“Take care of your body.  It’s the only place you have to live” - Jim Rohn

The definition of functional is; 1. having a special activity, purpose, or task  2.designed to be practical and useful, rather than attractive.  I want you to focus on the words special purpose and useful as we apply the definition of functional to our physical bodies.  

Our physical bodies are a vessel to house our spirit, mind and heart.  It is also an awesome and complex machine that we study endlessly to understand it’s function (aka - physiology) We learn something new about it everyday, such as how is moves, grows, heals, rests, fights, thinks and relates to the environment.  It is an amazing creation and a beautiful work of art.

To often our culture likes to focus on the appearance of our bodies more than its practical functionality.  We worship it by obsessing over it’s curves, size, composition, glow, color, length and width. Our biggest concerns about our bodies are usually aspects that we have absolute no control over!  (ie: hair color, texture, height, skin, hips, nose, eyes, fingernails...the list goes on)

Just think what life would be like if we viewed and valued our bodies as a functional part of our lives rather than primarily focusing on its appearance.  Rather than striving to make our bodies attractive, we strive to perform special purposes with it. Your body is a vessel that transports your personality, passions and purpose.  Don’t neglect it or obsess about it.

Tending to your body is a necessity of life, but also a demonstration of love…A very influential friend of mine says, “love yourself to health”!   According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the primary needs for living are physiological needs such as breath, sleep, food, water, shelter and clothes.

Clothes and shelter should not be taken for granted or become excessive, but let’s focus on breath, sleep, food and water.

Breath - Breathing is the most critical component to life, yet how often do you really think about your breath?  It may seem very automatic and natural, but we should be intentional with it. I had a 16 year old athlete use a specific breathing pattern when she physically felt the anxiety on her chest and the overwhelm in her spirit and within a few minutes she had gained peace and confidence.  It can work wonders. Combine your breath with a gratitude practice for a few minutes each day and you’ll change the world.

Sleep - This is another critical component that is sometimes neglected and under appreciated.  Often it’s a badge of honor to “operate” off of little or no sleep. Oddly, we like to brag about our lack of sleep. Quality of life suffers when you are exhausted and eventually you can’t function as life demands. Our stress hormones (cortisol) go up and our energy goes down. Who wants to live like that? Always strive for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night.  You’ll notice an uptick in energy, patience, peace of mind, and coping skills!

Food - Consuming proper nutrients is a critical component for a full life.  If you fuel it with junk, it’ll begin to breakdown and perform like a piece of junk.  We discuss this more in depth later and while we don’t want you to obsess about this area, we don’t want you to neglect it either.  Learn and understand how a balance of proteins, fats, phytonutrients and carbohydrates can build a strong and functional body and how sugars and other junk food can harm it.

Water - You can survive for weeks without food, but you can’t survive more than a few days without water.  Hydration is necessary. Hydrate with water only. Avoid the sugary, nutrient dense drinks. Strive for drinking ½ your bodyweight in ounces each day.  (ie - 150 lbs. = 75 oz. of water) Carry around a reusable water bottle and know how many times you need to fill it to consume enough water each day.

A strong and healthy body is one that is cared for and loved on rather than abused, criticized, neglected or hated. We want you to learn how to care for, tend to, love on and appreciate the body you have since it serves a special purpose...carrying your heart, mind and soul for this world to experience!

Stay strong.  You are loved, you are worthy and you belong.

Work-in:

While reflecting on your physical health and strength, answer these questions:

• In what ways can you spend more energy focused on the functionality of your body vs. the appearance of your body?
• Grade yourself on a scale of 1-3 within each category on how effective you are at meeting your basic physiological needs. - Intentional breath, sleep, food and water (1 = struggle 3 = awesome)
• Share your ideas on how you will make each category a 5 each day.  

Self-reflection is an effective practice when making important changes. Here is an easy tracking tool that you can use daily as you strive for a “GREAT” and functionally sound day.  Use the acronym GREAT to rate your day. Use the scale 1-3 (1 = struggle 2 = average and 3 = awesome) A score of 12-15 would equal a pretty GREAT day.

G = Gratitude and breathing practice - 1-2 minutes a day is effective

R = Rest and sleep - 7-8 hrs.

E = Exercise or healthy movement each day - 30 min of healthy activity

A = Agua or Water (Aqua made this acronym work better ;) - ½ bodyweight in oz.

T = Total Nutrition - colorful plate, whole food choices. No shame, just honesty.