The Daily Checklist: Spirit, Mind & Body!
I’d like to share with you a daily checklist that I think will improve your overall daily wellness and help taking some great steps in living that well-lived life! That daily checklist starts with a Spirit, Mind & Body focus.
For me, the Spirit, Mind & Body focus started at an early age. Growing up in Huntington, WV, my Mother was finishing her Master’s degree at Marshall University and my Father worked as a CPA in Charleston, an hour away. So that meant daycare for Donald Gene.
Intro the 6th Avenue YMCA, Huntington, WV., as I would be dropped off daily with a sack lunch, swim trunks & towel, and excitement for the day. My Y days would be filled with swim lessons, gymnastics with that incredible trampoline, and hopefully ending with a great game of pool or ping pong in the game room.
It was there at the 6th Avenue YMCA, that those first seeds of Spirit, Mind & Body were planted.
The YMCA was founded in 1844, in London, England. In 1844, industrialized London was a place of great turmoil and despair. But the YMCA offered something unique for its time. The organization’s drive to meet social need in the community was compelling, and its openness to members crossed the rigid lines separating English social classes.
The YMCA made its way to the U.S. with the formation of the first U.S. YMCA at the Old South Church in Boston on December 29, 1851. Fast forward, as the YMCA of today engages more than 10,000 neighborhoods across the U.S. And serves as the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to helping people and communities to learn, grow and thrive.¹
The YMCA, as part of their core values, was founded upon the principles of building strong Minds, Bodies, and Spirits. Kids, just like me, built foundations of living a healthy lifestyle, all the while enjoying themselves at their local YMCA.
The foundation of building a strong Spirit, Mind & Body has taken me not only from childhood to adulthood; but a central theme in my 20’s, 30’s, 40’s & 50’s. Now in my 60’s I’m looking forward to my 70’s, 80’s and beyond!
It’s no wonder that we were made this way — designed with a Spirit, Mind & Body intelligent/design by our Heavenly Father. He breathed into us the breath of life — His Spirit (Genesis 2). He gave us minds and responsibility to oversee the earth and all of its inhabitants (Genesis 2). And he formed our bodies, both male & female, and gave us everything we’d need to grow and prosper (Genesis 2).²
So, this week, I’d like you to take the daily Spirit, Mind & Body challenge.
For your Spirit, pray, meditate, and spend some quiet reflective time focused on your internal harmony & peace. Studies have shown that prayer & meditation actually reduces stress and its effects on the body i.e., lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and overall anxiety.
For your Mind, try learning something new. My Uncle Phillip, from Lebanon, was committed to learning a new English word every day, as he kept a dictionary handy. Commit to learning something new — every day!
For your Body, just get out there and move! Walk, jog, and/or run! Try a yoga or stretching class — at your local YMCA! Begin a formalized workout routine…but do something. We were built to move, work and play every day!
Lastly, do talk or see your local physician before beginning any type of new workout activity — we always want to begin any new workout regimen with our doctor's knowledge and clearance.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s see what a Spirit, Mind & Body focus can do for your week? What it can do in your living a wellness lifestyle? What it can do in your living that well-lived life?
Remember, at Conizo, we want to be with you through all the seasons of life! We believe that through both the seasons & generations of life — wisdom and hope can intersect to help you live that well-lived life!³
Thanks for stopping by…Live Life Well!
Notes
The YMCA of the USA, History, https://www.ymca.net/
Bible Gateway, Genesis 2, https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2&version=NLT
Conizo Health and Wellness, www.Conizo.com