#HealthyPastor - Care for the Body

  The other day I had a meeting with the DS and afterwards I bopped into the restroom to change into running shorts and a t-shirt. I came out and was talking to the DS's awesome administrative assistant and she stopped mid-sentence and just looked at me before asking if I had went into the bathroom to change. I told her yes, I had a free hour and I wanted to go for a walk, but not in my dress clothes.
   Something I have been toying around with lately is the idea of what it means to be a healthy pastor. What it mean to be holistically healthy, so that I can serve God to the best of my abilities. But extending this concept beyond myself to my colleagues as well.
   The truth is in so many ways pastor can be unhealthy. We have a busy and stressful job that demand a lot of time sitting and often having meals on the go, which tend not to be very healthy. For the past month, I have been embarking on an adventure to try to make good choices. Because the truth is we make certain choices every day that effect our health. If we are going to get enough rest. How we are going to schedule our day. What we are going to eat. If we are going to exercise.
   Being healthy can be overwhelming so we need to take small steps, make small choices that we can celebrate. Some examples: this past week I knew I was quite busy, especially since I was in the second week of VBS. So I tried to block out one hour each day when I could exercise. It wasn't the same time every day, but one hour, at some point, that was my time to take care of me. An appointment to exercise if you will. Wednesday was particularly busy, so the only time I had was after my meeting with the DS, but before VBS, so I took that hour to walk around the area and explore. I took pictures along the way to make it fun, an adventure of sorts. The days I walk indoors, I have found a program I enjoy, that makes me want to exercise - Walk at Home with Leslie Sansone, find what works best for you.
   : Wednesday I knew I had to eat lunch on the go, so I thought about where I would want to eat and looked up the menu before hand to make the best choices. I have food allergies so I tend to have to look up menus prior to going to a place anyway, but its a good habit for all of us to get into if we can.
   : Pack water. I always have nalgenes of water with me when I travel in the car. It keeps me hydrated and ready to go.
   : Have accountability. I have had my fitbit for a year now and I love it. It holds me accountable to my steps, but it also allows me to challenge friends to steps, making a game out of holding each other accountable.

   How are you working towards being a #healthypastor - caring for your body?