Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy Lifestyle

When we think of a healthy lifestyle within the Church, what do you think about it?

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, 2016, p. 3 Jn 2.

We often think of what we would call spiritual applications. Reading our bible, prayer, attending church, and being a disciple maker, but how often do we think of our physical bodies within the realm of a healthy Christian lifestyle?

When we are not physically healthy we become lazy and lethargic on other aspects of life. Our motivation, drive, and pursuits in life suffer.

“Health is not valued till sickness comes” is a quote attributed to Thomas Fuller, an English historian and churchman who lived in the 1600s.

So why should we consider having a healthy lifestyle?

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.....

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Psalm 24:1 (ESV)

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

Our bodies our made in the image of our God. Our bodies are the temples in which the Holy Spirit can reside in and we are not our own but we were bought with a price. We have been given this life to be good stewards of it. Stewardship is not limited to finances alone but also this body that God has given us. So we need to glorify God with our bodies as a Paul stated in..

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

When we are getting adequate sleep, eating, and exercising we become disciplined and are inspired to pursue greater things in God’s kingdom.

We are going to discuss research and evidence of why it is important as Apostolics to live a healthy lifestyle. Research and science at times seems to be at odds with the Bible, but whenever new research emerges that seemed to contradict the truths found in the Bible, the late pastor Dr. Adrian Rogers said it like this with conviction:

“Just be patient. Science will eventually catch up with the Bible.”

We are going to talk about a simple acronym S.E.E.

S.E.E. that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

S.E.E.

Sleep

How many enjoy sleep?

I was able to attend a Mental Health Symposium for law enforcement and sleep was one the breakout sessions. This is not the first time I have attended a conference for law enforcement that discussed sleeping habits. Why do you think that is?

They have discovered that when law enforcement officers lack sleep, their judgement, the ability to do the job, and health are at high-risk and therefore it limits there ability to fulfill the duties.

The presentation that I attended was taught by Dr. Leah Kaylor a clinical psychologist for the FBI. The information I provide tonight is inspired by this presentation.

Healthy sleep is what allows the body to heal physically and mentally, and sleep is what enables the body to develop the necessary components to allow it to grow or maintain health.

Ever notice babies and young children take a lot of naps? Those were the days.

Babies sleep a lot because it's a vital part of their physical and mental development:

Brain development Sleep helps build the networks in the brain that allow babies to think, learn, and form behaviors. During sleep, the brain releases growth hormones and consolidates new memories and neural connections. Physical growth Sleep and nutrition help babies grow bigger and develop better motor skills. Circadian rhythm Babies are born without a developed circadian rhythm, which is the internal 24-hour rhythm that tells them when to be awake and sleep. REM sleep Rapid Eye Movement Newborns spend about half of their sleep in REM sleep, which is different from adults. As babies grow, they spend less time in REM sleep and more in non-REM sleep.

Sleep patterns Every baby has a different sleep pattern. Newborns typically sleep 14–17 hours a day, waking every couple of hours to eat.

IF sleep is vital in a newborn’s early stages, how important for teenagers and adults?

Dr. Kaylor provided the following information:

Teenagers (14-17) need an average of 7-11 hours of sleep

Young Adults (18-25) need an average of 6-11 hours of sleep

Adults (26-64) need 7-10 hours of sleep

The stages of good sleep slide

N1 Drowsiness

N2 Asleep; light sleep, less alert to surroundings

N3 Deeper Sleep; Restorative

Blood pressure drips, muscles relax, tissue regrows/repairs, and energy is restored

REM “Rapid Eye Movement”

Dreams; body is deeply relaxed. This stage helps consolidate memory, regulate emotions, and energizes the brain and body.

Practices for Healthy Sleep

Do you best to have a consistent sleep schedule. Wake up and go to bed around the same time everyday.

Get your body ready for bed by creating a calming pre-bedtime routine. Hot bath or shower, drinking hot tea, reading a book, Only go to bed, lay in bed, when you are tired.

Caffeine

Caffeine takes 6 hours for it to leave our bodies. The most effective time to take caffeine is the first 90 minutes you are awake. You can safely consume 400 mg of caffeine in a day. This is roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola, or two energy drinks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 4 avoid caffeine, and that children ages 4–6 consume less than 45 mg, ages 7–9 consume less than 60 mg, ages 10–11 consume less than 85 mg, and ages 12–18 consume less than 100 mg

Temperature and sleep quality: The temperature of your bedroom can significantly impact your sleep quality. A cooler room can help you fall asleep and stay asleep longer. 60 degrees to 68 degrees is recommended.

Body temperature: Your body temperature naturally drops as you sleep, so a cooler room makes it easier to fall and stay asleep.

Circadian rhythm: Temperature directly relates to your circadian rhythm and sleep stages.

Individual preferences: Some people like it warmer than others, and that's OK.

Let’s shift now to the other end of the spectrum.

Too much sleep can also be harmful for your body.

Proverbs 20:13 (ESV)

Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

Oversleeping has been linked to a host of medical problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and increased risk of death.

Diabetes. Studies have shown that sleeping too long or not enough each night can increase the risk for diabetes.

Obesity. Sleeping too much or too little could make you weigh too much, as well. One recent study showed that people who slept for nine or 10 hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year period than were people who slept between seven and eight hours. This association between sleep and obesity remained the same even when food intake and exercise were taken into account.

Headaches. For some people prone to headaches, sleeping longer than usual on a weekend or vacation can cause head pain. Researchers believe this is due to the effect oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin. People who sleep too much during the day and disrupt their nighttime sleep may also find themselves suffering from headaches in the morning.

Back pain. There was a time when doctors told people suffering from back pain to head straight to bed. But those days are long gone. You may not even need to curtail your regular exercise program when you are experiencing back pain. Check with your doctor. Doctors now realize the health benefits of maintaining a certain level of activity. And they recommend against sleeping more than usual, when possible.

Depression.. Although insomnia is more commonly linked to depression than oversleeping is, roughly 15% of people with depression sleep too much. This may in turn make their depression worse. That's because regular sleep habits are important to the recovery process.

Heart disease. The Nurses' Health Study involved nearly 72,000 women. A careful analysis of the data from that study showed that women who slept nine to 11 hours per night were 38% more likely to have coronary heart disease than women who slept eight hours. Researchers have not yet identified a reason for the connection between oversleeping and heart disease.

Death. Multiple studies have found that people who sleep nine or more hours a night have significantly higher death rates than people sleeping seven to eight hours a night. No specific reason for this correlation has been determined. But researchers found that depression and low socioeconomic status are also associated with longer sleep. They speculate these factors could be related to the observed increase in mortality for people who sleep too much.

The amount of sleep you need varies significantly over the course of your lifetime. It depends on your age and activity level as well as your general health and lifestyle habits. For instance, during periods of stress or illness, you may feel an increased need for sleep. But although sleep needs differ over time and from person to person, experts typically recommend that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours each night.

S.E.E. Eat & Exercise

Sleeping is the foundation or starting point to a healthier lifestyle. It is when we make conscious decisions to sleep healthier that we are enabled to become more discipline in the next two words of S.E.E.

Eating and exercising has been such a hot topic since I was a kid. I remember when we would watch cartoons that breakfast cereals would state at the end of their end of their advertisement “ all apart of a complete breakfast.” I remember Cheerios would advertise how it was beneficial for your heart and that bee would fly around saying “Eat happy, eat healthy”.

The key word for eating and exercising is discipline. Paul in Galatians 5 speaks on the fruit of the Spirit as we know, but I want to highlight verse 22-24.

Galatians 5:22–24 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Self-control is a fruit or a result of the Holy Spirit within us. If we have the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, we have the ability to have self-control.

Harvard Health Publication released an article that was titled: Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food

“When we put fuel in our vehicles, we do not want to put in bad fuel. If we put in bad fuel, our vehicles will work for a while, but we will begin to notice that the vibration of the engine will increase and the vehicle struggles to gain speed as you on-ramp to the highway. If we put in good fuel, our vehicles will work for an extended period of time and produce less issues in the near future.

This same principle applies to our bodies. In America especially, we have ingredients that are banned in other countries. One item that comes to mind is Mt. Dew. Mt. Dew is not allowed in places such as Europe, Japan, and several other countries. The ingredients we allow into our fleshly vehicles is important.

Having a healthy diet is important and how much we consume is important to our physical health but also our spiritual one as well.

Your brain is always "on." It takes care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses — it works hard 24/7, even while you're asleep. This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That "fuel" comes from the foods you eat — and what's in that fuel makes all the difference. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.

Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the "waste" (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.

Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from "low-premium" fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body's regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.

It makes sense. If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain's enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Proverbs 23:20–21 (ESV)

Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

When we decide not to consume unhealthy foods on a regular basis our minds begin to think clearer and become more focused.

I remember when I had partnered with my dad to do a juicing diet. It was terrible. It could only drink juice from fruit and vegetables, but after a while I began to feel the positive effects from it. However, juicing is expensive and not really a maintainable lifestyle for most. My wife and I also did the Keto diet. Again, quick results, but not a maintainable lifestyle.

Each of us have our own preferences when it comes to food. Whatever those may be, let us become living sacrifices and choose to live a healthy lifestyle to become effective witnesses in this hour.

Exercise has been proven again and again to be a healthy attribute to our life.

Improved mood: Exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals that can improve mood. Even a short period of moderate exercise can have a positive effect.

Reduced stress and anxiety: Exercise can help reduce stress hormones and improve your body's response to stress.

Better sleep: Exercise can help you sleep better, which can improve your mood.

Increased self-esteem: Exercise can help you feel a sense of accomplishment and boost your self-esteem.

Improved coping ability: Exercise can help you learn to cope with negative thoughts and emotions.

Reduced tension: Exercise can help reduce muscle tension, which can make you feel more relaxed.

Social support: Exercising with others can provide an opportunity to socialize and get support.

Sense of purpose: Finding an activity you enjoy can give you a goal and a sense of purpose.

Reduced feelings of loneliness: Exercise can help reduce feelings of loneliness.

1 Timothy 4:8 ESV

for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Let’s wrap up with encouragement. None of us in this room have everyone that has been taught tonight perfect. We are imperfect individuals, but let there be warning with that statement. Don’t let the fact of us being imperfect be an excuse to not change.

Every journey begins with a first step. When it comes to exercise, our first step is not necessarily joining a gym. Our first step can be literally, steps. Start by dedicating a time to walking around your neighborhood. One thing my wife loves to do with the kids, is go for a walk. Notice, I said my wife. Typically, it wouldn't be my first choice of activity, but I have come to enjoy it more now than ever.

Start with dedicating one meal everyday with healthier choices or limit your one favorite thing to eat that is unhealthy to a weekly basis. Start small then grow from there. If we start too big of a step, we will find ourselves out-of-balanced easier and we tend to fall. Small steps are consistent and maintainable.

We teach this in walking with God all the time. Start with the basics things, like salvation, prayer and reading our bibles before we start diving into the deep things of God.

In closing, healthier lifestyles is what will enable the modern day church to be a light to this world. When we become discipline in sleep, eating, and exercise, it literally releases God to trust us even more and reach more people, because God cares about our health on an individual level.

Exodus 23:24–25 ESV

you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.

Jeremiah 33:6 ESV

Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.