Habit #6: Care for Your Body

When God made physical creation, He pronounced it good. God made us embodied creatures, and He calls us to care for every part of our lives, including our bodies.

Our bodies and souls matter to God. Our souls and resurrected bodies will exist for eternity.

In this habit, we’re going to explore why our bodies matter, and how we can care for them well so that we honor God with our bodies.

Choose Your Actions

Choose one or more of the following:

• Eat slowly. Savor every bite. Really enjoy food when you eat.
• Pay attention to hunger signals, and pay attention to when you’re hungry and full.
• Learn how to cook a tasty, nutritious new dish.
• Buy a cookbook of nutritious recipes you’re able to cook.
• Brainstorm a list of physical activities you enjoy and choose
• one to try.
• Set an alarm to remind you to get outside and go for a walk each day.

Suggested Resources

Books

• Embodied by Gregg Allison presents a holistic theology of the human body.
• If you have ever struggled with what it means to be a Christian in a physical world, check out Mike Wittmer’s book Becoming Worldly Saints. Wittmer explains how to bring your human and Christian lives together.
• The Supper of the Lamb is a quirky book, but an enjoyable one. It will awaken you to the wonder of God’s gift of food.
• A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester examines the centrality of food to Jesus’ ministry, and how we can use food to show hospitality to others.
• In Full, Asheritah Ciuciu helps us develop a healthier relationship with food through a stronger relationship with Christ.
• I like Michael Pollan’s advice, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” He develops this idea in his helpful book Food Rules.
• If you want to cultivate fun in your exercise, check out No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness.
• The Royal Canadian Air Force developed an exercise program that takes only a few minutes a day. I enjoy it.
• I like books that help push beyond diet fads. One such book is You Can't Screw This Up. Simple and doable.

Other Resources

• The Precision Nutrition blog is a good source of information on good nutrition and related topics.
• Layman's Fitness seeks to provide the man in the pew with the "What" and the "Why" of exercise and fitness for God's glory.
• My wife provides gospel-based nutrition coaching for women through livewholehearted.com.

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