I strongly value three areas of health, each of which impact significantly on the others.
The areas I’m talking about are PHYSICAL, MENTAL, and SPIRITUAL. (I was going to call this item PMS Health, but obviously that wouldn’t attract the appropriate audience.)
I like to keep everything as simple as possible, so I’ll only write a few points on my approach to each of these.
PHYSICAL
It is important to have goals and routines in relation to exercises, so that you don’t find yourself going for a week without doing anything. I aim to do at least three swimming training sessions a week. Joining a master’s swim club was one of my smarter moves over the past ten years, because it motivates me to maintain a reasonable level of fitness to keep up with the rest of the club members at the weekly group training sessions.
I also have a strong belief in the potential of body weight exercises to produce as much muscle and strength development as could be achieved by attending the most sophisticated gym in the country. I stick to chin-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and lunge squats. As soon as I recover from a tendon injury in my arm, I plan to record a YouTube item called, “NO GYM – NO PROBLEMS – A CHIN-UP BAR AND THREE CHAIRS”, to demonstrate and explain how to accomplish significant muscle and strength development without the need for any special equipment. Keep an eye on my YouTube channel. (Answers4life)
As far as nutrition is concerned, I don’t go overboard. However I try to limit the amount of sugar and processed food items I consume, and include a fair bit of lean meat, fruit and vegetables in my daily intake. On rare occasions I may indulge in a hamburger, chips and coke.
I’m in my mid 60’s and the idea of “growing old gracefully” doesn’t sit well with me.
MENTAL
Throughout my life I’ve had some struggles with mild depression and anxiety, so I’ve learnt a few skills about maintaining this component of health. One of the main strategies I use is in relation to responding to disappointments. Whenever I encounter a disappointment, I give it a rating between 1 and 10, where a rating 10 disappointment would be something like: living in a developing nation and having my home and half my family washed away by a tsunami. On that basis, I usually have difficulty allocating any more than a rating of 1.5 or 2 to most of my disappointments. That way I can usually get over them fairly quickly and move on.
The other big strategy I use is to keep a list of all the things I can think for which I can be thankful. I recommend you take an hour sometime to brainstorm items for this list, and keep adding to it whenever you identify a new item. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to quickly fill a page. Keep the list handy and refer to it whenever you find yourself getting down about anything. You will find it is very difficult to be thankful and depressed at the same time, but you have to make the choice about which one you will focus on.
SPIRITUAL
I have a personal belief that the “meaning of life” is to live in a close relationship with the Creator of the universe and to draw from that relationship the love and wisdom required to most effectively respond to the support needs of people we encounter throughout our lives.
That would make the spiritual component of health the most important, because if we acknowledge the Creator as being the author and source of love and wisdom, and take notice of the advice he gives us, then our commitment to PHYSICAL and MENTAL health strategies will be the most effective and beneficial for our individual lives.
There is one particular bible verse which I want to tell everyone about. It says:
“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, then God lives in him and he in God.”
(1 John 4:15)
With a basic understanding of the central message of the New Testament, by making that one sentence statement of acknowledgement, I believe that ANYONE, from any background can enter into a loving father-child relationship with the Creator.
Think about the implications for our individual lives of having the Creator of the universe living within us and guiding us in the ways of perfect love and wisdom. Imagine the impact on world peace if increasing numbers of people throughout the world, especially national leaders, made the choice to accept this offer.
There are couple of booklets on my website which provide more detail on this matter – “Life’s Two Biggest Questions” and “Give Me A Hug”. Also have a look at my YouTube item titled “WORLD PEACE”.
I encourage you to develop a passion for high quality PHYSICAL, MENTAL and SPIRITUAL HEALTH, and enjoy a very rewarding and fulfilling life.
Bob Helyar
bob@answers4life.com.au
www.answers4life.com.au
Hey very interesting blog!