Emotional
Setbacks are perhaps the most devastating for our emotional health, because we can convince ourselves that moving forward from a setback is impossible. Today think of a strategy to deal with setbacks. (For example, decide to take a day off, go for a walk, and start again the next day.)
Family and Friends
Personal relationships are very important in the event of a setback, because they can offer you encouragement and perspective that you may not have for yourself. Identify two people in your life who are particularly gifted in offering you encouragement when you need it.
Nutrition
Nutritional setbacks happen. We give in to the temptation of a doughnut or eat too much out at a friend’s birthday dinner. The temptation is to starve yourself the day after to “make up” for the setback. Instead, just get back on track eating a healthy and reasonable diet.
Evening Wrap-up
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 PETER 5:6-7
Setbacks are a part of progress. We live in a culture where results appear to be instantaneous. People undergo radical transformations in the span of a half hour television show. We often are not shown the waiting and the struggle moment by moment. Given this version of reality, it is no wonder that we consider every setback to be a failure! But Peter reminds us that God cares for us, and it is not for us to rise up on our own to overcome anxiety and obstacles. Instead, God will lift us up.
Merciful God, give me wisdom in the face of setbacks to realize that You lift me up. Help me to cast my anxiety on You as I continue on this journey to wellness. In Your holy name, Amen.
Day 7:
Celebration!
Morning Reflection
Congratulations! We have reached the end of the first week. We have taken the first steps toward wellness, and it is a week worthy of some celebration. As we celebrate, we can look forward to the rest of the journey and all the adventures that we will have in the weeks to come.
Faith Life
Faith is an important part of wellness, but wellness is also important to faith. Keep in mind that God entered this world as a person with a body. go for a walk today, and pray as you walk for God to be present in your body as well as your spirit.
Medical
Write down what your heart rate is when you have gone for a ten-minute walk around the block. Knowing this number will help as we move forward.
Movement
Spend ten minutes in an activity that gets your heart rate up. Go for a walk, or do some jumping jacks. Try to make it an activity that you enjoy doing.
Work
Take some small (two- or five-pound) hand weights to work to keep at your desk. If you have a minute or two, do a few sets of simple bicep curls to work your upper body a bit.
Emotional
Write in your journal how you are feeling about the journey thus far. Are you excited? Tired? Encouraged? What does the “horizon” look like for you?
Family and Friends
Have a small celebration with your family or some friends for getting through your first week. Do something that you enjoy doing with your family.
Nutrition
Make a grocery list that looks forward. Include plenty of whole grains, fresh (or frozen) vegetables and fruits, and limit the prepared and processed foods. (Prepared and processed foods contain large amounts of sodium, sugar, and other additives.)
Evening Wrap-up
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
HEBREWS 12:1
This week, we have worked to define the “race set before us.” We know the race, and we can predict at least a few of the obstacles along the way. But now it is time to run the race. As we run the race, God can give us perseverance and strength to travel the terrain, whatever we may encounter along the way. God can help us to let go of the things that hold us back so that we can turn our eyes to the horizon and enjoy the journey.
Lord God, thank You for the gift of this body and the health that You have given me so far. Help me to run the race set before me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Week 2
Frank’s Story
Frank was facing the facts about his weight and health honestly. He was forty-five years old and weighed 358 pounds, and deep down he knew something had to change. The day of reckoning came when Frank said he got a “wake-up call” from his physician.
“He told me I needed to lose weight or else I was headed toward being a diabetic, having heart disease and hypertension. I wanted to do something about it,” Frank said.
Since that day Frank has been putting one foot in front of the other—usually on a treadmill or elliptical exercise machine—six days a week. He also drinks water and eats lean meats (chicken and fish, baked or broiled) and lots of vegetables. A year later, his hard work has paid off. He’s lost 127 pounds and is much healthier than he was a year ago.
And as excited as Frank is about his success, he’s just as excited about how God is using his success to inspire others.
“This blessing is not just for me,” Frank said. “I want to be a blessing to someone else by encouraging them. That’s why it doesn’t bother me to take a minute when people stop me and ask, ‘How did you do that?’ Hey, we all need a little push, and that’s what it’s all about—building one another up.” The keys to Frank’s success? “Prayer, determination, discipline, and dedication,” he says.
Day 8:
Habits
Morning Reflection
Our state of wellness is very wrapped up in our habits—those behaviors that we engage in without even being totally aware of them. Today we will spend time reflecting on our habits and what we do on a day-to-day basis. Our habits can be so strongly ingrained that changing our behaviors can be very tricky. It involves focus, determination, and the occasional setback. Above all, we must know what our habits are, because when we know what our habits are, we can change them and better care for the bodies God has given us.
Faith Life
Do you have a regular time when you pray? Today, try praying at different times during the day. You may notice that you pray differently at different times of the day.
Medical
Do you have a list of all your medications where it can be found? Make a list (either by hand or on a computer) and put it on your refrigerator. That way, if you ever have an emergency, your list of medications is readily available.
Movement
Today, spend ten minutes exercising your balance by standing on one foot. Spend five minutes on one foot and then five minutes on the other. Hold on to a chair or table for balance if you need it. Remember, there is no movement without balance!
Work
What are your habits when you get home from work? Do you eat? Clean? Watch television? Pay attention today to the small things that you do. Write down your actions in fifteen-minute increments. You may be surprised!
Emotional
We often have emotional ups and downs over the course of the day. Today, pay special attention to when you feel those highs and lows. How do you feel in the morning? After lunch? In the evening? Write down in your journal when you have your highs and lows.
Family and Friends
Do you have things that you often do with your family and friends? What are they? Spend a few minutes and write a list of the things that you like to do with the people in your life.