About This Guide
This guide explores the Healthy pillar of the Superhuman Framework: the practice of treating your body not as a machine to exploit but as a temple to steward. Whether you are running on empty or just beginning to notice the toll leadership is taking on your health, these principles will help you build sustainable rhythms that honor God and sustain your calling.
What You Will Learn
- The biblical foundation for treating your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit
- What research reveals about health and leadership effectiveness
- How sleep deprivation impairs the exact cognitive functions leaders need most
- Six practical steps to cultivate health as a faith-driven leader
- Warning signs that your body is crying out for attention
The Weight You Carry in Your Body
It is 11:46 PM. You are staring at your laptop, but your body is screaming at you. Your back aches from ten hours in that chair. Your eyes burn from the blue light. Your head pounds with the dull rhythm of too much caffeine and not enough water.
You cannot remember the last time you got eight hours of sleep. Or went for a walk that was not rushing to a meeting. Or ate a meal that did not come from a delivery app while you answered emails.
The quarterly numbers look good. Your team hit their targets. By every business metric that matters, you are winning. So why does your body feel like it is losing?
What if your body is not a machine to be exploited, but a temple to be stewarded?
For the faith-driven leader, physical health is not separate from spiritual health. Your body is the vehicle God gave you to fulfill your purpose.
The Health Crisis Among Leaders
Before we open Scripture, let me show you what the research reveals. Because this is not just a spiritual problem. It is an epidemic.
What the Research Reveals:
Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that CEOs exposed to high stress aged visibly faster and lived shorter lives. Those facing industry downturns saw their life expectancy drop by 1.5 years and appeared one year older over the next decade. The stress literally shortened their lives.
The question is not whether your health affects your leadership. The question is whether you will do something about it before your body forces the decision for you.
The Biblical Foundation: Your Body as Temple
Scripture does not treat your body as an afterthought. It treats your physical health as a matter of worship.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians about sexual immorality, he made a statement that applies far beyond that specific context. He called the body a temple. Not a tool. Not a machine. Not a resource to be exploited until it breaks down. A temple.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
In the Old Testament, the temple was the place where God's presence dwelt. It was treated with reverence. It was maintained with care. It was protected from anything that would defile it. Paul is saying your body carries that same weight. The Holy Spirit lives in you. Your body is the dwelling place of God.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
Your body is not an accident. It is not a necessary evil you tolerate until heaven. It is a wonderful work of God. The intricacy of your nervous system, the complexity of your brain, the miracle of your cardiovascular system. All of it designed by God, given to you, and entrusted to your care.
The Living Sacrifice
Paul expands this vision in Romans with language that should reshape how every leader thinks about their body.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship.”Romans 12:1 (NIV)
Notice the phrase: living sacrifice. Not a dead sacrifice that you burn up and forget about. A living one. One that continues. One that requires ongoing attention and care.
This is the problem with hustle culture Christianity. We think sacrifice means grinding ourselves into dust. But a dead sacrifice cannot serve anyone. A burned-out body cannot fulfill its calling. God does not want you destroyed on the altar of productivity. He wants you alive, healthy, and able to serve for decades to come.
Your worship includes how you sleep, how you eat, how you move, how you rest. All of it is offered to God.
The Apostle John, writing to his friend Gaius, opens his letter with this prayer:
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”3 John 1:2 (NIV)
John connects physical health and spiritual health in the same breath. He does not treat them as separate categories. He prays for both because both matter. Notice the connection: even as your soul is getting along well. John assumes that physical flourishing and spiritual flourishing go together.
Jesus on Rest and Recovery
If anyone had an excuse to skip rest, it was Jesus. The needs were endless. The crowds were always pressing. The mission was literally to save the world.
And yet, look at what He told His disciples:
“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'”Mark 6:31 (NIV)
The work was urgent. People were coming and going. There was no time to eat. And Jesus said stop. Come away. Rest.
Jesus understood something we have forgotten: You cannot pour out what you have not taken in. You cannot serve from a depleted well. You cannot lead at your highest level when your body is crying out for rest.
“If Jesus needed rest, what makes you think you do not?”
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training... I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
Paul feared being disqualified. Not by God, but by physical neglect sidelining him from his calling. This is the fear every leader should have: not failure in business, but being sidelined by a preventable health crisis.
Healthy: The Seventh Pillar
In the Superhuman Framework for faith-driven leaders, Healthy is the seventh of ten Pillars that define how we lead in the outer room of public expression. These Pillars grow from the four Cornerstones of Love, Purpose, Passion, and Persistence, which are formed in the inner room of private spiritual formation.
We define Healthy as stewardship of the temple. This is not about achieving a certain physique or hitting arbitrary fitness goals. It is about recognizing that your body is entrusted to you by God and treating it with the care that stewardship demands.
How the Cornerstones Feed Health:
Healthy Flows from Love
When you know you are loved, you stop using your body to prove your worth through endless productivity. You no longer need to grind yourself into dust to earn approval.
Healthy Flows from Purpose
When purpose is received rather than manufactured, you maintain your body to fulfill a calling, not prove a point. Your health becomes a vehicle for mission, not a badge of hustle.
Healthy Flows from Passion
Holy fire does not burn you out. Hustle fire consumes everything in its path, including your health. Holy fire sustains you for the long race ahead.
Healthy Flows from Persistence
Faith-rooted endurance requires a body that can sustain decades of faithful service. You cannot persist if you have destroyed the vessel God gave you.
You are not the owner of your body. You are the steward. It belongs to God. You are managing it on His behalf, for His purposes, for His glory. Stewards do not abuse what has been entrusted to them. They maintain, protect, and improve what they have been given.
What Research Says: Your Body and Your Leadership
Modern research confirms what Scripture has always taught: how you treat your body directly impacts how you lead. The findings from 2024-2025 are particularly striking.
CEO health priorities reveal intention but struggle with implementation. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of CEOs prioritize regular physical activity. 83% agree that movement plays a meaningful role in improving their patience, mood, and decision-making. 81% report staying current with preventive health measures. Yet 50% find that their schedule often interferes with their ability to exercise.
The business case for executive health is undeniable. Companies that integrate well-being into leadership and culture can see up to 20% higher productivity, according to the Global Wellness Institute. Employee disengagement and burnout costs an employer an average of $3,999 per employee per year.
Health is not a luxury you earn after you succeed. It is a foundation you build before success can be sustained.
Sleep and Decision-Making
Research from the Center for Creative Leadership found that leaders who do not get enough sleep are more likely to make poor decisions, struggle to innovate, and have difficulty collaborating and managing complexity. Sleep deprivation impairs exactly the cognitive functions most essential to leadership: creative problem-solving, interpersonal savvy, sound decision-making, and energy management.
Here is the sobering reality: a 16 to 17 hour day makes your brain function as if you had consumed alcohol to the legal limit. Twenty hours without sleep has the brain functioning like someone who is legally drunk. You would never show up to a board meeting intoxicated. But many leaders show up sleep-deprived, which produces the same cognitive impairment.
“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat, for he grants sleep to those he loves.”Psalm 127:2 (NIV)
God grants sleep. It is a gift. To refuse it is to refuse His provision. To embrace it is an act of trust: believing that God can accomplish in your rest what you cannot accomplish in your striving.
Exercise and Cognitive Function
The science on exercise and brain function is overwhelming. Research published in peer-reviewed journals demonstrates that physical exercise transforms cognitive capacity in ways that directly benefit leadership.
Exercise increases neurons and brain cell proliferation. Your brain literally grows new cells when you move your body. Exercise improves blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for executive function: planning, decision-making, impulse control, and complex reasoning.
Exercise releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports cognitive function and memory. Think of it as fertilizer for your brain.
Exercise is not just good for your body. It is good for your brain. It makes you a better leader by improving the very cognitive functions leadership requires.
Cultivating Health: Six Practices for Leaders
Biblical wisdom plus modern research gives us a clear picture of what healthy leadership looks like. Here is how to cultivate it in your daily life.
Protect Your Sleep
Sleep is not a sign of weakness. It is the foundation of cognitive performance. Most adults need seven to eight hours per night. Leaders need it more, not less, because of the cognitive demands of their roles. Set a consistent bedtime and wake time, even on weekends. Remove screens from your bedroom. Create a wind-down routine. Stop working at least one hour before bed. Write tomorrow's to-do list before bed so your mind can release it.
Move Your Body
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. That breaks down to about 30 minutes, five days a week. Start with walking; it is the most studied form of exercise for cognitive benefits. Schedule movement like you schedule meetings. Find an activity you enjoy because consistency matters more than intensity.
Honor the Sabbath Principle
God commanded rest before He commanded work. Sabbath is not optional for faith-driven leaders. It is a declaration of trust that God can handle the world while you rest. Designate one day per week for genuine rest. Not catching up on work. Not checking email. Actual rest. Plan your Sabbath in advance so it does not get consumed by leftover tasks.
Nourish Your Body Intentionally
Food is fuel. How you eat directly affects your energy, mood, and cognitive function. Skipping meals, relying on caffeine, and eating processed convenience food takes a toll that compounds over time. Eat real food, mostly plants, in reasonable portions. Stay hydrated. Limit caffeine, especially after noon. Plan your meals so you are not making food decisions when you are already depleted.
Build Recovery Into Your Rhythm
High-performing leaders do not just work hard. They recover strategically. The best performance comes from oscillation: push hard, then recover fully. Create daily recovery rituals like a morning quiet time or an evening walk. Protect weekly rhythms like Sabbath and family time. Build quarterly retreats for deeper reflection. Take actual vacations where you disconnect completely.
Get Regular Checkups
Stewards maintain what has been entrusted to them. You take your car in for maintenance. You update your software. Your body deserves the same attention. Schedule annual physicals. Do not ignore warning signs. Address issues before they become crises. Find a doctor who takes your concerns seriously and knows your baseline health. Prevention is always easier than repair.
Warning Signs: When Your Body Is Crying Out
Your body communicates. The question is whether you are listening. Here are warning signs that your health is being sacrificed on the altar of productivity.
Chronic Fatigue
If you wake up tired after eight hours of rest, something deeper is going on. Your body may be running on reserves that have long been depleted.
Frequent Illness
Getting sick repeatedly is your body's way of forcing rest. Listen before it forces something worse. A weakened immune system is often the first casualty of chronic stress.
Brain Fog
Difficulty concentrating and brain fog are early signs of physical depletion affecting cognitive function. Your brain needs rest, movement, and nutrition to perform at its best.
Mood Changes
When you snap at people you love over minor things, your body is running on empty. Emotional regulation requires physical resources.
Normalized Pain
Headaches, back pain, and tension that you have stopped noticing because it is always there. Pain is information. Do not tune it out.
Substance Reliance
If you cannot get through a day without excessive caffeine, cannot sleep without alcohol, or cannot focus without stimulants, your body is compensating for chronic depletion.
If any of these resonate, do not wait. Your body is telling you something. The longer you ignore it, the louder it will have to scream.
The Invitation: Sustainable Leadership Starts Here
You cannot sustain what you are building if you destroy the body that builds it.
Your business can survive a missed quarter. It cannot survive losing you to a preventable health crisis. Your team can handle a delayed project. They cannot handle a leader who burns out and disappears. Your family can wait for a vacation. They cannot wait forever for you to be present and healthy enough to enjoy life with them.
God has given you a body to carry out the calling He has placed on your life. That body is not a machine to be exploited. It is a temple to be honored. It is a gift to be stewarded. It is an offering to be presented to Him as a living sacrifice, alive and able to serve for decades to come.
So this week, choose one area: sleep, movement, nutrition, or rest. Make one change. Build one new habit. Start the process of honoring God with your body.
“Lead with purpose. Flourish with faith. And honor God with your body along the way.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Scripture is clear that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). How you treat your body is an act of worship. When you neglect your physical health, you limit what God can do through you. Paul urged believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, not dead ones burned out on the altar of productivity. Your physical health is the vehicle through which you fulfill your calling.
This is the most common objection, and research shows it is often an identity issue disguised as a scheduling issue. Leaders who believe health is foundational make time for it. Start with the minimum effective dose: 30 minutes of walking five days a week, seven hours of sleep, and one day of genuine rest. Block these like non-negotiable meetings. You have time for emergencies; health should be treated the same way before it becomes one.
The research is sobering. A 16-17 hour day makes your brain function as if you had consumed alcohol to the legal limit. Sleep deprivation impairs decision-making, innovation, and communication, the exact cognitive functions central to leadership. McKinsey found that nearly half of business leaders do not get enough sleep four nights a week. Leaders who prioritize 7-8 hours of sleep show improved cognitive performance, better stress management, and more effective problem-solving.
Exercise is not just good for your body; it is good for your brain. Physical activity increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex (responsible for executive function), releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which supports memory, and improves overall cognitive function. Research shows that 73% of CEOs prioritize regular physical activity, and 83% agree that movement improves their patience, mood, and decision-making.
God commanded rest before He commanded work. Sabbath is baked into the creation order. Jesus modeled rest by withdrawing to pray, sleeping during storms, and telling His disciples to "come away and rest" even when needs were urgent (Mark 6:31). Sabbath is not optional for faith-driven leaders. It is a declaration of trust that God can handle the world while you rest. It is a holy protest against the idol of productivity.
Warning signs include: chronic fatigue that sleep does not fix, frequent illness, brain fog and difficulty concentrating, mood changes and irritability, physical pain that has become normal (headaches, back pain), and reliance on substances to function (excessive caffeine, alcohol to sleep). If any of these resonate, your body is communicating. The longer you ignore it, the louder it will scream.
The Healthy pillar is about stewardship, not obsession. It is not about achieving a certain physique or hitting arbitrary fitness goals. It is about recognizing that your body is entrusted to you by God and treating it with the care that stewardship demands. The goal is sustainable capacity for decades of faithful service, not vanity metrics or performance comparison.
Healthy is the seventh pillar for good reason. You cannot be truly Holistic (integrating all areas of life) if you ignore your physical health. You cannot honor the Human dignity of others if you treat your own body as disposable. You cannot pursue Holiness (being set apart) if you sideline yourself through preventable health issues. Physical health is foundational to every other expression of leadership.
Start where you are. The body has remarkable capacity for recovery when given what it needs. Consult with healthcare professionals about your specific situation. Focus on what you can control: sleep, movement, nutrition, and rest. Even small improvements compound over time. The goal is not to undo the past but to steward the future. God redeems all things, including the consequences of our choices.
Set a consistent bedtime and wake time, even on weekends. Remove screens from your bedroom. Create a wind-down routine that signals rest. Stop working at least one hour before bed. Write tomorrow's to-do list before bed so your mind can release it. Treat sleep as a non-negotiable appointment. Remember Psalm 127:2: "He grants sleep to those he loves." Receive it as a gift.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week for optimal brain function. That breaks down to about 30 minutes, five days a week. Start with walking; it is the most studied form of exercise for cognitive benefits. You do not need to train for a marathon. You need to move enough that your body supports your leadership rather than sabotaging it.
Reframe recovery as strategic preparation, not laziness. High-performing leaders do not just work hard; they recover strategically. The best performance comes from oscillation: push hard, then recover fully. Create daily recovery rituals (morning quiet time, evening walk), protect weekly rhythms (Sabbath, family time), and build quarterly retreats for deeper renewal. Recovery is how you sustain decades of faithful service.