The Benefits of Sabbath for our Bodies

“The Sabbath day was made to help people; they (people) were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day”

— Mark 2:27 NSV

Alisa and I have been intentionally practicing Sabbath for several years now. It is a habit that took time to create, has looked different over the months and years, and, at its best, is a time of soul rest and time of worship. At some point in our lives, we decided to accept this good gift from God—a gift for our benefit and flourishing. And as is so often true in God’s economy, as he blesses us, we are in a better posture to bless others. Sabbath keeping benefits me as well as the world around me.

Sabbath is a time of rest and worship. Ideally, it is a 24-hour period where we stop or cease from the usual things we do in our work week. This can include working (and thinking about) our professions, cleaning, errands, list making, meal preparing, email, and social media. It is a time to intentionally focus our hearts and minds on our creator and lover of our souls. It is a time of refreshing and renewal. As Ray Ortland notes, “What sets us apart is this. We rest, in order to work; we do not work, in order to rest.” Humanity is divinely designed to work out of rest instead of the other way around.

There are so many benefits of taking Sabbath that I could tell you about, but for today, I will focus on some of the ways that Sabbath is good for your body.

Studies show that those who regularly keep Sabbath benefit from the following:

1. A dramatic decrease in the rate of coronary artery disease.

2. Fewer feelings of stress in their body

3. Improved immune health

4. Healing and recovering faster from injuries and illness

5. A longer life expectancy of up to 10 years. 

In addition to these physical bodily benefits, there are mental health and spiritual health benefits.

If you do not keep Sabbath, I hope these facts encourage you to accept this gift created for you and your flourishing. I have included some resources below if you would like to learn more about the practice of keeping Sabbath.

• www.practicingtheway.org

• www.soulshepherding.org/sabbath/

• Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest by Ruth Haley Barton

• The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

Enjoy the journey!

Valerie

Check out our e-books and experience the benefits of Sabbath!

We’ve created two guides to help you rest in God’s presence and experience the five benefits shared above.

Download our Half-Day Spiritual Retreat Guide as a perfect way to spend time with God during your Sabbath rest. You’ll walk through various spiritual practices like Lectio Divina, silence and solitude, and more. This guide aims to anchor you in God’s love—what better way to spend a day of rest?!

Or grab our Habit Workbook, filled with practices and rhythms that support your body’s well-being (including a section on Sabbath!)

Creating Your Perfect Morning Routine

I recently shared a little sneak peek into my morning routine on Instagram. I’ve heard from many friends that mornings are hard and chaotic, especially as a mother! So today, I want to share my typical morning routine and some tips to perfect a morning routine that works for you! This is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing, so take what you need, use it for yourself, and disregard the rest!

A Sneak Peak Into My Morning Routine

Since I work outside the home Monday - Friday, I like to have my days look similar. Weekends are much more relaxed, though I try to accomplish most of the same tasks on a different timeline. So here’s what a typical Monday - Friday morning looks like for me:

5:40 am - my alarm goes off. It is charging across the room, so I have to get up to turn it off. I’ve committed not to hit the snooze button, so I start my day on time. I was a chronic snoozer until very recently, but this switch has been instrumental in changing my mornings for the better.

5:41 am - I go to the kitchen to take my pre-workout. This helps wake me up and energizes me for my morning workout. I’ve been using and loving this one from Rootz Nutrition. Half of a scoop is all I need to start my day.

5:45 am - I head back to my room to read my Bible and pray. I’m a huge advocate for leaving my phone plugged in across the room, so I take out a physical copy of my Bible and have a printed piece of paper that lists my Bible reading plan (I use the Bible Project’s). All of the Bible apps can be super helpful, but there’s also evidence that waiting to pick up your phone in the morning can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.

6:30 am - I get up, put on my workout clothes, make my bed, and pull up my workout for the day. I love using Nourish Move Love’s Youtube videos, but I’ve also worked through Rachael Good Eat’s ebook Good Sweat At Home. This personally works for me and my schedule right now, though, in the future, I would love to attend a gym or class. I primarily strength train, so I keep a yoga mat, weights, towels, and resistance bands in my room.

7 am - if I’m lucky, my kids are still sleeping, so I can get dressed and ready for the day. However, they often get up, sit in bed with me, or read and play while I work out.

7:15 am - If I’m on breakfast duty for the day, I’ll pull together something easy, like oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter or yogurt and granola.

7:30 am - we eat breakfast together at the table. I drink my vitamins, and the girls take theirs as well. I love AG1 - it’s packed with probiotics and all the vitamins I need in a delicious drink. The girls have been using Hiya - both their multivitamin and their probiotics, as well as elderberry gummies (the preschool sickness is real and we want to be feeling our best! Also, I have all of these things on autoship so they come right to me every month!)

7:45 am - we catch up on any last minute getting ready items like brushing teeth, getting shoes on, brushing hair, etc, and pack our bags and lunch boxes (prepped the night before) to get ready to head out for the day.

8/8:15 am - we’re in the car and ready for school drop-off and work!

How to Make Your Morning Routine Work For You

Everyone’s morning routine will look different. What works for me may or may not work for you in your current life stage or for your personality and preferences. I hope my schedule inspires you to try different things out, find what works for you, and maybe wake up a bit earlier to start your day on the right foot.

This requires intentionality, trying and failing, and trying again. Maybe even some accountability! If starting your day with scripture and prayer, or in an unhurried and stress-free way is of value to you, then take the time to test out and create the morning routine that fills you up.

Ideas to Create Your Morning Routine

I recently talked to my therapist about morning routines, and here are a few things she suggested. This list is not a requirement to do all the things but simply a gentle encouragement to find what works for you.

• Avoid looking at your phone or even checking the time on your phone. Simply looking at it can easily trigger the need to check notifications. Blue light and notifications from social media, news, and politics can cause stress and irritability.

• Make the first thing you do something fun. Looking forward to this event can make you happy and increase your motivation to wake up.

• Make your bed. This can contribute to success and is positively correlated with better sleep, mood, and confidence.

• Drink water first. This increases cognitive function and compats fatigue. Chronic dehydration can cause chronic anxiety and depression.

• Drink coffee after you’ve eaten some food. Cortisol (the stress hormone) increases when you drink coffee on an empty stomach.

• Take a walk, or at least get ten minutes of exposure to morning light. This helps regulate our ciradian rhythm.

• Wake up an hour before you’re needed. I LOVED this advice! As a mom or a caretaker, this is especially important to pour into yourself before you pour in to others.

• Write in a journal. Use this as an opportunity to check in with yourself — how you’re feeling, processing events and emotions, writing down prayers.

• Spend fifteen minutes in meditation.

• Read the Bible.

• Practice gratitude (This can also be done at night).

• Make a plan or write a to-do list, but don’t write something you can’t accomplish — it’s better to underestimate yourself than overfill your plate.

Perfecting Your Morning Routine

My morning routine is something that I’m continually working on and adjusting. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever arrive at that “perfect” routine because schedules change, sickness derails things, and life happens. But honestly, the effort is worth it. If I get to all of my morning items at least two to three times a week, I feel more at peace and less anxious. I feel grounded and ready for my day.

If that’s something you’re struggling with, I hope this serves as an encouragement to just take one small step in the direction of creating your morning routine. Feeling more at peace is worth it. Filling your cup is worth it. Sacrificing less important things for the sake of maintaining your joy is worth it.

Resources for Nourishing Your Body

We believe our bodies are instruments for creating good and beautiful things in this world. If we’re not taking care of our bodies, how can we care for others and effect change in this world?

Let’s chat about some resources to help nourish the body, so that it can in turn sow seeds of goodness into this world.

1. Meal plans- I thrive on planning food each week. I’m a shop once a week kind of gal and I hate to have to run into the store multiple times per week. I could be doing other nourishing things during that time, right?! To prevent multiple store trips (and saving gas and paper bags), I set aside time to plan the next week’s meals every Sunday night. I love finding pre-made meal plans from my favorite food bloggers (Fed + Fit & Half Baked Harvest email one in their newsletter every week!) and the one linked above is from the Real Food Dietitians. I like to piece together my own meal plans most weeks, but it’s always nice to have someone else do it for you from time to time (especially when shopping lists are included!)

2. Rachael’s Good Eats - Rachael is a registered dietician with a blog & social media following (find her on Instagram @rachaelsgoodeats!). We love trying all of her recipes and recently, her Good Sweat workout guide! She makes healthy eating & working out approachable and fun!

3. Nourish Move Love - another workout program I love to follow is from Nourish Move Love! All of the workouts are free on their blog and on Youtube. Subscribe to their monthly newsletter to receive weekly workout plans in your inbox every Sunday!

4. Beauty Counter Makeup - I recently switched all of my skincare over to Beauty Counter and I have been loving it! I’m trying out their Vitamin C Serum, and Overnight Peel, plus I’m obsessed with their liquid foundation, concealer, and mascara! I opt for a pretty basic makeup routine and Beauty Counter supports that with clean & safe ingredients.

5. Essential oils - I highly recommend trying out essential oils to support a variety of emotional and physical conditions like sleep support, soothing aching muscles, and promoting tranquility. My favorites right now are OnGuard, Serenity, Adaptiv, Lavender, Peppermint, and InTune from DoTERRA.

6. Vitamins - I’ve loved using Athletic Greens vitamins to supplement my healthy eating habits. I personally love the refreshing taste and ease of use. If you have an active lifestyle and are on the hunt for new, easy, and delicious vitamins, check out Athletic Greens!

Being intentional in treating our bodies well not only helps us feel good, but it allows us to pour out into others and into the world. I hope these resources encourage you to take time to nourish your body, to live well, and to live whole.