Tag: Wellbeing

I’m writing this blog in Indonesia where Christie and I are doing some ministry. Every time I come to Asia one of the things that stands out to me is all the advertising for “lightening, brightening, whitening” products. That’s right. In Asia many people would just LOVE to have lighter, whiter skin. Some stay out of the sun or carry umbrellas so that their skin doesn’t get darker.

Contrast this with the desire of many white-skinned people who see a suntan as a desired goal. In Australia there’s no market for whitening products unless it has to do with teeth. In Australia, the UK and USA it’s all about fake tans and tan accelerators. There’s even Tanamins (tanning vitamins): “Did You Know You Can Get a Dark, Beautiful Tan with as Little as One Hour of Sunning per Week?” Must get me some of those! But wait, research shows that consuming large amounts of canthaxanthin (the agent in tanning pills) can cause damage to the eyes because it settles not only in the skin, but also in the retinas. This can cause the formation of crystals in the retinas, which can affect eyesight. Other side effects include stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhoea. Maybe I’ll just hold off on that order.

But it’s not just our skin color we’re dissatisfied with. What about hair? I remember my cousin, who had stunning curly hair, straightening it before she went out by putting her hair between two tea towels and ironing it. Of course those with straight hair curl it, and some guys who lose their hair spend thousands of dollars on hair plugs, hair weaving and other treatments. Some settle for the comb-over. Personally, I spent $20 on a pair of clippers and keep it short and sweet. I was speaking with a lady yesterday whose daughter has lovely blond hair – dyed black! There’s plenty of Asian guys here who’ve bleached their hair to make it blond but it goes kind of a weird orange colour – not a good look.

Then there’s body shape and facial features. There’s a booming cosmetic surgery industry in Indonesia (and other Asian countries) and Australians are the main customers. Now I’m all for making the best of what you have but some people take this way too far. Google “plastic surgery disasters” and you’ll see what I mean. It’s important to eat healthily and exercise frequently, but unless you’re one of the 2% who are genetically blessed enough to look like a cover model, you’ll just have to get a grip on reality. It’s worth remembering too that most cover models don’t look like cover models. Most are wearing a considerable amount of Fotoshop by Adobe, and most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for Anorexia. They might be cover models but they’re not good role models.

Talking of genetically blessed, over the past couple of years I’ve spoken to a number of guys who were struggling with depression – two of them were elite athletes, one was a personal trainer and one was a model. They are all genetically blessed. They were all depressed. Yes, that’s right, this means your happiness isn’t just a six pack away!

If you’re trying to find inner contentment, happiness or joy in life by way of external factors you’re going to live a life of disappointment and dissatisfaction. So, what steps can you take if you find yourself being frequently dissatisfied with your lot in life?

1. Be the best you can be. That is, make the most of who God created you to be but also accept the things that you cannot change. Eat healthily, stay active – and stay off the scales!
2. Appreciate your body. Stop comparing yourself with others. Research has shown that frequent comparing tends to increase negative body image. Frequent checking of yourself in the mirror has the same effect.
3. Remind yourself that most often the media does not reflect reality.
4. Practice “thought-stopping” when it comes to negative statements about yourself. Make a list of the things you like about yourself.
5. Cultivate healthy friendships. The Bible teaches that “bad company corrupts good character.” Limit your time with people who engage in negative talk of any kind including about body image.
6. Cultivate what the Bible refers to as “the inner self” or “the hidden person of the heart.” That’s the real you, the eternal part of you. Make sure that’s fit and healthy (read 1 Timothy 4:8).
7. Develop an “others centered” life. Much of the obsession with body image, and the resulting dissatisfaction, comes from being far too self-focused. Internal joy is elusive while it remains a goal in its own right. Finding an outlet where you serve others, especially those less fortunate than you, will not only help them but you will also find a kick-back – the satisfaction in life that you have longed for.

Watch and enjoy this video.

Recent studies have concluded that the expression of gratitude can have profound and positive effects on our health, our moods and our relationships.  As doctors Blaire and Rita Justice reported for the University of Texas Health Science Centre, “a growing body of research shows that gratitude is truly amazing in its physical and psychosocial benefits.”

Out of recent studies where group one was encouraged to focus daily on things they were grateful for, and group two focused on things that displeased them, the “gratitude” group:

* Felt better about their lives
* Were 25% happier
* Reported fewer health complaints
* Exercised, on average, one and a half hours more
* Were more likely to offer emotional support or help others who were facing a personal problem (i.e. gratitude increased their goodwill towards others)
* Reported more hours of sleep each night and were more refreshed when they awoke.
* Experienced more satisfaction with their lives as a whole, were more optimistic about the future, and were more connected with others.
* Were less likely to feel depressed (several studies have shown depression to be inversely correlated to gratitude)

Dr John Gottman at the University of Washington has been researching marriages for two decades. The conclusion of all that research is that unless a couple is able to maintain a high ratio of positive to negative encounters (5:1 or greater), it is likely the marriage will end.  The formula is that for every negative expression (a complaint, put-down, expression of anger) there needs to be about five positive ones (smiles, compliments, laughter, expression of appreciation and gratitude).  Now there’s something to practice!

“If you’ve forgotten the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness,” so here are three simple things you can start practicing in order to develop an attitude of gratitude:

1. Keep a daily journal of three things you are grateful for. This works really well just before you go to bed.
2. Make it a practice to tell your spouse, partner or friend something you appreciate about them every day.
3. Look in the mirror while you’re brushing your teeth and think about something you have done well or something you like about yourself.

When you cultivate an attitude of gratitude things don’t just look better – they actually get better.  Thankfulness feels good, it’s good for you and it’s a blessing for the people around you too.

The Global Burden of Disease Report – a massive research effort involving almost 500 scientists in 50 countries – also concluded that we have finally got a handle on some common infectious diseases, helping to save millions of children from early deaths. But collectively we are spending more of our lives living in poor health and with disability.

Across the world, there has been significant success in tackling malnutrition, with deaths down two-thirds since 1990. But increasing prosperity has led to expanding waistlines in most countries as people eat more and get less exercise everyday.

Dr Majid Ezzati, chair of global environmental health at Imperial College London, and one of the lead authors of the report, said: “We have gone from a world 20 years ago where people weren’t getting enough to eat to a world now where too much food and unhealthy food – even in developing countries – is making us sick.”

But although obesity is a bigger problem, we still have a long way to go in the fight against malnutrition.  With this in mind a hundred charities have joined together to call on world leaders to tackle the "scandal" of hunger. 

The “Enough Food for Everyone IF” campaign is the biggest mobilisation to address poverty since Make Poverty History. 

The campaign has the backing of philanthropist Bill Gates and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as organisations like the Church of England, Tearfund, Christian Aid, Bond, Oxfam and Save the Children. 



Together they warn that almost a billion young people will experience a childhood of hunger and malnutrition by 2025, despite living in a world where there is enough food for everyone. 

A report by the groups says that the life chances of some 937 million children and people between the ages of 15 and 40 will be permanently damaged by the impact of childhood hunger.  Although 14,000 fewer children are dying each day than in 1990, the groups warn that unless hunger is addressed, progress will falter. 



The campaign calls upon David Cameron to make the most of the UK's G8 presidency this year to unite world leaders in addressing the root causes of hunger. 

Campaigners say that the hunger crisis can be solved if:

 

- Governments keep their promises on aid and invest to stop children dying from malnutrition (noting that the Australian Federal Government just cut foreign aid by $375 million).



- Legal loopholes are shut down to stop big companies tax dodging in poor countries.



- Poor farmers are not forced off their land and the available agricultural land is used to grow food for people and not biofuel for cars.



- Governments and investors are "honest and open about the deals they make in the poorest countries that stop people getting enough food."



Archbishop Tutu said hunger could be ended if leaders and individuals take action: “Hunger is not an incurable disease or an unavoidable tragedy.  We can make sure no child goes to bed hungry. We can stop mothers from starving themselves to feed their families. We can save lives. 
We can do all of this, if we are prepared to do something about it … we can make hunger a thing of the past if we act now.”

And “act” is the responsible of all of us who “have” in order to help those who “have-not.”  We’re living in a world where there is enough food for everyone.  The problem is some people have too much while others have way too little.

With the season of Lent starting on February 13 why not make a commitment to cut back on your food intake for 40 days, and then donate the money you save in order to combat poverty and hunger?  Let’s fight overeating and malnutrition at the same time – and make a difference to those in need.

There are a number of problems associated with technology addiction:

1. Chronic Multitasking: An experiment at Stanford University revealed that heavy media multitaskers were less efficient, had difficulty ignoring irrelevant information and became faster but sloppier with work.  Chronic stress from multitasking can also make your brain’s memory centre more vulnerable to damage.

2. Diminished Social Skills: The addicted person “drifts away from fundamental social skills, such as reading facial expressions or grasping the emotional context of a subtle gesture” – Dr. Gary Small.

3. Techno-Brain Burnout: This term describes the fatigued, foggy, irritable and distracted feeling you get when you’ve spent hours in front of a screen.  This is because your brain alerts your adrenal glands to secrete the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Over time this can impair the areas of your brain that control thought and mood.

In iBrain, Dr. Gary Small includes this self-assessment so you can gauge your level of technology addiction.  Answer each question and give yourself a score from 1 to 7 based on this scale. 

1-2 USUALLY, 
3-5 SOMETIMES,
6-7 RARELY:

• Do you snap at people when they interrupt you while you're online or using a mobile device?
 • Do you use technology to escape uncomfortable feelings or situations in your life?

• Does the time you spend engaged in tech-related activities interfere with your work or social life?

• Are you defensive or secretive about your computer gaming or other tech-based activities?

• Do people complain about the time you spend on the Internet or using other technology?

If you score ABOVE 25
 you are not a tech addict. 

15 TO 25 
you show addictive tendencies. 

BELOW 15
 you just might be hooked

What can you do if you are addicted to technology?

1. Learn to live for the moment.  In other words, resist the temptation to tweet or update your Facebook status while you’re enjoying something.  Do it afterwards.  And remember, not every random thought that enters your head needs to be uploaded onto social media.

2. Create quiet moments.  Have times when all screens and mobile devices are turned off.  Don’t take phones into meetings, switch them off while having dinner or catching up with friends, turn off alerts and alarms and ban screens from the bedroom.

3. Live a healthy lifestyle.  This includes at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day; minimising stress by staying connected with family and friends; eating a brain healthy diet (fish, fruits, vegetables), and balancing online time with offline time. Which reminds me, I think it is almost time for me to sign off.


Supplement: Technology Addiction in Children

Technology addiction is not just an adult problem either.  One in five Aussie kids spend so much time surfing the Internet that they miss out on meals and sleep.  Edith Cowan University researchers have revealed that "excessive internet use" is twice as common in Australian children as British kids.  More than half the children confessed they waste so much time online that they "have spent less time” than they should have with family, friends or doing homework.  Sixty per cent said they had caught themselves surfing when they were "not really interested".  And half "felt bothered" when they could not get online.

Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg advises parents to ban all "screens" – from TVs to computers, tablets and smartphones – from children's bedrooms, and no screen time for children younger than two.  KICK the kids outside – for every hour in front of a screen, they should spend an hour in active play.  Make sure your kids get sufficient sleep.

But there’s another type of aloneness that doesn’t energise and refresh – that’s loneliness.  Wikipedia describes loneliness as “an unpleasant feeling in which a person experiences a strong sense of emptiness and solitude resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships.”  Loneliness has a number of causes – relationship breakdown, conflict, loss of friends and family, loss of mobility or health, reduction in income, moving to a new community or only having connection with others via social media such as Facebook.

Todd Harper, CEO of VicHealth says, “Loneliness is a growing problem in our society.  There will be an estimated 3.7 million Australians living alone by 2026.”  He goes on to say, “Recent research has shown social isolation can be as harmful for health as smoking cigarettes, and the evidence is stacking up that people with more friends live longer.”

Loneliness has also been described as “social pain”.  That’s an interesting definition because pain is a friend that comes to warn us of impending danger so that we can take action to avoid it.  Loneliness then is a mechanism meant to motivate us to seek social connections.

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, last year described loneliness as “one of the major problems confronting society, the result of an emphasis on the individual at the expense of a commitment to other people.”  I agree.  And this individualism can even creep into our Christian faith so that we think it’s all about “Jesus and me!”  Some Christian songs reflect this view such as “All I need is you Lord.”  We need to remember that even the first human – who had a perfect relationship with God – was still alone, and God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”  God’s solution to loneliness was the company of another human being (Genesis 2:18).  And this is still God’s solution – and a major reason why Jesus is building his church –to create a stable community in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.

But church attendance per se will not cure loneliness.  You can be in a crowd of people and still feel lonely.  Loneliness is cured when we get to know others and are known by them.  This takes time and can be difficult especially if you’re shy, but it’s important to take some small steps in order to rise above loneliness – join a Connect Group at your church, volunteer with a group of people to serve others, get involved with shared activities you are genuinely interested in, like a hobby or sports team.

Being with people who are focusing on an activity you all enjoy can quickly lead to close personal bonds being formed.  You may also need to look at developing your social skills.  If you find yourself always talking about your problems other people will quickly get tired of hanging around you. 

Mother Theresa said, “Loneliness is the most terrible poverty.”  Jesus came to set us free from all kinds of poverty and call us to be in community with other people – to “do life” with them, to love and be loved!

The old adage says laughter is the best medicine, but how much does laughter actually affect one’s wellbeing?

I read with interest recently when the Herald Sun reported the visit of “humour therapists” to nursing home residents with dementia.

“Four hundred residents from 36 nursing homes took part in the SMILE study led by University of NSW researchers who wanted to see if humour had an effect on people with dementia in terms of their mood, agitation levels, behaviour and social engagement.The researchers worked with ‘humour therapist’ Jean-Paul Bell, who co-founded the Humour Foundation and works as a ‘clown doctor’ cheering up patients in children’s hospitals.”

Lead researcher Dr Lee-Fay Low said residents who received humour therapy showed a 20 per cent reduction in agitated behaviour such as aggression, wandering, screaming and repetitive behaviour. Other patients who had not spoken for some time started to utter a few words and eventually exchanged conversation.

The results of the humour therapy show that laughter really could be the best medicine when it comes to treating older people with dementia.

It doesn’t stop there. If you google “Laughter is the best medicine”, you’ll come up with over 5 million results many of which (and no I haven’t read them all) show the positive impact of real laughter on our health and well being. We all know from firsthand experience how much better we feel after a good belly laugh.

What we know to be scientifically true today the Bible spoke of 3,000 years ago when King Solomon wrote, “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).

This principle was recorded powerfully in the 1984 book and movie, “Anatomy of an illness” – the famous story recounting Norman Cousins’ partnership with his doctors in overcoming a crippling and supposedly irreversible degenerative spinal disease. When he was in pain he would watch Marx Brothers comedy movies. He says, “I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anaesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep. When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval.”

Medical science has proven that those with a happy attitude to life:

  • Think more clearly
  • Work more effectively
  • Enjoy their leisure time
  • Get on better with others
  • Are generally healthier
  • Have an enhanced memory, and
  • Their sense organs perform to their maximum efficiency.

Joy releases endorphins into the blood stream. These “natural drugs” are more powerful than morphine. They give a natural high, reduce pain, relieve tension and aid in the healing process.

It’s been estimated that at least two-thirds of those who visit doctors do so because of stress-related symptoms. In fact stress and other psychosomatic problems (worry, fear, depression etc) are at the root of about 90% of all sickness.

With this in mind it is a timely reminder that laughter truly is the best medicine.

Why not plan a good belly-laugh session today.

One of the things that I’ve done to help in the recovery process is to list all the things I am grateful for – to find the good rather than focus on the trauma; to live in victory rather than live as a victim.  Here’s the list I wrote:

I am grateful that this happened to me, rather than to Christie – or one of our children.

I am grateful that it happened at home – rather than in another country.

I am grateful for Christie’s quick thinking in getting me into a cold shower – this stopped the burns from being even worse!

I am grateful for our eldest daughter, Gigi, for staying with me straight after the accident, and being so strong and caring.

I am grateful for being able to get straight into The Alfred hospital where treatment for burns is second to none.

I am grateful that the emergency department at The Alfred was unusually quiet that night so I could get the treatment and attention I needed.

I am grateful for the advances in medicine made possible by the dedication and sacrifice of researchers and doctors exemplified in the medical staff at The Alfred.  And for the care and compassion of those nurses that see their role as a vocation and truly do an amazing job!

I am grateful for all the cards, SMSs, emails and Facebook messages from God’s people around the world.

I am particularly grateful for all the prayer, especially the prayer meeting at Bayside Church when about 200 people gathered together.

I am grateful for the prayers of God’s people around Australia and around the world – people from the USA, UK and Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Italy, Malaysia, Uganda, Japan … and many other nations told me they were praying for me.

I am grateful for God’s presence even in the midst of pain, anxiety and trauma.  To know the peace of God that passes our understanding.

I am grateful that I didn’t need any skin grafts (this is extremely unusual for burns sustained from a hot water bottle).

I am grateful that my heavenly Father – who knitted me together in my mother’s womb – didn’t throw away his knitting needles!  He’s doing a wonderful job of healing and restoration.

I am grateful for the amazing meals ministry at Bayside Church.  A big thanks to everyone who has blessed us with delicious food – and also for all the chocolate, much of which has been eaten!

I am grateful for all the other very practical help that we have received from so many people.

I am grateful to my amazing wife Christie for her loving care to me, our children and to the people of Bayside Church.

I am grateful for the incredible board, pastoral team, staff, leaders and congregation of Bayside Church.  Your love and care have been overwhelming.  The way this church has risen up in unity is inspirational.  Nothing can stop the growth of God’s kingdom!

I am grateful for the conversations I’ve been able to have with others about having faith in God.

I am grateful to be able to warn others about the dangers of hot water bottles.  I pray that my warning will prevent others from being burned – or worse!

I am grateful to Ps Phil Pringle, for his prayers, friendship, care and ministry.  For Ps Gordon Moore who flew down from Brisbane to see me – and for the whole C3 Church movement.  It’s so good to belong to a supportive and caring worldwide family of believers.

I am grateful for other ministry friends and colleagues – too numerous to mention – for their support, prayers, love and encouragement through this time.
I am grateful “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  That “the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Developing an attitude of gratitude has been a therapeutic exercise for me and has brought great encouragement to others.  The Bible instructs us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  You don’t need to wait for an accident to learn thankfulness.  Why not plan to take some time out this week, find a quiet place and write down all the things you’re grateful for?  It’ll bless you – and those around you.

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A few Saturdays ago, Christie and I had an almost perfect day.  Our three daughters spent the day with friends, giving us a rare day on our own.  We made the most of it – grabbed a latte, walked along the beach, chatted about life & faith & the future, and then had a relaxing lunch together before heading home.

In the afternoon, I spent a couple of hours reading the Bible and getting ready to teach at the Saturday evening service.  My topic was “Free to be patient.”  Little did I know that my own patience was about to be tested to the limit!

The service went very well.  The congregation enthusiastically embraced the message; people committed their lives to Jesus.  I went home feeling very encouraged.  At about 11pm we headed for bed.  I have a few ways that I like to demonstrate my love for Christie.  One way is to take her a cup of tea in bed most mornings.  Another way is to make her a hot water bottle on cold Melbourne winter nights.

That Saturday night was particularly cold, so I boiled the kettle, filled the water bottle and popped it into Christie’s side of the bed.  I got into bed first while Christie was hanging some clothes.  We were talking about the kids, and I was feeling the cold more than usual, so I reached out for the hot water bottle, thinking I’d warm myself up before Christie got into bed.
The next thing I remember is the most excruciating pain on my side, back and left arm.  I went from drowsy to wide awake in less than a second.  I don’t remember getting out of bed.  I was told later that I’d probably had some assistance from residual electricity because Christie’s electric blanket was also on.  I hit the floor and tried to get my pyjamas off as quickly as possible.
By this time Christie had realised what was happening and Gigi, our eldest daughter who had heard my screams, had come into our room as well.  They got me to the shower and stood me under the cold water to try and stop the burning.  Meanwhile Christie phoned for an ambulance.  I stayed in the shower the whole time – freezing and in so much pain – but I was still able to give instructions for what needed to happen at our two church services the next morning!
Thirty minutes later the ambulance arrived and took me to the Alfred Hospital.  I passed out along the way so I don’t remember the journey at all.  That began a nine-day stay in hospital followed by recovery at home.
I’m glad to say that I am now recovering well and feeling stronger by the day.  I’ve seen a few miracles along the way – not least the fact that I don’t need to have any skin grafts.  The Alfred staff told me I was the first burns case from a hot water bottle that they knew of that didn’t need grafts.  I am so thankful for that.  I’m thankful for the amazing support I’ve had from Christie and my girls, from the amazing community of God’s people at Bayside Church, for the prayers of thousands of people around the world, and for the medical expertise of the staff at the Alfred Hospital as well as Antoinette the nurse who visited our home each day after I was discharged from hospital.
This has been a horribly traumatic experience to go through and one in which I’ve had to draw on my patience message on more than one occasion.  I never want to go through anything like this ever again.  And I’d love to prevent others from going through this as well – that’s why I’m writing this blog.
One of the staff at the hospital told me about 200 people a year are admitted to hospital because of burns received from a hot water bottle.  That’s 200 people too many – plus hundreds of people who receive burns that don’t need hospital care.  Why do we think that pouring very hot water into a perishable substance is ever a good idea?  Hot water bottles are evil.  If you have one please throw it away.  There are better options for getting warm.
One thing I am grateful for is that this happened to me and not to Christie.  If I hadn’t reached across the bed that night for the hot water bottle Christie would have been burned by it instead of me.  We have now thrown away all our hot water bottles.  I encourage you to do the same.

Social media has been buzzing over the past week with the story of Casey Heynes, the 15-year-old student who finally snapped after being bullied for most of his school life.  The video of him slamming Ritchard Gale (12) into a concrete path has had thousands of hits on YouTube and has been widely reported by the world’s media.  Click on this link to see the event that has been so talked about.

Casey has become an overnight hero with a Facebook page dedicated to him with over 170,000 fans. Why all of this attention?

Firstly I believe it’s because most of us have a sense of fairness and justice for those who have suffered from bullying – me included.  Casey was taunted for being overweight.  I suffered the same taunts at school for being skinny.  The old saying:”Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is so untrue.  Young people are affected by unkind words that are spoken over them and this – in extreme cases – can lead to depression and even suicide.  Casey Heynes said in an interview that he had contemplated suicide on several occasions.

Secondly, this event has received a lot of attention because it highlights a major problem.  Bullying most often occurs in our schools between children, but it also happens between adults in workplaces and at home.   Cyber bullying is also on the increase with children and adults being bullied via SMS, Facebook and email.

If you – or someone you know – are being bullied, the Internet has some very useful resources that can help you.  Try these three principles:

Ignore and avoid: Bullies usually harass their victims in order to get a reaction. If a bully is making fun of you, simply walk right by without responding to let him or her know that you don’t care what they say about you. Try and avoid them by engaging in an after-school activity, by using an alternative route home or by walking with friends.  If you’re the victim of cyber bullying change your email address or mobile number or block the person from Facebook.

Be confident: Bullies usually pick on people who they perceive to be weaker than them. Therefore, if you can demonstrate to the bully that you are strong and confident, they may stop picking on you.

Ask for help: Tell a teacher, your parents, or another trusted adult that you are being bullied.

Bullying is abuse. No one deserves to be bullied and the problem usually won’t go away without direct action.  Although I don’t agree with the action Casey Heynes took in slamming Ritchard Gale into a concrete path, I can understand it.  This young man had had enough.  If you’ve had enough of being bullied take action today!

Australia has become the fattest nation in the world, with more than 9 million adults now rated as obese or overweight, according to a new report: Australia’s Future ‘Fat Bomb’ from Melbourne’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.  The report shows that Australians now outweigh Americans and face a future “fat bomb” that could cause a vast increase in sickness, premature deaths and place a huge burden on our health system.

The latest figures show 4 million Australians — or 26% of the adult population — are now obese compared to an estimated 25% of Americans. A further 5 million Australians are considered overweight.

But soft bodies are not our only problem.  These statistics show that many Aussies also have soft minds!  In other words, we know what to do but we just don’t do it.

There is no lack of information on the importance of a balanced, healthy diet and regular exercise.  We all know these things are important but for whatever reason over half of us do little or nothing about it.  We lead sedentary lives; spend countless hours watching TV while snacking on unhealthy processed foods; and think that the five food groups are pizza, chocolate, coke, French fries and KFC.

On the flip side of this is another problem – obsession with body image.  In the last decade there have been approx 40,000 surgical procedures related to weight loss.  Fad diet books often fill the Top 10 most sold books and we are constantly bombarded with conflicting information about what foods are good and bad for us.  Many guys are aiming at the false ideal of looking like the cover model on Men’s Health magazine – after all, happiness is a six-pack is it not?  Women are confronted with pictures of skinny models and told they need to look like this as well.  What is rarely understood is how these people get to look like this in the first place – a combination of good genes, hard work, extreme dieting and airbrushed photos (that’s right, most of these men and women don’t even look like there own photo!).

The Bible teaches us to look after our bodies; after all, they are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Learn to eat healthily.  Find an exercise that you enjoy – and that is age-appropriate – and do it 2 or 3 times a week.  But please don’t buy into the media image of the beautiful person.  True beauty is what emanates from the inside of you and it is that which will last forever – long after that beautiful body of yours has returned to the substance from which it was made – dust!