This morning I chose to not let the snooze go off several more times and got up for a morning run. I chose the oat meal over the steel cut oats. I chose whether or not to shave my legs and if I wanted to wear my hair straight or curly. I chose what to wear and to look up my devotionals before looking up Facebook.
All this before the sun even came up.... so yeah, we make thousands of decisions throughout the day.
For the most part we make choices that will be beneficial for our well being. We chose to go to work so we can get paid. Then we chose what bills to pay and what we consider necessities or just wants. We choose to put ourselves together and look presentable when we go out (usually). We chose a compatible spouse and chose how we treat that spouse. We choose what's best for our kids.
With all these good choices that better our lives, it's hard to believe how easy it is to forget to choose to be healthy. In this area of life we too often choose comfort and convenience over what's really best for us.
We'd much rather sleep in or sit and watch that show in the evening than get in that 30 minutes of recommended exercise.
We hit the drive thru or just go with frozen chicken nuggets (again) instead of preparing a healthy, balanced meal, which in reality could take less than 15 min.
... and yet we wonder why we can't loose weight, have high blood pressure, or feel exhausted all the time.
The choices we make determine our outcomes. We can comprehend that choosing to spend too much money on a shopping trip means being a little tighter with the purse strings for a bit, or that giving our kids too much sugar will result in belly aches for them and headaches for you. But we never want to hold ourselves accountable for some of the unhealthy decisions we make with our bodies.
Maybe it's because of all the crazy advertising for the latest and greatest fad diets and trends that have left so many people confused, unhappy and hungry or thinking that wrapping a velcro band around your waist will magically make you thin. Or it's the false advertising labeling certain foods as 'health' foods when a lot of them still have tons of unhealthy fats, sugars, and processed chemicals that are harmful to the body, create disease and sickness, and makes you feel like crap! Maybe people are choosing not to care thinking it's pointless to even try getting healthy or in shape, fearing their too far gone.
It is true what they say:
We innately are always looking to make things better and easier, so why not gain better health by making healthier choices. It's really that easy.
Choosing whole foods over processed foods, eating more fruits and vegetables instead of boxed and packaged foods, choosing to look past the candy bar selection at the check out line, avoiding greasy fried foods, choosing salad or a grilled chicken option in the drive thru.
Anytime you choose a healthier option you are taking steps to better your life.
And lets not stop there.
Make healthier choices by finding ways to become more physically active. The more you use your body the better you will feel and the better it will function.
Don't always drive around to find the parking spot closest to the door, get out and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take a walk after dinner. Choose a weekend activity with your family like hiking that will get you moving. Don't just sit for an hour watching The Biggest Loser, get out there and start exercising yourself.
Everyone can find 30 minutes sometime in their day to choose to do some physical activity. Shorten the time you spend on Facebook or CandyCrush. Go when you're show doesn't come on for another half hour instead of channel surfing the entire time or watching something you truly care nothing about. Get out of bed early in the morning instead of just laying there waiting on your alarm clock to go off for the millionth time. Think really hard - there's time.
With all the choices we are faced with throughout the day it's hard to always stay on track or make the right ones. Just remember, though, that every choice you make for your body could either be helping it or hurting it, so practice being health conscious in your decision making.
And I'm not saying there's no more cake, ever. It's just like that shopping trip: every once in a while you're going to spend way too much and have fun doing it, just don't do it often!!
References:
Proverbs 31 Ministries
BodyBuilding.com
