Single Mom Your Health Matters!
The Life of a Single Mom Ministries exists to see that no single mom walks alone. We spend literally hundreds of hours each year planning and strategizing how that can happen. We believe that walking together in single mother support groups and receiving valuable education within those support groups can change lives. There are three areas that we focus on: Parenting, Finances, and Health & Wellness. And let’s face it, sometimes those topics can get a little messy. But…we love you too much, single moms, to leave you the same! Single mom, your physical health matters… So, here goes nothing!
There’s no doubt that your number one priority in life is your children. They are the reason you rise and work hard. You earnestly labor that they may have all they need (and maybe some of what they want). Your goal is to ensure they become fully-functioning, well-rounded, loving, compassionate, servant-minded adults. You ensure their nutritional needs are met. You schedule physical activity, such as sports or dance. There’s washing and cleaning and counseling and hugging and disciplining and teaching – all to make sure that your children achieve normalcy, excellent mental health, spiritual growth, and academic excellence, just to name a few!
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When so much time, energy, and effort is put into rearing our children, why do we lack these same disciplines for ourselves? Single mothers are often burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle, for that matter) and the homework, housework, employment, and any other work leaves us utterly exhausted. We tend to get bogged down in making sure everything is done for our kids, but we often forget that we are their number one teacher. They will emulate us, one day.
So, what does this mean?
It means that we must start putting ourselves as a higher priority on the Richter scale of importance. Our mental and physical health matter. Did you know that single mothers are 28.7% more likely to suffer with the prevalence of moderate to severe mental disability, such as depression? (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes on Health) Did you know that single mothers are more likely to suffer long-term health concerns? (American Sociological Review, 2011) Our physical health matters. It is just as important as our financial and parental health. We cannot ignore our physical (and mental health) and expect our children to have different patterns, as they grow up. Even more so, if we do not take care of our physical bodies, then we are of no use to our kids, especially as we age. What we eat and how we move will do much to ensure that we have many decades to enjoy the hard-earned fruits of our labor – those well-rounded kids we all hope for! (And maybe, just maybe, there will be grandchildren in store one day, too.) This is why The Life of a Single Mom focuses on a long-term, comprehensive, approach to single mom ministry to impact the “whole” single mom.
Here are a few things the Bible has to say about our health being of value.
- Physical fitness helps women to complete our tasks. Proverbs 31:17 – “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” The Proverbs 31 woman is strong, so she can handle her daily tasks. Nurturing her children, tending her household, and navigating various work duties are those tasks she might need to be ready for. What tasks do you need to achieve each day? How does the necessity of your physical strength play into those tasks? Moms, we likely pick up hundreds of pounds each week, as we carry children to bed, pick up fallen toddlers, move boxes at work, and lug groceries up flights of stairs. Most women are naturally strong in our legs, but we must work on both upper and lower body strength. Ensure that your body is getting sufficient cardio and weight training each week. (Yeah, we know it’s no fun!) Weights are a great place to start, and it’s not necessary to go too heavy. Start with some inexpensive dumb bells from the local discount store, resistance bands, or even use canned vegetables. It can really be that simple to get started. Schedule a walk with a co-worker at lunch. Walk around the park, while your children play. Do jumping jacks and burpees in the bedroom before you shower in the morning. There are simple, yet effective ways, to squeeze in cardio and weights each week.
- Everything we eat and drink should be to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Everything we do is for the glory of God. What we say is for His glory. Where we go is for His glory. And yes, what we eat is for His glory. The nutritional value of a donut compared to that of a Greek yogurt parfait? Well, it’s a no-brainer. And yes, let’s acknowledge that the donut is ooey-gooey, yummy goodness, but the long term effects include sugar imbalance, weight gain, afternoon lethargy, insecurity about our bodies, and long-term health problems. So…is the donut really worth it in the end? God has given us a plethora of natural, healthy, fresh, foods to select. Spend more time on the outer perimeter of your local grocery store where healthy, fresh, foods can be found. Avoid processed boxed meals. Spend time during the weekends on meal prep. Small changes in food consumption can make a huge difference in energy level, memory, and overall brain function. And couldn’t we all use a little more brain power? (Disclaimer: We know that there will be occasional birthday parties and celebratory ice cream cones and a piece of chocolate pie over Christmas dinner! It’s okay. Moderation is key.)
- Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 – “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.” When we accept Christ as our Savior, our earthly vessel (the body) is no longer ours. It’s a gift belonging to God that we must steward well. Our decisions either glorify God with our bodies or tear down what God has given us. We must make a conscious effort to take care of our bodies, so we can be a walking billboard for what God has done in all areas of our lives. It’s hard, no doubt. Sometimes, it’s easier to just throw in the towel. However, consider the future of your children. Consider the long-term benefits of a healthy lifestyle, where you aren’t winded after a short walk or exhausted in the afternoons at work. Our desires should be to run across the field and hug a grandchild graduating from high school or hike through the forest with our young children without losing our breath. Remember that as the body of Christ, nothing we do is done alone.
- We are a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” This is the verse of all health verses, isn’t it?! When we realize that we are a living sacrifice for God, then our ‘want to’ changes. The things we find pleasure in tend to shift in many areas, including our physical health. The focus shifts from momentary pleasure to eternal glory, searching for ways to please the God who paid it all for us.
God is awesome, faithful, and good. He doesn’t condemn us when we make mistakes, because we all do. And it’s important for those who are learning to live a healthier lifestyle that you remember there is much grace along your journey, just as there is for all other aspects of our lives. Your healthy journey isn’t about perfection, but progression. God wants us to remember that we cannot be successful at anything, if we do not give Him the lead. We just follow passionately after Him.
God doesn’t fit into our box of boundaries. That box is the one where we tend to put fitness and nutrition. It’s the box of all the things we think we can control and manage. God wants full control of all things. When we give Him that authority over our food and exercise, He can work wonders in a matter of moments. He can clear our minds when we get stressed and want to pick up that Little Debbie snack cake and trade it for amazing peace in being in His presence.
Prayerfully consider what things in your life are leading to healthier choices and where you need to work on it. With God, all things are possible and attainable! Praying for continued success on this lifestyle journey! No Single Mom Walks Alone!
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
