Home is Where the Heart Is
February 16, 2011 by Deb
Well, we are already six weeks into 2011. How are you doing with your fitness and wellness program? 1 out of every 3 people statistically has already given up on their New Year’s Resolution and yet is still paying for their gym membership. Want to know the secret to staying healthy and fit? You don’t need to go to the gym to find out – see article! Once you put your heart into it…then you can get fit anywhere and anytime!
Home is Where the Heart Is
If home is where the heart is, why do so many people neglect their heart, both physically and spiritually? Is your heart suffering due to a lack of exercise or to the foods you eat? Maybe your heart is bogged down with negative emotions (anger, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, fear or resentment). In either case, the heart becomes cluttered with an emotional filth that leaves no room for physical cleanliness. Would you enjoy living in a home that is dirty, cluttered, dangerous, and gloomy? I imagine most would answer that question with an emphatic “No!” Why, then, would anyone live with a heart condition that is equally harmful and depressing?
Your heart is the central operating unit for the entire body, pumping blood, oxygen, and nutrients to every cell. It’s the home base, if you will, from which the entire body receives its commands, including the mind and its ability to think. Phrases such as, “Home is where the heart is,” “Home sweet home,” “A man after His own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), even “homesick” are reminders of where we long to be…HOME! If you are out of shape and depressed, however, do you stuff your home and your heart with things that never fill the hole left by what you are truly seeking? If we long to be home and our heart is the “home” from which we operate to our fullest potential (when we’re healthy), we should honor that home-clean it, purify it, fuel it, and exercise it to offer maximum benefits. The rewards are even far greater than what the heart offers physically. The heart is the home to a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
The first step in clearing the filth that has entered your heart (emotionally or physically) is to change the way you think. When you recognize and accept that you are worth the effort it takes to have a clean and healthy heart, you are ready to put the following necessary steps into action:
1. Emotional triggers: Address them! Whether your triggers concern past or present issues, decide to let go and release the negative thoughts, feelings and actions that go along with that emotion. Ask yourself: Does my attitude serve me or those around me? You may be hanging onto anger and resentment even though the person against whom the emotions are directed has been set free (because she/he did not allow emotions to run her life). Do you find yourself stuffing your emotions with food, alcohol, drugs, lust or shopping, to name a few? If so, consider what your future may look like five years from now if you continue down that path.
2. Action Plan: Put a specific plan in place for every day. Journal your eating, exercise, feelings and actions. Such accountability will develop into a daily pattern or habit. Hiring a coach/Personal trainer or checking in with a close friend also works wonders to keep you accountable.
3. Measure: Take time each week to check in and measure your results. There is no greater motivator than seeing the progression that leads to one’s goals.
4. Reward: When positive results are clearly shown, a healthy reward is key to encouraging you to continue reaching new and perhaps even greater goals.
Once you get to the “heart of the matter,” you will appreciate that home indeed is where the heart is-and that taking care of your heart is critical for you and for those who love you most.
Blessings Always,
Deb
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