26 ways to prepare your body for marriage
Healthy habits to focus on to benefit your future self and your future family
Seek in Faith features encouraging notes for Christian singles on navigating singleness, dating and building a strong foundation for marriage.
Last week we talked about the importance of building healthy habits in your single season (including getting to a healthy weight range for your body!). If I could to give you a roadmap / checklist of what to focus on to benefit your future self and your future family, here are 26 lessons I wish I invested in earlier (these things are easier to start on in your 20s and single than married in your 30s with little kids!):
Cultivate a habit of reading your Bible and praying every single day. Store up His word in your heart now and you'll draw from it later when you're a mama and don't have as much time for deep Bible study and "quiet time."
Stop talking negatively to yourself and tearing yourself down. Your words become your actions. Who you believe you are, you become. How you talk about yourself will shape how your future husband views you as well.
Prayerfully develop a vision for your life and let that be the driving force for your decisions - living fulfilled and leading a life of purpose is a major contributor to good health
Learn how female hormones work and how you can best take care of your hormones with food, supplements, exercise, etc
Study up on gut health and include gut-friendly foods in your diet ("The Good Food Solution" is a insightful Christian book on gut health)
Make movement a part of your daily life. At least 8,000 steps a day, every day
Strength training > cardio for women's bodies
Cut out most sugar and processed food out of your diet. If you struggle with food, the book "The Noom Mindset" is an excellent read on creating good habits and mindsets when it comes to food.
Read "Fast Like a Girl" and apply it to your life
Learn how our menstrual cycle impacts our moods, productivity, etc. and make lifestyle choices accordingly (aka, some weeks are better for focused, strategic work than other weeks of the month)
Learn good ways to manage stress
Work with a medical professional to determine what supplements your body needs. Re-evaluate this regularly as seasons change and your needs shift.
Drink water, electrolytes and collagen every day (I like Bowmar nutrition for electrolytes and collagen). Stop drinking soda, energy drinks and all the other drinks filled with stuff that isn't good for us.
Make and enforce screen time boundaries, especially with social media (build a thriving life offline and stop spending so much time watching how others are living online)
Learn to rest well
Prioritize sleep
Books & podcasts > movies, social media and TV shows
Invest in healthy relationships and community. Cut out toxic relationships and negative influences. The phrase "show me your five closest friends and I'll tell you who you are" is 100% accurate.
Get outside daily
Learn how to truly nourish your body as God intended (whole foods, local beef, pasture raised eggs, etc)
Fill your days and your life with what matters most to you and what lights you up
Purge and simplify your home, your schedule and your thoughts (physical clutter = mental clutter)
Learn how to dress your body vs. following trends (what colors do you look best in? What types of clothes reflect your personality and suit your body shape best? etc)
Be confident in who God created you to be - your appearance, quirks, interests, dreams - embrace all of it and get out of the comparison game!
Learn healthy conflict resolution and to forgive quickly
Eliminate toxins out of your life - switch to products made out of clean ingredients (skincare, makeup, cleaning products, candles, etc). What we put on our skin and into our bodies impacts our fertility - research this, it’s not just conspiracies. If you're looking for makeup and skincare made with clean ingredients, I highly recommend Crunchi. I've been using their products for two years now and my skin is better than it was even in my 20s! Here's my recommended products:
Serums: I alternative between Goldenlight and I AM Luminous Facial Oil
The Crunchi foundation is amazing
This under eye concealer is the best one I've ever tried
The Daylight Facial cream and Nightlight Advanced Facial Cream
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” -1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Anything else you’d add to the list?
-Yelena
When you’re ready, here’s how we can help:
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