Do you ever wonder, “Why do I keep doing this when I know better?”
Maybe you love Jesus and start your day with Him, but before long, you’re worrying, comparing yourself to someone else, or falling back into habits you’ve been trying to change.
You know what God’s Word says, but living it in the middle of everyday life can be hard.
Friend, I’ve been there.
After years of helping women transform their health and their lives, I’ve learned that knowing what to do and actually living it are two very different things.
That’s why I created Holy & Healthy: The 21-Day Challenge.
It’s not another fitness challenge or another thing to add to your to-do list. It’s about learning to put God first in your thoughts, your habits, your decisions, and the real-life situations you’re facing.
Why I Created Holy & Healthy
I was recently in Florida during a hurricane, and during that storm, the Lord kept bringing my annual November faith and fitness challenge to mind.
Afterward, on the plane ride home, I opened my journal, prayed, and asked God what He wanted me to do.
I wrote down two words.
Holy & Healthy.
And then the words flowed.
I thought about the thousands of women I’ve coached over the years and something I’ve learned through my own life.
Women don’t need another thing to do. They need to do everything with God!
Right there on that plane, I wrote the 21-day challenge.
I organized it around three areas that I believe we need to work on together.
1. Days 1- 7 Set Your Mind and Heart on Jesus
The first seven days are about learning to set our minds and hearts on Jesus.
Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
But seeking God first is about more than having our quiet time in the morning.
It’s about what we do when we pick up our phones and start comparing ourselves to someone else.
It’s about what we do when we’re worried, discouraged, or struggling with how we see ourselves.
During these seven days, we’re going to work through thoughts that shape our lives, seeing ourselves through God’s truth instead of the world’s opinions, bringing our emotions to God, and trusting Him with what we cannot see.
Because the goal isn’t to have a perfect quiet time.
It’s to learn to live with God at the center of our whole day.
2. Days 8-14: The Daily Habits That Change Everything
I’ve spent years teaching women how to change their habits.
And I’ve seen the same thing happen over and over again.
We get excited about making a change. We start taking better care of ourselves, reading our Bibles, or working toward a goal.
And then life happens.
We miss a workout, make a choice we regret, or fall behind.
Suddenly, we think we’ve blown it, and we tell ourselves we’ll start over Monday.
But why do we let one choice turn into a whole weekend, a whole week, or even another year?
That’s where my no-back-to-back-crap rule comes in.
Yes, that’s really what I call it!
One choice doesn’t have to become the next one.
We can recognize what’s happening, choose grace, and ask the Holy Spirit to help us practice love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We will not let one choice define us. We will let it refine us.
During days eight through fourteen, we’re going to work on caring for our bodies, practicing self-control, making better use of our time, and putting our faith into action.
And I want you to remember something that’s especially important to me.
Taking care of your body is not the same thing as making your body your identity.
Your weight, clothing size, and accomplishments cannot tell you what you’re worth.
Your worth comes from God.
We’re talking about stewardship, not perfection.
3. Days 15-21 Overcome What Keeps You Stuck
Overcoming where we get stuck or keep quitting is a skill I’ve learned, and I want to teach it to you.
It’s something we do with the Lord.
I’ve learned the hard way that every time I turn to the world for answers or try to do what I see working for someone else instead of going to God first, I end up delaying my breakthrough.
And as your big sister in Christ, I really want to help you overcome this.
Because if you don’t, you’ll keep getting to a certain point and then quitting.
Think about an area of your life where you feel like you’ve been going around the same mountain for years.
We keep returning to the same thoughts, habits, and ways of handling things, even when we know God is calling us to something different.
There’s a saying about two kinds of pain: the pain of change and the pain of staying the same.
And that’s why the final seven days of Holy & Healthy are about overcoming what keeps us stuck.
We’re going to overcome old patterns.
Those things we keep saying we’re going to change, only to find ourselves right back where we started.
We’re going to overcome fear.
Maybe you’re afraid of failing, what people will think, or what might happen if you take the next step God has put on your heart.
We’re going to overcome the need to control everything.
Because how much peace do we lose trying to figure out things that were never ours to control?
We’re going to overcome insecurity.
Instead of comparing ourselves to other women, we’re going to learn to be bold about who God has called us to be.
We’re going to work through hurt and unforgiveness.
Because sometimes choosing love is difficult, especially when someone has hurt us.
And we’re going to overcome the temptation to quit.
Because change doesn’t always happen as quickly as we want.
Friend, these are real things we face.
And here’s a question I want you to consider:
Am I waiting on God, or am I avoiding something He’s already shown me I need to do?
Sometimes we genuinely need to wait for God’s direction.
But sometimes we know the next step, and we’re afraid to take it.
I love what Dr. Charles Stanley taught:
“Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
We can’t control every outcome before we’re willing to follow God.
We’ll finish these 21 days with Philippians 3:13–14, where Paul talks about reaching forward and pressing toward the goal.
I don’t want you to finish this challenge thinking you’ve failed if you haven’t changed everything in 21 days.
I want you to begin practicing a different way of living, one you can continue long after the challenge ends.
Is Holy & Healthy for You?
If you’ve been reading this and thinking, She’s describing me, I created this challenge with you in mind.
Maybe you love Jesus but sometimes struggle to apply the Bible to your daily life.
Maybe you’re tired of feeling like being healthy means being perfect, and you genuinely want to take the best care of yourself.
Or maybe you’re ready to stop repeating the same thoughts and habits and start making the choices you really want to make.
This isn’t about doing more or having everything figured out.
It’s about spending ten minutes a day with God and then living out what you’re learning throughout the day.
And over time, those daily choices can change your life.
All that’s required is a heartset and mindset willing to grow closer to Jesus, be honest about where you are, and take the next step He’s showing you.
How the 21-Day Challenge Works
Holy & Healthy begins November 1, but it’s designed so you can start whenever you’re ready and return to it whenever you need to.
Each day includes:
- Scripture and a devotional teaching
- Two reflection questions
- A prayer
- Live It Today, a practical way to apply God’s Word
- Today I Will, your personal commitment to take action
I don’t want you to read something encouraging and then forget it.
I want you to take God’s Word into the life you’re actually living.
Maybe that means stopping yourself when you begin comparing.
Maybe it’s making time to care for your health.
Maybe it’s having a conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Or maybe it’s taking a worry to God instead of spending another hour trying to figure it out.
We’ll take it one day at a time.
I’d also love for you to invite a friend so you can encourage each other, share what you’re learning, and pray together.
Join Holy & Healthy: The 21-Day Challenge
You can also follow me on Instagram at @kimdolanleto, where I’ll be sharing more encouragement and teaching throughout the challenge.
Your Next Step Today
Before you go, I want to ask you something.
Why do I keep doing this when I know better?
What’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Worrying? Comparing? The way you speak to yourself? Something you’ve been putting off?
Identify one area.
Instead of criticizing yourself or promising to change everything tomorrow, bring that one thing to God.
Ask Him to show you what’s happening in your heart.
Look at what His Word says about it.
And ask Him to help you take one step of obedience.
Because knowing better doesn’t automatically mean we’ll live better.
We have to begin putting what we know into practice.
And we can start today.
With love in Christ,
