From This Side of Thirty: Top Ten Reasons To Be Healthier

As I’ve mentioned in one of my posts before, my exercise of choice is CrossFit. If this is your first time to hear the mention of me doing pull-ups, pushups, handstands and all sorts of weighted barbell work, please take some time to recover from the shock.

Our CrossFit group began a 21 day overall health improvement challenge. Participation isn’t mandatory, so I suppose there wasn’t any reason for the bad attitude I carried around with me yesterday…Day 1. I just felt so overwhelmed by the strict guidelines I need to abide by to achieve a healthier Lacy in this specific challenge. Here’s the blueprint for the 21 days…sleep at least 8 hours every night. I begin with this because it’s my favorite. The most difficult and probably most important are the eating rules. It is a strict Paleo diet which means no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no sugar. Yep pretty close to impossible unless you have a terrible illness that has obliterated your taste buds to nothing. Not sure what is left on the menu other than meats, fruits and vegetables...but I’m guessing that’s the point. Now I hope you can understand my feelings at approaching such a daunting mission. Given the above information, my last resort to any inclination to cheat will be to go to sleep…because when it comes to sleep, I’m a champ. One day down, twenty to go. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

In the spirit of a healthier me, I thought it best to make a top ten list of reasons that I want to be a better healthier version of myself. (Or to remind myself why I’m not partaking in a delicious meat lover’s pizza with stuffed crust, pasta al dente or putting ranch on my salads.)

10. Better sleep. I know that when I’m working out and eating right the sleep is enhanced and comes easier…no doubt.

9. Perfected regular bowels movements. I couldn’t make a list of reason’s to get healthier without including this item. Sorry. A smidge inappropriate.

8. More energy to keep up with my kiddos and possibly a little left over to give attention to the cleanliness of our homestead.

7. To have a six pack. It probably would never show through the stretch marks and loose skin, but if I know it’s under there somewhere, waaaay under there, my life would be enriched.

6. To model a healthy lifestyle for my kids. I want them to see that when you work hard and eat right it pays off. (Let’s hope they can omit the pizza eating sessions they’ve witnessed)

5. I possibly have a closet full of clothes that have the tags on them waiting to be worn. In fact, I have a complete wardrobe set for every body weight between 150 and 200 pounds…possibly.

4. To look good in those abovementioned wardrobe collections.

3. To promote healthier-ness in my family. If I’m cooking good healthly real food, they are eating it (most of it anyway). When I’m snacking on fruit they are all more likely to reach for the same.

2. I don’t necessarily want to live a lot longer but I do want to have good quality of life while I’m still here. I also believe folks have a tendency to look younger, longer if you live a healthy lifestyle. (Although, I’m pretty sure fat people fill out their wrinkles better.)

1. I’m pretty certain I was put here for a purpose and God has a plan for my life. Whether He has a lot of little things for me to do while I’m a part of this world or He has a great single purpose I’m not aware of so far, I want to be ready to be used for his good and perfect will…the best, healthiest version of myself.

The Message version of Romans 12:1 says…

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”