Is this true?  Does the Bible actually say we can eat to the glory of God?  

Yep, that’s what you just read in 1 Corinthians 10:3 above and what I’d like for us to focus on during the month of March.  I believe some careful thought on this verse can help us put our sometimes twisted relationship with food back into the right perspective.  Most of us have a categorized list of good foods and bad foods in our head, that coincidentally change with every new diet trend.  We feel like we need to be punished for eating anything off the bad list and rewarded instantly for eating off the good list.  I want us to try to erase these thoughts and change our attitude to look at ALL food, as well as our bodies, as a gift from God!

Food is necessary to our survival and our well being.  We use it to fuel our bodies so we can function in our daily life.  But we also use it to celebrate, to entertain, to mourn, to show hospitality, and to show love to other people.  Food is a big part of our lives and culture.  We have to find a balance.  Complete deprivation is not it.  Yes, there are good nutritious foods that our bodies need and crave in order to stay healthy, but that doesn’t mean all unhealthy treats are completely off limits.  We just have to make sure we don’t let them control us.  We have to educate ourselves to the truth so we know what and how much we are putting in our body in relation to what we should be putting in.  We have to practice God-given self control.  Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and is available to every believer walking in the Spirit (which is to say, submitting to His will).  But here’s the dilemma, how do we even give that God-given self-control a chance to speak up and be heard, if we don’t slow down and eat mindfully?  If we eat whatever happens to be available on the run and never put any real thought into it, we’re very likely to sabotage the health of the temple we’ve been entrusted to care for as well as any fitness goals we might have.  

I’d like for us to slow down this month, be mindful, and bring God into our healthy eating.  I’d like for us to strive to honor Him in our food and drink choices.  Let’s consider Him in our grocery shopping, our portion sizes, and even in the calorie count.  Let’s eat every meal and snack with a heart of gratitude knowing that food is a gift from God and a way for us to care for the body He has given us.

Star Challenge: March Mindfulness

• Memorize and speak our verse “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
• Take time to thank God for every meal and snack and how it cares for your body.  That’s going to make eating complete junk a little hard to explain.  It’s OK to have and be thankful for a self-allowed treat.  Just remember that the healthy stuff that actually cares for the body should be our first priority.
• Read labels and know what you are putting in your temple.  Sometimes just being informed and mindful helps us to make healthy choices.
• Eat proper portion sizes.  Use God-given self-control.  Ask Him for it.
• Eat mindfully.  Eat slowly and enjoy each bite.  It may be helpful to set your fork down between bites and completely swallow one bite before taking another.  When possible, sit down and enjoy your meal without distractions of phone, tv, or work. It’s even better if you can sit down and enjoy it with someone you love.
• At the end of the day, rate yourself.  If you did all the above to at least an 80% compliance, you earn a star for that day.

If you want an extra challenge and a bonus star for the day, you may do one or more of the following:

• Log your food.  This creates extra awareness and helps you to know exactly what is going into your body.  You can log anyway you choose.  You can just use a simple pen and paper method, notes on your phone, an excel spreadsheet, snap a photo of each meal/snack and create an album to review later, or use an app such as myfitnesspal.  The method is completely up to you and this is totally optional.
• Journal the experience.  Write down how the day went, what you learned, how you felt, how you glorified God in the process, your thankfulness, or how you did with your mindful goals.
• Meal prep.  Think ahead and plan for future meals or snacks.  This doesn’t mean you have to cook every meal for the whole next week.  It may be just washing the veggies and fruit and having them ready to grab and go or chopping/prepping ahead of time to cut cooking time of healthy meals later.

Link to printable March Mindfulness Calendar

March Camp News

Pay Online

Live @ FLC – $60

• Starts Wed, March 2nd
• Choose 5:30am or 7:30am for Fit Camp, or 8:30am for BASIC30
• Dates: 2 · 7 · 9 · 14 · 16 · 21 · 23 · 28 · 30 (8 sessions)
• No camp on the 23rd
• $60 – 8 sessions

@Home – $30

• YouTube Playlist Link available by March 1st
• Workout anytime at home by video
• If possible, workout with me on Thursdays via Zoom as I record new videos — 7:30am(Fit Camp) or 8:30am(BASIC30)
• Zoom Recording Dates: 3 · 10 · 17 · 24 · 31 (4 recording sessions)
• No session on the 24th
• $30

Full Access – $85

• Why settle for just Live or @Home when you can have both!!  You can workout with me and our FLC crew Live on Mondays and Wednesdays (as many classes as you want) and have access to videos to do @Home on any other day of the month.  What better way to get in shape and stay in shape!!

A La Carte: $10/per class or 5 classes for $45, 6 for $50, 7 for $55

Package payments must be made in advance, they are non transferable, and are only good for the month of the Boot Camp for which they were purchased. Payment options include: Cash, Check, Card, Cash App, paypal.me/followmefit, Venmo, Google Pay, & Zelle.

Links:

More Camp Info | Camp Registration | Pay Online | followmefit.net