Rick Warren - Daniel Plan Journal: 40 Days to a Healthier Life

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from The Holy Bible, New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked PH are taken from the J. B. Phillips New Testament, copyright 1962. Used by permission of HarperCollins, New York. All rights reserved.

The Daniel Plan offers health, fitness, and nutritional information and is for educational purposes only. This book is intended to supplement, not replace, the professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of health conditions from a trained health professional. Please consult your physician or other healthcare professional before beginning or changing any health or fitness program to make sure that it is appropriate for your needs especially if you are pregnant or have a family history of any medical concerns, illnesses, or risks.

If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Stop exercising immediately if you experience faintness, dizziness, pain, or shortness of breath at any time. Please do not disregard, avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health-related advice from your healthcare professional because of something you may have read in this guide.

E ven though I grew up in the church, I have never heard a single sermon about the body. Not one. I have heard sermons about the importance of your spirit, your soul, your mind, your character, and your values.

I believe its safe to say most Christians dont have a theology of health. Yet the Bible teaches us that our bodies are very important to God, and he wants us to take care of them.

We developed the biblically based Daniel Plan at Saddleback to help you understand what God says about your body and why its important physically, mentally, and spiritually to maintain good health. God created you with a purpose. To fulfill that purpose, you need to take care of the body God gave you. Doing so will give you more energy. It will increase your stamina. It will help you handle stress and maintain a positive attitude.

We have designed this journal to guide and encourage you through the first forty days of The Daniel Plan. Every day we will provide you with biblical inspiration that teaches the spiritual significance of getting healthy and staying healthy, while reminding you that God is for you and your success in The Daniel Plan.

In addition, we will give you a tip or short activity to help you take one step at a time toward your health goals. We will also ask you questions so you can assess your health, stay motivated, track your progress, and adopt new habits.

Describing your journey in a written format helps you to stay focused on your goals and provides you with a motivational record that ultimately helps to sustain your momentum. Making progress in one area often spills over and creates a positive impact in other areas. This progress develops a win-win cycle to keep you moving forward.

Most of all, we hope The Daniel Plan will help you stay focused on God. As you depend on him more and more, you will become stronger. And instead of craving other things that dont support your goals, you will crave your time alone with him.

I have been a pastor for more than thirty-five years, and I have noticed that there tends to be three major reasons we give up on our many commitments to get and stay healthy:

1. We try to change through willpower instead of Gods power. For most of us, willpower will work for about three weeks. Then we get tired and frustrated and go back to activities that are harmful to our health. By its very nature, willpower means you are forcing yourself to do something your body doesnt want you to do. That is why most of our New Years resolutions dont last. We try to keep them by willpower instead of God power.

2. We try to change using wrong motivations instead of God motivations. When the goal is all about me how I look or feel its usually not enough to keep most people going. Theres nothing wrong with those types of goals. In fact, looking healthy and feeling healthy are good goals.

But we need something greater than ourselves to help us stick it out, particularly when the journey gets tough. The Daniel Plan lifestyle supports your health and maximizes your ability to fulfill the mission God has planned for you.

3. We try to change by ourselves instead of with other people. You were made to grow and mature in community. Its nearly impossible to have lasting change in your life without support and encouragement from others. Thats why we emphasize the need for friends as you work toward better health.

Going through The Daniel Plan with others weaves pleasure into your journey. That doesnt mean it will be easy, but it does mean you will have the joy of knowing you are accepted and loved by friends who are as committed to good health as you are.

I believe you will enjoy life on The Daniel Plan. Most people find their energy increases, they start sleeping better, their relationship with Christ deepens, and their whole outlook on life becomes brighter. Their motivation kicks up a notch, and the benefits start rolling in. I cant wait to hear how God will use a healthier you in the years to come. Welcome to an amazing, lifelong journey!

N ow you have a better picture of what The Daniel Plan is all about, and we hope you are eager to get started. Establishing a habit of journaling is going to support everything you do to move forward into better health. It doesnt matter if you are an avid journal writer or you are trying it for the first time. We have made it easy by creating a daily template to track your progress over the next forty days. In fact, we think you will enjoy the benefits of journaling so much that you may want to continue well past your first forty days!

You will begin each day with a biblically based Daily Reflection to which you can personally respond, creating a faith-centered approach to your experience. This is what makes our journal unique: Faith is the starting point.

Then you will explore your progress in each of the other Essentials (Food, Fitness, Focus, and Friends) by answering the questions in the Daily Check-In. Its important to track how you are doing in all Essentials. You may feel that you have a better handle on one or two, but challenge yourself by exploring each one and being honest about where you need to focus your efforts.

Part of your Daily Check-In examines what you eat, which is vital to achieving better health. Soon you will discover patterns related to your eating habits that will clarify much of the why behind your choices. You will also record how much water you are drinking. Hydration is key, because often when you think you are hungry, you are just dehydrated!

With this journal, you will quickly realize that keeping yourself accountable is directly tied to your success. We hope this journal offers you much more than just pages to record your progress; in fact it is our prayer that you will move into a deeper relationship with God.

T ake a few days to set goals, review The Daniel Plan food guidelines, assess where you are with each of the five Essentials, and record your current state of health. Proverbs 4:26 says, Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.