Be able to pop your pecks like Terry Crews. This single goal drives 99.9% of my weight-lifting routine (that and wanting to be a healthier person I guess).

But, until I’m able to look like a shredded linebacker, there are other ways I measure my physical, emotional and spiritual health. Asking the right questions tend to do the trick. Here are a few I reflect on frequently (and some posts that have helped along the way):

Physical Health

• Are you getting to the gym regularly each week?
  Can you still hit certain exercise milestones (for me, that means being able to run a mile without stopping to throw up)? If you despise the gym, you’re in good company. I blame the Gym B.R.O.s (and wrote about it here).
• Are you eating healthy foods?
  And, for those who just read, “Are you eating quinoa and kale salad every meal?” Ron Swanson was right when he said, “That’s food that my food eats.”
  For more on this, check out How I Lost 40lb Eating Fried Chicken.

• Are you sleeping?
  Although studies show that adults require 7-9 hours of sleep, everyone is different. I’m not like some of you vampires who somehow survive on 4 hours of shuteye in their dusty crypt before flying off. If I’m not getting enough sleep, then my mind is dull, my emotions are haywire, and nobody likes me.
  For more on this, check out When Rest Won’t Come and Practical Rest.

  Psalm 127:2
  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Emotional Health

• Do you know what recharges your mind, and do you make time for it?
  Books and fishing and roasting coffee are all a part of what help me “reset.”
  If you need inspiration in this area, check out What Our Hobbies Say About Us.
• Do you regularly laugh with family and friends over meals?
  Even in times of trial and tears and hard weeks, there can be joy and laughter.

  Proverbs 17:17
  A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Spiritual Health

• Are you stirred to love and good deeds through God’s Word each day? Or has reading the Bible become a “checklist” item lately?
  Catch the Good Stuff
• Do you pray often for God to sanctify you and those around you? Or has your prayer life slipped into the “protect them, bless that, let it be a good day, amen” cycle?
  If you need help in this area, check out Do You Pray for Ghost Stories?
• Are you trusting in God’s goodness and plan no matter what?
  Freedom: Who Do You Trust?
  When God Seems Distant

Wherever you are in the journey, take a step towards health this week!

1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.