Treat Your Body As A Temple

There are a couple of people in my life who have really inspired me to take good care of my body.

One of these friends told me a long time ago that he realized as a young man that he needed to 'pay his dues' (by exercising and keeping his body strong) in his youth to have a healthier 'later life.'

Just that simple statement really hit home to me. Often times when I am resisting my daily cardio exercise or my weight lifting workouts, I remember his comment. I get up and go do the workout, thinking that in my 'later life' I will be thankful, even if today it feels like a chore! Of course, even today it will make me feel better, but somehow, thinking about being stronger and healthier down the road increases my incentive!

In a recent email, when we were discussing aging, this friend quoted a song lyric from Jimmy Buffet. The lyric is from "Fruitcakes" which is a really fun song! The line is, "I treat my body like a temple, you treat yours like a tent." (He wasn't saying this to me specifically by the way... we were just discussing the wide variety of ways in which people treat their bodies!)

In just quoting that simple song lyric, my friend, once again, inspired me to get off my butt that particular day and do the cardio workout I was dreading. :)

I want to treat my body like a temple... something sacred and holy. I don't want to abuse it and treat it with disrespect. I did a lot of that in my younger years, so now I want to make up for lost time. I want to treat this body as the sacred vessel that it truly is!

I give thanks to people like my friend who inspire me in this arena. It is an area I have struggled with all my life. When I meet a 'master' I listen to their wisdom.

The little choices we make each and every day... add up to a result that we will live with long in to the future! It isn't about perfection... it's about consistently making good choices more often than we make poor choices!

How are you treating your body? It truly is the temple that houses your soul and your spirit. It deserves respect, love and care!