Getting Fit in Mind, Body, and Soul

by Randy Hain | April 11, 2024 12:05 am

I really don’t like going to the doctor and will do anything to avoid it.  However, I am starting to recognize that I can no longer take my health for granted.  I went to my doctor for a routine physical and heard once again that I needed to shed some weight, change my diet. He told me to get more exercise in order to lower my cholesterol  levels.  With a history of heart disease and diabetes in my family, he said I was headed towards the point of no return in a few years. I needed to make a course correction.  The drive home from his office gave me time to reflect on his words… and remember what I have to live for.

I realized that ignoring my health for the last 10+ years was selfish.  It wasn’t just my health and life I was risking, but my selfishness was putting my family at risk as well.  What about my business?  My ministry work for the Church?  Others who depend on me?  By the time I pulled into the driveway of my home that afternoon, I resolved to make some significant changes in my life and daily routines. These changes would address not only the importance of my physical health, but also my mental and spiritual health as well.  I was determined to get fit in mind, body and soul.

Getting physically fit would be challenging enough, but how would I address the other areas?  Many people (myself included) express frustration with being too busy and not having enough time for prayer, reading and exercise.  They may select one area for improvement, but rarely will all three be addressed at once.  I suggest the solution may lie in being more efficient with our busy schedules and combining activities when possible.

Here are four practical ideas for making time work for us:

Avoiding sugar-filled desserts and junk food, adopting sensible eating habits, more diligent fasting, running and lots of prayers are doing the trick!  I feel more mentally alert and full of energy than I have in years.  My Rosary/running regimen has brought me closer to the Blessed Mother, my prayer life is thriving and I am squeezing more spiritual reading into formerly unproductive time.   My faith, family, friends and business are all benefiting from my improved health and increased vitality.

These specific ideas and approaches may or may not work for you.  Ideally, we should all seek out more quiet time for prayer without distractions.  We should make our spiritual reading a priority and we should treat our bodies like the temples they are.  In my weakness, I will likely continue to have struggles in these areas. God made us for a heavenly home, but first we must live in this hectic and chaotic world.  I look at the ideas I have laid out as steps in the right direction and not final solutions.

Maybe we all require the right catalyst.  For me, recognizing that ignoring my health was selfish and pondering the negative effects of a future with poor health on my faith, family, friends, ministry work and business drove me to make changes.  I couldn’t seem to make these changes for myself, but I am committed to making them for Christ, my loved ones and my work.

What will it take for you to get fit in mind, body and soul?

Image credit: via ShutterStock

Please help spread the Gospel. Share this Scripture with family and friends on Facebook and other social media.




We are grateful for your support…

Can you give as little as $10 a month to support great Catholic content? We strive to operate on a very small budget, but we need your help. Both one-time and monthly donations are welcome. Just $10 a month will help cover the cost of operating Integrated Catholic Life for one day! Please help us bring enriching and inspiring Catholic content to readers around the world by giving today. Thank you!

Source URL: https://integratedcatholiclife.org/2024/04/hain-getting-fit-in-mind-body-and-soul-2/