30 Pounds: Just the Beginning

It's been 14 months since we made our move from Ohio to Indiana.  A lot has happened, and we continue to learn daily.  There have definitely been hardships, but this month, I have something exciting to celebrate!  I've reached a very important goal.  I've finally dropped all the weight I put on over the first two years of our marriage!  I weigh the same amount today that I did on my wedding day!

Despite the fact that I put on about 30 pounds, that whole time, I'd been conscious of my diet.  I was constantly counting calories, restricting my diet, and stressing myself out!  The more I worried about the weight, the more I packed it on. 

Last summer, however, I began to study natural health.  I learned a lot about what my body actually needs, and all the things I was putting in it that were NOT good for me.  I've always fit into the "Foodie" category, because I love REAL food, but my diet was not all-natural.  Eating conventionally grown foods, I was putting so many chemicals in my body without knowing or caring about the consequences. 

There were many things that lead to my discovery of and love for natural health and healing.  Factors involved definitely include my mother's continually growing interest and knowledge of whole foods, a discussion I had with a dear friend one weekend in Tennessee, and my having way more ailments than the average 20-something adult.  I'm grateful for all the things God put in my path to lead me to understand what He intended for our bodies (even the achy joints!).

I've studied what our bodies were created for, and it doesn't match the lifestyle of today's world.  Our intake of chemicals, our general lack of rest, and our ever-increasing stress levels are destroying our health, and they are NOT helping us become the people God created us to be.  Some of the things that I have gradually changed to remedy this in my own life include

• Cutting out processed foods
• Buying local food
• Switching to organics
• Watching less television
• Going to bed at decent hours
• Exercising more
• Reading more
• Dealing with problems instead of holding them inside
• Learning to actually trust God (which has involved some excellent Christian counseling)
• And generally living a more simple life! 

Dustin and I don't have fancy things, but we eat good food, we live below our means, and we are calm and content.  Our lives, now, are simple. 

So I've concluded that the 30 pounds, although wonderful, are only a microcosm of an overall change in my life. 

If you want to learn more about natural health and taking care of your body the way God intended, I'd suggest the book, The Great Physician's Rx for Health and Wellness, by Jordan Rubin.  It's a great place to start.

>>>Thank You, LORD, for helping me to see what You want for me.  Please continue to mold me into the woman You created me to be<<<