Nobody plans to gain weight. Nobody sets out to see how high they can get their blood sugar levels.  And nobody intends to end up with a heart attack. If you’re like most Americans, you are just so busy keeping up with the demands of everyday life that it’s easy to let your own health needs take a backseat.

Nevertheless, our daily lifestyle decisions are unintentionally contributing in significant ways to some very negative health consequences. Cardiovascular disease is now the single leading cause of death for all Americans. It is now estimated that 64% of the adult population in the United States is either overweight or obese, and it has been forecasted that in the next 25 years the number of Americans with diabetes will double. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Literally thousands of research studies have been published in the past decade providing solid evidence that simple, positive lifestyle choices are vitally important to good health and powerful in lowering blood pressure, decreasing cancer risks, improving blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthy weight, and more.  What did you eat today?  When was the last time you broke a sweat while exercising? Did you get 7-8 hours of sleep last night?  How would you rate the quality of your relationships?  What are you doing to manage stress in your life?  And before you play the heredity card, let me add that the latest research is showing that changing our lifestyle actually changes our genes—turning on genes that prevent disease and turning off genes that cause disease. 

Simple lifestyle habits can make a difference, not just in how long we live, but also how well we live.  At a recent running event, I saw the following:  “I don’t run to add days to my life, but to add life to my days.” Well said!  Jesus told us in John10:10 that He came so that we might “have life, and have it to the full.” The Greek word for “full” is perissos, which means superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon.  Living well is definitely uncommon today, but it is God’s design for our lives.  A design He will carry out as we cooperate with Him by being intentional about a healthy lifestyle. 

Give God 2010.  Let this be the year you take charge of your heath and truly live well.

(This article was first published in the January 2010 issue of the Columbia Union Visitor and reprinted with permission.)

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