I’ve been hitting diet and healthy eating pretty hard the past few months. So, I wanted to take a step back for a moment to remind you (and me) of the importance of a healthy mind, heart, and spirit. I believe the balance of these leads you to an unparalleled health.
I think we can get too caught up with ‘Eat this’ and ‘Don’t eat that’ or ‘this or that’ exercise that we lose sight of what truly matters. As we become obsessed with food and health, we lose ourselves and that ain’t healthy at all.
So, this week we’re taking a step back to seek peace, calm our minds, and refresh our spirits. We must not forget that healthy living includes these things as well! And without them, we can’t truly be healthy.
There are some old Biblical and Chinese Proverbs and quotes that I believe are so relevant to having a healthy life. The Proverbs and quotes are powerful on their own, so I’ll let them speak for themselves…
Health
The trouble with always trying to preserve the health of the body is that it is so difficult to do without destroying the health of the mind. – G.K. Chesterton
There are lots of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they haven’t the time to enjoy it. – Josh Billings
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. – Mark Twain
To ensure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life. – William Londen
The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good health lies in successful adjustment to changing stresses on the body. – Harry J. Johnson
Eating
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is present than a fattened ox served with hatred. – Proverbs 15:17
One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of being choked. – Chinese Proverb
Heart and Spirit
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23
A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. – Proverbs 14:30
When the heart is at ease, the body is healthy. – Chinese Proverb
A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. – Proverbs 15:13
Flies never visit an egg that has no crack. – Chinese Proverb
The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit who can bear it? – Proverbs 18:14
Joy
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22
One joy scatters a hundred griefs. – Chinese Proverb
A smile will gain you ten more years of life. – Chinese Proverb
You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair. – Chinese Proverb
Our Mind
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha
Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health. – Dalai Lama
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. – Buddha
Peace
Though peace is commonly thought of as “world peace” or peace between two people, peace within oneself is just as important. Here a few quotes that could be applied to not just relational peace (peace between two beings) but also individual peace (peace within yourself).
Let us forgive each other – only then will we live in peace. – Leo Tolstoy
Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. – Ronald Reagan
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. – Gandhi
Peace may sound simple – one beautiful word – but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength, every dream, every high ideal. – Yehudi Menuhin
Peace. It does not mean to be in place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those and still be calm in your heart. – Unknown
My Challenge to You
I hope you are refreshed and motivated after reading these quotes. Again, I think it is so, so, so very important to not only focus on our physical health but also our spiritual and mental health too.
I believe that when you take time to take care of your heart, spirit, mind, and body while seeking out joy and peace, then you have found the key to truly living a healthy life. Holistic health isn’t just about ‘natural’ remedies or detoxing, but also about balancing your heart, mind, body, and spirit.
So, I want to challenge you to seek out joy and peace until you’ve found them. Take time to refresh your heart, mind, and spirit. Being healthy is more about the journey and less about the destination.