Boost your health in 2012!
In 3 John 2, we see from John’s words that God desires that we would all prosper and be in health, even as our souls prosper. Today, according to the US government, almost half of Americans take at least one prescription drug. The largest culprit on this list is antidepressants, taken by between 10 and 14% of American women aged 18 and older. It seems like there are pills for everything and new diseases are discovered every day. How possible is it to boost our health in 2012? At the very least, it’s worth a shot.
Physical health:
We may think old age is miles away, but before we know it, the years will have flown by. The practices we sow now will do plenty to impact our quality of life in those years. Top concerns for women are the heart and the bones. What we eat and how we treat our bodies goes a long way. To promote heart health, foods such as salmon, oatmeal, almonds, rich in omega 3 fatty acids, are rated among the best we can indulge in. Beta-carotine-rich foods, such as carrots, spinach, broccoli, papaya, are also good. It is possible to make fun meals using these ingredients. To look out for our bones, take calcium-rich foods – milk, cheddar cheese, yogurt.
Technology has made it possible for women to go up to eight hours or more in the same spot – something unheard of just a few years ago. The cliché pieces of advice have been given for so long for a reason – they work. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, or park further from the entrance whenever you drive to a mall or building. Drink plenty of water so that you have to keep getting up often to pee. Public transport is a wonderful way to get exercise – it is said that the average New Yorker walks five miles a day.
In this video by NTV Kenya, nutritionist Kate Kibara offers some very helpful tips to ensure physical health:
We’ve heard it so many times: We were never created to be social, intellectual or spiritual islands. We need friends! For those of us in the diaspora, just the thought of this can be daunting. Not all of us have access to a good church, like-minded people, or time. We may already have tried school, work, church, volunteering, or even social networks. What next? Try a new activity, such as a language class or a trip to the museum. Organizations or clubs – you could start your own! It’s also very important to nurture those relationships we already have. Having people who love us – and people whom we can love on – is a very healthy, and very necessary, part of life. Add it to yours in 2012!
Emotional health:
It’s also important to stay motivated! Emotional health basically means being able to laugh, face trials healthily and get up from them, have a Biblical self-image, and a deep sense of contentment. You get here by staying motivated, and you are motivated if you truly know and understand your price, your purpose, your enemy, and most importantly, your Audience. Your price is far above rubies. Your purpose is to glorify God by being the you He created you to be! The enemy is the devil and he is out to steal, kill and destroy. Your Audience is God. Whoever wrote the hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus/Look full in His wonderful face/and the things of earth will grow strangely dim/in the light of His glory and grace,” was truly inspired from above. This must have been an emotionally healthy person. 
Motivated people motivate others. What we eat affects our emotions – ever heard of or experienced a sugar-high? Ever heard of a person doing something drastic in a drunken stupor? Ever felt so full and sluggish after a binge?
Psychological or mental health is closely related to our emotional health. The mind is the battlefield where we are most-often attacked. Romans 12:2 says something very interesting: change begins in the mind. If your mind does not change for the better, you cannot be changed for the better because being transformed is brought about by the renewing of the mind. We renew our minds by constantly feeding them the Word of God. If we know and understand what God says about us and our situations, nothing that happens and nothing anybody says will be able to take away our joy.
Spiritual health:
This is the most important of all. Whether we know it or not, our physical, emotional, social, and psychological health all rest on a healthy spiritual life. It can simply be looked at in this way: when we read the word of God, we are able to understand how to navigate this earth. Reading God’s view on gluttony will help us keep meals to a reasonable level. Knowing what He says about laziness will keep us on our toes. Understanding our authority and the importance of faith will enable us to rebuke illness in ourselves and others. Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit. A verse such as this one can help keep guilt at bay, because it opens our eyes to the blessing that salvation is. A guilt-free mind is a healthy one.
Have a happy new year!
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