Forgive And Live
Kahlil Carmichael MAPCC, MDIV, CPT is the pastor of Live Well Church, in Somerset, New Jersey.
He is a fitness specialist at The Fitness Doctor, a fitness and wellness consulting company; and the
author of 50 Tips for a Better You. He is a contributor to Guideposts magazine. His first publication,
Living Longer Living Better, is available now. Go to www.livewellchurch.org for more information.
Don’t we all want to live our best lives? Helping people live well is my mission, one that I take seriously. Lives can be transformed for the better by making correct choices. I believe the pathway to health and wellness begins in the heart and mind. Forgiveness of yourself and others with your whole heart is an essential part of the journey. We must forgive to be forgiven, and we also must learn to forgive ourselves. (Luke 6:37 NIV) Let’s discuss.
When you are harsh with yourself, putting yourself down for dropping the ball yet again, this is unforgiveness. Please show yourself grace and understanding and give yourself the room to begin again. Forgive yourself for any perceived failures and remove them from your mind. Today is a new day! This forgiveness will allow you to effectively take steps that strengthen and help your body and help free you from the looming risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, sleeplessness, and other conditions.
I encourage all readers to have an annual checkup. These evaluations by a medical professional can identify negative trends before they become problematic chronic conditions. Annual visits to your OB/GYN, primary physician, and dentist can alert you to developing conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, pre-diabetes, and many others. Be alert to ward off negative trends. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and nearly 48% of African Americans have some form of it, exacerbated by obesity.
After being evaluated by your doctor, it is time to increase physical activity with exercise. Performing aerobic activities help to strengthen your pulmonary and cardiac systems. Your circulatory system will also be revved up as oxygen and nutrients are pumped to your entire body. Walking is the best aerobic exercise to start with and can be done at the best speed for you. Workout at home or anywhere with my workout and modify it to fit your needs: https://youtu.be/E625Kq64XmQ Any moderate activity that increases your activity is probably the right thing to do, so walk, run, hula hoop, and jump rope your way to fitness. Invest in some barbells and create a routine to your favorite songs with arm curls, triceps extensions, squats, and more. Don’t forget to stretch to release the tightness of your muscle fascia to increase your range of motion.
Forgive yourself for eating unhealthily and move forward to a diet filled primarily with whole, unprocessed food like leafy, green vegetables and lean proteins. Work to eliminate excess sugar and toxic fillers that do silent damage to your cholesterol, kidneys and liver. Research suggests African Americans may carry a gene that makes them more salt-sensitive, increasing the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, so salt should be limited too. Your body will thank you.
Let us continue to seek our very best lives, to live well and prosper!