Focus On Wellness by Lena Wright

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to a young church where conflict, strife, division and sexual misconduct were going on. I love how God does not ‘mince words’. Re-read the verses above and you’ll see that it is pretty direct and straightforward. The Truth is that God sacrificed His only Son to save us. Those of us that have heard and accepted this gift have received the Holy Spirit and are born anew. This means that our bodies do not belong to us. We need to evaluate how we are doing at being good stewards in regard to our physical being. Are we taking care of our bodies? Are we honoring God with our bodies?

Here are some tips on how to do just that:

1) Get moving. Take a walk. You can do this at the mall, the YMCA or a local gym or right in your own neighborhood. Take a Tai Chi or Pilate’s class. Gentle, slow moving stretching is good for your muscles and your mood. Park further out from the store when you’re running errands or shopping and walk the extra steps. Our bodies were created to move and often we don’t move them enough. It’s about movement more than it is about exercise. Physical activity is a great stress reliever, plus it helps us to sleep better and improves our mood. So, get moving!

2) Rest. While movement, activity and exercise are great ways to burn off stress, it is also important to get enough rest. Our bodies refresh and rejuvenate while we sleep and when we short change ourselves in this department we make life harder than it needs to be, emotionally, physically and mentally. Some studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to be heavier and sicker than those who do get their zzz’s. Besides, if God rested on the seventh day, I think that us humans might need to rest too.

3) Eat right. This can be a particularly challenging task. I’m not suggesting that you deprive yourself but rather that you are mindful of what you are putting in to your body. Be aware of how caffeine, alcohol and sugar affect you and your mood. I encourage you to do a three day experiment where you write down everything you eat and pay attention to how you feel, both physically and emotionally. You may be surprised to learn that what you put into your body not only affects your physical health but also your mental and emotional well being.

Supplements Decrease Violence

Image by cstmweb via Flickr

This is taken from Dr. Daniel Amen's "Brain in the News" , a weekly commentary on how brain science relates to the news. The brain is involved in everything we do. Wherever there are human stories the brain is involved. From the impact of war and natural disasters on the brain to drug abuse scandals to courtroom dramas to politics the brain is in the news, and you can read about it here.


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Prison Study to Investigate Link between Junk Food and Violence

Some of Britain’s most challenging young prisoners are to be given food supplements in a study aimed at curbing violent behavior. Scientists from Oxford University say the effect of nutrition on behavior has been underestimated. They say increases in consumption of “junk” food over the past 50 years have contributed to a rise in violence. The university will lead the study in which 1,000 males aged 16 to 21 from three young offenders’ institutions in England and Scotland will be randomly allocated either the vitamin-and-mineral supplements or a placebo, and followed over 12 months.

In a pilot study of 231 prisoners by the same researchers, published in 2002, violent incidents while in custody were cut by a more than a third among those given the supplements. Overall, offenses recorded by the prison authorities fell by a quarter. John Stein, professor of physiology at Oxford University, said: “If you could extrapolate from those results you would see a reduction of a quarter to a third in violent offenses in prison. You could reduce violent offences in the community by a third. That would have a huge economic benefit.”

“Our initial findings indicated that improving what people eat could lead them to behave more sociably as well as improving their health. This is not an area currently considered in standards of dietary adequacy. We are not saying nutrition is the only influence on behavior but we seem to have seriously underestimated its importance.” Mark Walport, head of the Wellcome Trust, which is funding the three-year study, said: “If this study shows that nutritional supplementation affects behavior it could have profound significance for nutritional guidelines, not only within the criminal justice system but in the wider community - in schools, for example.

We are all used to nutritional guidelines for our physical health but this study could lead to revisions taking account of our mental health.”The theory behind the trial is that when the brain is starved of essential nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids, which are a central building block of brain neurons, it loses “flexibility”. This shortens attention spans and undermines self-control. Even though prison food is nutritious, prisoners tend to make unhealthy choices and need supplements, the researchers say.

Bernard Gesch, a senior scientist in the department of physiology and head of Natural Justice, a charity that investigates the causes of offending, said prisoners would be given the supplement with 100 per cent of the recommended daily amount of more than 30 vitamins and minerals plus three fish-oil capsules on top of their normal diet.“We are trying to rehabilitate the brain to criminal justice. The law assumes crime is a matter of free will. But you can’t exercise free will without involving your brain and the brain can’t function properly without an adequate nutrient supply. It may have an important influence on behavior. This is a positive approach to preventing the problems of antisocial and criminal behavior. It is simple, it seems to be highly effective and the only “risk” from a better diet is better health. It is a rare win-win situation in criminal justice” said Gesch.

To your brain health,

Daniel

Daniel Amen, M.D.CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc.Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association>>

Of course, you should consult with your health care provider before embarking on a diet or exercise program and using supplements. Everyone's needs are different and it's important to seek assistance when making decisions about supplements.

High quality supplements and nutritional cleansing information is available through Isagenix International-including a high quality Omega 3-6-9 supplement. Learn more at www.lenawright.isagenix.com

Lena Wright is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Professional Coach and Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor. She is the founder & President of ConnectionsWellnessCenter.com and specializes in nutrition coaching to address a variety of mental health issues including depression and anxiety.