…adapt it to maintain your health and wellbeing
“Becoming a healthiest YOU is always necessary and important, never consider it to late or too early a time when you get to that realization. Start today” – Baptista S. H. Gebu
On our health education series, we recently commenced our NEWSTART program. This virtual session is expected to introduce our followers and the general public to very salient and important health fundamentals. Have you also come to the realization that covid-19 will expose us if we have weak immune systems? Research supports the claim that, greater percentage of people dying globally out of the Covid-19 pandemic is as a result of underlying health factors.
Adapting the new start principle is great to helping you build and maintain a healthy lifestyle. For ProHumane Afrique International, healthy living advocacy is one of our main objects. By way of introduction, this is what the “newstart” principle is all about.
“NEWSTART” is a physician observed; scientifically researched lifestyle transformation program based on eight essential ideologies established to aid you attain optimal well-being: Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest and Trust in God makes up the acronym. This simple and basic principle teaches us how to observe fundamental proven healthy lifestyle.
It supports you adapt to regular exercise or fitness plan, taking water in adequate quantities every day, having enough sunlight due to the natural vitamins it gives, breathing good quality air not polluted air, enjoying enough rest and being moderate and humane as well as having strong hope and trust in God, the owner of the universe for protection, guidance and direction.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is the basis of good health and recovery this is because you are basically what you eat. Your diet can either make you healthy or sick. Neglecting our health can lead to serious health-related consequences as it opposes the foundations of our health. We can avoid these three S (3’s) for the start under nutrition; sugar, seed oils and soft drinks. The increase in weakened immunity, chronic illness and degenerative diseases in the last 100 or so years can be ascribed to a cluster of poor lifestyle choices – with these also to be blamed.
The empowering and interesting part of the conversation is this “it’s all reversible and you can take control of your health by acknowledging what you consume and use daily as many health and wellness coaches will teach.
Its common knowledge to know that, as at 18th century lifestyle diseases were not very know and common in this part of our world – Ghana in Africa. The research concluded that should Ghanaians and by extension Africans adapt a western lifestyle possibilities exist lifestyle diseases will be prevalent. Here we are in this 21st century, Korle Bu teaching hospital in Ghana alerts lifestyle disease like the cancers, diabetics just to mention but a few are the top diseases killing Ghanaians.
Refined sugar and seed oils are damaging to the body as both typically do not provide any nutritional value. Refined sugar found in sweets, confectionery, desserts and soft drinks is devoid of any nutrients and can lead to health problems when consumed in high amounts.
According to health-line “some seed oils, such as sunflower oil, vegetable oil, soy bean oil and canola oil, are considered to be ‘refined’. Seed oils are ‘highly inflammatory and toxic’ to the body, and should not be used when cooking. Refined vegetable oils were not available until the 20th century, when the technology to extract them became available.
These are extracted from plants using either a chemical solvent or oil mill then often purified, refined, and sometimes chemically altered. Health-conscious consumers prefer oils that are made by crushing or pressing plants or seeds, rather than those produced using chemicals”. Use more of the natural coconut and palm oils.
I have always said that my philosophy on body lotion is this – if the body lotion cannot be eaten, please don’t apply in on your body. That’s the main reason I use Shea butter. Only essential oils must be applied to the body and fresh air should be breathed in through the lungs as anything else is deemed to be toxic such as synthetic fragrances found in body lotions, perfumes, deodorant and other air fresheners.
What kind of drinks do you consume? On soft drinks, it is new fashion this days to see most events even from observation serving the likes of carbonated drinks to the neglect of natural juices and drinks though we are blessed with seasonal fruits in abandons everywhere. Local content development is good; it will be great to have these developed with healthy natural alternatives. Let’s take our Hibiscus (sobolo), natural ginger, tamarind, and baobab, asana (corn-made) drinks with honey or diets and desist from drinking the carbonated drinks.
“Knowing and not doing, is not knowing” being educated as graduates should propel us to learn and teach to adopt healthy natural options. Let it not be said, you also consider it old fashion to be drinking and serving natural drinks at your meetings, events and occasions. It is not. Let’s return to Eden.
Exercise
With millions around the world working 40-hour still, it is more important now than even to incorporate some form of exercise into our lifestyle. When you do not exercise, you are said to be inactive or still which is not too good for our health. Pan Africanism, research and history has taught me that, our ancestors were used to walking and moving a lot. We can adapt it too; “Sankofa” like it’s said in Ghana. It is not a taboo ‘to go back for it’.
Water
Because the body is 60-70% water, keeping well hydrated and knowing what and when to drink are essential to health. The body constantly loses water throughout the day, mostly through urine and sweat but also from regular body functions like breathing.
To prevent dehydration, you need to get plenty of water from drink and food every day. There are many different opinions on just how much water you should be drinking every day. Health experts commonly recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon a day. This is called the 8×8 rule and is very easy to remember.
Sunlight
The sun is the established energy source ordained by God to sustain the cycle of life for plants and animals. Abundant in Africa, sunlight is supremely important for the body’s metabolism and hormonal balance.
Temperance
Using good things moderately and avoiding the bad is obviously wise, yet often hard to practice. Temperance can be neither bought nor earned, but is rather an important gift of God, a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22, 23). Moderation in all things is a thread woven throughout the fabric of NEWSTART Lifestyle programs.
Air
The body’s most essential resource is air. More important than food or water, proper breathing and pure air are fundamental to good health. Fresh, clear mountain air surrounds the beautiful natural environment of Weimar Center.
Rest
“Early to bed and early to rise” is a vital NEWSTART principle, and healthy lifestyle information you need to keep handy. According to the sleep foundation, depending on your age group you need to make conscious efforts to rest for a certain number of hours each day. How much sleep is recommended for your age group? For the school age of 6-13 years old, the recommended sleep duration should be between 9-11 hours per day.
For teenagers (14-17 years old) between 8-10 hours is recommended. As a young adult (18-25 years old) you need between 7-9 hours and if you are an adult (26-64 years old) you require between 7-9 hours. How guilty are you? Getting enough good quality sleep each night is just as important as eating well and drinking enough water every day. Our body needs to rest, reset and regenerate at night in order to heal itself before the proceeding day. Many types of rest are important for health, but the sweetest rest follows labor. Work well and rest well.
Trust in Divine Power
Trust In divine power is directly linked to physical health. Many people can testify that they received their healing from divine power when all medical science proved futile. divine power can happen when one least expects it. I read of a man who was diagnosed of cancer and doctors informed him he had three months to leave. He told himself he was going to laugh everyday until the end of the three months. Obviously, he was on no medication and depended on God. After the three-months, he was still alive and he exceeded one year and still counting. Doctors were amazed at his survival. This is a real case of divine power. Trust is God the master healer.
The writer is Baptista, a Hybrid Professional and the Executive Director of ProHumane Afrique International. ProHumane is a charitable, development & think thank organization working with communities & individuals to create sustainable solutions to transform communities through diverse pro-poor initiatives. Pro-poor initiatives are initiatives that help to alleviate poverty. Baptista is a realist, affable, simple and humane. You can reach her via e-mail on [email protected] and follow this conversation on all our social media sites: Linked-In/ Twitter/ Facebook/ Instagram: ProHumane Afrique International. Call or WhatsApp: +233(0)262213313. Hashtag: #behumane #thegivingcapsules #prohumaneafriqueint #fowc
