can’t accomplish God’s amazing plans for us if we feel like dog-poo. Because the Holy Spirit is literally living inside of us, it is our job to create a good home for Him. When company comes over, we take care to clean our homes and make them look nice for our guests, so how much more effort should we put into the place where God resides? Thus, here are some tips for living healthy and being healthy! 

1. Eat well-Few things can affect our physical well being more than the fuel that we put into our bodies. This isn’t just about adding fruits and vegetables (Though that’s important too!) but also knowing what your body can and cannot handle. Some people have allergies and intolerances to certain foods; which could either require a cutback on those foods, or a complete cut-out. Recently, I found out that I was gluten intolerant. It’s not severe, like an allergy, so it took me a while to figure out that it was causing problems. At the beginning of this year, I noticed that was sluggish, having trouble concentrating, and generally feeling down. One morning, I had a gluten-free waffle and realized that I felt better than I had in months. From there, I began cutting gluten out of my diet and have felt much better since then. And, they make gluten free desserts like cupcakes and cookies so this doesn’t mean that I have to give up my sweet tooth! 🙂
2. Exercise-This is probably this most difficult one for me. If you’re the kind of person who would prefer a book to a day at the gym, exercise may very well feel like a drag. But, there are other ways to get exercise besides typical working out stuff, like swimming, playing a sport, or dancing. Basically, the point of exercise is to get moving, feel good, and stay healthy!
3. Be spiritually healthy-I cannot stress this one enough; honestly, it should be first. Staying spiritually important means staying close to God, reading your Bible and praying. Admittedly, I’m not always great about keeping up with daily Bible reading, but I’d like to get better! Being spiritually healthy also helps you stay emotionally healthy, make good choices, and have good relationships with others!
4. Be emotionally healthy-This means enjoying and savoring the life that God has given us and taking care to work through problems rather than letter them fester. Some things that can help with emotional health are enjoying a good book/movie, spending time outdoors, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends, with brings me to my next point…
5. Surround yourself with family and friends-It is so important to have close relationships with other people. God didn’t create us to be cut off from others, that’s why He created both Adam and Eve. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to get married, but it does mean that everyone needs people. Even the most introverted person needs friends. Take the time to invest in your friendships and keep them strong. There are few blessings greater than the people that God has placed in our lives!

How about you? What do you do to stay healthy? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!