All of us were placed on this planet for a purpose. A person who is blessed to find his gift and his or her purpose is a truly blessed person indeed. Sometimes we may find we have a gift, but we don’t know how to use it to help others and to be a testament to the Creator. A person may have a gift of selling, but uses it to sell drugs to his people. Or a person may have a musical gift, but sprinkles it with vulgarity, making the music sour, not sweet. This is about making ourselves better: mind, body and soul, so that we can be our best and do our best work. According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, “fit” means adapted or suited, appropriate, proper or becoming qualified or competent. The word “fitness” means being in a state of health.
How can we enjoy our family, our careers or nature if we are not healthy? We should be on a constant quest to improve ourselves. Celebrate and cultivate your talents and skills. Whatever you don’t like about yourself, work to improve it and watch how your love of self grows.
There is a saying that “there is nothing more powerful than a made-up mind.” Whenever we acquire some amount of success, it is due to God blessing us. Once we have made up our minds to be dedicated to a particular goal. In many occupations, physical excellence is deemed important. If you are going to be an astronaut, police officer or just want to join the army, some amount of physical mastery is expected.
Exercise is more than an activity to help improve physical fitness, it also improves our mental capacity. Adversity or difficulty helps to introduce us to our ability to endure. How strong are you? When you are tired from jogging for 30 minutes, do you have the mental determination and spirit to keep jogging for another 5 minutes? Do you have the strength and discipline to turn away from a food or activity that is going to be detrimental to you? Fitness competitors are some of the most disciplined people I know. They know that one wrong meal could mess up their “game” the next day.
What are some simple steps we can begin taking after we consult with a physician?
1. Practice praying and meditating on a daily basis. Prayers are “spiritual refreshments” that help us to stay righteously energized. Remembrance of God is “the greatest force.” Keep in mind that the body is the temple that our “Godself” dwells in. Doesn’t the “God” within deserve the best? Pure thoughts help to give birth to pure actions.
2. Practice the principles of Fasting to rid your body of toxins and increase your mind and body’s ability to resist temptation.
Practice “eating to live.” Our bodies deserve the best and we should eat what is in line with our physical make up. Our body is approximately 70 percent water and 30 percent solid, just like the earth. The earth has nine planets and we have nine systems in the body. The “eat to live” way of eating includes high water content foods like bean soup, salad and whole wheat bread. Such a meal is about 70 percent liquid with about 30 percent solid. Eating a meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, bread and rice is like eating dry land and the food will get “stuck” in “no man’s land,” (the colon) and then we wonder why we have problems with constipation, etc.
Lastly, practice exercising which is good for the heart and mind because it helps to relieve stress. Our bodies will function much better when we take care of it. How dare us pay someone to walk our dogs, but we won’t walk ourselves.
Make up your mind today to become a better you! I am with you all the way!
May God bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth, and happiness.
(The above excerpt is adapted from a new book Get Fit To Live: Be Your Best You! by Audrey Muhammad, a certified aerobics instructor and fitness trainer. Her book is available at the Respect for Life Bookstore. For more information, call (510) 815-4591.)
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