Care of the Body

Recently, I have begun changing my diet and increasing my exercise. These changes were made mainly in preparation for the military, but has had added benefit. Since changing my diet, I have been able to handle foods that I haven't been able to eat in the past. I have increased the amount of fruits and vegetables and limited the amount of meat and fats in my diet. Since increasing my exercises, I have made my body stronger. I have felt better and been able to do more with my body.

Many people do not take care of their bodies. It is hard to define how one takes care of their body. Take for example me. I say that I do because I eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Someone else might say I do not, because I drink coffee and many consider caffeine to be a drug and bad for the body. However, we can look at some statistics to get an idea of how many people appear to be taking care of their body.

This statistics are from Obesity in America.

• Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
• Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese and 9 million are extremely obese.
• Currently, an estimated 65.2 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, and 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese.
• Approximately 62 percent of female Americans are considered overweight.
• Approximately 67 percent of male Americans are considered overweight.
• An estimated 400,000 deaths per year may be attributable to poor diet and low physical activity.

These numbers do not look very promising.

So why take care of yourself? Well, the most obvious is the prevention of the health risks that come with obesity. By losing weight, a person can help keep off heart disease, type 2 diabetes, joint problems, and a host of other medical conditions.

But taking care of the body is more than just not wanting to having medical problems. There are benefits in being able to do more. Being healthier has allowed me run farther and ride my bike more. It allows me to hike more without being as tired. It allows me to be able to do more than I could have done before. This is a major benefit to me.

There are also psychological benefits to being healthy. A person who is healthy both in diet and exercise is better able to handle stress in their life. They are able to work better under certain conditions than those who are not in shape. They are often more relaxed in life. Endorphins and other chemicals are released by the body when exercising which increase the feeling of pleasure.

In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel becomes a member of the king's court. As a member of the king's court, he is to be given the choicest of food and wine. However, because of his commitment to God, Daniel and three other members chose to not defile their bodies with this food. They instead eat vegetables. After 10 days, the four of them are the healthiest and strongest of the court. This helped him to become more powerful in the court.

In 1 Corinthians, 6:19, 20, Paul writes "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 your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Now when I was a youth growing up, people often pointed at this verse as why tattoos were bad. That isn't what Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about this in reference to sexual immorality. He is saying that since Christians are saved at the cost of Christ's death, they nolonger are the sole-owner of the body. Therefore, they should honor God by their actions. We know he is talking about actions because of his reference to sexual immorality in the previous verses. This is a poor verse to use for advocating against obesity and tattoos as it is taking it out of context.

Ultimately, it is a choice that the person must make. Noone can make someone stay in shape, exercise, or eat healthy. However, the benefits of it greatly outweigh the pleasure of that extra bite of brownie!