January 1, 2019 SHARE: Reading time: two minutes. Hold the resolutions! It’s too easy to fall into a legalistic approach to physical fitness based on willpower and personal resolve. Here’s a gospel oriented suggestion: take the good gifts of God and use them in a “Thank you, Lord!” manner. We talk a great deal about “diet and exercise” which we should do, but let’s try re-phrasing that guilt laden phraseology with something more uplifting. How about “eat and walk.” Two great gifts of God, who has given me my body, including feet, and all I need to support this body, including food and drink. Eating and walking are regular, everyday parts of human existence, redeemed by Jesus through his own eating and walking. Here’s a quick spin on help in monitoring our eating and walking in healthy fashion. Let’s take walking, first. Unless disability or illness limits you, walking is already a part of your lifestyle. Walking is MOST of the exercise you really need. We have no evidence of Jesus joining a gym, but lots of testimony that he was a walker. I recommend getting better shoes than the Lord had available to him, and then, just GO! If the Lord wakes you when the sun shines bright, a great way to thank him for life and limb is to go for a brisk walk. Thank him for a healthy heart by getting that heart rate going through a brisk walk. Thank him for lungs and eyes and ears by swinging your arms, breathing deep and enjoying the sights and sounds of his wonderful creation. Walking as quickly as you can for 30 minutes a day is a great workout. Start slow and go a bit quicker each day, or walk briskly for a little longer each day. Try to get to “walk like you’re late” for a half hour, then add in some hills or steps. Do some muscle toning, strength training once in a while, but a good walk every day will change your wellness and your attitude. Now eat. Eat something today. Make it a daily discipline. We’re all agreed, right? Fasting is good discipline, but we eat to live. Food is a good gift from our Father Provider, so eat with gratitude and thanksgiving. If there are items on your diet that are detrimental to your wellbeing, celebrate the gift of a healthy liver and cardio-vascular system by saying, “Thank you, Sara Lee, but I don’t eat that!” Just pick a thing or two to eliminate from your diet as an act of worship and thanks in order to move closer to eating more food the way our Father designed it (veggies, nuts, whole grains) and less food the way Papa John designed it! Concordia Plans members, you’re eligible for your annual physical every January first, so schedule your screenings today. God bless you with joy and vitality, his good gifts, in the New Year! Our ministry is made possible by the generous donations of people just like you. Click here to discover how simple it is to make your gift of any size to Grace Place Wellness. Do you know someone who might be interested in becoming a major benefactor to sponsor a retreat in your area? Our President/CEO Randy Fauser would love to hear from you today!