You have one body.

ONE. That’s it. And it endures a lot through the wear and tear of every day life.

We sit. We stand. We walk. We exercise. Some create human beings. Some work full time jobs. Some experience chronic illness. Some go through hard manual labor. Some hunch over a computer all day.

There are a lot of things the body goes through. And it was designed to be able to handle a lot. Often, more than we would even expect it to be able to handle.

And even though the body is incredibly strong and resilient, we still need to be diligent in taking regular inventory.

When was the last time you stretched your muscles, just because you can? When was the last time you drank enough water? When was the last time you moved just for the sake of movement?

Do you find yourself getting discouraged by some of the physical woes you experience? Such as…achy joints, sore muscles, exhaustion, getting winded easily, etc?

What if those are signs that you’re expecting too much of your body? You might be thinking, “I can’t possibly be asking too much of my body…I don’t hardly do anything with it.”

Maybe that’s true. Maybe it’s been a while since you exercised regularly. Maybe you don’t have a job that requires manual labor. Maybe your lifestyle doesn’t require that you do much more than walk from your bed, to your kitchen table, to your couch, etc.

But if that is true…then I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

You are absolutely expecting too much of your body.

If you’re not actively working on strengthening your body in any capacity, then it’s no wonder you get easily winded, right? If you’re out of shape, then of course you’re going to get sore from helping your friend rearrange their living room. If you’re not eating halfway decently, or being physically active in any way, of course you’re not going to sleep well.

If you’re not going to prime your body, it’s not going to be up to the task of your daily desires. It’s just not.

I’m not saying you need to go sign up for a marathon. But if you want to increase your quality of life, I am absolutely going to encourage you to go move your body with intention every. dang. day.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote as of late:

“The body will become better at whatever you do, or don’t do. You don’t move? The body will make you better at NOT moving. If you move, your body will allow more movement.”

– Ido Portal

Now tell me. What are you going to do to give your body its best chance today? Leave it in the comments below.