As a woman of faith you likely spend hours serving others, reading your Bible, praying, and attending church events. However, with so many other things and people to take care of, it’s also possible that you neglect your physical health at times. Yet your physical health is almost everything! It’s not until our physical health is compromised that we really notice it, and at that point it affects everything: mental health, emotions, relationships (including our relationship with God), and ability to serve others. That’s why this blog is going to give 6 tips for Christian women to improve physical, mental & spiritual health.
How Physical Health Impacts Overall Health
Most of us know that physical activity improves our overall well-being and science has confirmed this over and over: “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal,” says The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
This is amazing news! Just moving our bodies has the ability to alleviate some of the mental and emotional health concerns that you might be spending a lot of time and money for a therapist to help with. When mental health isn’t well, spiritual health can suffer as well because we’re not always thinking clearly or may see life in a more negative light.
One of the reasons I became a personal trainer, registered dietitian and wellness coach is because I have had some of my most spiritual experiences and emotional health breakthroughs while running, biking, hiking, or lifting weights in the gym. Physical activity has helped to grow my relationship with God as much as sitting quietly in prayer has, which is why I love to help other women experience this growth in their own lives.
Even though we know that movement is good for us, most women fall short of the recommended 30-60 minutes of daily exercise. This may be because you find it challenging to get started with fitness when it’s not a part of your routine, and because it is hard to maintain when life gets chaotic.
If this sounds like you, here are 6 practical steps – in order – you can take to improve your physical health that will also improve your mental and spiritual health.
6 Tips for Christian Women to Improve Physical, Mental & Spiritual Health
1. Start with Prayer
First, sit down and pray, asking God what he wants to do in your physical self. Then listen for God to speak to you in a way that you can understand. Matthew 7:7 promises, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
If it’s God’s voice, it will be encouraging and positive. I often find that when I pray with and for my clients, God reveals immense strength, resilience, or an ability that the person may not have recognized before. This then creates a greater sense of confidence to work toward and reach a health goal. Write down in a journal whatever comes into mind so that you can remember this moving forward. This is especially helpful to refer back to when challenges to your physical goals arise in the future.
2. Identify Obstacles to Improving Your Physical Health
Next, write down any obstacles that could keep you from successfully reaching your goal. Try to address these before you start making changes. For instance, if you are trying to lose weight but have an upcoming vacation, what will you do to maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine? You don’t have to be on a strict diet on vacation, but what plans can you make to still eat healthy and fit in some type of exercise so you don’t feel like you “fell off the wagon” and have to start all over once you return?
Perhaps life is especially hectic right now. Before you try to add an exercise routine onto your already full plate, consider where in your schedule you can realistically fit it in. Maybe an hour is a great goal, but not practical until life slows down. Instead, when could you do 20 minutes – first thing in the morning, after work, or during lunch? Make sure what you would like to do is actually possible so you don’t end up feeling like you failed when the plan doesn’t go as smoothly as hoped.
Another example of an obstacle could be that in the past you have not reached your goals because you couldn’t stick with whatever goal or challenge you were working on. If the diet was too strict, how can you eat in a sustainable way this time? If the workouts were too tiring, can you start more slowly so you’re not exhausted?
Identify obstacles that have stopped you in the past or could stop you this time, and make plans for how you will overcome them. As the old saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Then consider asking a spouse, friend, coach, or like-minded group to help keep you accountable.
3. Choose Healing Foods
The foods you eat on a regular basis (aka your diet) are a huge part of overall health. Food truly is medicine and God gave our bodies the ability to heal themselves, plus He gave us plants from the earth that help our bodies heal and function at their best. Genesis 1:29 says, “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food’.”
God-made food includes things like: nuts and seeds, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, water, beans and legumes, herbs and spices, fish, eggs, etc. Try to eat as many of these types of foods as possible and choose organic when possible to reduce toxins, pesticides and chemicals. When you eat animal products, look for organic, antibiotic-free, grass-fed, wild-caught, and hormone free. Make sure to include foods with Omega-3s and anti-inflammatory properties that are particularly good for both brain and gut health. These foods can help reduce stress and anxiety and impact dopamine and serotonin production.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to change your entire diet at once. Start small by adding one fruit and one vegetable per day, or switching from white rice to brown rice. Once one change becomes routine, then make one more positive change at a time. Small changes may take longer to really notice changes in your health or weight, but it’s far more likely that you’ll sustain those changes for good.
If this way of eating is foreign to you or you don’t know where to start with healthy recipes and snacks, get one of my meal plans to make your planning and decisions easier and stress-free!
4. Eat Fewer Foods That Harm Physical and Mental Health
Highly processed foods and alcohol have been linked to common mental health issues like depression and anxiety. This includes any foods that have chemicals, pesticides, artificial colors and flavors. Many of these foods are harmful to the gut, often referred to as our second brain, and contribute to stress, anxiety, and poor moods. These difficult emotions can also negatively impact our spiritual life and relationships.
Try to cut back on foods like fast food, fried food, sugary treats, soda, frozen dinners, and packaged snacks with a long shelf life to help reduce unnecessary mood swings and anxiety while also improving your physical health. It’s not realistic to never eat these types of foods, so instead make an intentional effort to reduce the amount you consume. For instance, cutting back from weekly fast food to once a month or replacing soda you drink with unsweetened sparkling water except on special occasions.
If you’re not sure about an item, consider if it is a God-made foods, such as those listed above. If the food didn’t come directly from the earth or wasn’t made from foods you can pronounce that came from the earth, then it’s best to avoid it. For example, a potato is a God-made food. Potato chips are man-made and have transformed the potato from a health-promoting food to one that contributes to poor health and weight gain. Other examples are an apple vs. apple pie, a fresh egg vs. egg McMuffin, salami vs. fresh grass-fed beef, etc.
5. Exercise Daily
The mental health benefits of exercise have been studied and known for years, but many of us still don’t take advantage of this simple, natural, and often cost-free way to improve mental health and boost mood. Getting started can be tough because exercise is can feel hard and uncomfortable when you are just starting out. But exercising more doesn’t mean you have to start powerlifting or force yourself to jog three miles daily. The best way to start is by finding something enjoyable yet challenging that you will fit into your schedule on a regular basis. You might start with a daily 20 minute walk, then after a few weeks increase to a faster pace or increase to 30 minutes. Or, you might do a bodyweight workout video on YouTube three times per week at home before work, and eventually incorporate weights to build more strength. Don’t think you have to turn into a gym rat or marathoner overnight, which will be exhausting and unsustainable.
You might also consider hiring a personal trainer to get you started so they can show you which exercises to do for your goals, how to use weights and machines, make sure you’re using safe form, and keep you accountable when you don’t feel like exercising. Once you feel more comfortable and are in a routine, you can workout on your own or just meet with a trainer from time to time for a “tune-up”.
If you’re the type of person that needs a goal or deadline, then sign-up for a 5k or a special hiking event or local bike race.
If you prefer socialization and a group to workout with, then join a group fitness class, run club, dance class, CrossFit box, etc.
Also know that there will be days when exercise is hard to fit into the schedule. Many people will skip it altogether if they don’t have 45 minutes or an hour to spare. But instead of skipping it, fit in whatever you can! If your workout is usually 30 minutes but the day become unexpectedly hectic, then do 10 minutes of jumping jacks or jump rope or do push-up and squats. Or use one of these 20-min workout circuits when time is short. Don’t skip exercise altogether because you don’t have time for your perfect routine. Something is always better than nothing. Too many people let perfection get in the way of actual progress.
If you feel ready and motivated to improve your physical and mental health, then go back to the number one tip and start there and move your way down the list. Bit-by-bit, you can take small steps that will add up to big change over time!
If you need one-on-one, personalized support and guidance from a Christian perspective, then contact me for a free consult or to purchase a nutrition and fitness coaching package.
6. Reduce Your Toxic Load
It’s easy to only think about food and exercise when it comes to weight loss and health, but the products that we use daily and the environments we live in can have a big impact on our well-being. Toxins are everywhere, unfortunately, and they can affect our brain function, mood, hormones, weight, immune system and more. Reducing your toxic load is essential to overall health. You’ll never escape all toxins, but you can do your best to reduce them. You can read more about how to do this in my blog 10 Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Load for Better Health & Well-Being and I also have an in-depth class on YouTube with specific recipes and ideas on how to ditch toxic products and switch to safer ones .
We have now covered 6 tips for Christian women to improve physical, mental & spiritual health, from prayer to exercise to reducing toxins. But don’t stop at reading! Put a block of time into your calendar when you can complete tip 1 and 2 this week. Once you’ve completed that, pick which tip you want to move forward with first that you think will have the biggest impact on your health. Don’t forget, you have the power of the Holy Spirit working in you! You can do this because He is with you!
And if you ever need more help, support and prayer, contact me for 1:1 coaching. I’m always here to help!
