The Spiritual Side of Exercise and Eating Healthy

Pardon me while I wax spiritual here...

I personally view this body of mine as a gift, as something to treat with respect and to care for. This is a recent change in my perspective. For a long, long time I had a sense of indifference when it came to my physical self. But lately (the last couple of years) that has shifted and for this I am grateful.

I only have one body. It houses what I consider to be my soul. In my opinion, how I chose to treat this body is a direct, outward expression of my appreciation for this gift. So, if I treat it like crap, I am basically saying to the powers that be, that gave this body to me, that I do not appreciate or respect it. And that simply is not true. I DO appreciate it. And to make excuses that reflect otherwise is a silly, lame and disrespectful thing to do.

Here's an analogy: About two years ago I moved from a really horrible neighborhood into a much nicer one. Cleaner, lower crime rate, quiet and safe. I was, and still am, thrilled to have a place to return to on a daily basis that protects me, is an area of town where the police aren't trotting through my yard once a week with K9's, and people aren't yelling at each other in alcohol or drug induced rages outside of my bedroom window. I don't think I have heard one single gun shot since I moved. The difference in my life from that neighborhood to this one has made it possible for me to remember that not ALL of the world is dangerous, scary and unsafe. I can now TRULY relax when I'm home. I can have friends over with minimal worry that their cars will be broken into while parked outside of my apartment. I want my home to be clean. I am proud of where I live. I want it to be inviting to friends and loved ones. I am invested in my home in many ways. It's AMAZING what happens when ones living environment is improved.

So imagine what happens to your soul when IT'S living environment is cleaned up, cared for, loved and respected.

My body, and yours (again, this is me being all spiritual and stuff), needs to be a safe, clean place for your soul to be able to call home. When your soul is shown that it is welcome by giving it cared for, healthy body, it stands to reason that it will be more comfortable, feel more calm, and be more at ease with life when one is healthy. Just as my life has improved in many ways by changing my home environment, imagine how your life 
can improve when all of you knows it is cared for, respected and loved, both your physical and spiritual self. Put healthy things into you and all things about you will be healthier. Do healthy things with yourself and again, all things about you will be healthier. Physical, spiritual, mental, emotional...all of it. 

This is just my opinion, and I have no proof whatsoever that a soul even exists. It's just what I believe. And it is a motivator of mine to not give up on my new lifestyle.