Guest Opinion: Integrity

This Guest Post was written by Ian Camacho. You can read his blog about the entertainment production industry at http://producerindevelopment.wordpress.com/
If you would like to be the next Guest blogger, write a comment or send an email!

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“Integrity is nice to have and all, but it is a luxury for those without any real life responsibilities.”

I saw this comment on an Internet forum in response to one of those articles about integrity. It gave me serious pause as it had more of an emotional effect on me than that entire clichéd article about integrity. And since this blog basically is all about our integrity with the world, I felt it was worth examining.

When I am fully honest with myself, that’s what I really think deep down, isn’t it? I mean, how can I balance a life full of responsibilities, not to mention desires and obligations, which often compete and conflict with one another?

So I had to look at the statement again and really break it down.

Let’s first look at the word integrity. Most people use it to mean “honest” or “good”. While those are nice things to have, that is not the definition of integrity. To have integrity is to be whole and complete, meaning that my words align with my actions. Looking at it from that perspective, every action I take in one area of my life impacts every other part, even when I put on masks and personas elsewhere.

Taking an even wider perspective, every single thing I do affects not just me, but every other thing on the planet in some way, whether or not I am aware of the consequences.

I mean, sure, I would like the world to be a better place and be in better health, but not if it means having to change my current ways. Someone else, somewhere, somehow will take care of it. I’ve got my own life issues to deal with, like paying the bills, building my career and all the rest of my problems. So now what?

Let’s look at the second part of the statement: “Those without any real life responsibilities”.

So that got me thinking as to what person has no life responsibilities? Then I realized: someone who is dead. To be alive is to have problems and responsibilities; only the dead have none. That’s why they say, “rest in peace”.

As living human beings, we cannot be perfect in our integrity. We can become better integrated in all of our affairs so that there is less separation between our various “realms” (health, home, spiritual, financial, job, relationships, etc) and be more present, authentic, vulnerable and loving with others. But we also must accept that we are selfish, inauthentic, hypocritical, imperfect and deeply flawed. This is what it means to be human.

At first I found it depressing, but now I find it freeing. When I can admit and believe that I am never going to be fully in my integrity until the day I die, and that I will always try to look good and be selfish, then I can accept myself and others in the world who are the same way.

It may not be the luxury of integrity, but I’ll settle for acceptance and keep my real life problems, thank you very much.

Less of you

I'm sorry if you will be disappointed to find out this post will not be about weight loss, as the title may be deceiving. Instead this week I am writing about humility. Many people make the mistake of thinking that humility means timidity or even insecurity. It is more accurate to think of it as a moderate view of oneself - as in Romans 12:3, "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (ESV)" This means thinking neither too highly nor too lowly of yourself but take an honest assessment of where you are. 

This might lead you to believing you need to spend a lot of time inward focused but I actually think the best way to remain humble is to keep your eyes on the world at large. I ran a race this weekend with my accountability partner that neither of us were properly trained for. Rather than foolishly pushing ourselves (to injury) we intentionally went at a slower pace by remaining in conversation. If we couldn't talk, then we were going too fast. In contrast, my friend's husband focused on getting a good time and surged ahead. At the end of the race, we found that he had missed a lot of the interesting scenery and still didn't end up finishing as fast as he would've liked. By keeping our eyes ahead and gaging each other's progress, my partner and I were able to complete the race together and savor the experience.

In your journey through health and faith, being humble (or in tune with your place) you will be able to make the more appropriate choice, less likely to be discouraged by disillusionment, and more willing to accept the help and advice of others with greater knowledge. You will also find that others are will recognize your honesty and want to engage with you. I think this is what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 5:5, "God blesses those who are the humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. (NLT)"

We want YOU!

Hello FU3Lers!

I am putting out a call for any guest blog writers. As I am returning to full-time school and work, I will not be able to keep up with the posts as well. I also think I have laid down sufficient foundation that it is clear what the mission and goals of this blog are. If you have any opinions - in agreement or dissent - I'd love to hear from you! I hope this will become a community forum, not merely my place to voice a solitary opinion.

It can be a review, a comment on something you've read, a fresh perspective. It can be in the form of a poem, essay, video. Heck, even a funny song parody will do :) As long as it comments on the intersection of food, fitness, and faith then this is the platform.

Please email any ideas or submissions to fu3ledlife [at] gmail.com. Note the 3 in place of the first e because without it, you are sending to an unknown internet entity (dun dun DUN).

Lead by Example

As Labor Day approaches, most of us are returning to our routines. As I wrote in the last post, we can take this time to consider how to integrate FU3L into our daily lives most effectively. I highly recommend reaching your food, fitness, and faith goals with another, either a partner or a whole community (see post about tracking for more).  I have found that after you've won the struggle for consistency in your own life, the next battle can be to bring others into your lifestyle. But we know that "actions speak louder than words" and the best way to recruit another to join you is to show them how.

An article on CNN highlights how the well-regarded pastor Rick Warren infused FU3L into his church. He saw the unhealthy state of his congregation but before addressing that need, he took a look at himself. He took to heart the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:5 (and Luke 6:42) that says, "...first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." He started by cutting out soda and then found inspiration from the book of Daniel to eat a diet of fruits and vegetables. Once he was able to shed pounds, he could call his church to follow his lead. As a group, they've started fitness initiatives and supported each other.

Rick Warren knew that just being a famous and oft-published church leader wouldn't be what motivated those he was shepherding. They had to see that he was willing to literally practice what he preached. And now the Saddleback church has taken ownership of their own journey to a FU3Led Life.

And why should we care about health from a Christian perspective? I really like Rick Warren's perspective: "The Father made your body, Jesus paid for your body, the Spirit lives in your body. You better take care of it." Amen

May I Cut In?

I have been convalescing this week after 8 weeks of wearing down my immune system. I had been working and travelling at a pace that my body could not keep up with until it finally gave up on me and I was forced to stop. Luckily (or rather, in God's timing) it was the start of my 10 day break from work and other commitments. This time allowed me to consider the effect of interruptions on a FU3Led Life.

In an earlier post, I posited on the role of rest. The difference being that one usually considers rest a welcome break while an interruption is a nuisance. Like many things in life, it becomes a matter of attitude and you can choose to see any break - planned or not - as a time for reflection and revaluation. Naturally when you are sick, you begin with self-pity but you can turn the tide and look at what the time away is teaching you. It is always good to see that the world continues to work without you and realize that if you make a change, others will adapt. A good question to ask yourself is, "Does how and where I am spend most of my time and effort accurately represent my goals and beliefs?" and if the answer isn't "yes" without any conditions then consider how you can change that.

When you settle back into normalcy after an interruption, there is a period of adjustment - that time where you take the steps needed to get back to where you were. An interruption forces instant awareness so that you can return to that state after the cause for interruption passes. That awareness is an asset! You can intentionally set new habits and routine that can FU3L you more effectively as you set your course back on track. As we are returning to school, work, family, etc after our vacations let us come back to the food, fitness, and faith we will use to FU3L our lives. And the next time something unexpected comes along, welcome it with open arms :)

Transparency is a 2-way Street

Honesty is the best policy. The truth will set you free. We've all heard these aphorisms so often that we may even roll our eyes a bit when we hear them used in society. However I must resort to them (and a few more along the way) for this post as we look at the importance of transparency in FU3Led. You will find greater success in centering yourself around food, fitness, and faith if you are a person of candor. In both fitness and faith, being held accountable for your trials and triumphs will keep you on the right path (as discussed in the previous post). By the same token, you should expect (demand even) the same honesty from your sources of FU3L.

One of the most confusing and frustrating places to find a straight answer is when looking at food sources. In the US, we have the benefit of nutrition facts on packaged food but you may be surprised to learn what is not listed; a topic highlighted in this NY Times article about the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) debate that is gaining attention. Food companies are only required to list and quantify certain ingredients. I'm sure you've wondered as I have when you've seen "natural flavoring" and wondered what qualifies in that category. Whether or not there is a negative effect of GMO in foods, one cannot make an informed decision without all the facts. Another adage applies here: Knowledge is Power.

Even if this issue is resolved, there are large portions of a diet that have little or no labeling requirements, such as fresh produce and butchers cuts. Additionally it can be difficult to keep track of the subtle differences between the terms "natural" and "organic" or "no sugar added" and "naturally sweetened". It is your responsibility as the consumer to inquire of your food suppliers about their practices. Unfortunately, you cannot rely on regulations to keep you healthy. I'll end by turning an old saying on its head, you should be a book that can be judged by its cover and one that seeks to be FU3Led by accurate book jackets.

Spice of Life

No, it's not curry! Perhaps you know this adage - Variety is the spice of life. It is natural in any process to have peaks and troughs but especially if you are trying out a new venture, such as a FU3Led Life, to fall into a rut or get discouraged. One great way to keep this tendency at bay is to vary your routines.

While I dread the humidity that befalls us in the summer, I love the expanded palate we are presented with from the summer harvest. A rainbow of produce is laid out at farmer's markets with new fruits and vegetables reaching their peak each week. Like interior decorating, experiment with color when assembling your dinner plate! Try combinations of sweet and savory or start simple by adding a new seasoning to an old dish. You may surprise yourself with what flavors you can create :)

The term for variety in the running world is cross-training. It essentially refers to any form of exercise that is not running. Yes, runners have a one-track mind (no pun intended). Straying from your preferred method of fitness will keep you from plateauing and ensure that all of your muscle groups are being challenged. Try a yoga DVD or go for a swim while the public pools are open!

Variety is abounding in the Christian life, from the range of worship music to styles of prayer. Stretch your faith by engaging in a novel practice, such as writing out your prayers in a letter or finding an opportunity to serve the poor in your community. In my small group, we discussed attending a Taize worship service comprised of chanting and periods of silence as this would be a digression from our contemporary praise-band led worship.

Leave a comment or send an email to tell other readers how you spice up your FU3Led Life!

Creature Comforts

Last week I wrote about the effect of Nature on aligning our perspective, but I focused more on the flora than the fauna. This week I'd like us to reflect upon our role of food justice for animals. [See earlier post about food justice for people] This is not a post to convert anyone to vegetarianism (I love a burger!) but to gain an awareness and an opinion about the source of your food.

We've all heard the expression, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." An opinion article by Nicholas Kristof contends there is no such thing as a free breakfast either. I'm referring to the true cost of producing your food, not just consuming it. Mr. Kristof writes about an investigation into the atrocious and inhumane conditions of egg-producing hens. The results speak to the larger issue of treatment of the creatures we eat and our sense of entitlement when it comes to meeting our needs. Are we willing to pay the price as perpetrators of cruelty for a few dollars saved on a grocery bill?


Here is a very short clip of a farm featured in the documentaries Fresh and Food, Inc. This farmer is FU3Led by stewardship to love his animals and farm sustainably. If you want to learn more, there are longer videos on YouTube and I highly recommend watching either movie.



When we were given dominion over the earth, it was not intended as license for thoughtless plunder but rather to impart responsibility and ownership. How do we take steps toward this end? It starts with asking questions of our food sources and re-evaluating the cost vs. worth of poor quality food. Then make minor adjustments in your shopping list that reflect your values.

Living a FU3Led life is never a one-size-fits-all model or an instant fix, but I believe commitment to the small-scale (ie your own life) has a lasting impact on the big scale.

Nature Calls

Having spent some extended time away from the city, I've been reflecting on how nature reveals to us how the world was intended. We can gain valuable perspective for FU3Ling from creation and living closer to the land. If you are interested in reading an opinion much more eloquent and knowledgeable than mine, I highly recommend reading a few of Wendell Berry's essays in the collection titled What Are People For?

What are practical ways you can FU3L closer to nature? Food is the easiest one to answer - by looking for quality ingredients where you know the source or are assured they are whole and unprocessed. A life of Fitness comes more easily when your activities of daily living are incorporated with nature. Our ancestors never stepped on a treadmill because they were working the land. By spending more time walking, biking, gardening, hiking, swimming, or other pursuits in the wilderness you will become healthier effortlessly. Finally, one can strengthen their Faith by reflecting on creation. Being surrounded by nature gives you perspective and proper humility, which is "not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less." The cycles of the seasons and the harvest demonstrates the power of incremental but consistent change to lead to transformative growth. 

Do you agree? How do you think one can maintain this while living plugged into the current century and in a city? Leave a comment to start the discussion.

Constant Craving

Many people would say they want good health but to earnestly pursuing it feels like a chore.  In order to recruit your friends and family to a FU3Led life, they need to see how  healthy food can be delicious, fitness can be fun, and faith is joyful. When put into practice correctly you will crave food, fitness, and faith in your life instead of considering something to suffer through.

This topic was inspired by a NY Times article that centers on the importance of taste in preparing healthy food with the lead doctor stating, "Flavor is a health issue." There is a joint program between Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America to train health professionals how to cook healthy foods in such a way that their patients won’t find their new diet a hard pill to swallow. Doctors learn about techniques and ingredients that will revolutionize their patient's palates. 

In the same way, fitness is not one-size-fits-all. One needs to find the type of exercise that they enjoy and makes them feel invigorated so the work out is its own reward. For some that's a group class because they are motivated by those around them while for others it's a solitary bike ride where they can use the time for reflection.

Faith is the easiest to crave because the Bible promises us when you "Delight yourself in the LORD,/ and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4 ESV). We are commanded to seek our joy! God will transform your heart, if you let him, so that you  relish the things He already wants to give you.

So find that sweet spot where passion meets purpose and get FU3Ling! Leave a comment to let others know how you have found your bliss in following a FU3Led life.

FU3Ling? Do Tell!

Earlier this month I tweeted about the latest incarnation of the Nike+ device, Nike Fuel.  Long before I started this blog, I thought about the interconnection between food, fitness, and faith in regards to the role of accountability when I read the June 2009 issue of WIRED focused on self-tracking, specifically the articles titled "Know Thyself" and "The Nike Experiment." The article discusses the power of information to motivate people to make a change in their health. However, tracking your progress only takes you so far. It's when you share your advances that you see growth become exponential compared to your solo efforts.


We see this hold true in all areas of FU3L. It isn't hard to draw between Weight Watchers, a running club, and the Biblical model of church. All have a personal component and a community component. Weight watchers requires you to log your food/exercise points at home, in a run club you have days where you train alone to focus on personal weakness, and as part of the church you spend time in the Bible and prayer alone to strengthen your relationship with God. In the group meeting (usually a weekly affair) you then share with the group your stumbling blocks and triumphs and together you engage in the practices that reflect the goals which you are striving for - whether it be a long run, food portion strategies, or worshiping God through song.

This concept is best expressed in the oft-referenced African proverb: "If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." Have you found this true in your life? Do you track and share and to what ends? If so, please leave a comment for discussion.

The Role of Rest

Now that the summer solstice has passed and we are officially in season of vacation, I thought we should discuss the utility of rest as a source of FU3L. If we look at food, fitness, and faith we can see that taking a break is something that unifies all three areas.

• The natural food cycle has a period of rest between sowing and reaping that is the time of growth. Also, many recipes call for a dish to "rest" for a period of time to allow the flavors to blend and balance out. 
• In the world of fitness, taking a day off gives the body time to heal and restock glycogen. According to a Runner's World article titled "The Importance of Rest Days" it allows the muscles time to adapt to the work for optimal performance. 
• As for faith, The Bible commands us to Sabbath, or take one day of rest per week. This is to give us time to reflect on what God has done for us that week without distraction. In an era of 24/7 connection to the grid, it is humbling to see that the world will keep moving forward even if we are not participating in it. We are not necessary, but rather privileged, to be a part of His kingdom.

Taking a word from the food lexicon, rest gives us time to digest. It gives us the proper perspective as we re-enter our week refreshed. While it can seem like a sacrifice to give up time, in fact we are the better for it in the end as we become well-balanced and better adapted for the next challenge. Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). As with all of God's commands, the call to rest was designed for our benefit. 


So enjoy your time at the beach and comment on how taking a break has helped you re-FU3L

Brain Boost

Many of us grew up being told that once we lose brain cells, they never grow back (so no head banging to heavy metal!) but neuroscientists now know that is not true. Adults can undergo neurogenesis, or the formation of new neurons. Even better news is that we can enhance the effectiveness of these new connections by simple exercise, like a walk or a swim. Translation: FU3L makes you smarter and science proves it :)


In an April NY Times magazine article, the author explains that,  "exercise... does more to bolster thinking than thinking does." Although the brain is not a muscle, it gains benefits from exercise of the musculoskeletal system. And before you are discouraged thinking you have to run a marathon to become the next Einstein the article notes that, "Whatever the activity, though, an emerging message from the most recent science is that exercise needn’t be exhausting to be effective for the brain." 


So what are you waiting for? Get moving! Summer is upon us which means it's the perfect time to get outside and start moving. You can integrate the other areas of FU3L into your exercise by listening to worship music as you work out or walking to a farmer's market for fresh produce (more brain food!) Leave a comment about how you are keeping your mind and body sharp. 

Healthy harvesters: Good News for everyone

Hello FU3Led friends!
Did anyone try out mindful eating this past week? If so, leave a comment or send an email! This week I wanted to highlight an article that brings about the topic of food justice. I'd like us to reflect on how stewardship affects our bodies, our communities, and our environment. There will be more posts on this issue but today we'll with the term "fair trade." It is easy to become cynical and assume that this label is yet another ploy to cash in on the trendiness of being Green. How is "fair trade" coffee different than conventional - and why should you care?

Let's start with the definition. Fair trade refers to food produced in a way that the workers are given a living wage for their labor and the food is harvested sustainably. And yes, this means in order to pay the workers a fair wage the food will cost more. We should care about the people who provide our daily bread as stewards of this earth but if you have a hard time translating heart motive to your wallet, consider how unfair trade must affect the quality of your food. NPR's food blog, The Salt, recently published a piece on the health of the food workers (Read Full Article). Think about your own career: how do you perform at work when you are unwell? If you are EATING the literal fruits of labor of workers with poor living conditions, how is that going to taste?

The Good News transforms our world for believers and non-believers alike. How we care about our food preparers will redeem the quality of life for them as well as the quality of food for us. Stewardship is not sacrifice if you take the time to think about how we are all lifted up together by demanding justice for others.

Mindful Eating

And we're back! Sorry about the delay in posts. I launched with enthusiasm but without a realistic plan in place to sustain a flow of contact. Thanks to my friends Megan and Adam for their wisdom on how to do this project more thoughtfully. For the summer, and hopefully beyond, I commit to posting once a week and tweeting more frequently than that.

It is my hope that this blog is a collaborative project so if you have ideas, links, or feedback of any kind, please comment or send an email!

For this week, I want to point your attention to a practice called Mindful Eating. I first read about this in a NY Times Article that I recommend you read for yourself. It has been imported from Buddhist traditions via none other than the behemoth Google. They are a company that understands the link between health and employee productivity.

In essence the practice is to focus wholly on the food as you eat it - the flavors, textures, and your emotions as you consume. The spiritual component comes as gratitude for your food as you gain awareness of what you are eating. We see remnants of this idea also in the Jewish tradition of the seder. I believe there is much to be gained by this simple, but by no means simplistic, practice. Try it for one meal this week. Eat with no distractions and even try closing your eyes as you chew. See what you experience. Like any other discipline, the first time may be uncomfortable and not yield too many insights but try, try again.