FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT STARTS WITH US

by Selina Hudson Host of Keeping it Real selinahudson@live.com

Ruinous body management is worse than unruly money management because with financial mismanagement you can file bankruptcy and start all over again. However, with bad body management you cannot start all over again. You only get one body.

Although you cannot start over again, you can make a decision to respect your body starting today. I’m in this fight with you.

Bad body management cost you money. How?

● Co-pays at the doctor's office and emergency room.

● Maintenance drugs for chronic illnesses caused by obesity or smoking

● Costs of new clothes because of excessive weight gain.

There are many more reasons that I can name but you know what they are…

My doctor told me that I was bigger than she wanted me to be and I immediately lost 10 pounds. Why does a doctor have to tell us that we need to lose weight before we take it seriously? Are we saying that what the doctor says means more to us than what God has already said? 1 Cor 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not you own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body. Why isn’t that enough for us to eat right, exercise and not use tobacco products?

Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness, and He was sustained by His faith. The devil came to Him and tried to tempt Him with bread, but He refused to give in. This is a good image for us to remember in our daily diet or while fasting. Often we feel we cannot go on when we miss just one meal. Christ proved to us that even after missing meals for forty days, there is still a source of strength other than food. That source is God, and His strength is available to everyone who will ask for it. Let us remember to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ and lean on our heavenly Father whenever we feel weak or tempted.

What about exercise? How many times a week do you work out? You might say I have so much to do every day; I just do not have the strength or the time. The Apostle Paul understood this kind of strength when he said, "I can do everything [that pleases God] through [Christ] who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13).

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Science now understands that when we are joyful, chemicals are released in our brain, which gives us increased vigor, focus and motivation.

You might ask the question, where do I start?

Kenny Clayborn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine and Precision Nutrition Certified Personal Trainer, nutrition, and lifestyle coach. He states…The best approach for almost all of us, is a well-balanced approach to fitness that includes resistance training and cardio, in combination with a nutritional approach that prioritizes protein goals that are equal to 1 gram of protein per your goal body weight.

Thoughts: Financial Management is more than budgets and controlled spending. It is a part of many aspects of our lives, to include, how we treat our body. Every day is a new day that we get to start over and try again! Let’s do this together!

Information provided by the daily devotional for dieters.