Why Can’t I Feel Free? What Keeps Us From Finding Peace in Our Bodies? - Lisa Whittle

Summary

Episode Summary: "Why Can’t I Feel Free? What Keeps Us From Finding Peace in Our Bodies?" featuring Lisa Whittle

Podcast: The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast
Host: CandyRock (Candace Cameron Bure)
Guest: Lisa Whittle, Bible teacher and author
Release Date: July 22, 2025

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Introduction to the Season: Body and Soul

In this episode, host Candace Cameron Bure introduces the "Body and Soul" season of her podcast, emphasizing the profound exploration of body image, self-perception, and spiritual well-being. Joined by co-host and guest, Lisa Whittle, a seasoned Bible teacher and author of nine books including Jesus Over Everything and I Want God, the discussion delves deep into personal struggles, theological insights, and the journey towards finding peace within one's body.

Personal Journeys with Body Image

Candace Shares Her Struggles:
Candace opens up about her long-term battle with body image and eating disorders, tracing back to her college years. She recounts how societal pressures and unhealthy relationships led her to restrictive eating habits:

"My lunches became Skittles and Diet Coke. I was working in the office of the Vice President at the time and that's all I would eat all day. That was my girl lunch." ([00:00])

She candidly discusses her disordered eating patterns during seminary and early career, highlighting the normalization of such behaviors among her peers.

Lisa's Parallel Experiences:
Lisa Whittle echoes similar sentiments, sharing her experiences with anorexia and bulimia from a young age. She emphasizes the pervasive culture of dieting within her household and the entertainment industry pressures:

"I've always looked at it through a lens of comparison... even at a young age, I think that's when Tracy Gold, who was on the show Growing Pains with my brother, she dealt with anorexia for many." ([19:33])

Theological Underpinnings and Whole Body Theology

Candace's Revelation:
Candace introduces the concept of "Whole Body Theology," a theological framework that integrates body and soul, helping individuals understand their intrinsic worth beyond societal standards:

"Whole body theology, which is really this biblical belief system of God's creation of us in our entire personhood, body and soul, which houses all of our core beliefs under one roof..." ([37:00])

She elaborates on how this theology shifts the focus from mere physical appearances to honoring God through one's entire being, fostering a "glory mindset":

"Whatever you eat, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." ([38:02])

Lisa's Insights:
Lisa expands on the theological concepts, discussing the "glorious exchange" and the significance of Christ's incarnation and crucifixion in empowering believers to find freedom in their bodies:

"In other words, we are not different parts of ourselves. We are a whole being." ([40:47])

Cultural Pressures and Information Overload

Candace's Analysis:
Candace delves into the modern-day pressures that exacerbate body image issues, such as information overload and the obsession with healthy living, coining the term "orthorexia":

"It's the mental exhaustion that we have... now there's this diagnosis of orthorexia, which is on the rise." ([31:12])

She critiques the endless cycle of fitness fads and dietary trends that leave individuals feeling perpetually inadequate:

"The overload at some point has to stop. And either we believe the root, we either believe the Bible, or we don't." ([34:08])

Lisa's Commentary:
Lisa agrees, highlighting how societal expectations and media influence contribute to the relentless pursuit of an ideal body, further distancing individuals from true self-acceptance:

"Social media does not help my life as much as I love social media... I keep scrolling, the next post is, yeah, what salt am I putting in my water when, how many times a week am I cold plunging?" ([32:02])

Practical Strategies for Body Freedom

Motivation and Self-Care:
The hosts address practical tips for overcoming body image struggles. Lisa emphasizes the importance of finding enjoyable physical activities and having workout partners to maintain motivation:

"My suggestion for motivation is getting a buddy. I think it's very helpful when you have a friend that's going to go with you..." ([45:17])

Candace adds a clinical perspective, recommending checking blood work to rule out physiological causes of low motivation and sluggishness:

"Sometimes when you just find for a prolonged period of time when you lack motivation, check your blood work." ([47:34])

Skincare and Self-Care Routines:
In response to listener questions, both hosts discuss their personal skincare routines, advocating for simplicity and natural products to reduce stress and promote self-care:

"Pick up some facial moisturizer. So that's how my skin glows. Maybe there's lots out there you can get at any price point." ([42:43])

Listener Engagement and Resources

Interactive Q&A:
The episode features listener questions addressing everyday concerns such as skincare routines and workout motivation, providing relatable and actionable advice.

Resources:
Candace and Lisa promote Lisa's Body and Soul Bible study, encouraging listeners to engage with the material for deeper understanding and support. They also offer a free resource, the "Whole Body Guide," available for download on Candace's website.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Candace:
  "My lunches became Skittles and Diet Coke. I was working in the office of the Vice President at the time and that's all I would eat all day. That was my girl lunch." ([00:00])

• Candace:
  "Whole body theology... houses all of our core beliefs under one roof..." ([37:00])

• Candace:
  "Whatever you eat, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." ([38:02])

• Lisa:
  "Social media does not help my life as much as I love social media... I keep scrolling, the next post is, yeah, what salt am I putting in my water when, how many times a week am I cold plunging?" ([32:02])

• Lisa:
  "My suggestion for motivation is getting a buddy. I think it's very helpful when you have a friend that's going to go with you..." ([45:17])

• Candace:
  "Sometimes when you just find for a prolonged period of time when you lack motivation, check your blood work." ([47:34])

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Conclusion: Pathway to Body Freedom

Candace and Lisa conclude the episode by reiterating the importance of integrating faith, self-awareness, and practical self-care in the journey towards body freedom. They encourage listeners to embrace their whole selves, grounded in theological truths, to break free from the societal shackles of body image pressures.

Listeners are invited to join them over the next 12 weeks for in-depth discussions, personal stories, and spiritual insights aimed at fostering a healthier relationship with their bodies and souls.

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For More Information:

• Download the Whole Body Guide: candice.com
• Join Lisa's Bible Study: Body and Soul
• Follow on YouTube: Check out the new podcast set and behind-the-scenes content.

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*Thank you for tuning into The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast. Remember, life is like a roller coaster, and it's so much better when we go through it together.

Transcript

[A]

So I go to seminary and then my lunches became Skittles and Diet Coke. I was working in the office of the Vice President at the time and that's all I would eat all day. That was my girl lunch.

[B]

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[B]

Life is like a roller coaster, but it's so much better when we go through it together. Welcome to the Candace Cameron Foray Podcast where we share conversations about life's challenges, celebrations and everything in between. This season I am so excited because we are talking about our box bodies, our stories and our faith. My guest co host this season is Bible teacher and author Lisa Whittle. You are going to love her if you don't know her already. Lisa is the author of nine books and multiple Bible studies including Jesus Over Everything and the Hard Good. Her book I Want God has encouraged and challenged so many people to follow Jesus more closely. She's a pastor's daughter with deep roots in the church and she's witty and bold and honest. She hosts the popular Jesus Over Everything podcast which has over 900 episodes. Hello. Oh my goodness, I can't wait to get there. Lisa is a wife, mom, lover of laughter, good food and the Bible and a self professed feisty work in progress. We are calling this season Body and Soul. Come join us. Lisa welcome.

[A]

Hi.

[B]

Hi. Okay. I'm extra, extra happy today because we are in a brand new podcast set studio, and it's season 11, and we just. We got to refresh and I couldn't love it more.

[A]

It's amazing. This is beautiful.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

You're beautiful. Your haircut is beautiful. Can we just say that?

[B]

Oh, well, thank you. So, yes, for those of you listening and not watching, you might want to click over to YouTube because you just have to check out our new set. It's so great. And I did get a haircut. You guys will probably have already seen my haircut on Instagram because, you know, we're. We're taping this in a. A little advance before you're seeing it, but I actually got my haircut yesterday. Just chopped it off.

[A]

It's like, new set, new do, new you. Did you just. What makes you get a haircut? Do you just decide, I just need a fresh look? What is it?

[B]

Yes. My hair's. I love my hair long. I don't. I don't. You know, I prefer it long. However, I am in makeup and hair for so long for the movies, and I shot basically two movies back to back, and I sit in a hair chair for like two hours to get my hair, my makeup done. Like, people are always. Which I'm so grateful. They're always like, oh, can you just share how you did your hair and your makeup? And I'm like, guys, someone's doing my hair and my makeup for me. They're way better at it than I am. But, like, my butt hurts. Like, I want to get out of the chair. I just. And so doing the back to back movies with long hair and it just takes that much more time. And my ends were fried and they were just frizzed out. And I. So about every five years, I kind of chop it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I feel a little bit like DJ Tanner in the last season of Full House because I cut my hair in a bob this length, but it feels good. It feels fresh. It just feels a lot lighter. And I like it.

[A]

I love it. It's very in. It's very chic. It's very this set.

[B]

Thank you. Have you always, like, what's your length? Have.

[A]

I've had my hair every length. I feel like this is how I do my haircut. It is very much like, today I want to cut my hair, and today I need to go get my hair cut. That doesn't always work out because I obviously have someone who does my hair. She's done my hair for a Long time. So she usually can't take me that day, but it is very much. I'm determined to get it cut today because I cannot stand it one day longer. That might tell you something about my personality, but, yeah, I just get sick of it, and I want to cut it, but I haven't had it short in a very long time. I found that when my hair was very short, I had to fix it more now.

[B]

True.

[A]

Right now I can just put it in a ball cap. And I'm. I wear ball caps a lot, as you know.

[B]

So, yeah, we're. Yeah, we gotta talk because you have given me some of the best ball caps that, like, all of you guys watching and listening are like, where'd you get that from? And it's from Lisa. It's from Lisa. Well, thank you so much for being here. This season is so important.

[A]

We.

[B]

I had. Two seasons ago, my daughter Natasha and Ali Schnacki were on, and we had one episode that we talked, talked about body image, and there was a clip from that that went viral. And we had so many people writing in and comments and posting, and it just resonated with so many women, and I'm sure some men, too, but we. Because of that, I really, really wanted to do. Do a season that was really expanded upon body. Body image and our health, our. You know, our. How we see ourselves within our body and what God has to say about that. And no sooner was I watching that clip go viral and thinking about these things that I was flipping through I. Or scrolling through, I got to your Instagram page and saw that you had a new Bible study coming out called Body and Soul. And it's like Body and soul theology. And I was like, what? What is this? And I immediately messaged and said, lisa, can we talk about this? And I want to do this Bible study. I want to know what you have to say on this. And that got the conversation going. And now you're here to talk about it on the podcast.

[A]

I know, it's amazing. When I got that message from you, I just. My heart swelled because this is something that has changed my life. And I just knew that talking about it with you was going to be an incredible experience because I knew a bit about your body journey. Not a lot, but I knew a little bit about it. And I knew that we would connect in ways that were really profound and vulnerable. And so even though we've had different journeys, I knew that we both had been through things with our body, like all women, honestly. And I knew that. That the way the Lord had changed me in. In a way that I never thought possible. Candace, could be something that would be impactful for your audience.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so I was just honored beyond words that you wanted to talk about it with me.

[B]

Well, it. It has been really a struggle my entire life. I mean, we're going to get into.

[A]

All of it a lot.

[B]

We really are. Over the next 12 weeks. We have a lot to talk about. But. But just seeing what you had shared on your Instagram and knowing that there was a Bible study that felt very different from the things I've seen and read and watched in the past, that you were really getting to the heart of the matter. I just. I knew I needed to because I'm one of those people that when it comes to health and fitness and body, because I've struggled with it for so long, I'm reading everything I can. I want all the information, and yet none of it has. There's certainly been amazing things and tools that have helped me along the way, but there's still nothing that has really changed my heart and soul on it, because I still constantly think about it. The one thing that has was a dream that God gave me not that long ago, a couple of years ago, that had a profound impact in my life. But anyway, we're just gonn gonna. We are gonna deep dive into all the things. We're gonna be answering lots of listener questions, like we do on every single episode, but really specific to the body. And I'm just excited for these conversations and want you all to know, like, we have just prayed about all of it. We've prayed before each and every episode. I mean, we always do. But this one just feels extra and, like, needing extra heart protection. Even having these conversations, she is already coming to my eyes because it's really vulnerable. Yes. But so many of us share the same feelings.

[A]

Yes. Candace. Even yesterday when I was in my hotel room, I was crying. I was crying. And, you know, a lot of it was the vulnerability I knew we were going to bring to the table, but also the gratitude for what God has done for me. Because it wasn't that long ago that I didn't know if I would ever be free. And I was literally worshiping God in my hotel room, saying, thank you, God, because it is only you that has set me free in my body. Like you. And we'll get into all of this, but I've known a lot about the body. I've had lots of good information my whole life. And wouldn't it be. Wasn't it interesting to me that as a pastor's daughter, the place that actually set me free was the place I should have been looking all along, which was the word of God. Something I've had at my fingertips my whole life. And it's been profound. It's been profound. And I'm different. I'm different. So it's just very exciting to me. And as I was just recalling the goodness of God in the journey. Journey. And it's been long because I'm not a young woman, so it's exciting. And I. Can.

[B]

Can you. Sorry, can you share how old you are or what decade you're in?

[A]

Yes, I'm happy to do that. I am a proud gen Xer. I'm 53 years old. But what is exciting for me is I could lament the fact that I have not known about this my whole life, but I think what the Lord has shown me, because I am a person that sometimes is. Has done that. Like, oh, I wish I had known this, or I had. Wish I had done this. I've lived with guilt, I've lived with shame. I've lived with regret. But what God has really shown me in this is one more day to not know. This would be sad. But now I know. And so every day I now know differently is one day to live differently. And so it's exciting because the day that you know is the day then that you can live differently in your body. And so I've lived rejuvenated, rejoicing, because I now know it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so I love that.

[B]

I can't wait for us to get. Go through these 12 weeks because then a whole lot more people are gonna know it, right?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And they can. And you can all continue to know it even further because you should get Lisa's Bible study. So just go get it right now, and then you can follow along and listen to us each week as you go through the Bible study. Okay, well, we're gonna just jump in and I. We're gonna get vulnerable really fast.

[A]

Great.

[B]

So will you share with us what your relations like with your body?

[A]

Long and complicated. Like, I think with most women, honestly with most people, let's say that, because I think it's also complicated for men, but with women, I think in particular, when I look back at my life, the story arc of my life has had to do with my body. And so when I think about it, you know, I go back and I think, okay, I was the pretty girl who could always lose a few pounds. So that's like part of the story arc, I was always the bigger sister. I was always bigger than my very tiny mom. And I think if. If girls are taught anything from an early age, it's, don't be the biggest of anything, whether it's the biggest personality in the room, whether it's the biggest in size. And I think a side note to that is we are constantly, as women, scanning the room to see, am I the smallest in this room? I want to be the smallest.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I want to deny that first and go, no, I don't do that. But if I'm being really honest, I'm like, yeah, I probably do.

[A]

In college, my boyfriend loved me more when I was thinner or when I worked out. And we already had a toxic relationship. And so that clicked in my brain as a love reward system. I wanted him to love me, but I knew that in order to get him to love me, I needed to give something. I needed to work out more. I needed to prove to him that my body could be thinner. And so that created sort of this system in my brain of, well, you're going to need to get your body a certain way in order to gain his love. And the truth is, Candace, in college, we were all on a diet.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, I mean, dieting was just the way of life.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

Nobody was saying, like, oh, Lisa, you don't need to worry about that, because. Because all my roommates and people I knew, we were all dieting same. Right.

[B]

I mean, just grew up in a household of dieting. I don't know, life without dieting.

[A]

Dieting was just what we did. And so nobody said, hey, you don't need to do that in order to, you know, have this relationship. Nobody was. Nobody was healthy enough to do that. And so I remember this, as I was thinking back to this part of the story arc was my boyfriend and I went to visit his parents for the weekend. Cause, you know, you're in college, you all live away. We all lived away for the most part. And so we traveled to his home, and we would do that periodically. I loved his family. His mom always had on the counter a jar of M&Ms. And at the time, I was very restrictive with what I ate. I didn't know I had anorexia, bulimia. This was the start of really, my eating disorder was in college when I started dating this particular boyfriend. And I wouldn't have even called it that. I would have just said, you know, I just don't really eat that much.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I really didn't even name it as an eating disorder until far, far later, but that's what it was. But I remember this jar of M and Ms. Being on her counter, and I thought, oh, I really shouldn't eat those. And he definitely can't know I eat them. So if he would ever leave the house, I would go and eat handfuls of those M and Ms, and then I would go vomit them.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that really was the beginning of a raging eating disorder that I carried on into seminary. So I go to seminary, and then my lunches became Skittles and Diet Coke. And that was my girl lunch. And I remember I would work. I was working in the office of a vice president at the time, and my lunch was back in a back room, and I would go back there and I would eat Skittles and Diet Coke. That's all I would eat all day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it just was a normal part of my life, what I thought was a normal part of my life. And in my brain I thought, well, I love Jesus, I'm studying Jesus, and I just eat, don't eat very much. And I. I thought in my mind that I could live unwell in my body and I could love Jesus, and those two things could joyfully coexist. And I didn't really think anything more than that. And then it really carried on into, like, my married life, my young motherhood. I remember taking a trip of a lifetime with a girlfriend of mine to the Cayman Islands, and we were going to swim with the dolphins. I was so excited about this, but yet at the same time, all I could think about was in the pictures, I'm going to have a bathing suit on, and I'm going to look fat compared compared to her because she's very thin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so that was the consuming thought. And so I've had stints with body victories, but I never had true freedom until I developed a whole body theology. Because always it was about a victory of a goal. A victory to get a certain size, a victory to meet a goal with exercise. So that was all it was.

[B]

Right. And that just seems so normal. I mean, I still think of in my life, or whether it's any of my friends, me, my mom, it's always like, oh, there's a wedding coming up. I'm gonna drop those 5 pounds or that 10 pounds, I'm gonna lean up because I've got a goal now. And it just. It feels so normal. But when we actually take a step back and look at it, it's not. It shouldn't be, and it's sad. That it is for so many people.

[A]

So what about you? Because you've been very honest.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But when you think about your own sort of story arc with your body and your relationship to your body, what comes up?

[B]

I, I've been waiting to share this kind of stuff. It feels like therapy in a way, I think, because, you know, knowing that you, you can come out on the other side feels so good and freeing. You know, I still, there's still places of struggle for me. But if I go back and think about how what my body story has been like, it's sad for me to think about it in the sense that, you know, I've always looked at it through a lens of comparison and be. Because I'm on television, like that's the natural thing. But my, my story isn't any different than yours, Lisa. You're just comparing to your sisters, your mom. I'm of course comparing to my sisters and my mom. But then I'm also comparing to the other people on television and who looks like me and who do I look like, who's representing me? And, and so even at a young age, while I've talked about, I, I really believe that my parents did the best job in protecting me through those kinds of things, especially body image. But you know, when I was probably like 11 or 12 and, and aware of my body at 11 or 12, I think that's when Tracy Gold, who was on the show Growing Pains with my brother, she dealt with anorexia for many, even at one point had to leave the show because she had to go into treatment. And my parents were really afraid, not because I was anorexic, but because I was. I don't even want to say that I was chubby, but like, I was, I, I had cheeks and I had thicker arms and I was like a normal 12 year old. You know, I really was a normal 12 year old, but I had a little bit more fat on me than other kids on tv. And they were just fearful that I would develop an eating disorder just because of all of the pressures so they offered up, like, hey, let's start working out and let's make sure we make good choices with food and this and that. But like, everyone in my house was always on a diet. My mom was always on a diet, my sisters were always on a diet. I was always put on a diet. But it wasn't like, oh, you have to lose weight. It's just, we're going to do this as preventative. We want to teach you how to be healthy and exercise but that completely shaped my, my, the viewpoint that I had about myself and the feelings about my body, knowing, oh, I have to make decisions for what I put in my mouth and how much I exercise, because there's a fear that I could develop an eating disorder because I'm on tv because that's the pressure. And I don't want to be too fat compared to other actors because then producers might tell me that I need to lose weight. And my parents never wanted a producer to come up to me and say, like, we need your child to lose weight, so let's do everything preventative. And yet that very thing just, just shaped the way I looked at my body, which was like, oh, it's not good enough the way it is right now. So I, you know, that that kind of started young, and through my teenage years, I think it's all just very normal. That's how so many of us think. But I'm always looking, you know, I stood next to Andrea Barber, who played Kimmy Gibbler, and she could not been more of a bean pole, just, you know, taller than me and skinny. And Andrea's talked about that. We've had so many conversations about it. And, you know, ironically, what I didn't realize at the time is I would always look at her and feel so self conscious standing next to her because she was so thin and I didn't look like her on the show. And little did I know that she hated how thin she was. Sure, like, really didn't like her body because she was like, nothing's developed, nothing's. I, I just look like a boat, you know, sticks and bones, you know, on this little head on a stick. And so she's shared all that stuff. But I, but, you know, at 13, 14, 15, we're not sharing our feelings about our body. I'm just basically jealous of her, and she's jealous of whoever she's jealous of.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

And, you know, so the cycle. So the cycle continues. So, you know, my body story, I, too, developed an eating disorder when I was 18, and it was, it was binging and purging, like, I'm a bulimic. And, and I still say I'm. I'm a bulimic. I don't. Because the thoughts, whether I'm doing that or not, they never leave me. So I, I still need the tools to just say, no, Candace, we're not doing that. And, and, you know, I think my home life in terms of, like, my husband's been this incredible support and all of that, but it's just I feel like a broken record. I'm 49 years old and I'm like, why do I think about this so much? Why does it even matter so much? It's so ridiculous and yet I'm still thinking about it. We're here talking about it and I'm glad we're talking about it, but I just wish in general that this was not not a conversation that we all had to have. I don't know about you, but I love to colorfully mark up my Bible and Mr. Pen is the company dedicated to creating pens and highlighters specifically to be used in your Bible. How cute is this? The ink doesn't bleed through the page and there are so many color palettes to choose from paired with their other products like like transparent sticky tape, sticky notes and tabs, and Washi tape and you can create the perfect combinations to make studying Scripture an even more meaningful experience. With over 1 million 5 star reviews on Amazon, they are the most popular Bible highlighters and pens on the market. That's why I use them. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith through study and reflection or or simply need a reliable pen for taking notes During a sermon, Mr. Penn has you covered. To get 10% off your first Mr. Pen order, go to candicepens.com Join me in diving into the Word in 2025. Go to candicepens.com to get 10 off your Mr. Pen order. Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona, believes that we're endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. GCU equips you to serve others in ways that promote human flourishing and create a ripple effect of transformation for generations to come. Matthew 5:16 says, in the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good work and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. By honoring your career calling, you impact your family, your friends and your community. Whether your pursuit involves a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree, GCU's online on campus and hybrid learning environments are designed to help you achieve your unique academic, personal and professional goals. Find your purpose at Grand Canyon University Private Christian Affordable Visit gcu. Edu Pro Savings Days Doorbuster deals are on at Lowe's Milo's Pro Rewards members save an additional $120 on a GE 21.9 cubic foot top freezer refrigerator, plus members save 70 on a Bosch hammer drill.

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[A]

I think what you're talking about is. It's so powerful. And I'll tell you, what I hear from women is exhaustion. What you're referencing is exhaustion, which is interesting to me, Candace, because it's not like we're. Women are suddenly exhausted. Right. Like, I feel like women have always been tired. It's. It's. It's interesting to me because I was thinking about this too. We're talking about rest in our culture more than ever. Like, we're talking about sabbatical and things and, And. And Sabbath. Things that my mom and that generation never talked. They never talked about Sabbathing or all of the things we talk about now. So here's my theory on it. I believe that the rest is not necessarily from not getting enough sleep at night. Now, I, I think there's some of that, like, we have overloaded schedules. We have, you know, more of the. That frenzy now. I think the exhaustion comes from the mental exhaustion. So I think that we're actually exhaust. Not getting the rest that we need because we don't have mental rest. We have the. Certainly the pressure that we feel to lose weight, that we've always felt, movement, all that. But now we have another element that's come into play, which is the exhaustion from information overload. So now we have this double whammy of information overload. And in some cases, it is even this. This pressure of, I need to eat healthy, because we have so much information of what kinds of foods now that we should eat, because all of the toxicity and all of the food, which is a very real thing. But now there's this diagnosis of. Of orthorexia, which is not an. I guess, not really recognized exactly. By the National Eating Disorder association, although it is on their website. So that tells you that it is something that's really on the rise, which is an obsession with eating healthy.

[B]

Right. So orthorexia, obsession to eat healthy, eat healthy.

[A]

And I have seen it in people.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Because it is a real thing.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

So you have that now. And now you have this information overload with, okay, how much protein do I eat? How many steps do I get in? Okay, what magnesium do I take? There's three types of magnesium. And do I cold plunge or do I sauna?

[B]

I mean, you're. You're speaking my life right now. Okay.

[A]

Right. Okay. But just think about it. Okay, now not only are we, are we dehydrated, but now it's not just drink water, but now you need salt in your water and you also need electrolytes. So it's not just that. I mean, you start going down the road and you start talking about it and I haven't even gotten into like skincare, which is now I've got to shave my face and rollerball my face and do all of the kinds of things. So it's when does it stop? And that's the thing is when does it stop? And it is the exhaustion from it. And you can hear people talking about this. There is, there is this longing that we have. Candace, for rest.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's not sleep.

[B]

It is absolutely right.

[A]

It is the mental exhaustion that we have.

[B]

I mean, I really am exhausted hearing you list off those things. Because I mean, I, I take the bait. I'm doing every single thing that you just listed. And there's always something new coming out. And I'll tell you, social media does not help my life as much as I love social media. And it helps, has amazing things and great things. And I saw that your Bible study was coming out on this through social media. However, if I keep scrolling, the next post is, yeah, what salt am I putting in my water when, how many times a week am I cold plunging? All of the things that I'm like, wait, what? What have I not been doing? Right? I have. Well, I didn't do that. Well, that's a new thing. My husband just laughs at half of us. I mean, he laughs at me cuz I'm like, babe, you know that like we should, we should be cold plunging. And he just laughs and he's like, like us, I think all over the people of the world, he's like, have been doing this for hundreds of years, honey. But in Russia, this is what we do. We go to the sauna, we go take a dip in the cold lake and we come out and this refreshes our body and whatever. He's like, but now you guys just made it some cool fad, so everyone needs to go buy a home dunk tank, right? Your cold plunge. And I'm like, but I'm like, yeah, I take the bait all the time.

[A]

The problem is the needle is always moving.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And you have, you have experts that disagree. So then you have someone that says, will you do it for 40 minutes? No, you do it for 20 minutes. No, wait, you need to do it in this type of conditions.

[B]

I mean, listen, I do it for three Guys, three minutes. That's all I've gotten.

[A]

The problem is, it is absolutely exhausting. And we are constantly thinking it's the one thing we've missed. Oh, I know. That's what it is. I've missed the one thing. And that's why I don't have body freedom. And the reality is. No, I mean, I took a rough poll on my social media a couple days ago, and I said, how. How often do you think about your body? Over 90% of people said every day, and over 90% said more than once a day. And I said, do you think about it positively or negatively? Overwhelmingly, way more than I.

[B]

Yes, negatively.

[A]

Right. So this is telling me that we don't understand what it says in Philippians where it talks about, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. The overload at some point has to stop. And either we believe the root, we either believe the Bible, or we don't. And I'm not saying that as a soundbite. I'm saying that's either the root, because that is where it all starts, or we don't. And we have this preservation mindset, but at some point, it conflicts with persevering in our faith.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we are so caught up in the preservation mindset that we are completely exhausted. And that's what it is.

[B]

We have so much good stuff to talk about. And I mean, I think you, all of you listening or watching, like you understand where we're where we're headed, but we're really going to talk about all of it. I mean, and we will talk about even the cosmetic procedures and skin care. I mean, we're going to get into the fluffy, the things that feel fluffy and. But we're going to get deep into the heart. And so I'm excited about everything that we have to share, but we take listener questions every episode, so we're going to get to some of those before we move to that. Is there anything you want to share? I just, like, think this is a. Just as the overview, because that's what this episode is all about. And we'll start really diving in next week.

[A]

I think for me, this was something that is so profound because before I started writing this Bible study, Candace, I asked the Lord, I said, I am 50 years old. Will I ever be free? It's exactly what you just talked about. I said, will I ever be Free. And I think what I wanted freedom from was self loathing. It was not only just the thoughts about it every day, but it was the self loathing that was attached to it. Because most of the time that is an element of it. It was either the guilt, it's either the self loathing, it's the element that is dragging us down, down, because we don't stop with just thinking about it. There's that extra element of it. And the Lord showed me that my entire life, someone that has counted carbs, known calorie counts, been on every diet from Jenny Craig to the soup diet to Atkins for years and years and years, all of that known, tons about exercise, have had great guns, have been like all the small sizes, all the middle size, all the size sizes in between. Right. Everything that I've missed something. And it was a theological underpinning of all of this. And that is what I needed to stop the madness. So I had skipped a step and I didn't realize it. I had gone into body topics. I had gone into, and some of them were great. I had learned a lot. But I had missed this theological underpinning, what I call whole body theology, that led to a glory mindset. And the whole body theology, which is really this biblical belief system of God's creation of us in our entire personhood, body and soul, which houses all of our core beliefs under one roof and systematically structures them from the ground up so that we understand our why in our design, function and purpose. And that then drives our decision making. And it is based in the Bible, which is the key.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it, it puzzled me because I. I really had missed that whole thing. And it was not a plucked thing over here and a little bit over here and a little bit over there. And the glory mindset is essentially First Corinthians 10:31. Whatever you eat, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. So the motive in going to the gym is not to feel good. I hope you feel good and everything that is from God will be for your benefit. What God wants from us, he wants for us. He is for our good. God is for us. So you will probably feel really good when you go to the gym. But that's not the motive. The motive is a glory mindset. It is that it brings glory to God in your body, that you move your body. Science is informed by scripture. It's not the other way around. And we have missed that. And in the process, there's freedom because you can't loathe yourself when you bring it in light of who you are, embodied by Christ in what I call the glorious exchange. See, we don't understand the glorious exchange. We have thought of Christ coming to earth in his radical incarnation, which is when he came to earth fully God, fully man, embodied. I mean, Christ becoming a body which is incredible. So that we might have relationship with him, but also to give dignity to us in our embodied as embodied humans created for reliance in and his crucifixion, which we have never understood. That whole tie where he willingly gave his life for us as an atonement for our sins, in that we are offered this exchange of rest in our bodies. We've never understood that exchange. And then created for consecration the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our bodies where it's not this strict set of rules. Instead, we house a king, so that changes the way that we operate, right? And then created for unity with the body of Christ. In other words, we really can't function without people that are also our body extensions of our body, and then created for glory, which is our whole personhood. In other words, we're not different parts of ourself. We are a whole self. And for a long time we have allowed ourselves to parse out and say, this is a part of me over here. This is a part of me over here. No, we are a whole being.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so when we understand that whole thing, we don't have the same overwhelm. Because what we've done so far is we have built an entire house with no foundation. And so we've decorated the house, we put pictures up in the house, but we've not had a foundation. And so no wonder we have crumbled. And that's really what it's about. I'll give you this one story, okay? We have collected a lot of inspirational stuff we've learned from a lot of experts. We've had a little bit over here, a little bit over there. We've even learned Bible verses, but we've never had a full picture of ourselves. My daughter in college has a mirror that has sticky notes all over it. And it's full of light, like inspirational stuff. It's full of verses. It's. It's got all of this great stuff all over it. And at the beginning of the semester, it had a few sticky notes over it. And by the end of the semester, I went to visit her. This mirror was full of sticky notes. So we were going to go out to dinner one night, and I wanted to go look at Myself. And so I went in there and I could, I think, Candace, I literally could see like my right eye. Okay. And so I was like, I can kind of see my hair. I can kind of see my eye. And I said to her, I said, baby, you have got so many sticky notes all over your mirror, I don't even know if I look good. Am I okay because I can't see myself. And that's what's happened with us, with our bodies. We have collected a lot of information. A little bit of this from this expert, a little bit of this from neuroscience, a little bit of this from even scriptures. With whole body theology, you see the full picture. So you make decisions differently because the Bible informs you with that full picture view. And that is what this is all about.

[B]

I can't wait. I can't wait to deep dive. Thank you for that. We are going to go to a listener question. This is from Tara. She says, I'm 30 years old. When do you recommend using facial moisturizer? Your skin glows. And I'm just wondering what I should be doing as a whole routine. It seems a bit overwhelming as a mom of an infant and a toddler. Okay, I love this, this is a light question because we're gonna get into some stuff, but okay, Tara, I, I don't know life without facial moisturizer. So. And I don't mean that in a way to make you feel bad, but I'm like, girl, pick up some facial moisturizer. So that's how my skin glows. I think I would. Maybe there's lots out there you can get at any price point. But if I'm going to recommend just something natural and you just want one step, I mean, I would suggest washing your face and moisturizing your face if you want to keep it as simple as possible. And I actually use a sea buckhorn oil for my moisturizer. It's not oily or greasy or anything, but it's all natural. And you can, could, I think you can buy it on Amazon. A very, you know, a clean one, natural one. But I would say start with, start with that and start with some kind of very clean cleanser. What about you?

[A]

I think that's great. I'm, I'm a very low maintenance skin person. I feel like a bunch of products you don't really even need. And I've even talked to a dermatologist about this. So I'm embarrassed to say for a long time I really didn't take awesome care of my skin. I also don't think that's great. I think we should take care of our skin. I use a makeup remover that I really like called Pharmacy, and it's really buttery and it's great. Takes your. You can do your eye makeup as well. Because I have sensitive skin, so I really have to watch what I put on my skin. And then I use. Because I'm a little older than you, Candace, I use only a couple years, not much. I use this. It's tretinoin. It's like retinol. Retinol, right, Retinol, Retin A. And I just wipe that on my skin. And then I use a, like acetaphil. It's just like a. It's like an over the counter, it's not expensive at all.

[B]

Drugstore. Yeah.

[A]

And even a dermatologist said, you just, you don't need a lot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's what I do.

[B]

Yeah. That's good.

[A]

Simple and basic.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. Our second question is from Jill, and she asks what can I do to help me? Want to work out?

[A]

You want to take that? Go ahead.

[B]

Here. Here's what I would say in general because. Because often motivation feels like the hardest part of it. It's just saying yes. It's getting up, it's taking the first step. It's putting on your walking shoes. It's lacey, it's walking out the door to either go to the gym or go on that walk, whatever. And I. My suggestion for motivation is getting a buddy. I think it's very helpful when you have a friend that's going to go with you and you pick a time and a day because you will cancel less when you know someone's meeting you at 7am on Monday morning, if that's your time or 5pm get a friend. And that's helpful. And the other thing I would say is find things that you actually like doing that are exercise. So if you don't want to go to a gym and be on a treadmill, don't go for a walk, go for a hike. Do you like riding a bike? Do you want to feel like a kid and ride a real bicycle? Go ride a real bicycle. Would it be more fun to go to a playground and like go on the swing and try to do the monkey bars? Does it feel good to put some roller skates or rollerblades on? Do you like, like Jazzercise? Even if it's old school? Do you have some old Jane Fonda or Denise Austin tapes that you used to love? Is that fun? Do what feels fun when it Comes to exercise, get out and move your body. It doesn't have to be a specific program or, or what someone else does might not fit you. I think everyone that, that knows me knows that. I love working out with Kira Stokes. She's been a New York trainer for a long, long time, but I use her app. I see her a handful of times a year because I live on the west coast, she's on the east coast. But I use her app and I love her workouts. They make me feel good and I enjoy them. I genuinely enjoy them. So I am motivated to press play because I go, I know that's a workout I'm going to enjoy doing. Doing.

[A]

I love that. I don't think I could add any more brilliance than what you just said. I do think I'm gonna go a little clinical with it. I do think sometimes when we really lack motivation, sometimes we need to get our blood work done. I think sometimes you need to check your levels. Like, maybe there is a reason why you feel really sluggish.

[B]

That's good.

[A]

So I, I think that was where I started back, you know, even a year ago. I was like, I really need to make sure all my blood work is in order because I am feeling certain ways in my body and I do think depending on your age and things like that, it's. That's a really important thing to check. Sometimes we do feel really lacks of motivation at certain points in our life. So every tip you said is amazing. And I would second all of that. I think all those things are so important. And sometimes when you just find for a prolonged period of time when you lack motivation, check your blood work. Just make sure everything's good. All your levels are good.

[B]

Yeah, that's great. Okay, well, we have something very special for you this season. It's a free resource that we're calling the Whole Body Guide. Download [e-mail] or find it in a link in the show notes. Lisa's body and soul Bible study book shaped these conversations. So please, please be sure to check that out too. And if you have questions for us, go to Candice.com and send it our way. Until next time. Be grateful all day, every day. Candy Rock Entertainment all rights reserved.

[A]

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