Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good series.....Bible Study Guide

Golden Rule 2 ~ The Low of Rest and Restoration

 

I. Biblical Background:

    A. Ecclesiastes 2:22-23- Solomon testified to the stress and strain of physical toil and mental vexation on a person: "His______________________(mind) taketh not __________________in the night."

 

    B. Isaiah 28:12- God's Word and His laws of life and health will bring us _____________________ and ____________________ if we will pay attention to them.

 

    C. Matthew 11:28,29 contain Christ's gracious invitation to all who are weary and heavy laden with the burdens of life. He promises that if we come to Him we will find "____________________

unto your souls."  

II. Physical Applications:
    A. Jeremiah 30:17 - God promised to "_____________ health" to his people and heal them.
    B. Mark 8:25; Matthew 12:13- Jesus demonstrated God's desire to restore health when He gave _____________ to one man and healed the _____________of another.
    C. Leviticus 25:5- In the Israelite economy even the _____________ was to be given rest.

Dr. Mervyn Hardinge, former dean of the School of Health at Loma Linda University, illustrates our need for rest in a story he uses often. At the time of the Battle of Britain, military production was given the highest priority in England. In one of the aircraft factories, workers were scheduled to work seventy-four hours per week. The average work week actually was sixty-six hours per person due to sick leave and other factors. The workers in the factory were pressed to the limit. In fact, the factory management, aware of high absenteeism and deteriorating moral, decided to lower the requirement time per week from seventy-four to sixty-four hours. Doing so lowered the actual work week to fifty-four hours per person. The managers were pleasantly surprised that production levels remained the same as they had when workers actually worked sixty-six per week. The company officials decided to experiment further. They lowered the required weekly hours to fifty-four and were amazed to learn that production levels did not fall but rose 15 percent. Besides, the morale of the workers increased. There was less spoiled work, fewer accidents, and less absenteeism. This illustrates that it does not pay to work beyond the fatigue limit. We need to take time for sleep and other activities that provide relaxation and promote well being.

III. Mental Application:
    A. Isaiah 57:19-21- The Lord brings healing _________________ to those that place their trust in Him, but those that do not serve Him are like the troubled_________________. They cannot find _______________ or _________________.

    B. Psalm 16:8,9 - Those who trust in God have ____________ hearts and rest in ______________.

"One whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is on the highway to health. To have the consciousness that the eye of the Lord is upon us and that His ear is open to our prayers is a satisfaction indeed. To know that we have a never-failing friend to whom we can confide all the secret of the soul is a happiness which words can never express."- Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, p. 34. 

     
IV. Social Applications:
    A. Deuteronomy 5:12-14- God gave the Sabbath as a delightful day to lay side work and concerns. He indicates that those who employ others should give them the same kind of _________________.

    B. 1 Chronicles 22:9- King Solomon was to be a ______________ of rest and bring his people _______________ and quietness because they would have rest from military aggression. God's kind of peace cannot be defined. Philippians 4:7 calls it a "peace that passeth understanding." It's the kind of peace that comes into our hearts and lives only when we allow Jesus to become our _________________ ______ _______________. (See Isa. 9:6.)

But receiving peace and contentment is not just a passive experience. We cooperate with the law of rest and restoration in many active ways, For instance, Dr. J. DeWitt Fox included a chapter entitles "There's Health in a Hobby" in his book The Doctor Prescribes. He asks "Are you fed up with life? Of late have you noticed the increasing tempo of your activity has been just too much, and you are about to throw in the sponge? If so, it's time you started riding a hobbyhorse for a while instead of careening through traffic in your Cadillac or Chevrolet- page 47. Having a hobby can help make you easier to live with, and can also affect you socially by: (1) giving you something interesting to talk about, (2) helping you make new friends with similar interests, (3) encouraging you to join classes or hobby groups, and (4) in some instances, adding to your income.

V. Spiritual Application:
    A. Psalm 51:10.12- After David had repented for a terrible sin, he prayed that God would renew a right spirit in him and ________________ in him the joy of salvation.

    B. Jeremiah 6:16- When we walk in God's paths we will find ____________for our souls.

God gave the Sabbath to human beings in the Garden of Eden even before sin came into this world. (See Exodus 2:1-3.) His main purpose in establishing a weekly day of rest was not only that we might find time to remember and fellowship with the creator, as the fourth commandment tells us, but after the advent of sin, the Sabbath became a memorial of our choosing to accept the redemption our Creator provided. It is the outward symbol that we have entered Christ's rest of redemption.

Hebrews 4:9,10 reveal that there "still awaits" (NEB) a "Sabbath rest" for God's people, he adds the concept that whoever enters Christ's rests enters into the rest of redemption and ceases trying to earn his own salvation. On both the Sabbath of Creation and the Sabbath of redemption, Christ "rested" from the completion of His great work. Because Christ rested in the tomb on the Sabbath following His crucifixion, God's set aside day of rest has taken on a new significance. Even keeping the Sabbath with this significance in mind has no real meaning unless we have accepted the terms of the new covenant and have allowed Christ to accomplish the work of grace in us. We are living in a time of unusual stress and tension. In this anxious, worrisome time, God's people will learn to trust Him and find His rest and peace in a special way. He plans for us to enjoy eternal rest in a land where all tension, stress, conflict, and terror will never rise again- a land of eternal peace and happiness. That's why Jesus calls to us now, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." How can we resist such a loving invitation?

Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good.....series Golden Rule 2 part 1

 From the book ~
Take Ten- Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good

Golden Rule 2. The Law of Rest and Restoration

"Take It Easy~ You'll Last Longer" 

 

 

A story published long ago in Coronet magazine told about a young man who was always in a hurry. The boy and his father farmed a little piece of land, but that was about all they had in common. The old man believed in taking it easy, but the young man was a go getter.

 

One day, early in the morning, they loaded their cart with produce and set out for the city, where they planned to market their vegetables. it was quite a trip, particularly traveling by oxcart, as they did. The young man, impatient to get there, kept prodding the ox with a  stick.

 

"Take it easy," said the old man. "You'll last longer."

"But it's going to take us all day and night to get there," the young man replied. "If we hurry we'll get to market in the morning before everyone else and not only get better prices for our produce but be able to start home sooner."

 

The old farther didn't answer. He just pulled his hat down over his eyes and went to sleep. Some time later they came to a little house near the road. "Here's your uncle's place," the old man said. "Let's stop and say hello."

 

The young man could hardly sit still while the two brothers gossiped and enjoyed each other's company for the better part of an hour.

Finally resuming the journey, they soon came to a fork in the road. Let's take the one on the left," the old gentleman urges.

"But Father, that way takes longer," the son impatiently replied.

"I know, but it's a prettier way to go."

"Don't you have any respect for time? " the young man grumbles.

"Oh yes, I respect it very much. That's why I like to use it for looking at wild flowers and trees."

Sunset found them in a most beautiful part of the country, and the old man insisted that they sleep there overnight.

"This is the last trip I'll ever take with you. You just don't have any business sense." snapped the young man.

Before sunrise the next morning the son, eager to be on the way shook his father awake. They had traveled only about a mile when they came upon a farmer trying to pull his ox out of a ditch. "Let's help him," the old man urged.

"We'll never get to the city at this rate!" the young man exploded.

"Relax, son, and you'll last longer."

By the time they got the other cart back on the road and approached the rim of the hill that looked down upon the city it was a little past eight o'clock. Suddenly a great flash, like lightening, split the sky. There was a roar of thunder, and rain began to come down in torrents.

 

"If we hadn't delayed so often we'd be there by now and not caught out in this awful storm," the young man complained.

"Oh, take it easy, son," the old gentleman said, "You'll last longer."

 

After a while they came to a spot where they could look down on the city. The sight they saw caused the young lad to exclaim in suddenly humbled tones, "I see what you mean, Father." Turning their cart around they drove away from the ruins of atom-bombed Hiroshima.

 

The wise words of the old farmer state a basic law that governs life: "Take it easy; you'll last longer." All nature demonstrates that we violate this golden rule of rest and restoration only at the risk of life and health.

 

Even the heart, which is through to be continually at work, actually rests(between beats) about twice as long as it works. Physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually we need to rest in order to maintain good health. When a person becomes ill, one of the treatments the doctor often prescribes is rest. Living in a world that is filled with stress and tension demands that we learn to rest and restore ourselves to fitness.

 

 



Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules..... Bible Study Guide for Golden Rule 1

Take 10

Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You

Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good

by Leo R. Van Dolson, Ph.D., M.P.H.

 

We Reap What We Sow

The ancient Scriptures summarize the fist golden rule this way, "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). I can't think of a better way of phrasing it. A state governor, visiting a penitentiary, saw a prisoner working in the area where prison clothes were made. "What are you doing? Sewing?" asked the governor. "No, sir," replied the prisoner regretfullly. "I'm reaping." We DO reap what we sew.

 

Some thing of God as an arbitrary Judge just waiting for us to do something wrong so that He can punish us. But God doesn't act that way. God DOES NOT destroy humans. He sets up laws which, if properly followed, lead to health, happiness, and a better life. He does all He can to get people to cooperate with His golden rules because He desires a good life for us. But we are free to choose for ourselves. And the choices we make determine our menu at the banquet of consequences. What, then, are you going to do about it? The intelligent, life-preserving choice is to reason from cause to effect and to follow a course that will bring the very best that life has to offer. Reaping will be according to sowing. Nature's laws transgressed will become our tormentors. But by beginning now to sow the seeds of obedience to the laws of life and health, our banquet of consequences will be a happy one.

 

BIBLE STUDY GUIDE

 

If we SOW good health habits like drinking enough water and exercising we not only keep the doctor away but reap a harvest of good health. But, negatively, of we sow bad health habits we reap a poor health harvest.

 

I. Biblical Background:

   A. Disease and illness are the result of sin. Where does the Bible indicate that sin originated on this earth? (Gen. 3:17,23)-In the Garden of _____________________ as a result of _______________________God's command.

   B. Deuteronomy 5:33 -What are the results of following God's commands?  

      1. We may __________________________________.

      2. It may be ______________________________with us.

      3. We may _________________________our days.

  C. John 10:10-What is Christ's desire? He came that we might have the more ____________________ life.

 

II. Examples of Physical Applications:

  A. Exodus 15:26 indicates that following God's instructions would prevent the people of Israel from coming down with the kind of ________________that they had been exposed to in___________________.

  B. Proverbs 23:29,30- What are the results of alcohol abuse? ________________________________________________

 

III. Mental Application:

  A. Proverbs 14:30- "Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer"(TEV).

  B. Proverbs 17:22- "A _______________heart doeth good like a medicine; but a ______________

spirit drieth the bones."

  C. Philippians 4:8- Read this text to learn God's screening program for healthy minds.

 

IV. Social Applications:

  A. Isaiah 58:7,8- What types of service for those in need enable us to enjoy good health?

      1. Giving _______________to the hungry.

      2. Bringing the homeless to our ____________________.

      3. Providing clothes for the_______________________.

      4. Ministering to the need of those of our own ________________________________.

  B. Proverbs 17:17 - A friend____________________ at all times, and a brother is born for _________________________.

 

V. Spiritual Application:

  A. Psalm 37:3-"_________________________in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily though shalt be _____________________________________.

  B. Proverbs 3:5-8 - When we _______________in the Lord and follow His ways, He promises to ___________________our paths.

 

"The consciousness of right doing is the best medicine for diseased bodies and minds.

The special blessing of God resting upon the receiver is health and strength.

 A person whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is in the pathway to health."

 -Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2. pp. 407, 408.



Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You Life Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good.... Golden Rule 1 part 2

Take 10~

Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You

 Life Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good

by Leo R. Van Dolson, Ph.D., M.P.H.

 

The Cancer Plague Illustrates This Law

Although, at this writing, heart disease still is the number one killer in the United States, cancer is fast catching up and soon may be in first place. Experts in the United States have learned that at least 85 percent of cancer can be prevented by measures that help cut down on the known causes of this terrible plague. How does cancer hit the body? A single cell, triggered by a bit of radiation, a trace of toxic chemical, a virus or a random error in the transcription of the cell's genetic message begins, an abnormal patter of growth. It ay continue to proliferate wildly, forming a tumor that expands into healthy tissue, competing with normal cells for nutrition. Then it may slip away stealthily, extending finger-like probes into the bloodstream finally establishing a beachhead on healthy tissue where it begins to prosper at the expense of neighbor cells, dividing and forming new tumors. It tricks nearby cells into forming blood vessels that feed it and produces a spiny armor that kills marauding immune cells. Eventually it invades and destroys vital organs, incapacitating them and at times bringing death. This dread scenario occurs with increasing frequency. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 600,000 in the U.S. will die each year from cancer and even more new victims will come down with this disease. Does cancer sound like a plague? It is! But there also is GOOD NEWS! Most cancer is preventable. Why this is so can be seen when we look at its causes. 

 

1. Smoking~ Smoking accounts for about 30 percent of all cancer deaths. Those smoking two or more packs of cigarettes per day have mortality rates 15-25 times that of non-smokers.
2. Nutrition~ Risk for colon, breast, and uterine cancer increases in obese people. High-fat diets may contribute to the development of cancers of the breast, colon, and prostate.
3. Alcohol~ Oral cancers and cancers of the larynx, throat, esophagus, and liver occur more frequently among heavy drinkers of alcohol.
4. Estrogen~ Estrogen treatment to control menopausal symptoms may increase risk endometrial cancer.
5. Radiation~ Excessive exposure to ionizing radiation can increase cancer risk.
6. Sunlight~ Almost all of the more than 600,000 cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer diagnosed every year in the U.S. are considered to be sun-related.

Note that tobacco use and harmful diet account for about two-thirds of cancers. Most of the factors listed above are areas in which cancer can be prevented if we avoid cancer-triggers. Cancers greatest cause is know to be a poor diet which causes about 35 percent of all cancers. The American Cancer Society spells out five protective dietary factors:

 

1. Eat More Cabbage-family vegetables:

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Kale

Protects against:

Colorectal

Stomach

Respiratory Cancers

 

2. Add More High-Fiber Foods:

Whole grains

Fruits

Vegetables

Protects Against:

Colon Cancer

 

3. Choose Foods with Vitamin A:

Carrots

Peaches

Apricots

Squash

Broccoli

Protects Against:

Esophagus

Larynx

Lung Cancers

 

4. Choose Foods With Vitamin C:

Grapefruit

Cantaloupe

Oranges

Strawberries

Red and green peppers

Broccoli

Tomatoes

Protects Against:

Esophagus

Stomach cancers

 

5. Add Weight Control:

Exercise

Low fat

Low calorie diet

Protects Against:

Uterus

Gallbladder

Breast

Colon cancers

 

To summarize, a proper, well-balanced diet is one of the most important means of cutting down the risk of cancer. We need to adopt a low-fat, low cholesterol, low calorie, high-fiber diet that is rich in vitamins and phytochemicals.

 

We need to be aware of the 7 warning signals of cancer. If you notice any of these you should see your doctor right away.

 

CANCER'S 7 WARNING SIGNALS

1. Change in bowel or bladder habits
2. A sore that does not heal
3. Unusual bleeding or discharge
4. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere
5. Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
6. Obvious change in wart or mole
7. Nagging cough or hoarseness

 

Considering the astronomical costs associated with cancer treatment, and ounce of prevention is worth thousands of pounds of cure. The more steps you take to prevent cancer, the more years will be added to your life and the more life will be added to your years. Taking control of lifestyle is key to feeling better and reducing cancer risk.

*****************************************************************

I would like to add my own two cents to this post - I truly believe that a big factor in cancer is STRESS. And I think that another important way to help prevent cancer is to learn to trust in God more and more.

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6



 

I am going to be working on a study of trusting God and I may be sharing some of it with you all here on my blog.

 

Come back on Friday when we will finish up this chapter and have our Bible Study Guide for this chapter. I will see you then.

Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good...series...Introduction part 2

Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You

 Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good

 

By Leo R. Van Dolson, Ph.D, M.P.H.

 

 

Introduction part 2

 

Feeling Good and Looking Good

 

The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Obviously, this definition is incomplete as it leave out one significant dimension of life and health- the spiritual. These dimensions of life are so inter-related that what affects one affects all the others. The entire mind, body, and soul is involved when disease strikes. That means that health, too, involves all four dimensions of life. We cannot be complete and whole unless we are well physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. As you make these applications, you will discover that you not only feel better but look better, too.

 

Wilbur Wright arrived in France in 1908 intent on demonstrating the superiority of his flying machine over the experimental French models. Because the French were committed to defending their claim of priority in flight, there was quite a bit of hostility toward Wilbur. When a catapult shot him 30 feet into the air to begin his flight the large crowd of spectators at Le Mans gasped with surprise. They were used to seeing long and often unsuccessful takeoffs. When his flight machine dipped its wing, banking for a turn, the crowd panicked. they'd never seen an aircraft turning life that and thought Wilbur was going to crash. When he continued to gracefully circle the field, their fright turned into wild cheering. After he landed, they mobbed him, everyone trying to shake his hand at once. The Wright brothers clearly had come up with a superior airplane. Something better speaks for itself. BETTER is not something BITTER. Often people think that a good health habit involves that which doesn't taste good or doesn't feel good. But actually what's good for you will make you look good, feel good, and enjoy life more during the additional years you will gain.

 

The Laws of Life and Health

Because the Creator established the golden rules of life and health we are studying, our main source for understanding these laws is the Bible. At the end of each chapter we will append a Bible Study Guide that develops these laws and illustrates their application in the physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions of life.

 

Nearly a century before a  healthful lifestyle became a significant issue in the United States, a remarkable woman named Ellen White wrote and lectured extensively about health. She was so far ahead of her time that many current scholars in the field of nutrition and health marvel at the insights this relatively uneducated writer displayed. Even today, when there is so much controversy over particular areas of emphasis in health research. Ellen White's voluminous writing on these topics are recognized as being remarkably accurate. Her writing challenge the reader to become acquainted with the Biblical laws of health and to apply these principles on a daily basis. What did Ellen White consider constituted a law of life and health? A careful study of what she has written reveals that a natural law applies across the board--physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. Thus the law of activity (exercise) can readily be seen to apply to physical development, mental alertness, the development of social graces, and spiritual growth. Without exercising these powers regularly we lose some of our ability to function completely. Either we use these powers or we lose them.

 

We should not confuse the laws of life and health with their limited applications. For example, we need to drink an adequate amount of water daily and use it externally to keep clean and fresh. Nevertheless, proper use of water is an application of the laws of health rather than a natural law in and of itself. several of the laws can be seen to include applications of the use of water as a benefit to health.

 

We have identified ten basic laws of life and health in the Bible and in the writing of Ellen White. These dynamic golden rules that we will be studying include the following:

1. Cause and Effect
2. Rest and Restoration
3. Activity and Growth
4. Temperance and Self-control
5. Order and Cleanliness
6. Regularity and Balance
7. Supply and Distribution
8. Positive Living
9. A Healthy Respect for God's Property
10. Nothing Lives to Itself(Law of Life for the Universe)  

When the capitalized first letters are put together they form an acronym- the Creator's Plan for Health and Happiness.

 

Bible Study Guide

 

In order to get an overall view of the ten great principles of life and health that we will study in this book, we turn to the Scriptures to give us a clue as to what they are. In the first part of Romans Paul outlives the plan of salvation. In Romans 12:1-2 he begins to put the gospel into working clothes. A modern paraphrase helps us understand how interested God is in helping us get the most out of life. "Now that you understand how God's plan works...this is the next step I urge: Accept it. Dedicate yourselves to becoming living, breathing testimonials to His new holy way of life. This demonstration of making God number one in your life will not only please Him, it will make good sense to you too. Because it means that instead of letting the worlds around you shape your thinking, you are opening up your mind and becoming receptive to all the pure and beautiful and fulfilling things God wants you to experience." _ Richard A. Swaney, Out of Darkness, Light!, p. 49.

(The KJV of the Bible is used for these verses)



1. Cause and Effect:

Galatians 6:7, "Whatsoever a man____________________, that shall he also ____________________." 

Every time a seed is sown a harvest results, based on the kind of seed planted. This applies across the board, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. This, and the other great principles of life and health, work for us or against us, depending on how we choose to relate to them.

 

2. Rest and Restoration:

Mark 6:31, "Come ye yourselves apart......, and ____________________ awhile."

Psalm 23:3 "He _________________________ my soul."

Here is a find prescription for the prevention and healing of physical, mental, social, and spiritual ills.

3. Activity and Growth:

2 John 8 "Look to yourselves, that we _____________ not those things which we have wrought, but that we ____________________ a full reward."

Matthew 25:29, " For unto every one that ______________ shall be given, and he shall have __________________ but from him that ________________________________ shall be taken away even that which he hath."

This Bible verse is found in the parable of the talents. Because the servant failed to use what he had been given it was taken away from him. These verses outline the great principle of life that we lose what we do not use. Activity is a law of life. Strength is acquired by effort. Development cannot take place without proper use of our physical, mental, social, or spiritual faculties.

 

4. Temperance and Self- control:

 

1 Corinthians 9:25,27, "Every man that striveth for the mastery is _______________________ in all things....I keep under my body and bring it into _____________________________________."

Much of illness is brought on by intemperate use of those things that even might be good in themselves.

 

5. Order and Cleanliness:

1 Corinthians 14:40. "Let all things be done decently and in _____________."

Isaiah 52:11. "Be ye ____________________."

Pollution of any kind is destructive, but cleanliness and order contribute to many phases of total health.

6. Regularity and Balance:

Genesis 8:22. "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and ________________, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and _______________ and night shall not _____________________."

Job 37:16. "Dost thou know the ________________________ of the clouds?"

Built-in mechanisms keep our internal and external environment in as steady a state as possible.

 

7. Supply and Distribution:

Philippians 4:19. "My God shall ______________ all your need."

Without adequate nourishment and proper distribution of the substances essential to life there could be no life. Our challenge is to husband our resources, using what has been provided equitably.

 

8. Positive Living:

Proverbs 17:22. "A merry heart doeth good like a ________________________; but a broken spirit ______________________ the bones."

Psalm 16:11. "Thou wilt shew me the path of _____________; in thy presence is fullness of _____________; at they right hand there are _________________________forevermore."

In every aspect of life, positive attitudes and corresponding actions help prevent and even heal disease.

 

9. Respect for God's Property:

Matthew 22:39. "Thou shalt love they neighbor as ________________________."

A sense of self-worth is basic to health. It motivates us to care for our bodies, gives us a sense of security, thus contributing to mental health, and enables us to love others.

 

10. Nothing Lives To Itself(Law of Live for the Universe):

Luke 6:38. "Give and it shall be ______________ unto you; Good _______________, pressed down, and shaken together, and ________________over."

The more we give, the better we live. To the verse "Cast they bread upon the waters" (Eccl. 11:1) once voice of experience added "it will come back to you buttered!"

 

Take 10~ Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You LIve Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good.....series introduction part 1

Once again I have found a great book. One that I think many of you would benefit from so I have decided to do a series on this book. There is quite a bit of information in this book and I am hoping that it will be something that will help each and every one of us along this journey called life.

This week we will be looking at the Introduction to the book. I will be dividing it into two parts since it is so long. I have not decided for sure how I will do the chapters - I might divide them into to parts as well since they are lengthy as well.

 

Take 10~

Ten Dynamic Golden Rules That Help You

 Live Longer, Feel Better, and Look Good

by Leo R. Van Dolson, Ph.D, M.P.H.

 

 

 

How would you like to live longer, feel great, and look good? What's exciting is that you can-- you really can! It's not all that difficult either. All you have to do is to become acquainted with and put into practice the ten simple dynamic golden rules that we share with you in this book. Many of them you probably are aware of and practicing already, even if it's only to a limited extent. But if you're not following them, stop cheating yourself and begin to get the most out of life.

 

Not long ago the chemicals in the human body were estimated to have a total value of about 98 cents. Thanks to inflation, the same chemicals would sell now for about $10.00. Harold Morowitz, a professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry, calculated some years ago what the value of the human body would be if constructed from supplies bought in the open market at that time. He came up with the astounding figure of $6,000,015.44 for a medium size human body. What made the difference? He included a number of exotic substances not included in the earlier estimates. One if bradykinin that sells for $12,000 a gram and a follicle-stimulating hormone that retails at $4.8 million on the open market. (See Eternity, Oct., 1980. p.19.) Would you like to be a multi-millionaire? You already are!

 

Our bodies are worth a lot more than we may have thought. The challenge is to get our body's worth-- to begin to appreciate and care for these wonderful and expensive bodies as something very precious.

One way to do this would be to make a heroic effort to learn all possible health rules. But there are so many health choices today that we are perplexed by constantly changing advice as scientist learn more about what's good for us. The easier way is to learn the basic principles that govern life and health and to use common sense in applying them as best we can to various circumstances. This book develops ten golden rules of life and health that are easy to remember and apply.

 

We live in an age when it is unpopular to discuss rules and standards. Somehow people think these rules inhibit their freedom rather than protect it. But there are rules to every game. There has to be, or we wouldn't have games! And there are rules --great principles designed for our good--in winning the game of life. There is but one purpose behind them all, that is to enable us, when we play the game straight, to achieve the highest development of our physical, mental, social, and spiritual potential. Yet too often we see these as rather senseless and arbitrary rules which are challenging to break. And if that's all there is to them it would be a rather exciting game to try to break them and see how much we could get by with. But the trouble with that philosophy is that it isn't just rules that we break, it's ourselves. And often we don't realize this until it's too late.

 

Consider the terrible cost involved in failing to pay attention to these golden rules. Some years ago I was shocked to lean of the unexpected death of a friend who had been my major professor during my doctoral studies. My dissertation was based on research in the field of health education. One area of particular interest was the field of motivation. This professor challenged me to develop a conceptual model that would help predict health-behavior change. We chose smoking cessation to illustrate the model. Although a chain smoker himself, the professor was keenly interested in this project. He made several suggestions that greatly strengthened the model. His enthusiasm emboldened me to ask him why it was that, while he seemed to understand so clearly the reason for stopping smoking, he continued to puff away on cigarettes.

 

"Oh, I enjoy smoking," he said.
I know it doesn't do me any good' in fact, it's detrimental to my health. But I really enjoy smoking and don't want to quit." That was the first of several conversations during which we earnestly discussed his smoking habit. Two years later I learned that he had died at the young age of 45 from lung cancer. What a terrible price to pay for clinging to a death- dealing habit just because he enjoyed

it!

 

Health-destroying habits often seem enjoyable. We wouldn't be doing what we're doing unless we were getting some sort of satisfaction out of them. But who is being hurt? Mainly ourselves. A golden rule of life is not one that we can keep on breaking with impunity. The day of reckoning will come-- and along with it the realization that the person we've cheated the most is self.

 

But that's the negative side. Look at the bright promise on the other side. The rules for healthful living, when followed consistently, pay rich dividends indeed. Do you want to be able to d whatever you've chosen to do in life consistently well and with real efficiency? Do you desire greater strength and energy? Do you want to be happy and cheerful? Who wouldn't?

 

It is possible to be as vital and alive at 61 as at 16. We can enjoy each day to its fullest. We can arise each morning with renewed vigor and strength, bubbling over with enthusiasm and energy. This n not accomplished by he use of some magic potion, elixir, or will-of-the-wisp fountain of youth, but by carefully applying the simple basic principles that govern life and heath. Together we'll discover ten of them. Each discovery will become a magic key that will open a treasure chest full of the riches of life and enable us to get along better and enjoy life much more.

 

It's easy to settle quickly for less than the best in life. As long as we seem to get along all right we can't be bothered about the fact that we're missing so much that is available. Most of us expend more time and strength n taking care of our houses and cars than we do taking care of ourselves. If a few dollars can be saved by poring over a "do-it-yourself" manual for repairing our house or fixing our car we put a lot of time into it. But how much more worth while it is to spend our time to learn how to get more out of life itself.

 

The golden rules we are studying are not just simple mechanical rules like breathing deeply and getting enough rest--important as these are. They are broader principles that include the physical, mental, social and spiritual dimensions of life.

Living Longer

 Dr. Lester Breslow, dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California at Los Angeles at the time when he and those researchers working with him began a study of 7,000 adult residents of Alameda County, California in 1965. Their studies led to the conclusion that good health practices, rather than the initial health status of those they surveyed, were largely responsible for the fact that those who practiced good health habits lived significantly longer. The seven good health habits they discovered that made the difference were: never smoking, regular physical activity, moderate to no use of alcohol, 7-8 hours of sleep regularly, maintaining proper weight, eating breakfast, and not eating between meals. (See Lester Breslow and James E. Enstrom, "Persistence of Health Habits and Their Relationship to Mortality." Preventive Medicine, 9:469-483(1980).

 

At Loma Linda University School of Health Update Convention in March, 1981, Dr. Breslow presented a report on the then current status of the Alameda County studies. He learned that at every age level, from 20 to 70, those who followed all seven of the health habits had significantly longer life than did those who followed only six of them. Six were better than five, and so on down to zero. This was particularly true for males. Men who were 60 years of age and older and had followed all seven health practices had better health status than men of 30 who followed none to three of the health practices. Dr. Breslow stated that he did not believe his results at first, so he rechecked them until he was convinced that they were accurate. Mortality follow-up of the 7,000 people in the study showed that for males at age 45 who practiced none to three of these good health habits, life expectancy would be another 21.6 years. Men at age 45 who followed four or five of the good health practices could anticipate living 28 more years. But those who followed six to seven of the good health practices could expect to live another 33 years.

 

Dr. Breslow is not  just concerned about longevity. He's plugging for what he calls "optimal health"-- a healthy, happy way of life. One of the most interesting results of the Breslow studies is the demonstration that we need the entire health package, not just bits and pieces of it, if we are to enjoy total health. These multi-million dollar body machines of ours deserve to be treated with the greatest respect possible.

 

Modern researchers have come to understand that disease is not just one-dimensional. Most of us know that the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of life are so interrelated that what affects one part of us affects every other part. With this fact in mind, health scientist have become increasingly aware of the need to treat health problems through a wholistic approach rather than through a fragmented one. How we live-- including what we eat, how and where we work, what we wear, and many other large and small details of our daily lives-- is most important in keeping truly healthy.

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