Pastor Helen Olaegbe (WF Health Department, UK)
God’s plan and desire for us all is to have sound health both spiritually and physically.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth’.
3 John 1:2
By health, we do not mean the only absence of diseases or infirmities but it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Oxford dictionary describes Wealth as an abundance of valuable possessions or money, a plentiful supply of a particular desirable thing, diverse prosperities and well-being to mention a few.
Health is wealth; it is our good health that is the real wealth of life, which gives us good physique and mind to enable us to enjoy whole life by managing all its challenges. However, without good health everything is nothing. As we live in this super-fast age, where we have to work hard by performing multiple tasks throughout the day in order to make a living or to earn more money; we often forget to think about maintaining a healthy lifestyle which is as important as the air we breathe.
With this osmotic pressure lifestyle, we tend to forget to think about eating proper food, in timely manner, having daily exercises, proper rest and other enhancers of healthy lifestyle. Absence of these often lead to such as stress, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases etc. Heart and circulatory disease kill more than 82,000 women in the UK each year, compared with 79,000 men. So why are women at risk and how can they protect themselves from the biggest killer of women in the UK?
There are a number of risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke. The main ones centre on lifestyle and how we look after our bodies. Being overweight, eating unhealthily, smoking, drinking and stress can all contribute to an unhealthy heart. Equally important, if there is a family history of cardiovascular disease, which means an increased risk of developing the condition. We pray that, ignorance and evil pattern from our father’s house would not destroy our destiny in Jesus name.
Studies have shown that many people go about with undiagnosed diseases for a long period, only to be alerted when signs and symptoms start manifesting. We need to be health conscious and seek intervention as appropriate. If we do not feel well, we cannot do well. It is a huge mistake to think once we fall ill that it is possible to work more efficiently with the same focus and capacity.
A person with bad health cannot enjoy the pleasure of being wealthy. Money can buy medicine but money cannot buy health. Health is the real wealth not piece of gold, silver, money or material things. “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22). Our body is a gift from God, the highest blessing and one of our most important assets is our health.
Women As healthy lifestyle promoter:
When it comes to promoting healthy lifestyle, Women should see themselves on the front line because women's role is a large role in providing the help needed in the affairs of the home, however healthy lifestyle responsibility could not be ignored. A woman who chooses healthy choices is also important to her husband's health. This reduces chances of illness and loss of ability to work.
Healthy lifestyle is a good habit which should be practiced from childhood with parents to avoid future problems. To give children the foundation for good health is of high priority. This would enable them to learn and control what can put them at risk of ill health. Proverbs 22:16 says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.
We should bear in mind that we eat to live not live to eat. A good diet is central to overall good health. Avoiding certain foods and drinks may help prolong life. Nutrition is a big part of family life.
Women have the power of choosing the foods their family would eat. They are also responsible for food shopping and cooking for the family. Choices of food eaten in the family will decide health outcomes in that family. Poor diet would lead to poor health because the body survives on the type of food eaten. By ensuring healthy meals and healthy eating could reduce the chance of illness health.
With the amount of increase knowledge of healthy lifestyle in this age, preventing or reducing the chances of diseases of lifestyles could easily be achieved. Women should see themselves as assets and the driven force for health promotion to seek evidence based information to educate ourselves about the appropriate things to do, to keep our spirit, soul and body fit.
There is good evidence that eating a healthy diet can reduce our risk of illnesses and obesity which is a strong predictor of heart diseases and diabetes. This is because many things that we are ignorant of could put us at risk of ill health. From healthy homes, healthy nations could be formed. So let us join hands together to create healthier environments by learning how to embrace a healthy lifestyle and making health our number one priority. This will bring invaluable wealth to your life and our family for generations to come.
Here are a few lifestyle changes you should make to stay healthy:
- Eat and drink healthy
- Know your food labels
- Stay active
- Lose weight as required
- Manage your blood sugar
- Get your blood pressure under control
- Lower your cholesterol
- Know your family history
- Avoid smoking
- Engage in spiritual exercise
In conclusion, we need to educate ourselves about the appropriate things to do to keep our bodies fit over the entirety of our lifetimes. It is not possible to abuse a body for years and then hope that a last-minute effort toward bodily health will correct everything that may be wrong with it. It is not possible to create bodily fitness overnight. Becoming fit takes time and patience, and commitment.
When a body is fit, it can handle the everyday stresses of life and helps maintain both physical and mental health. A fit body requires proper diet, regular exercise, and habits of moderation. Being fit also means having good spiritual health.