I turn 27 in a couple of months, and I've been acutely aware that I have to start making healthy decisions on a consistent basis. Habits are hard to break, but they can be broken. With this in mind, I'm attempting to establish a healthy routines. This morning I had a cup of soymilk, bottle of water, and banana for breakfast. (I typically forgo breakfast altogether.) I took Vitmin D. I love Witch Hazel as a facial cleanser. It's a staple product for me, so I used it per usual. My beautiful, health conscious cousin suggested I add a probiotic, and I did. This was my first time buying/using probiotics.
Though it's not pictured here, I also took my prescribed medications for hypertension. I have high blood pressure, and it's been uncontrolled for the longest time. I just refused to take the medications. Any and every time that I've gone to the doctor, I'm always cautioned that my blood pressure is too high. They always remind me of the risks associated with uncontrolled hypertension.
I reasoned that it was most likely due to my poor diet choices and what I really need to do is exercise and eat healthier. Both of those are good decisions to make for my overall health and could positively impact my blood pressure, but this fact remains: It is stupid to risk having a stroke and/or damaging my organs when there is treatment available.
Last night, while at the grocery store, I met a sweet lady. We were both looking a tomatoes and lamenting about their per pound cost. She said, "I need a garden," and our conversation continued on from there. She asked if I ever tried vinegar with my laundry detergent. She swore by its ability to make clothes fresher and softer. She told me to "Google it."
I noticed she had a variety of produce items in her basket and asked if she was making anything special. She informed me that she was making healthy decisions. She told me that last month she had a major stroke. She said it was only by God's grace that she was able to talk, grocery shop, and walk with the assistance of a cane. When our conversation came to end, she reminded me to always trust God because He will take good care of me, and she went on her way. I don't know the cause of that sweet lady's stroke, but I do know it changed her life. And it was a scary time for her. I also know that meeting her wasn't simply fortuitous.
We have to take care of the one body that we are given. While genetics are beyond our control, lifestyle choices are not. Let's make good choices that contribute to health and well-being. This is certainly a challenge for me, but the stakes are high. I'm worth the time and effort it takes to learn healthy behaviors, and so are you. I'm worth the time and energy it takes to prepare wholesome, home-cooked meals, and so are you. I know better, so I have to do better.
"Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 MSG
