This is part 2 on “The Leader’s Health.” Visit Part 1 Health before reading this.
In part 1, I mentioned 6 areas that will contribute to good health for you as a leader.
- Get adequate sleep
2. Exercise regularly
3. Establish loved-filled relationships with a few people with whom we can be Completely honest about what’s going on with us without fear of judgement or harsh criticism
4. The level of stress we carry around without knowing it
5. What we eat and how much we eat
6. Our family of origin
It might be tempting to blame your experienced poor health on your family of origin. “Well, my dad was like this or my mother had these health issues, so there’s nothing I can do about it. But there is something you can do about it. Your family of origin is just one element among 6 that can determine how healthy you are and how long you live.
Get adequate sleep
Just as there are too many people who are overweight, so are there too many of us who are sleep deprived. From what I’ve read, the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep. All sorts of bad things can begin happening when we regularly sleep less than 7-9 hours. I won’t go into them here, but you can go online and learn more. The reason some of us don’t get enough sleep is because we stay up too late the night before. The quality of our day may very well be the result of our nighttime routines and habits—often, TV is the big culprit.
Exercise regularly
If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees. Okay you don’t have to bend over numerous times to get exercise. There are a number of things you can do: Swim, walk, jog, bike, hike, pickle ball—you get the picture. Pick something you enjoy doing and do it consistently. I ran regularly for over 60 years. . One day, a few years ago, I told my wife Susan (she passed away on May 30, 2024) that I was going out for a run to which she responded telling me that I really don’t “run” any more; it’s more like a crawl. I graciously told her that crawling is what babies and turtles do and that the idea of crawling didn’t motivate or encourage me. We agreed to call it a “Brisk Walk.” At 85 I still take a brisk walk four times a week for about 20 minutes. Each week I put into my calendar the days and times of day I will take these walks. Having a plan and being consistent are two of the keys.
Establish and maintain loved-filled relationships
In the past I never would have attributed good health to experiencing “Good community” with a few people with whom I can be completely honest about what’s going on with in my life without fear of judgement or harsh criticism.
People who have a few really good friends with whom they regularly connect and share deeply tend to be in better health and live longer. I now believe this, especially since losing my wife Susan after 55 years of marriage. I have family members close by and a few male friends that I interact with on a regular basis. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. If you’re too young to know who the Lone Ranger was, you can look it up. A few years ago a book—”Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam hit the nail on the head, analyzing why we, as Americans, no longer experience close and nurturing relationships—especially men! It’s an excellent but disturbing read.
The level of stress we carry around without knowing it
Stress in and of itself can trigger a heart attack and kill me, even if everything else on this list of six is okay. I hit the wall when 24 years old, thinking I was superman and could keep reaching well beyond my God-given limits and capacity. I had no idea how stressful my life was until I got really sick, saw a doctor and heard him say that I needed to slow down “Or else.” I didn’t even want to think about what “or else” might mean. From that moment on and for quite a few months I read and studied everything I could get my hands on related to the dangers of “Stress.” Man, did I get an education and motivation to, with His help, make some changes.
What we eat, and how much we eat
I won’t spend a lot of time on this one, as most of us know what we should or should not be eating. We have heard over and over again what we should include and not include in our food choices. I even read that eating dark chocolate is good for the heart. So, I eat some dark chocolate everyday convincing myself that I’m taking my medicine. On my desk is a plaque given to me by my daughter Sara that says:
“I’d give up chocolate, but I’m not a quitter”
One last thing before I leave this topic:
“Loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days.”~ Deuteronomy 30:20 ESV
The sovereign God will determine the length of my days. He will decide when it’s over and I leave earth. I should do what I can do, but I need to leave the final results to Him!
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