Parental Legacy Tip #2

Parental Legacy Tip #2
Rev. James T. Allerton

As promised, here is the second of the weekly Parental Legacy Tips.

Someone once gave me the advice that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is sleep. Diane and I went out for a jog at the park today and forced our kids to join us with their bikes, followed by all of us doing some circuit exercises together. While we were there, I thought I would extrapolate the sleep advice to other physical aspects.

So, sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take care of yourself physically. And sometimes one of the best spiritual legacies you can leave your kids is to teach them to take care of themselves physically. Being in reasonably good health helps regulate your emotions and gives you increased energy to do the things we are called upon to do.

Here are some areas we try to look at:

Sleep. Getting proper rest makes a huge difference in the emotional state of our house and when even one of us doesn't get enough, it changes the whole household atmosphere.
How does Poor Richard put it? "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Exercise. Being fit gives us more energy, stamina and the endorphins that come from a good workout make us happier...in a natural way.
Since I started with a quote for sleep, here is one for exercise: "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. ~Edward Stanley

Diet. With the abundance of fast food, over processed convenience foods and junk food, it is getting easier and easier to neglect a good diet. We've found that eating better helps our attitudes, energy and the whole household atmosphere.
And again by this Edward guy, “Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

If you are anything like our family, some of the bad habits we have are years in the making. Sometimes we have to celebrate the smallest of steps to keep us on the right track. But, teaching our kids to take care of the vessel that God has given them is something that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Hope this helps in some small way.