What you do with your body sets the tone for everything else. Physical health influences your mental health, your spiritual health, your emotional health, your relational health, and even your financial health. ~ The Daniel Plan
The Daniel Plan
In order to bloom, we must be healthy—-body, soul (mind and emotions), and spirit. These 3 parts make up the whole of who we are and are completely entwined. Like a braided vine, they cannot be separated.
There are a lot—A WHOLE LOT—of eating/diet plans and most of them are focused on what we eat and even when we eat. And those really are important factors when trying to reach a healthy weight and to live a healthy lifestyle. But it’s only one part of being truly healthy.
This is why I like The Daniel Plan. It addresses the whole person, and in so doing gets to the root of the reasons for why and how we eat and take care of our bodies the way that we do.
What The Daniel Plan is (from their website):
The Daniel Plan is a groundbreaking healthy lifestyle program founded on biblical principles and focused on The Essentials: Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus and Friends. The program offers a comprehensive approach to achieving a healthy lifestyle where we get better together by restoring our health in each of these life areas. The best part is that each essential supports and influences the others, offering a practical step-by-step approach that anyone can follow.
I try to read The Daniel Plan devotional every morning. Each daily entry is short and talks about some aspect of being healthy.
I also signed up to receive occasional emails from them. I find them to be interesting and motivating. I honestly don’t always take the time to read them, but when I do, I’m glad.
The Daniel Plan does talk about healthful eating and exercise, as all healthy lifestyle programs do, and should, but it may not be as comprehensive in that area as some “dieters” are used to. Unlike the plethora of other diet books, The Daniel Plan has a heavy emphasis on our spiritual and emotional life.
And this is what I think about all of that. We can learn something from more than one plan, or idea, and tailor and incorporate what works for us. I don’t think there really is a one-size-fits-all when it comes to how to eat and exercise because we all have different bodies that respond in unique ways.
But we do know one thing for certain—any good healthy lifestyle program is going to tell us to eat in moderation, eat more whole foods than processed ones (if ANY processed ones), cut down or eliminate sugar, white flours, unhealthy fats, too much salt, sodas, fast foods…and to drink water and exercise regularly. Also, to make a regular practice of fasting—for the spiritual and physical health. We know these are all common threads through every plan. In fact, I’ve often joked with my husband about some of those diet pills that say to take 1-3 every day ALONG WITH regular exercise and a good healthful diet. I would bet the farm that a person wouldn’t even have to take those expensive pills if they would just do the suggested exercise and healthy lifestyle ideas!
I think the most important thing is to commit all of this to God and to ask for His help, by the power of His Spirit within us.
As we daily commit our bodies and choices each day to Him, He will lead us to the healthy foods and lifestyle to keep us in the best health so that we can produce blooms every day for years to come! Our choices today affect all our tomorrows.
Check out The Daniel Plan website and I feel certain you will find inspiration, encouragement, and practical ideas to help you become healthy—spirit, soul, and body. And remember that no plan or person is perfect. Look for what is helpful and good, don’t try to find an excuse to not listen or try because you don’t like or agree with everything. And by all means, if you have found a way of eating and exercising that is working for you, stick with it! The Daniel Plan can be a support and encouragement in what you are already doing…
Too often, popular diet fads offer fast formulas, easy pills, and secret cures that supposedly will melt the fat away. By contrast, The Daniel Plan helps you to face the truth about yourself and your relationship to God, to food, to your purpose in life, and to other people. ~ The Daniel Plan
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What makes The Daniel Plan different than other approaches is that it is built on trusting God’s power to help you change, not merely your own willpower. Let’s be honest. Willpower works for a few weeks, or maybe a month or two at best. This is why New Year’s resolutions never last. Trying to change by willpower alone is exhausting. You can keep it up for a while, but it feels unnatural and stressful to force yourself to be different simply on the basis of willpower. ~ The Daniel Plan
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In The Daniel Plan you will learn the power of prayer, the power of faith, the power of letting God’s Spirit refocus your thoughts, the power of fellowship and community in a supportive small group, and, most of all, the power of God’s Spirit inside you, helping you to make the changes God wants you to make and you want to make. ~ The Daniel Plan
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Your body is holy because God made it, and everything God makes has a purpose. We are to bring glory to God with our bodies, so we can’t compartmentalize our lives and think that we can divorce our bodies and live as if only our spirit matters. God owns our body! ~ The Daniel Plan
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Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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Jesus promises that the truth will make you free. But first, the truth is likely to make you miserable! We don’t like to face the truth about ourselves, our weaknesses, our bad habits, and especially our motivations. But until you face the truth about why you do what you do and get to the root of your habits, changes is likely to be shallow and short-lived. ~ The Daniel Plan
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You don’t get healthy by accident. It’s intentional. It’s a choice. Actually, it’s a lifetime of choices, but it begins with a decision. ~ The Daniel Plan
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The secret of self-control is to allow ourselves to be Spirit-controlled. ~ The Daniel Plan
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
The Daniel Plan ~ Rick Warren D. Min. ; Daniel Amen M.D.; Mark Hyman M.D.
The Daniel Plan Devotional: Daily Encouragement for a Healthier Life
You Are Not What You Weigh: End Your War With Food and Discover Your True Value ~ Lisa Bevere
Breaking the Stronghold of Food: How We Conquered Food Addictions and Discovered a New Way of Living ~ Michael L. Brown (with Nancy Brown)
Good Health, Good Life: 12 Keys to Enjoying Physical and Spiritual Wellness ~ Joyce Meyer