I have always (mostly) tried to live my life making sure that I remain in good health. God gave me this body and I better take care of it if I want to stick around to be a grandmother some day. Which I do!
Several years ago I did a Beth Moore Bible study about the tabernacle and that study helped me to realize that my body is God’s tabernacle and I need to care for it properly. I cannot do God’s work if I am not in the best of health.
My kids know all about how I feel about eating the right foods and drinking lots of water, but never in a militant way, just a smart way. In our home the policy is eat more of God’s food than man’s food. What I mean by that is a piece of lean chicken grilled is closer to the way God intended – a deep fried chicken nugget, not so much. Strawberries yes, strawberry fruit roll ups – um…they don’t grow that way, thus not God’s food. The more man has touched something the less it is God’s food. That simple phrase, more of God’s food less of man’s food has been uttered in this home more times than you can imagine!
That very simple way of looking at the food we put into our bodies has worked for all of us, we all have a pretty good range of foods we enjoy. As far as exercise, we have always had the “move that body” rule around our home. If there is too much non-activity going on I send them out the door to move! We take family hikes, do yard work together, outdoor projects, bike ride – there’s plenty to do outside. Inside we really enjoy playing Kinect together – we have had numerous track meets and we can all bust a move. There are always ways to get that body moving.
I never wanted to have a daughter that stood and looked in the mirror and fretted about her size. So we have never been weight conscious…we don’t even have a scale. We have always chosen to be health conscious. There is a difference.
If good health verses dieting is not something you have spent much time discussing with your children maybe you should. Introduce your family to the “God’s food vs. man’s food” and “move that body” philosophy – someday when you watch the grand-kids so they can go on a cruise they’ll thank you for it!
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