Wellness with God
I think I’ve figured it out. Well, kind of…..
Lately, there has been a major shift from diet culture to a more wellness-focused approach to living. My social media platforms to filled with an overwhelming amount of opinions, information, and claims, surfacing on social media platforms. My social media has been overtaken by several (very persuasive might I add) ideologies around various “diets” that claim to be the gateway to living a life of wellness. To be honest I’ve gone down the rabbit hole over the years researching and testing all of the diets out there. Keto, pescatarian, vegan, vegetarian, you name it I’ve tried it. Some of them have proven to be successful in terms of physical improvements but there is a very common pattern that I’ve noticed whenever I’ve ventured into a new way of eating. They just aren’t sustainable long-term, they are very restricting and a lot of these diets create a negative relationship with food.
With my hands in the air, frustrated and to be honest over it, I asked God to help me understand what He desires. We are told “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” -Proverbs 3:6 NLT). God truly wants to be invited into every part of our lives, not just the big moments. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit that lives within us and loves us when we allow Him to lead. So that is what I did, I allowed God to lead. To be honest, my journey since then has not been linear but I believe that is just the way God desires it to be. No season is the same in life so why would I expect this journey to be?
I promise that when you invite God into any situation He will speak. He has been so intentional and has given me so much clarity about what He desires. He has clarified several times that whole real foods and move my body intentionally every day. The Bible tells us “ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. It still blows my mind that I have God living within me. When I remind myself of this verse I am encouraged to steward my body well and practice discipline. This means that I need to nourish my body in a way that allows me to be strong and equipped for anything God desires to do through me. When I switched my focus from body image to God’s image of me, I became empowered to become my healthiest self.
Every day brings its challenges, I know that God does not expect perfection, but a willing heart. Here are some things I focus on to stay encouraged. When I am busy and want to grab fast food (which is fine sometimes in my opinion) I ask myself to focus on how I will feel after and try to think of how I can practice discipline in that moment. Sometimes I end up with a bacon, egg, and gouda sandwich from Starbucks, but most days I can stay disciplined with my goals and pack food and healthy snacks whenever I leave the house or the night before a busy day. As I said before, this is not a perfect journey.
Will this make me feel my very best, will it support my overall health and can I make this a lifestyle change? None of them have checked all the boxes.
Most of my “diet changes” in the past have come from my desire to physically change. Although that is still a goal of mine it is no longer the driving force. So, I began to research what my body needed to thrive. I gained a lot of insight from my research, but I was also overloaded with information and became overwhelmed. I remember praying one day and telling God how frustrated I was with diet culture and the overwhelming amount of information out there. I said “Lord, I don’t know what is good or bad for me anymore. I need your help, your guidance.” In my frustration, God told me to invite Him into this journey. I didn’t even think to do that, I so easily forget that He truly wants to be a part of every aspect of my life, even if it seems minor. He is not a God who only shows up for those big moments but loves to be a part of every moment.
So, I invited God into my wellness journey. No more failed diet attempts or focusing just on physical change. I am letting God lead my way, be my strength when I feel weak and my encouragement to stand firm in becoming all He has called me to be.
My wellness focus is to nourish my body with whole foods and to recreate foods I enjoy with clean ingredients. I also have set physical goals for myself to build endurance through running and to build strength and mobility through pilates. These changes are sustainable for me, they bring me so much joy and excitement. Some days feel harder than others, and when they do I call on my Father to get through those tough moments.
I believe everyone’s journey will look different and that is okay. No matter what it looks like I am here to encourage you to invite God to join you. After all, He created you and knows exactly what you need to thrive in this life. So, as I said I think I figured it out…That there is no right way of living a healthy lifestyle. We are not meant to have it all figured out, but we are encouraged to invite God into our wellness journey and allow Him to lead the way.
If you would like more insight on the staple foods I am incorporating in my meals throughout the week comment below and I will do another post with all of the details.
