Morning Discipline – Health Focus: Consume Less Sugar

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pink doughnut on white textile

Good morning!

It is a new week and a new day and I’m so glad you could join me as we continue our journey toward renewing our minds and improving our self-discipline. If you’re just joining me, you can read my article, “Morning and Evening: A New Self Discipline Journey” to learn more about why I am doing this, and how this may benefit you as well.

This week we are going to focus each day on better physical health. Each day this week I will provide affirmations, scriptures, and daily challenges regarding this topic. Next week will be a new one!

With that said, let’s start our morning together!

BREATHING EXERCISE

Before we begin let us take some deep breaths to calm our mind and prepare us for this mornings discipline.

MUSIC FOR A NEW DAY

I personally like to have some soft music in the background, so if that’s something you like as well below you will find a song you can play for the duration of our time together.

PRAYER For Better Health

Now that we’re calm, let us transition to a time of prayer. Over the next few minutes you can pray on your own or feel free to use the following prayer:

All Powerful Lord,

I pray that You would bless me with a strong immune system s that I have a powerful defense against bacterial and viral infections. I thank You that when You created me, You put this system within me to protect me from illness.

Help me be diligent to promote a strong immune system through healthy habits and to avoid habits that compromise it.

Amen

Prayer for a Strong Immune System | 10 Strong Prayers for Good Health

AFFIRMATIONS for Better Health

Here are a few affirmations for this morning that you can put in your pocket and carry with you throughout your day.

As you read through them, repeat each one out loud at least three times before moving to the next. Take your time. Close your eyes and say them to yourself as well. Let these words sink into your heart and mind this morning:

  1. I am grateful for the access I have to healthy foods.
  2. I will make a conscious decision to eat less sugar and eat more nutrient rich foods.
  3. When I struggle I will turn to Jesus in prayer for strength.
  4. I will be the master of my diet.

SCRIPTURES For Better Health

As Christians, our affirmations should be rooted in the strength and power of God who empowers us and strengthens us to face every trial and every day (both good and bad).

Here are some scriptures that further support the affirmations we just spoke to ourselves. Again, repeat each one three times out loud before moving to the next one. Take your time. Maybe try to commit these to memory as well:

  1. Genesis 1:29, “Then God saiid, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'”
  2. Isaiah 1:19, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land…”
  3. John 6:35, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'”
  4. Proverbs 25:27, “It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.”

TODAYS CHALLENGE

Our challenge today is this: eat less sugar.

Our diet (what we eat) is one of the, if not the, greatest factor contributing to our health.

I hate to admit it, but I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Okay, maybe I have a HUGE sweet tooth. I really like sweet foods. Ice cream, Twinkie’s, candy bars, and now that we’re coming up on Easter I have to fight the urge to buy countless boxes of Cadbury Cream Eggs (one of my all time favorite sweet treats).

One thing we have learned through science, however, is that while sugar tastes good it actually contributes immensely to obesity, lowered immunity, and a plethora of other physical ailments.

Eating less sugar is hard, especially when most of the foods we likely eat in a day contain some amounts of sugar. But not all sugar is created equal. Fruits and vegetables contain sugar, but these are natural and a good source of nutrients. Sugars found in most packaged foods, however, is highly processed and contain far more sugar than is necessary.

Yesterday, we talked about introducing a food journal to your daily regimen. Use this as a good place to examine the foods you are eating. See what kind of sugar content is in them. Use the food tracker apps to get the nutritional value of what you’re eating or look at the packages and see what it contains before you stick it in your mouth. I’m not saying don’t have a candy bar. But really consider your day and what you eat and decide if that candy bar is the best option for that moment.

It’s not easy, but by taking simple and small steps with our diets, we can begin to make shifts to improve our eating habits and improve our health in the process.

Quote of the Day

I also wanted to include a little quote of the day that maybe you’ll find some inspiration in as well.

Today’s quote comes from Anne Wilson Schaef who was a psychologist and author, and she said:

Looking after my health today gives me a better hope for tomorrow.

Anne Wilson Schaef

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