What's your motivation?

So what is your motivation? You have to have a reason for any efforts to be healthier. I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. There are several reason I stay motivated to be a healthier version of myself. This is a spiritual, mental, and physical process. No one can tell you why you need to be healthier. No one can tell you what your motivation needs to be… it is personal. You must seek it from your soul, pray about it or else you will not stay motivated to meet the goal and finish the race set for you. My first reason may sound silly to some but as a Bible teacher my answer is ,“because the Bible tells me to.“ The Bible plainly states the way I should eat and that we should take care of our bodies. We all are suppose to treat our bodies as temples that God has given us. Most of the time we fuel our bodies with foods and drinks that are far from what God intended us to eat. I want to be healthier in order for God’s plan for me to be fulfilled. If I take care of myself and eat properly I will be able to do His work here on earth. I can’t be a good disciple if I eat junk. My body does not work as well when I eat fast food…processed food. To tell you the truth as I sit here typing and eating my lunch (salad with grilled chicken topped with homemade vinaigrette, I just had to talk myself out of a run for fast food. My blood sugar has been low for me for the past two days and I figured it would be okay to have the junk. As I picked up my keys and headed to the door…reality sat in and I thought, “NO, NO, NO”. I put my keys back and told myself I would not allow myself to feel bad later in the day and pollute my body. There is a better way to elevate my blood sugar. And it sure isn’t a burger and fries. So I am enjoying my healthy salad and will enjoy those grapes in a little and my body will be happy. My second reason is most likely what each of you thought I would say first…MY KIDS! I have chosen to set an example to be healthy for them. I want to be healthy for them. I do not want to miss any of the milestones in their future because I am not able to participate or worse yet because I am not here! I have a choice to take care of myself and be healthy or not. You have the same choice. If eating healthy foods and exercising, taking care of myself in general keeps me around to watch my beautiful daughter and handsome son accomplish all that God has planned for them then I will do it. My health is something I can control as I am the one who makes the decisions on what I put in my body to fuel it. I decide whether I walk or not. I have watched over the last two years my nephew struggle with the loss of his dad…my brother. My brother didn’t have a choice in being here…. I have a choice. I will not put my children through the pain, suffering, the loss that my nephew has gone through…as least not because I didn’t take care of myself. I can fight the Diabetes…I am fighting the Diabetes…and right now I am winning… and it is all for God and my children. I mean seriously my children are the light of my life…the reason to wake up each morning. I guess there is one more selfish reason or form of motivation. MYSELF. Do you know how much better I feel since I started this journey?? How about the “high” from a nice long brisk walk where the heart is pumping? I can not put it into words. So, I will continue because I have energy to do all the things that I love. I sure wouldn’t be able to keep up with all the different “hats” I wear if I wasn’t taking steps to be healthier. I would just be complaining about being tired and stressed and having no energy. So I encourage you to think about your motivation. What is it that makes you tick? Why do you do what you do each day? You have to have some motivation…so what is it???