What does living your best life look like? At Homestyle Fitness we believe that your best life is one in which you are fulfilling your God-given purpose and maximizing your potential. There are many aspects that are required to reach your full potential. We're not going to sit here and pretend like we've got it all figured out, because we don't. However, we would like to share some of the aspects to living your best life and reaching your full potential that we have recently been learning about. Hopefully this will challenge your view on living a purposeful life, health and the likes. We also hope that through this article you are able to see the heart and soul of Homestyle Fitness Inc. We want to help you live your best life and fulfill your potential. The way we do that is by getting you involved in a personalized exercise routine, but there are many other aspects to maximizing your potential as well. So read on!
The following is a list, in no particular order, of aspects to fulfilling your potential and thereby living your best life.
1. Evaluate your values. And then live them out. What do you TRULY value? What do you want your life to look like? Make a list and then start to realign your life with those values. For us that meant removing excess possessions in our house which has freed up time, space (both physically and mentally) and money to redirect into our deepest values.
2. Finances. It is hard to be available and flexible and FREE to follow God's calling and fulfill your purpose when you are weighed down by over-consumption and debt. We are called to be good stewards of our resources, and being in the wealthiest 1% of the world, we as North Americans have a lot of resources to work with. We are called to be responsible and GENEROUS. We recently sat down and took a hard look at our personal finances. We created an actual, real-life budget. It is so empowering to know exactly where every penny is going and to know you have control over that. Money can be tricky. If you need some help, I would recommend reading Joshua Becker’s articles about finances and checking out Dave Ramsey's content.
3. Exercise. Obviously, this is one we are very passionate about. If you want to fulfill your purpose in life you need to be physically able to do it. You will need clarity of mind, energy, stamina and strength. All of these things and more are a result of regular exercise. Exercise does not need to be a vain pursuit, in fact it can and should be purposeful and Holy. I'm not trying to say that God can't use you if you are not physically healthy. In fact there are many amazing stories of what God has done through people that are terminally ill. However, I do believe that we are called to make the most of our resources for His glory, and your body is an amazing resource that can be used to do great things.
4. Healthy Eating. This goes hand in hand with exercise. Fueling your body properly and having a healthy relationship with food is crucial to your health and therefore your abilities and therefore your potential. The new Canadian Food Guide is a great resource for learning more about what healthy eating looks like. They've got all kinds of tips and recipes as well.
5. Self care/ stress management. As the Danes say "you have to put your own oxygen mask on first or else you are of no use." Now while we believe that a purposeful life is one of serving others, it is necessary to also take time for self care (reflection, recreation, relaxation, renewal). The oxygen mask line is obviously a reference to flight attendants’ well known instructions to put your own oxygen mask on before assisting your children and others. But it makes a good analogy in that you can't help others when you are depleted and overspent. So this week try watching one less hour of TV per night and use the time instead to journal, go for a walk, chat with a loved one, engage in a hobby or just sit with a cozy blanket and reflect on the day. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
6. Finally, and most importantly is spending time with your Creator. The One who designed you with a specific purpose, as a totally unique person with totally unique talents, gifts, influences, and resources. Ask Him what He wants to do through your life and who He wants you to become. The answer might surprise you, but I know the only way for sure to live your best life is to spend it in relationship with Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords.
There are certainly other things that contribute to a purposeful life, such as supportive relationships, getting enough sleep, learning your value and more. For now, we hope this article has given you enough to think about to help you get on your way to living your best life.
We started Homestyle Fitness Inc. because we want to help YOU reach your full potential! I am passionate about helping others establish regular exercise routines that will help them reach their goals for their lives! I want to help people have more energy, more strength, more self confidence and better overall health. If this sounds like something I could help you with, contact me today and I’ll set up a free, no-obligation consultation.
Thanks for reading my first ever blog post. I hope you learned something and are challenged and inspired!
Resources: A lot of the content for this post has been inspired by a few key people and their writings- mainly Joshua Becker (The More of Less and Becoming Minimalist) and Charles F Stanley (How to Reach Your Full Potential For God). Definitely check them out if you are interested!