Start a Rhythm of Wellness
How do we make a rhythm of wellness and exercise when our lives are constantly changing?
Let’s start with grace and compassion! It is God’s grace that keeps us going. You will have to put effort into cultivating a rhythm of wellness and exercise, but you don’t have to strive or feel guilty when things don’t go as planned.
So, where do you start?
First, check your motives. Your health and wellness journey will look different than the world. You are not out to prove your worth, compete for the best abs, or fight off all signs of aging. As a son or daughter of God, you have a different motivation, different intentions, and different habits.
As Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
Let’s make holy hot again!
Check Your Motives
Your motives are defined by your hope and identity. Is your hope set on a perfect body or on the grace of Jesus? Do believe that you alone must define your value or that your identity is defined by God?
As one whose hope and identity are defined by God, you can approach your health and wellness without anxiety, fear, or striving. You don’t have to prove yourself! For real. You belong to God already! In fact, you belong before you behave. When you accept Jesus as Lord of your life, His holiness clothes you before you have time to make any changes in your life.
So, you get to start at a place of mercy and grace. Clothed in Christ’s holiness, you get to create a rhythm of wellness to help you live into your identity as a son or daughter of God.
How good is that?
Five Tips to Begin a Rhythm of Wellness:
1. Take a Life Inventory
What habits do you have to nurture these 4 aspects of your life?
– Spiritual health
– Physical health
– Mental/emotional health
– Relational health
2. Set simple goals based on your inventory
Which area of your life do you want to nurture first?
Make sure your goals are SMART!
SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely
3. Get accountability
Share your goals with a friend, a spouse, or a workout buddy. Ask them to encourage you when you want to quit!
4. Make a plan
If you want to improve your physical health, make a workout plan! Need some ideas?
1. RevWell TV – Access to free on-demand workouts AND monthly workout calendars.
2. Revelation Wellness Podcast – Weekly Reving the Word episodes with heart-pumping music and soul-filling messages to use at home, in the gym, or outside!
3. At-Home Challenges – Join us for a faith then fitness challenge for your body, mind, and spirit! These are self-paced challenges that can be purchased whenever you want!
5. Habit stacking
This tip comes from James Clear’s, Atomic Habits: The easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones.
Rather than adding more tasks to your to-do list, stack small healthy habits on top of your current everyday habits.
What do you do every day? Brush your teeth, make coffee, cook food, drive to work, and the list goes on. Is there a healthy habit you can do while you do something else?
For example, my mental health goal is to practice gratitude. Every morning, I open my curtains to let in the morning sun. In order to stack my habits, I will say three things I’m thankful for while I open my curtains every morning.
