The answer hasn’t changed in nearly a decade. I have always been in awe of the fact that you can (to some degree) control your overall health and wellness by the (consistent) food and beverage choices you make. To me, it was like finding the Holy Grail of health secrets. If you want to look, feel, and live your best life, fuel your body with God-given nourishment. 

Seems incredibly simple to me, yet so many struggle to make the same deep connection with their daily food choices and their overall health. I’ll admit, sometimes I struggle to keep my composure sitting on the sidelines watching some of you wreck your health, and take the long road to get what you say you want, by trying gimmicks, fad diets, and half-assing (excuse my French) a decent attempt at healthy living. 

My best description of the frustration I feel for you not seeing the forest for the trees is played out in a fight scene over lemons from the movie The Break-Up. You don’t have to have seen the movie to get the point. 

Jennifer Anniston plays Brooke, a loving girlfriend who has slaved way in the kitchen preparing a meal for guests. Vince Vaughn plays Gary, the non-appreciating boyfriend who forgets to bring her 12 lemons and offers no help in making a meal for their mutual friends. 

Of course, Gary offers excuse upon excuse why it wasn’t a big deal that he didn’t get the right number of lemons, blowing off his willingness to equally participate in the production of the event. He assumed zero responsibility for flubbing. 

The pivotal part is when Brooke screams at the top of her lungs – I WANT YOU TO WANT TO GET THE LEMONS. Meaning, it wasn’t that Gary forgot the lemons it’s that he didn’t respect her enough to show up fully and do his part in a healthy relationship. All she wanted was for him to acknowledge her request and get the right number of lemons because he wanted to do right by her. 

Y’ALL with all my heart – I WANT YOU TO WANT TO BE IN GOOD HEALTH. 

That means no excuses, no shortcuts, just an authentic desire to respect your body enough to do right by it by your daily decisions. Your intentions are what drives your results. 

You can manipulate the world of nutrition all you want to get what you want out of it – quick results, fitness magazine-worthy defined muscles, or a thigh-gap – but it all comes with a cost. 

Most of you are forfeiting a mature and long-lasting relationship with food and your health for wanting your body to change for all the worldly reasons and not because you genuinely wish to be in good health. Because good health doesn’t always “look” like you want it to and it still cost more than you are willing (to admit you are ready) to give up. 

The Bible is clear on motives and intentions – one gut-wrenching depiction of checking your reasons (yes, even with your incentives on choosing a diet plan) is in the fourth chapter of James. 

James 4: 2-3 (AMP) 

You are jealous, and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned]. You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. 

[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intentions are [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures. 

How many times have you gotten mad at yourself (a diet plan, a pill, powder or even a dietitian’s recommendations) or even God for not melting the fat away, like it appeared it did for the “other” people? How many times do you burn with envy scrolling through social media, walking through your day, all the while ordering meals you know aren’t balanced, skipping the exercise you know is needed or turning to sweets instead of God for stress? 

There is a war going on inside of you – and you’re fighting the wrong enemy. 

Today, take an honest inventory of your intentions and motives to be healthy. That may uncover some hard truths, but the Truth will set you free. But do you want to be free? 

Tough questions. 
I’m not here to coddle you. 
I’m here to help you want to want to get the lemons! 
I’m here to challenge how you think, not what you eat. 

You have no clue how much I truly desire to see you set free from the world's standards of healthy and happy and get your eyes on God sees for your health and overall wellbeing.

Life is full of frequent transitions. Whether it be a graduation, a marriage, a birth (or another birth), a divorce, a death, or a journey to transform your health and fitness, change breeds distress. While taxing and stressful, many life transitions lead to something new and exciting. 

Palm Sunday 🍃 begins Holy Week for Christians. It a week of celebration as we remember the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem and the week leading up to his cruxifixction. The people looked at Him as a Savior and a King. A crowd full of joy and hope gathered to witness Jesus ride into town on a donkey. Your heart almost breaks for those full of optimism that their time to be saved had come, not having a clue what that fulfillment would look like or transition in to. 

For us, we know that Easter is coming and the ending is better than anything one of those on the roadside could've imagined. To the original Palm Sunday gathers all that was finally going right in their world was about to be tested and turned upside down. Not to mention the transition Jesus's disciples and family were about to endure. 

Wonder what it was like to be Jesus, still fully human, to ride in and see all the excitement knowing the end of the story before it could be written and shared. I don't think we ponder Jesus's humanity nearly enough. I can't imagine the weight He felt knowing that even though the ending was in their favor, they were about to endure immense disappointment, confusion, and grief. Even though He tried to explain it all, Jesus knew it was a "you gotta see it, to believe it" event. 

Jesus knew a significant transition was about to take place for His disciples and the world. While Jesus was confident the outcome would be in everyone’s favor, His disciples and followers felt fear moving into unknown circumstances. Sorrow and self-doubt consumed His disciples during the events leading up to the crucifixion. 

Ultimately, Jesus was faithful in His promise and better days were to come. 

As you move through this Holy Week, imagine being one of His disciples, unaware of the end of the story. Then reflect on your own life. When you find yourself in the throes of an uncertain life transition, take heart knowing that Easter is coming. 

No one can take away the joy that comes from witnessing God’s faithfulness in your life’s circumstances. 

How much time do you spend thinking about food?

Thinking about what you should eat, or shouldn’t?

How many minutes (hours) do you scroll through social media longing for the latest fat burning hacks?

How much closer does the perfectly portioned, totally organic, low-fat, no-carb, heart-healthy, muscle building meal get you to God and happiness?

Do you spend equal amounts of time focused on real worship and gratitude? If not, it will never matter how balanced your plate is, your heart and life will continually be unbalanced and unfulfilled.

Trust me, I know. As a registered dietitian, I’ve worked a decade trying to help you build balanced meals, find time to exercise and convince you to value taking care of yourself because you are worth it. I still, wholeheartedly believe in that mission. Nevertheless, at the core, that well-intended message is flawed, and so is our collective approach to wellness.

We all want to be well.

There isn’t a single person who woke up this morning just dying to get to heaven. Not one of you rushed out of bed to check your blood pressure, blood sugar, or scale, giddy to see life threating numbers. That would be ludicrous.

The desire to be healthy is as universal as the desire for shelter, plenty of food, to feel safe and have opportunities to thrive. No one wishes against good health. It’s unnatural. We agree we all want to be well, but we might not all realize we can’t get to wellness without worship.

In Psalm 103, David understands that true worship is something deeply inward, of the soul. It’s not just bumper stickers, singing praise songs, church attendance, or checking off a daily devotional or liking Bible verses online. True worship is an inward lifestyle that springs from your soul. David called for everything from his head to his toe, to give honor and praise to God. That is going all in!

“O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!”

— Psalm 103: 1-2

We are quick to jump to verses 3-5 in Psalm 103 and want God’s favor in the form of forgiveness, healing, mercy, and goodness. And let's face it, most of our "wellness" desires are really in vain – a longing for youth! Isn’t that what you want, after all? Fewer wrinkles, a tight tushy, and to be able to run, jump, and play at any decade? That’s youth.

“He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.”

— Psalm 103: 3-5

But you can’t get to verse 3-5 without going through 1-2, first. Bluntly speaking, you can’t get to real wellness without going through authentic worship.

“O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!”

— Psalm 103: 1-2

Don’t forget a single blessing! What a call to action for believers who have been given so much already. When you finally take inventory of every single merit of favor God has bestowed on you, the remembrance along will provide you all the reason to stay in contestant praise.

Once the scale tips to more time spent in praise and worship than obsessing over food and your figure, you’ll start to see a wellness transformation from the inside out. I can’t promise you that worshiping God is the weight loss tool you’ve been praying for, but I can guarantee you, you will never reach true wellness, no matter your weight or athletic achievements, without worship.

As cliché as it sounds, on your death bed, what are you going to recall?

All God has provided you over your life span, or what was the protein, to carb ratio or your last meal?

Don’t wait till your dying to understand the benefits of living.

You can’t have earthly wellness without heavenly worship.

PS- God is good at calling out BS worship.

Go to God in worship as a no strings attached believer, not a beggar.

Love you, mean it.

“103 1-2 O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
”

— A David Psalm (The Message)