The Rest of the Story

Today I want to pick up where I left off in the C.R.E.A.T.I.O.N. Health model that I started telling you about a couple weeks ago. We began with C, which stands for choice. I hope you’ve been conscientiously making good, healthy choices, whenever possible!

The next letter in the acronym is R, which stands for rest. Intuitively, we all know that rest is important, not only for our health, but for the way we feel and even act. You know how it is. On those days when we’re short on sleep, we often tend to be short on patience, and in extreme cases, we can even be short-tempered. But some of the most surprising bits of evidence about the importance of sleep turned up as I was doing some research a few years ago for a cover story entitled “The Rest of the Story,” that I wrote for Vibrant Life magazine.

Did you know that sleep deprivation elevates the risk of heart disease in women? Reader’s Digest published an article in 2005 citing a Harvard study of 75,000 women in which heart disease and high blood pressure were linked to a lack of sleep. Other studies indicate that a lack of sleep is associated with higher levels of stress hormones, elevated blood sugar levels, weight gain, diabetes, insulin resistance, depression, impaired sexual functioning, and proneness to injuries. And these are just a few of the hazards of sleep loss. Does that make you think twice about burning the midnight oil? It does for me!

Actually, while we’re on the subject of rest, I want to make an important distinction. There’s actually a difference between sleep and rest—although both are important for the body. Here’s how Webster defines rest: “To cease from action or motion: refrain from labor or exertion. To be free from anxiety or disturbance.” In other words, rest provides our body with the opportunity to slow down, to change our pace and take a break from the hustle and bustle of life—a chance to renew. It’s an ancient concept, as old as Creation itself. The Bible tells us that during Creation week “on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Genesis 2:2).

Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest (available at www.amazon.com) refers to a group of people, Seventh-day Adventists, who live in Loma Linda, California, one of the world’s four Blue Zones (the world’s healthiest places), who actually follow this principle and benefit from it. “They take a Sabbath Saturday they call the ‘sanctuary in time,’ Buettner says. “No matter how busy, no matter how stressed out they are, they'll take that 24 hours and focus on their God" (“Can 'Blue Zones' Help Turn Back the Biological Clock?” NPR story, June 8, 2008). According to Buettner, taking a weekly rest is one of the secrets of longevity.

Are you tired? Are you weary? Are you stressed out? Jesus says, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Now that’s an offer that’s just too good to refuse!

Choice

Did you know that you have a lot of power? Well, maybe not in terms of wealth or influence or political power, but you do have power. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the power of choice. And that power goes a long way toward giving you the ability to lead a healthy life.

There’s a good reason why choice is the first principle in the Creation Health model, because the choices we make day by day and moment by moment determine how we live and how healthy we are. And the first step in becoming healthy is simply to decide to do it.

A story in the book Creation Health Discovery tells about a young doctor who was overweight and beginning to experience health problems. Aware that heart problems ran in his family, one day he looked at his newborn daughter and thought, “I’d really like to see her grow up.” But he also realized that unless he made some lifestyle changes, he might not be around to see that happen. So right then and there, he made a choice. He decided to begin an exercise program. He stuck with it and lost 40 pounds. He had chosen to take charge of his health.

For that young doctor, living long enough to interact with his children and even grandchildren as they grow up was the motivating factor. I don’t know what or who is important to you, but I challenge you today to think about why you want to be healthy and then choose to work toward that goal. You can do it. Remember, it’s all about choice.

Pat

The Wellness Lady

The Golden Key

Imagine that you have found a golden key that unlocks a certain door. When you unlock the door and step through the threshold, you immediately begin to feel your aches and pains melt away as a refreshing feeling sweeps over your body. Sinus problems and headaches become a thing of the past and sleepless nights turn into sound, revitalizing sleep. You wake up bounding with energy that lasts throughout the day. Your blood pressure normalizes, your mind becomes clear and you are more alert, and those extra pounds begin to fall off. You’ve never felt better in your life. You wonder what took you so long to find the key that allowed you to walk through that door.

If you could purchase or obtain that golden key, how much would it be worth to you? And what wouldn’t you do to somehow get possession of it? Would you like to have that key? I have good news! You can have it. And the only cost is a change of thinking and some adjustments in your daily routine, along with a little bit of consistent effort and determination. You’ve probably guessed by now that I’m talking about making some lifestyle changes. And I have the perfect plan for you.

Remember the C.R.E.A.T.I.O.N. Health acronym that I mentioned yesterday? For the next week or so, I want to take you through what I think is an ingenious plan for restoring or maintaining good health. It’s based on the concept that each of us “has the ability to create good health and healing in our lives and the lives of those around us” (Des Cummings, Creation Health Discovery, p. 7).

So what does C.R.E.A.T.I.O.N. stand for? Here it is:

C—Choice

R—Rest

E—Environment

A—Activity

T—Trust in Divine Power

I—Interpersonal Relationships

O—Outlook

N—Nutrition

There you have it. A formula for a better life, the golden key—the key to optimal health. Stay tuned. There’s more to come.

Pat

The Wellness Lady