>>The Bottom Line

Health and Fitness—Does It Matter?
Karen Jensen | RMAI/RAA Staff Minister

Okay, tell the truth—have you tried to “do better” when it comes to eating and exercising, but you’ve come up short? Do you feel guilty or frustrated when people talk about losing weight, eating healthy, or getting fit? Or are you just interested in more information about eating right and staying in shape?

Then this issue of Connections is for you!

The truth is, our health is important every day of our lives. When we’re healthy and fit, we have energy for our loved ones and for the things we’re called to do. We look good. We feel good. We can spend more time thinking of others than of ourselves. We can save time (being sick in bed or waiting in a doctor’s office) and money (paying for medications or hospital stays). We can live longer and stronger.

Most of us would prefer to be healthy and fit, wouldn’t we? Who really wants to be overweight, stressed, tired, sluggish, or sick? But it takes effort and, perhaps most importantly, change. It doesn’t take one or two diets—it takes a lifestyle adjustment.

But it’s worth it!

This issue of Connections takes a look at some commonsense ideas that can put us on the road to a healthy lifestyle. It’s about changing our mindset. As with our past issue about finances (Spring/Summer 2008—“Financial Freedom: Getting Your House in Order”), the first step to getting on track is wanting to. And that means giving it some attention.

Too many times, if we’ve tried and failed in an area of our lives (finances, weight loss, etc.), we don’t like looking at it. But for change to take place, we’ve got to look at it. We’ve got to spend some time reading about it, studying it, and getting better at it—even if it’s just a little every week. We’ve got to be willing to make changes and keep at it.

Here’s some help to get started. I trust that the information in this issue will give you the “want-to” to get on the road to health and fitness so you can live longer and stronger—and look and feel great while you’re doing it!

A fellow laborer,

Karen Jensen
RMAI/RAA Staff Minister