CHOICE:

Your power of choice will greatly affect how the principles of health will affect your whole body.

Self Restraint: The Mind and Your Immune System by Neil Nedley, M.D. (Summarized notes)

Substances that affect frontal lobe affecting our ability to choose wisely:

1. Tobacco (nicotine)

2. Alcohol – suppresses immune system

3. Caffeine – psychoactive drug that increases the risk of heart disease, anxiety, and depression

    It lessens sleep quality and reduces blood flow to the frontal lobe affecting memory and

    planning skills, and reduces creative thinking and problem-solving abilities

Self Restraint Definition: The ability to keep ourselves from acting on our behavioral or emotional impulses

Self control failure is central to nearly all the personal and social problems that currently plague citizens of the modern, developed world. It is the number one problem in all the world.

Lack of Self-Control Contributes To:

• Heart Disease – we know how to prevent with lifestyle/diet changes, still leading cause of death
• Diabetes
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Stroke
• Alcoholism
• Murder
• Sexual addiction
• Rape
• Depression
• Cancer – 80% can be prevented with healthy lifestyle habits
• Unwanted pregnancy
• Adultery/Divorce
• Underachievement
• Financial Failure
• Relationship problems
• Technology/screen addiction

Avoid wretchedness, through temperance. The definition of temperance is “Moderation in things that are healthy and abstinence in things that are unhealthy”

Strict temperance requires comprehensive self-control

“In our endeavor to measure this class of strengths, we have found that among people in the mainstream developed world, strengths of temperance are infrequently endorsed and seldom praised. Regardless, the strengths of temperance are very important and they have a rich array of positive consequences for the psychological good life.” (Martin Seligman, Christopher Peterson, American Psychological Association, 2004)

There are NO negative aspects to temperance in all areas of our life

God desires for us to be healthy! (3 John verse 2) “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health . . .”

The Ultimate Key to Self-Control is Self-Sacrifice, self-sacrificing Love for others, learn how to acquire this kind of love by developing a loving personal relationship with Jesus.  Study guides are available under the Spiritual Health tab.

SLEEP AND REST:

Gives the mind, body and soul the power to be refreshed, rejuvenated, regenerated, and rebuilt

Sleep deprivation affects memory, cognition and motivation and the effects are compounded when it’s long-term. Also sleep deprivation can cause a 30% - 50% drop in immune function.

Adolescents tend to fall asleep later and get up later

Elderly tend to fall asleep earlier and get up earlier

Sleep problems among adolescents are a major risk factor for suicidal thoughts and death by suicide

Insomnia ranges from 30% to 48% in the elderly

Sleep duration recommendations:

• Age 14-17 = 8-10 hrs
• Age 18-25 = 7-9 hrs
• Age 26-64 = 7-9 hours

Shifting your sleep schedule from night to day may trigger changes in the body that can eventually lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other serious health problems.

Sleep Hygiene:

• Maintain a regular sleep routine
• Avoid naps if possible
• Don’t stay in bed awake for more than 5-10 minutes
• Don’t watch TV or read in bed
• Drink caffeine drinks with caution
• Avoid inappropriate substances that interfere with sleep
• Exercise regularly
• Have a comfortable pre-bedtime routine
• Light before bed shifts bedtime later! (circadian rhythm)

ENVIRONMENT:

Results of living in a stressful environment:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Headaches
• Gastro-intestinal problems
• Depression
• Anxiety

Organization, cleanliness, and order promote:

• Peace
• Health
• Increased energy
• Decreased waste

EXERCISE/ACTIVITY:

• Improves physical, and mental health and improves brain activity
• Increases energy level, results in less stress, promotes longevity
• Decreases cardiovascular disease
• Enhances a positive mood, with higher self-esteem, and better cognitive functioning
• Improves ability to cope with stress

Recommended exercise:

• Moderate  intensity cardio activity 30 min./Day 5 days/week
• Or Vigorous intensity cardio 20 min. /Day 3 days/week
• Plus 8-10 strength training exercises 8-12 repetitions of each 2 times/week

NUTRITION:  Refer to the Nutrition Tab above

Drink Water: Minimum drink 16-20 oz. at awakening, mid-morning, mid-afternoon. Keep urine clear

Fresh Air: Multiple times/day open windows and ventilate your home for 10-20 minutes, get outside for light exercise and fresh air.

Sunlight: Kills virus quickly and warms the body, it infuses joy can calm into your veins

Moderate Exercise: Walking and other moderate movements greatly improve circulation and activation of your immune system. Walk at least 10-20 minutes after each meal.

Stress Management: Un-forgiveness produces high levels of inflammation thus increasing risk of immune suppression. Forgiveness is the greatest importance for healing of the body, mind, and spirit.

Trust in God: Even if you don’t believe in God, He believes in you! He love you and wants you to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit. Talk to Him, He cares!  Go to the Spiritual Health tab for more information.

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Learn How to Live Longer and Better:

A lecture from Harvey S. Hahn, M.D. Cardiologist  “A Faster Way to Live Longer”

Intermittent fasting is the answer to a faster way to live longer

The Big Three in health: Diet, Exercise, sleep/stress

Intermittent fasting puts these three together

David Sinclair published “Lifespan” 9/2019

It’s about not getting old and aging, keeping our DNA healthy.

Low level stress activates your survival pathways and tunes up your epigenetic makeup. Hunger, exercise, and cold exposure all help you live longer!

To keep our DNA healthy as possible and prevent chronic diseases is to use calorie restriction. “Calorie restriction is the most robust way to prevent cancer, heart disease or pretty much all diseases.”

Fasting is a subgroup of calorie restriction. Flipping the metabolic switch by going from carbohydrate metabolism to fat metabolism back and forth. The body will become more efficient at doing both, if low in carbs, body burns fats, if low in fats, body burns carbohydrates.

Dr. Mattson said the metabolic switch can be achieved by applying low level stress, exercise, cold, sleep, and intermittent fasting.

5 days intermittent fasting followed by 2 days off fasting is a common and effective program.

The New England Journal of Medicine: “Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease”

Results: stress resistance, glucose or lipid metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, proteostasis and autophagy, and cell survival. Helps with brain function, grow neurons, speed up neurotransmissions.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting:

• Behavioral: reduces hunger over time, improves mood and cognition
• Physiologic: reduces blood pressure, reduces glucose, insulin, and A1c levels, reduces LDL cholesterol levels
• Morphometric: reduces overall weight, fat loss, reduces waist circumference and visceral fat, preserves lean mucsle mass

Sample Prescriptions:

Month                   Time-Restricted Feeding                5:2 Intermittent Fasting

1st month         10 hr. Feeding period 5 days/wk              1000 calories 1 day/wk

2nd month          8 hr. Feeding period 5 days/wk              1000 calories 2 days/wk

3rd month          6 hr. Feeding period 5 days/wk                750 calories 2 days/wk

4th month          6 hr. Feeding period 7 days/wk                500 calories 2 days/wk           

Easiest way to fast is SLEEP. Need 7 hrs/day every day.

Increased risk of heart attack if you sleep less than 6 hrs/day or more than 9 hrs/day. Poor sleep lowers will power, increases caloric consumption and fat the following day.

A study of runners showed those that ran in the fasted state:

• Decreased insulin production
• Decreased glucose levels
• More fat oxidation

Resistance training showed the same benefits as runners

A study shows that people with more muscle mass live longer than those without up to 50% more. More important than cardio health.

Keto Diet vs. Intermittent Fasting:

Keto: early weight loss is due to water loss, Biggest change is eliminating garbage processed carbs, if increased bad fats than lipid levels can rise, most never really achieve ketosis, most don’t even try to measure ketosis.

Intermittent fasting: shrinks stomach, reduces hunger in the long run, associated with a survival benefit, 8-12 hours of fasting typically induces a state of ketosis

Carbs are best for performance, fat is not. Protein is best for muscle gain. The internet and social media is terrible for resources. Check on Pubmed, shows the science is strongly on the side of intermittent fasting vs. keto.

Learn more by watching the video of Dr. Hahn’s lecture:

Click Here!