S3 Bonus | How to work through the tension of stewarding our health versus being a slave to body image
I did not plan on recording or dropping this episode. But I have heard from so many of you that you are struggling in the tension of wanting to steward your health well without being bound to body image.
I have been where you are. Here's a glimpse of how I am navigating this space - and how you can join me in it too.
Join Carla in an impromptu bonus episode of Affirming Truths, addressing the struggle of balancing stewarding health and avoiding the traps of body image obsession. Learn how to prioritize well-being for a kingdom impact without letting it become an idol in your life.
Tension Between Health and Body Image
Acknowledges the tension between stewarding health for God's purpose and avoiding the pitfalls of body image obsession.
Highlights the need to strike a balance to effectively fulfill God's calling.
Importance of Being a Steward
Emphasizes the biblical call to be stewards of the resources, including physical health, to fulfill the various callings in life.
Recognizes the interconnected nature of spiritual, mental, and physical health.
Navigating the Nuances
Encourages listeners to trust their body's instincts while utilizing expertise in nutrition and health for informed choices.
Discusses the nuanced approach to being good stewards without letting health aspects become idols.
Prioritizing Health
Stresses the need to make health a priority to effectively fulfill roles as mothers, wives, and individuals.
Challenges listeners to evaluate their time and ensure that priorities align with their aspirations.
In His Image Wellness Collective
Offers resources for nutrition, low-impact movement, and spiritual encouragement.
Promises a supportive community to break chains and transform the struggle into a journey of stewardship.
Connect With Carla:
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> carlaagreswellness@gmail.com
Join In His Image Wellness Collective ---> carlaargeswellness@gmail.com
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
Check out the blog
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Carla: Hey friends, welcome to Affirming Truths. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode and it would mean the world to me if you would leave a review.
[00:00:30] Carla: I am so glad you're here. Let's get started.
[00:00:37] Carla: Hey friends, it is Carla here and I am recording this impromptu bonus episode on a Monday and it's dropping this Thursday. So when you're listening to it now, and it is impromptu because I really want to respond to a lot of the struggle I see you guys [00:01:00] having, and a lot of the struggle I see you guys having coming out of the body image episode, a lot of the struggle you guys are communicating with me over on Instagram, in terms of making Jesus time, a priority in your life, and Just in general, how you're struggling with taking care of your mental, physical, and spiritual health.
[00:01:26] Carla: There's this tension that exists, particularly when we talk about physical health, like I mentioned in the body image episode, not too long ago, you know, there, the world wants us obsessed with body image. So we can't go about doing God's will, but there's a nuance to that, because we do need to be a good steward of the resources he's given us, which includes our health, right?
[00:01:54] Carla: In order to effectively do what he is calling us to do, whether that [00:02:00] is being a mom With patience and grace, whether that's being a wife, that's forgiving and compassionate, whether that's homeschooling your kids or working corporately or whatever you do, maybe it's in ministry, maybe God's calling you to a passion project, whatever it is, we're told to run the race, running the race.
[00:02:23] Carla: Well requires health. Right? It requires a healthy mindset where we are renewing our mind. It requires a strong spiritual foundation when we are meeting with Jesus. And yes, it requires physical health. God is calling us to be a steward of his resources, but not let the resources lord over us. And that's so nuanced, right?
[00:02:53] Carla: He's called us to be A good steward of our financial resources, but not let [00:03:00] money be what drives us, right? We are called to be a good steward of our time, but not let busyness be a badge of honor that we carry. And we are called to be a good resource of our health without allowing body image become an idol in their lives.
[00:03:18] Carla: And these are nuanced and tricky places. And I see You guys struggling and not only do I see you guys struggling, I have been in that struggle myself. I shared with you over, um, on a few body image episodes and on my Instagram that I struggled with making my body image Lord over my life and having, uh, just idolatry when it comes to my health.
[00:03:47] Carla: And I had to correct that, but I've also had to learn how to take care of my physical health. Because there is so much tied to our physical health and our spiritual health and our [00:04:00] emotional health and our mental health, right, we are interconnected being for our spiritual health is not separate from our mental health is not separate from our all interconnected and we need to be a good steward.
[00:04:15] Carla: Right. So how, how do you do that? How do you go about taking care of your health and your mind and your spirit in a way that doesn't become an idol in your life? And I'll just share with you a little bit about what I'm doing. And then I have, I think, a really important And cool invitation for you guys.
[00:04:41] Carla: So what I have learned is that my body has been designed to know what it needs. So I need a functional nutrition plan to give me the knowledge of how to eat, but then I need to trust my body instincts on what to eat and how to eat and when [00:05:00] in partnership. With expertise from nutrition. So I have seen natural paths and nutritionists and been different programs and have gotten a lot of knowledge, right?
[00:05:11] Carla: Now I'm not letting the knowledge run me, but I'm using that data to make choices that serve my wellbeing. And same when it comes to my mental health, my mental health requires that I move my body. My mental health requires that I eat well. My mental health requires that I have good sleep hygiene. My mental health requires that I'm rooted in my faith.
[00:05:36] Carla: So to be a good steward of my health and show up in the calling of mom, as a calling to you guys in affirming truth, to show up in ministry to my ladies group, I need to take care of those pillars in my life. And so I'm learning to prioritize movement and movement that makes sense given [00:06:00] where I'm at in my cycle.
[00:06:01] Carla: And I don't know how to move on my own guys. I am not a personal trainer. So I use resources that tell me how to move and show me how to move. And based on how I'm feeling that day, based on the priorities of my life and what my body needs. I utilize the resources to move same with our spiritual life.
[00:06:27] Carla: Getting into the word is so important. And I see so many of you guys struggling with overwhelm. And I used to do that too. I used to think that I had to be a I'm a scholar in order to understand the Bible, but guys, there are resources that you can use to help. I use resources to help me study the Bible and I have prioritized time with Jesus in the morning.
[00:06:54] Carla: And guys, sometimes that doesn't look all quiet and perfect. Like this morning during my [00:07:00]Jesus time, my son was talking to me, he wanted me to scratch his back. He's, he's graduating from grade eight tonight, so he's all nervous and butterflies and he was constantly. Yeah. Like interrupting me. And I just went with the flow because here's the thing, God will honor our efforts to meet him.
[00:07:18] Carla: So whether you have a two year old hanging off your leg or a nervous teenager about to graduate, you can still get your Jesus time in if you're flexible and how that happens. And so I really want to encourage you guys to work in the balance. To be a good steward of your health without allowing those things to be lured over you, without allowing those things to be lured over you.
[00:07:50] Carla: And here's some things I've learned in my journey. I need resources. Absolutely. I need resources. I need nutrition resources. [00:08:00] I need movement resources. I need spiritual life resources. I need resources for my mental health. I need support, right? Support for my mental health looks like me going to therapy.
[00:08:14] Carla: Support for my spiritual health is me going, um, to Bible study and to church. Support for my physical health requires community as well. We are meant to be in community. So when it comes to physical health, that doesn't change either. So I'm in community when it comes to my physical health, I've also learned in addition to needing resources and needing community that I need to make it.
[00:08:42] Carla: A pri o ri ty. Ooh, and I know that that is hard, right? Here's the thing, we will say lots of things are important to us, but when we're actually challenged to look at how we spend our time during the day, [00:09:00] often what we say is a priority that doesn't show up in our day to day. Is patient as a mom, a priority for you, then you need to take care of your health, right?
[00:09:12] Carla: Spiritual health, physical health, mental health, because when we are on edge mentally, when we are not grounded spiritually, when we don't feel well physically, because our gut health, which is a big thing is off and our hormones are hormonal balance is off. We don't have the capacity to be patient. Right?
[00:09:33] Carla: If we want to show up in our life the way God is calling us to show up to love him and to love others, then we have to make it a priority in our life to steward our well being for the kingdom, to steward our well being for the kingdom. It's so tricky. And I [00:10:00] know you guys are struggling. I know you guys want to feel good.
[00:10:04] Carla: I know you guys want to feel like you can take on what God is calling you to do. I know you want to feel less sick and less tired and less bloated and less constipated. Yes, I said it. I know you guys want to feel that your mind and your body and your spirit are in alignment. With the Holy Spirit. I know that's what you guys want.
[00:10:29] Carla: I know it. I know it because that's what I want. And guys, we're so much alike, right? That's why you're here because we're so much alike. We share stories. We share struggles. So I get it. But you have to make it a priority. You have to get the resources you need and you have to get into community. That's what you have to do.
[00:10:54] Carla: And you have to get resources and a community that serve the kingdom [00:11:00] objective. So you are not tempted to make your wellness and your body image. An idol, right? That's key. Who you surround yourself with in this journey matters. What you take in during this journey matters. And here's where the invitation comes.
[00:11:22] Carla: Because I see so many of you struggling. Because I see how you guys are living in the tension. Of not wanting to be a slave to body image, but do want to nurture your health and steward it for the kingdom. Because I see living in that tension and struggling. I have created a group called in his image wellness collective, and I'm so excited about it.
[00:11:49] Carla: It is kicking off July 4th, and we are doing a four week focus on gut health, because the root of so much of [00:12:00] us not feeling well is in our gut, is in our gut. Our gut is our second brain. It is what helps it's where a lot of our serotonin is produced. Did you know that I did not know that for the longest time you think of serotonin as a brain chemical and it's related to depression, but it's actually made primarily in your gut, your immune system, how affected it is, how strong it is, is tied to your gut health, your hormonal balance.
[00:12:30] Carla: And if you're aging like I am, that's so important. It's tied to your gut health, right? So much of how we feel, how we sleep, our bloat, our skin, everything is tied to our gut health. And I have struggled for so long with my gut health with IBS was so much. And I've been working with a nutritionist and discovered so many things about my gut health and food sensitivities.
[00:12:58] Carla: I'm so excited that I [00:13:00] found a resource to use with you guys that is going to help the July 4 kicking off a four week focus on gut health. We are going to learn how to heal our gut. We are going to do movement four days a week, which is totally manageable in the summer. That supports gut health healing is how we move matters to when we are trying to de stress our bodies.
[00:13:24] Carla: We don't want to do movement that is going to. add stress to the body. So this is low impact movement that is going to support the work that we're doing with the gut health. So you are going to have resources for nutrition. You are going to have resources for movement. I am going to be providing weekly devotions and encouragement and, and tools and tips and resources on how to build a morning routine with Jesus.
[00:13:53] Carla: You're going to get a community of other women going through this with you. We are in it together to cheer [00:14:00] each other on, to hold each other accountable. Iron sharpens iron, and that's what we're going to do in this group. And I am so excited because I really believe this group is going to break chains.
[00:14:13] Carla: I believe this group is going to take the struggle out of your health. Out and you are going to be fully supported in stewarding your health God's way. I believe that this group is going to get you being the person with the patience and the grace that God is calling you to be as you fix some of the issues in your life.
[00:14:35] Carla: We are going to work on mindset, renewing our mind, taking thoughts captive, placing our thoughts and obedience to Christ. This is going to be an incredible group, nutrition resources for gut health, movement resources for workouts. Four week focus kicking off July 4th. In the show notes, the only links I'm going to put is my [00:15:00]email address and my Instagram handle.
[00:15:03] Carla: If you want to be a part of this group and you want information on how to do it, send me an email or DM me an Instagram. And don't be shy. What do you have to lose? I know you're struggling. I think I have an answer for you. So let's do this together. And let's remember that stewarding our health is not for our own gain.
[00:15:27] Carla: Ultimately stewarding our health is so that we can make kingdom impact and that kingdom impact start in our own home with our own families. All right, let's do it friends.
[00:15:46] Carla: Thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social media, but if we're not, come find me on Instagram at Carla Arges or at Affirming Truth. Can't wait to see you back here next week. Bye, friends![00:16:00]