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cases, fruit juices may be taken to
provide necessary strength.
Jesus Christ said His disciples
would fast (Mark
2: 18-20).
Fasting
is not only a good spiritual practice,
but it is a marvelous natural means
of preserving health. Consult a
physician, however, before under–
taking any lengthy fast.
3) Cl eanllness and Dress
It
has been said that "cleanliness is
next to godliness," and, while this
saying didn't come directly from
the Bible, the principie is certainly
correct.
To teach ancient Israel the habit
of cleanliness, God instituted cere–
monial regulations commanding
the people to bathe or wash their
c lothes after coming in contact
with likely disease carriers (Lev.
11 :29-47).
The physical lesson to
be learned from these ceremonies is
that we should keep our physical
bodies clean.
Regular care of the skin, hair,
nails and
t~eth,
and freedom from
perspiration odor are essential to
c leanliness and contribute to
health. Waste products are elimi–
nated through the pores of the skin,
so regular bathing is important.
Keeping your person, you r
clothes and your living quarters
clean will not only aid in promoting
vigorous health, but will tend to
keep your thoughts on a higher lev-
e) and keep you closer to God.
Untold physical impairments are
caused by the wearing of tight, ill–
fitting or unsuitable clothing.
Clothing should afford proper pro–
tection f rom the weather and
should bé"toose fitting and comfort–
able. The wearing of extremely
tight girdles or corsets by women
often results in the cramping of
vital organs and the weakening of
muscles and tissues in the abdomi–
nal and pelvic
areas~ften
causing
physical distress in later life, and
sometimes resulting in the inability
to have children normally. It just
doesn't pay.
Also, high-heeled shoes that
throw the whole body out of line
often cause harm not only to the
feet, but to the entire body. Anoth–
er common fault among women is
wearing unnecessarily tight-fitting
December 1981
shoes, which cause bunions, coros
and in-grown nails.
4 ) Sunshlne and Fresh Alr
Exposing a good portion of the body
to the sun's rays is beneficia!. The
sun's rays that provide the greatest
benefit to health are the ultraviolet
rays. Tbese rays aid in the utilization
of phosphorous and calcium, and
vitamin D is formed primarily
througb this inftuence.
Try to spend time out of doors in
the open air and sunsbine as you can.
But remember that there is danger
in sunlight if the body is exposed too
long before it is conditioned to the
sun. So, in acquiring a tan, you
should proceed cautiously.
And take deep breaths of pure,
~~
The mounting rate
of sickness,
suffering and
death clearly
shows Jhat this
world has lost the
way to health-the
way to live.
' '
fresh air. After al l, breath is the
stuff life itself is made of (Gen.
2:7).
Breathe deep l y to be
healthy.
We breathe to get oxygen into
our systems. Every vital process in
the body depends on oxygen for its
pe r formance . The more you
breathe pure, fresh air; the more
pep you will have, the brighter will
be your color, the more alert you
will be and the better posture you
will bave.
Most of us take in enougb air to
sustain life, but not enougb to live
it vigorously.
Exerdae
In this day of push-button gadgets
and automobiles, mi llions of people
are only half tbe physical speci–
mens they ought to be-because of
a lack of exercise.
Notice a crowd of people sorne
time. Observe the various sizes and
shapes. Am 1 talking about a need
for huge, bulging muscles?
No. Except in a few cases, they
are entirely unnecessary in modero
life-and constant expenditure of
time and energy would be neces–
sary to keep them in that condi–
tion.
But many people today do need
an intelligently planned program of
exercise. Exercise stimulates deep
breathing and increases blood cir–
culation; it aids in tbe expelling of
poisons from the system, and tends
to produce normalcy in all bodily
functions.
While work leaves one tired and
sometimes enervated, proper exer–
cise is of remarkable assistance in
building up energy. The body is
often recharged after systematic
calisthenics, and this form of exer–
cise can include all of the muscle
groups of the body- whereas regu–
lar work or games often neglect
sorne of these, whi le overtaxing
others.
Especially for young people,
games and sports naturally afford
an enjoyable opportunity to get
needed exercise. But these should
be supplemented with cal isthenics
or sorne form of exercise at home as
one grows past that stage in life and
tends to neglect pbysical exercise.
Walking and hiking are excellent
forms of exercise for people of all
ages and occupations. But vigorous
young people should supplement
even these with sorne form of activ–
ity that directly utilizes the arms,
shoulders and torso.
One of the very most important
types of exercise is cal led aerobic
exercise. The word is taken from
tbe Latin and means simply "with
wind." I t means the kind of exer–
cise where you are forced todo reg–
ular, continuous deep t;>reathing.
Tbis kind of exercise is vital in
building and maintaining your car–
diovascular system-your heart ,
lungs and liver. Nearly every coach
in any major sport knows that this
is the type of exercise to get ath–
letes into condition.
"With wind," it means. Deep
and continuous breathing and pant–
ing with t he corollary vigorous
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