Dwight Fletcher | YOLO: Physical life - Part 1

Today we continue talking about YOLO. Over the last four weeks we have been looking at the YOLO philosophy - You Only Live Once - which suggests that people should throw caution to the wind and enjoy and live life however they want, regardless of the consequences.

We have discussed that the YOLO attitude has invaded many areas of our lives, and this week we look at how it has affected our physical life. It is amazing that so many people undervalue their bodies and the absolute necessity of having a health body, if we are going to run the race of life well.

With the YOLO lifestyle we often hear statements like 'something has to kill you'. Even as Christians in our theology we can be guilty of focussing so much on the spiritual that we forget that in God's eyes you can't separate your soul from your body.

Here's the truth: God cares about every part of our lives, including what we do with our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT says, "Don't you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honour God with your body."

Our body is designed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit and God has loaned them to us for the years of our lives for the time we are here on earth; and if we are going to win in this race of life we need to keep it working at its best so we can live the most fulfilled life. Too many times it's our bodies that fail us so we can't live the abundant life God wants us to have.

What this means for us, as Christian people and otherwise, we need to begin thinking seriously about developing a theology of the body. A theology of the body where we think seriously about how much our bodies matter to God, how we should treat our bodies and what we should do with our bodies in order to honour God the most.

It's important for us to come to grips with the fact that how we treat our bodies today is going to determine how healthy we are 10 years.

So, let's look at five physical disciplines that will help us live a healthier life.

1. CONSIDER WHAT I EAT EVERY DAY

Honour God by beginning to think about what and how much you put into your body every day. I Corinthians 6:12 says, "You say, "I am allowed to do anything" - but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything." Some of us are slaves to food. Eating is not a sin. However, when food becomes our master, when we overeat, knowing it's bad for us, that becomes a sin.

Dr Kevin Harvey, acting chief medical officer in the Ministry of Health in interview in The Daily Gleaner of April 2, 2014 said: "Obesity is the most prevalent chronic disorder in Jamaica and the number of obese people in Jamaica is alarmingly high, particularly among adult women ... "So you can imagine the challenges, as obesity is linked to our diet, consumption of alcohol and our physical inactivity." ... According to a World Bank study, 60 per cent of Jamaicans aged 35 to 54 were either overweight or obese.

We have to discipline ourselves to stop eating even when our brain tells you to keep eating. Here are some things we can do:

a. Plan your meals when you are full, not when you are hungry.

b. Carry healthy snacks with you during the day. So instead of grabbing a snack that is unhealthy, you will have something that is healthy for you.

c. Snack throughout the day, so you won't be tempted as much to go overboard when you face the big meals at the end of the day.

Honour God with whatever it is that enters our body.

Discipline number two is:

2. STAY ACTIVE AND EXERCISE REGULARLY

God has given us bodies that are designed to move and the more we exercise our bodies, the better we will feel and the healthier we will be. With the improvement in technology we are becoming increasingly inactive and it is critical that we plan to have an active lifestyle, but there are many excuses that we use in order to avoid exercising. Excuses such as:

a. I Don't Have Time - while making time for every other thing, or

b. I'm too tired

But, working out actually gives you more energy. Considering what you eat and exercising are the start toward honouring God in how you treat your physical body. This week start by doing one thing - maybe you can start walking for five minutes each day, or if you can afford it, join a gym. Write down your intention and take action. Join us again next week as we look at the other three physical disciplines.