Start a Healthy Lifestyle This Lent

Elementary schoolchildren hear it over and over again: “If your clothing catches fire, immediately stop, drop, and roll!” This fire safety formula has a genuine application to the problem of physical, mental, and spiritual burnout as well.

 When it comes to your health, if you sense the heat of life on your backside and smell the smoke of imminent burnout billowing around you, just stop, drop, and roll—or, more literally, rest, fast, and exercise.

Just as an automotive manufacturer provides detailed information and maintenance schedules for sustaining maximum performance and utility of your car, so your Creator has provided detailed instructions and maintenance schedules for preserving peak performance for you. Even if your friends confuse you with the Energizer bunny, you still need regular periods of rest.

Stop: We All Need a Sabbath Rest

Every working creature needs a Sabbath rest—and that goes for people, animals, and even farmland! People and animals need a break every seven days, and soil prospers with a break at least every seven years. Every wise farmer understands the need to put fields and crops in rotation so that the soil can replenish at least one growing season every seven years. Unfortunately, the trend with Big Agriculture is to plant the same crop year after year in the same fields, a practice that has greatly depleted our topsoil as well as the nutrients in our vegetables and fruits.

Dr. Mark Virkler, author of Eden’s Health Plan—Go Natural, cited a study comparing two identical farming soils. One was farmed continuously for eight years while the other was allowed to stand fallow or not farmed. The soil from the field that had no Sabbath rest contained 1,097 parts per million (ppm) nutritional solids, while the fallow or rested field soil yielded an astounding 2,871 ppm of nutritional solids. That is two-and-a-half times more nutritional solids than the over-farmed soil!

 Another author, Elmer Josephson, noted that the anti-God rebels who seized the reins of France during the bloody French Revolution of 1789 decided to increase the entire nation from a seven-day workweek—with Sundays off— to a ten-day cycle before a day of rest. Before long, the nation’s horses and mules became diseased and died at alarming rates. After scientists investigated, they found that a return to the seventh day principle was necessary to physical welfare, health, and long life. “As someone has said, ‘The donkeys taught the atheists a lesson in practical theology,’” Josephson wrote in God’s Key to Health and Happiness.

Rest is crucial to the health of your body and soul, and sleep is an absolute and undeniable necessity of life. Lengthy and regular periods of rest are equally important over the long haul. Europeans are far ahead of Americans in this area. By my observation, it is normal for many European families to take extended vacations each year for periods averaging between four and six weeks! Most Americans struggle just to take a two-week vacation every year, and many who aren’t full-time employees (or have two or more part-time jobs) take no vacation because they don’t accrue a vacation pay benefit.

Besides giving us the night for regular sleep, the Creator programmed people and animals to rest completely every seventh day. You rest by stopping all labor—including the mental labor that has been proven to be more exerting to the adrenal system and the entire body than physical labor. (And that mental labor includes looking at your smartphone every ten minutes.)

 When we tinker with His design, things start to unravel. Remember, even the Creator rested on the seventh day.

 Do You Need a Good Reboot?

One of the first things I learned about computers and smartphones was that many of the seemingly serious problems could be “fixed” by turning it off and turning it back on. This allows the software to “reboot” and start all over again. So it is with the body. When you reboot, you stop, rest, and start all over again.

 Drop (Your Fork): Fasting

 It’s a great idea to give your body’s digestive system a rest, too. This is what the Bible calls fasting.

Biblical leaders such as David, Daniel, the prophets, Jesus, and Paul launched great ministries after extended periods of fasting. Entire nations and cities declared fasts in times of crisis or during times of repentance and soul-searching during ancient times.

 Fasting is the Creator’s high-powered spiritual tool for receiving a breakthrough in body, soul, and spirit. People in virtually every civilization and culture have an instinctive understanding of the power of fasting and what it can do to clear the mind and the body.

Fasting is a great practice when you feel lethargic or ill. Anyone who has been sick understands that in times of sickness, hunger pangs tend to end. Any attempt to bypass those signals and eat often results in violent regurgitation or other discomfort.

Fast and Be Happy

 The Bible describes numerous fasts that varied according to type, length, and purpose. Let’s take a closer look:

 ■ The three-day “Esther fast” (see Esther 4:16), considered a “crisis fast,” is a total fast from all food and liquids for three days. Many people observe this fast when they face difficult decisions, worries, or spiritual concerns. Due to our poor level of health and the abundance of toxins within our tissues, however, total fasts—meaning abstaining from all food and water or liquids—should not be attempted today.

■ The ten-day “Daniel fast” is a modified fast with virtually unlimited applications. This fast is named after the biblical Daniel and his Hebrew companions who fasted from rich meats (which possibly could have been unclean meats like pork or shellfish) and wine, choosing to consume “pulse” or the ripe, edible seeds and produce of a wide range of plants instead.

■ The results were phenomenal as Daniel and his friends outperformed their contemporaries who supped the usual foods and wine at the King’s table. Daniel and his colleagues continued on this diet for three years. (Read the first chapter of Daniel.)

■ You may choose a fast that eliminates sugar, caffeine, carbonated soft drinks, junk foods, pasteurized dairy products, commercial breakfast cereals, or pork products. Such a fast would be an excellent way to break free from food addictions or certain eating habits and launch a healthier lifestyle.

■ Daniel also completed a very serious 21-day, water-only fast as well. Make sure you confer with your health professional before beginning such an extreme fast. Extended water-only fasts should only be performed under strict supervision of a licensed physician. Some health conditions make this a risky choice, which is why it’s better to be safe than sorry.

■ Moses and Jesus both completed miraculous forty-day total fasts (without liquids), but I wouldn’t recommend undertaking this type of total fast from food and water—unless you’re expecting a miracle. Serious damage is done to internal organs and body chemistry beyond the three-day point of dehydration.

■ Many people have completed forty-day water and diluted juice fasts using diluted low-acid fruit or vegetable juices. These fasts, however, should be undertaken with great care and under the supervision of a health professional. Doing these types of fasts repeatedly has been known to trigger permanent undesirable metabolism changes in the body. In fact, I know of one man who completed more than fifteen such fasts; he was formerly slim and trim, but he developed ongoing problems with obesity and blood sugar regulation.

“Take Some Chicken Broth, and Call Me in the Morning!”

 The average person feels much better and lives healthier by observing a one-day cleansing fast each week. Many health practitioners are returning to the proven wisdom of selected fasting in the treatment of major toxicities. Some involve “mono fasts” where people eat only one food or fast from a particular food group. Sometimes they recommend that people go on a chicken broth fast, which is another kind of modified fast.

History has proven that the body can heal itself from many serious conditions by fasting, and today the health-care community is beginning to catch on. Even a partial-day fast can be beneficial. This is why I recommend a weekly one-day partial fast from dinner to dinner in my forty-day health program.

Remember, the body heals while it fasts and undergoes an important regeneration process during our nightly break from activity and eating. That is why our first meal is called breakfast—we are breaking the fast that heals.

 Dr. William L. Esser followed the progress of 156 patients at his West Palm Beach retreat center in Florida who agreed to undergo therapeutic fasts of various lengths. He reported on the fasting results of these 156 people who complained of symptoms from thirty-one medically diagnosed diseases, including ulcers, tumors, tuberculosis, sinusitis, pyorrhea, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, cancer, insomnia, gallstones, epilepsy, colitis, hay fever, bronchitis, asthma, and arthritis.

The shortest fast among these 156 patients lasted five days; the longest lasted fifty-five days. Only 20 percent of his patients fasted as long as Dr. Esser recommended, however. The results are as follows:

■ 113 completely recovered.

■ 31 partially recovered.

■ 12 were not helped.

■ 92 percent improved or totally recovered

Selected forms of fasting may bring improvement to a number of physical conditions including arthritis, intestinal problems, obesity, and even diabetes.

Finally, keep this thought in mind: If you have a physical condition and are considering a fast, make sure you consult with your health professional first. In general, anyone with diabetes or hypoglycemia should only observe a fast with the approval and ongoing supervision of a health-care provider knowledgeable in the management of blood sugar and insulin as related to diabetes. Pregnant or breast-feeding women should not fast at all.

 Join the Coated Tongue and Bad Breath Crowd

Observing water-only or liquids-only fasts in today’s toxic world may place a considerable burden on the body, but at times the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. What difficulties? Arthur Wallis, author of God’s Chosen Fast: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Fasting, outlines a few difficulties:

The pores of the skin, the mouth, the lungs, the kidneys, the liver and, of course, the bowels are all involved, so the medical experts tell us, in this physical spring-cleaning. The unpleasant taste in the mouth, coated tongue, and bad breath are all part of the process.

There is the familiar “fasting headache,” mostly caused by the reaction of the body to the sudden cessation of tea and coffee, sugar and other stimulants—a mild “withdrawal” symptom as the body accustoms itself to being without the caffeine drug…. There is also the tendency to sleeplessness, bouts of abdominal discomfort, nausea, dizziness, and, of course, weakness….

 It is a physical and spiritual medicine, and our usual verdict on such, however well the pharmacist may sugar-coat the pill, is: “Unpleasant, but good for you.” Wallis also presents a list of benefits from fasting that include bright eyes, pure breath and skin, and a renewed sense of well-being, adding, “A Christian worker after only a five-day fast declared, ‘I feel as though I’ve got a brand-new stomach.’ A digestive weakness he had for years disappeared.”

Finally, understand that the most crucial time of any fast is at the end when you begin to reacclimatize your cleansed digestive system to foods once again. Do not gorge yourself on breads, meats, or even large amounts of vegetables. Your stomach, which shrank during the fasting process, will stretch out again, but this should happen gradually.

 Be sure to break longer fasts with broths and non-acidic liquids such as raw vegetable juices, vegetables, fruits, and raw cultured dairy for the first few meals. Then gradually work your way back to a regular diet over a period of two to four days, depending on the length and extent of your fast.

Roll: Move, Exercise, Get Up, and Do Something!

 The advice to “roll” for anyone whose life seems to be going up in flames is simple and easily followed.

First of all, God created us to live, move, work, play, overcome obstacles, and win victories throughout life. He never intended for us to sit around and wait for death. Some confirmed couch potatoes have confidently justified their lackadaisical approach to life by quoting the passage from the King James Bible, “For bodily exercise profiteth little…” (1 Timothy 4:8, KJV).

 They conveniently forget that Timothy probably walked everywhere he went and got more exercise in one day than most people today get in a week. Modern translations more accurately paint the picture and remove the lazy boy loophole, saying, “For physical training is of some value” (1 Timothy 4:8, NIV, with emphasis added).

 What Was It You Were Waiting for Again?

We have a world to explore and make the most of, and we can’t do that if our bodies are accumulating fat and our muscles, joints, and internal organs are breaking down. We all need exercise.

Since Richard Simmons released his aerobic videos in the 1980s, the extended-exertion theory of aerobic exercise has ruled supreme in medical and physical fitness circles. This theory maintains that maximum health comes from exercising the cardiovascular system to elevated or maximum stress levels for sustained or unbroken time periods (usually thirty minutes or more). The belief is that this trains or strengthens the cardiovascular system much like a bodybuilder exercises muscles through applied stress to achieve maximum size or strength.

This may be true, but the weakness of this theory comes from its foundation in the flawed “clogged artery/high cholesterol” theories of cardiovascular disease. Lower cholesterol rates have no connection with lower incidences of heart attack or heart disease; it is better to use the genuinely accurate homocysteine levels and oxidative stress as risk factors.

Unfortunately, sustained aerobic exercise has worn out joints and cartilage and inflicted serious chronic sports injuries at rates higher than anyone predicted. Even worse, aerobically fit people with low cholesterol levels are dropping dead from heart attacks just as often as those who never exercise and have terrible cholesterol levels. This may be due to the fact that people who regularly perform aerobic exercise for long periods of time experience a weakened immune system. This drop in immunity makes them prime targets for infections.

We do need exercise for maximum health, but high-stress aerobic exercise doesn’t deliver as promised.

Exercise Should Mirror Real Life

 From my research, I am convinced the Creator’s prescription for exercise more closely resembles real-life activities involved in the daily patterns of work and play.

 The longest-lived peoples in human history usually walked everywhere they went, trailed their animals and herds, hunted wild game on foot, built rugged shelters, or cultivated fields at an active pace with intermittent periods of rest. They knew nothing about aerobic exercise, treadmills, or CrossFit, but they were masters at anaerobic exercise—activities that incur an “oxygen debt” through temporary or briefly sustained exertion.

Current fashion fads aside, we don’t need to look as muscular as the people we see on television or on magazine covers, but anyone can certainly be a lot healthier with a nutritious diet and moderate exercise. I am not completely against aerobic exercise, but if your goal is to live a healthier life free of disease and needless health complications, there are certain exercises that are much better for your overall health.

Walking

My description of the oldest physical activity of the human race can be expressed in one word: walking. Even before Eve, Adam was assigned the task to care for God’s garden—a job that could not be done without walking. Subsequent generations in biblical times demanded even more walking. A brisk two-mile walk (with long strides and vigorous arm movement) every day increases enzyme and metabolic activity and may increase calorie burning for up to twelve hours afterward.

Don’t waste time looking for choice parking spots close to your destination—choose a spot far away and walk there. This takes care of two important priorities at once—you get what you came for, and you’re getting healthful exercise, too! (And forget the elevators and escalators—take the stairs.) Take a walk on the beach or to the corner store, but don’t buy junk food for the return trip! You can even “walk the mall” when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Functional Fitness

Functional fitness is a system of exercise that is truly holistic. Functional fit[1]ness utilizes movements that are natural to the body and enhance the health and strength of every muscle. Unlike traditional bodybuilding, functional training focuses on improving the strength of the body’s core (the abdominals and lower back), which also houses many of our most important organs.

Functional fitness can be used to achieve great results by people of all walks of life, from the professional athlete who wants to improve performance to the grandmother who wants to climb the stairs to her bedroom more easily. Functional fitness expert Juan Carlos Santana says it best: “One of the main things that the body is intended for is to provide structure and movement.

Therefore, functional fitness would be any training that enhances the body’s structure and/or movement.” There’s no doubt in my mind that functional fitness is the most effective exercise and fitness system available. Functional fitness has been my go-to form of fitness for many years now.

Deep-breathing Exercises

Deep-breathing exercises increase the fat-burning metabolism of your body and boost your brain with a rich dose of oxygen. Deep breathing offers bene[1]fits that might make a major difference in your health. Your lungs are larger at the bottom than at the top, but most people in America are “top breathers.” We live on the shallow breaths common to the sick and the sleeping.

Learn to breathe from the gut. You know you’re breathing from the diaphragm if you can see your stomach move in and out. If the only thing that moves or expands is your chest, then you are still living on a shallow percentage of the divine potential for deep breathing.

 Deep breathing literally massages and moves the soft internal organs inside your rib cage, allowing your lymph system to rid itself of collected toxins and to collect even more. Only deep breathing allows you to tap the “bonus power” of your lower lungs.

Newborn babies instinctively deep breathe—watch and learn at the next opportunity. We actually learn how to shallow breathe and rob ourselves of the breath of life. Keep in mind that the way you breathe is important. Singers, stage performers, broadcast announcers, and professional athletes pay great sums to voice coaches and breathing coaches to learn how to breathe, project the voice, and achieve maximum strength through diaphragm breathing.

 Here’s a quick course to get you started:

 1. Sit or lie down and relax.

 2. Place a hand your abdomen to see if it expands as you breathe. If only your chest moves with your breaths, you are shallow breathing.

3. Breathe deeply through your mouth, and breathe all the way down to your belly button. Your abdomen (stomach) should rise as you inhale, but not your chest.

4. Hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly and fully. Learn to recognize the sounds and sensations of long, slow, deep breaths as your Maker intended. With more practice, you will revert back to the instinctive deep breathing way you began life.

Rebounding

 One way to get the exercise you need is by rebounding, which is using a portable mini-trampoline to jump, hop, twist, jog, or step walk in place.

One respected advocate of rebounding uses the devices and rebounding techniques in his rehabilitation program. According to James White, Ph.D., director of research and rehabilitation in the physical education department of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), “When you jump, jog, and twist on a rebounder device, you can exercise for hours without getting tired. It’s great practice for skiing, improves your tennis strokes, and is a good way to burn off calories and lose weight.” Dr. White believes it is more effective for fitness and weight loss than cycling, running, or jogging—while producing fewer injuries.

If you’re stuck indoors, try some rebounding exercise in which you jump on a mini-trampoline. Rebounding is very good for the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, and the spine while sparing your joints and ligaments.

 Even a Little Bit Helps

 Because we’re much less active than we used to be, even a little exercise goes a long way. An article in Consumer Reports on Health described a study of 13,000 men and women at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas. The researchers conducted the eight-year study hoping to prove the value of consistent aerobic exercise, based on how long the volunteers could stand to exercise on a treadmill. The study said this:

As fitness increased, the death rate fell. But by far, the biggest drop in mortality—60 percent for men, nearly 50 percent for the women—occurred between the most unfit volunteers and those who were just slightly more fit.

 Regardless of where you land on the exercise scale, this should make you feel better. Even if you don’t exercise at all, or the last time you exercised was on the schoolyard, you can begin to improve your health immediately by starting to exercise now.

 I hope this has served as a tune-up, a service-warning light in your health dashboard. Even if you faithfully follow the guidelines and food recommendations of the Maker’s Diet, you will need to practice the philosophy of “stop, drop, and roll” on a regular basis.

 Don’t wait until you smell smoke or your engine sputters and quits. Learn to read your body’s symptoms and discern the familiar warning signs. At the first sign of fire or f lames burning where they shouldn’t be, stop everything to rest, fast, and exercise a little. It doesn’t take much to recharge your battery.

 Even when you are trying to do everything right, there may be those times when you need some of the Maker’s medicine. Fortunately for us, He has supplied them in abundance.

In the rigors of daily life, you may need to take a hot/cold shower, anoint yourself with essential oils, listen to music that soothes the soul, and allow the warmth of a hot bath to soak deep into your aching bones. This may seem like a description for a day at the spa, but it’s really just biblical medicine.