How many times have you used these words, “I just don’t have the time.” You may be sitting in front your television set with a bowl of popcorn on your lap, popping one after another when you say it. Or, you may be making meatballs while holding a baby on your hip. Whatever you may be doing, the words, “I don’t have the time,” are ones we utter, often without thinking, when we are not inclined to do something.
The book of Ecclesiastes tells us in verse 1, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” The chapter goes on to say, among other things: “a time to be born and a time to die … a time to mourn and a time to dance … a time to search and a time to give up …” (v 2, 4, 6).
The book of Ecclesiastes is believed to have been written by King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. However, Ecclesiastes itself is called the book of skeptical wisdom because it seems to take a skeptical look at life. Everything is vanity,” the writer says in Ecclesiastes 1: 2. Nothing is of lasting value.
I think Solomon was reflecting on the futility of human effort. We work, we toil, and in the end we die and leave all our material goods to someone else. However, I think Solomon would have been the first to say that work is essential, for in chapter 11:6 he says, “Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”
So, what does this have to do with time? We make time for those things we consider necessary or important. Therefore, if we think that our health is important then we would do what is necessary to ensure we achieve or maintain health. That means eating right, getting enough physical activity, resting, and ridding our lives of stress.
Once we accept that living a healthy life is our key to being effective as a wife, mother, employee, and a child of God, we have crossed the first hurdle. We cannot function effectively in those capacities if we are not in the best of health. But, I will be the first one to admit that juggling a day job, looking after a family, taking care of pets and a myriad other things leaves you with little time for exercise.
This is where a health coach comes in. Just as a financial advisor examines your income and expenses and shows you places in your finances where you can trim spending in order to save or invest, just so I can help you set goals and show you how to trim your diet and your activities in order to have a healthy lifestyle and a happier and more meaningful life.
If the preacher were writing today, he might say, “Now is the time to get healthy.” Not tomorrow or when you think you have the time, but now, today. You can begin by simply walking around the block for 10 minutes. If you have a bicycle, you may be able to bike twice as long. As you do this, you will find that your body begins to enjoy the exercise and wants to do more. Listen to your body and respond to it as it adjusts.
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