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In America, we believe that we can make everything better. In fact, we relentlessly pursue improvement. And this can often be a good thing! It can make us examine our hearts and actions and get right with God and others. It can bring new advances in medicine, travel, industry and the environment. It can even help us discover and understand God in new and deeper ways.
But many times our efforts to improve on God’s design give us a far inferior result.
“It makes me feel good that FCA cares about it’s people!”
That was a common statement after a week of clinical exercise testing at the FCA World Headquarters in November. This effort, led by the FCA Health & Fitness Ministry, was designed to help our FCA team improve its health so that everyone involved could have the strength and energy necessary to perform at the highest level. FCA President Les Steckel put it best: “We believe that our initiative to serve our people on the front-edge of ministry will define us as an organization that genuinely invests in the personal and professional development of its people.”
Last year, Americans spent nearly $12 billion on cosmetic procedures to change their outward appearances. And all of that during one of the worst economic downturns our nation has ever seen.
It absolutely amazes me what we are willing to do in order to look outwardly younger, skinnier or even happier. But the reality is that, if the inside is ugly and our hearts are troubled, nothing we do to cover it up will change our inner reality.
While most of us may not resort to surgery to improve our appearances, we have all "put on a happy face" or said all the right things even when we were miserable on the inside. But please hear me on this: Lasting change always happens from the inside out.
In recent months, steroid use in sports has drawn national attention from President Bush, Congress, league presidents and players’ unions. Major League Baseball has been on the hot seat with allegations of steroid abuse by former player Jose Canseco and by testimonies from current superstars admitting the same.
It's almost impossible to find anyone who isn't feeling the pressure these days.
Stress doesn't care if you are young or old; it has the ability to weigh you down regardless of age, gender, race, political affiliation or socio-economic status. In fact, all studies confirm this.
Stress is something we all seem to have in common.
Once people find out that I serve in the FCA Health and Fitness Ministry, I get bombarded with questions about everything from food to fitness equipment, exercising to eating right, calories to carbohydrates. If I am eating out, people watch what I eat and ask me if it is OK to order certain entrees. And frankly, I love it! It gives me countless opportunities to help cut through the confusion and restore some basic truths about how to take care of our bodies the way God intends.
So, this month’s column is all about questions and answers.
I love the story of the underdog. I love to read articles or watch movies that tell inspiring stories of people who have faced challenging odds or amazing obstacles and have triumphed in the end. It is a testament to what is possible for those who believe — for those who sacrifice, strive, strain and never give up.
If we are honest, a lot of us feel like we are underdogs when it comes to our health.
Solomon knew the importance of taking care of the heart. It is not only the most important muscle in the body for physical life, but also for spiritual life. Have you ever considered that your behavior is really a reflection of your heart? We are encouraged to guard our hearts because our attitudes, our thoughts, our emotions, our words and our actions all flow from the condition of the heart. Anger, jealousy, pride, conflict — all of these reveal the state of your heart.
Can the food we eat actually make us sick? According to an article in TIME magazine, we may be paying a steep price for the cheap quality of food we eat.
Typically I don't consult newsstands for good science, but this article had a lot of truth in it. The topic centered on how the American food system is bad for our bodies, bad for the environment and bad for our economy.
One of the most popular movements in health and wellness today is the concept of “detox.” In fact, this spring, Oprah Winfrey completed her own 21-day detoxification program in an effort to rid her body of accumulated toxins and harmful substances, and in the process, she brought renewed national interest to the idea.
During her 21 days of physical cleansing, she completely avoided all animal products, caffeine, alcohol, bread (and gluten) and refined sugar. At first-glance, this may not seem like that big of a deal. However, the program that Oprah followed was based on a book called Quantum Wellness by author and new age spiritual counselor Kathy Freston.
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