Let’s face it. We all want to lose weight. One thing is also certain. There are a plethora and I mean a plethora of dieting fads, self-help books, infomercials with celebrities declaring that if you just eat this brand of meal you will look like them in a jiffy. Certainly some of those approaches might work and on the other hand, many will not or, at least, they will not have a lasting total body impact on your life. I have long thumbed my nose at such things for a variety of reasons, foremost being I recognized the faddish nature they were built upon.
I recently became aware of a much different approach to health by watching a good friend of mine begin a 30-day journey towards better overall health – physical, mental, and spiritual health. After watching his results, I decided to embark on this journey myself. What journey is this you might ask? It is one that is found in Laura Harris Smith’s book The 30-Day Faith Detox: Renew Your Mind, Cleanse Your Body, Heal Your Spirit.
If you are concerned this is some new age approach to life or just another fad, let me ease your worries. Smith’s approach is rooted in sound biblical teaching, lasting nutritional well-being, and with a distinct focus on not just being some 30-day “thing” you do and then return to your previous negative eating, spiritual, and emotional habits. Smith’s desire is to show the reader how to make a change, a lasting impactful change towards total body health.
She does this by providing a daily regimen of food choices and devotions that address specific parts of your body and your spiritual health. If you are worried that you will be eating cardboard tasting foods for 30 days (Believe me I was worried about that), rest assured that the food choices and meal plans, while definitely healthy, are absolutely delicious. Who knew that a simple meal consisting of colorful vegetables and brown rice would be something you looked forward to eating.
Tasty smoothies to kick off your day are followed by a variety of juicing options, healthy snacks, soups, and salads, and the aforementioned colorful array of fruits and vegetables with rice, quinoa, or other options constitutes each day’s meal plan. Smith steadily adds different colors of fruits and vegetables along the way resulting in a rainbow of colors and flavors to choose from as you begin to conclude your 30-day journey.
The devotions she provides are valuable in that they are designed to rid your emotional, spiritual, and even relational life of the toxins that build up over time. Hence, this is a full body approach to health. It is one thing to have a toned stomach and to have lost some weight. But if you continue to carry toxins in other parts of your life, those toxins will have an impact on your physical health as well. Smith addresses the full panoply of issues we all encounter such as doubt, issues with finances, and anger to name a few.
I believe what you will find after completing this journey is the desire to continue implementing the healthy food choices and life choices Smith guides you through in this book. It truly is a fun and exciting road to health that is much different from what you will encounter by eating a Weight Watcher’s dinner. Do this journey as a family. Invite some friends to join you. Share your successes and your failures on social media as a means of encouragement to keep you going. In the end, you will not only have found you’ve shed a few pounds but that some clothes you thought would never be worn again are now part of your weekly attire. You will also find more importantly that a positive change, a whole body change has taken place. That alone is worth embarking on this 30-day journey and besides, fitting into some long lost clothes isn’t a bad deal either. To date, by the way, I have lost around six pounds and counting so I can attest to fitting into some old clothes I thought I would never see again.
I received this book for free from Chosen Books and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Michael lives in Belleville, IL, a suburb of St. Louis, MO with his wife Erica, adopted daughter Alissa, two cats Molly and Sweetie Pie and horse Beckham. After spending eight years in the United States Navy as a Yeoman, he has been employed for the past ten years by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) where he oversees advanced educational programs. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion (Biblical Studies) from Liberty University and is currently closing in on completing a Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical Studies) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an avid reader and blogger.
