Real Answers To Get A Handle On Stress, Life, And Happiness

I had the privilege of living in Japan while on a tour of duty with the United States Marine Corps. The people were very friendly and the country was beautiful.

With so many Americans living throughout the East, the two cultures often collided in interesting ways, with some things getting lost in translation. For instance, many will remember that years ago Coke had a slogan that was simply, “Coke is it.” However, in Japan well-worn signs read, “Coke is real.”

Of course, another difference was in the local cuisine. While Americans eat hamburgers and fries, a main course in Japan can be eel or octopus. To bridge the gap between these wildly different tastes, military bases provided restaurants and grocery stores that were more in tune with traditional western foods.

A few years ago I was amused to see the Japanese also trying to provide Americans with a little taste of home, the Japanese Mega Pizza. While the ingredients are literally over the top, perhaps the contents included have more to say about how other countries see the average nutrient intake here in the United States than we care to admit.

Indeed, this pie has a crust made of hot dogs wrapped in bacon and molten cheese. The center consists of hamburgers, cheese rolls, sausage, bacon, ham, bacon bits, mushroom, onion, pepper garlic and tomato sauce. All of this is topped off with ketchup and maple syrup!

So while learning new ways to adapt in our changing culture, and with many at home more than usual with the pandemic, following are some suggested ways to make some healthier choices.

First, we need to eat less fast food. We live in a nation where it is estimated that 25% of the people eat fast food daily. Though it has long been known that much of what is served in the drive through is nutritionally bankrupt, millions of people still consume these items with little consideration of the long term impact upon their health.

A better option that I heard at a seminar with Joseph McClendon is to regularly eat fruit for the first part of the day. As Joseph shared, if you have to sell your car to get a juicer then do so, the juicer will take you much further.

Another option today is that some companies are realizing people’s needs for pure fruit without additives and you can find juice in a bottle that is as pure as what you will get from a juicer. (One further suggestion; be sure to have an empty stomach when you eat fruit or drink your juice in the morning, this allows for faster absorption for energy, while also curbing the appetite.)

The second step to take is to exercise more. Incredibly, studies show that some 80 to 85% of diseases are life style related, many due to the sedentary lives that a number of people lead.

It is also important to note that changes in diet alone will not help most people reach their ideal weight, exercise must be included. The quickest way to find what will work for you is to simply find someone who has gotten the results that you want and follow the plan they were on, what we call modeling.

Some prefer resistance training with free weights, others prefer jogging and aerobics, for some it is dance or cross-fit classes. The trick is to find something you enjoy, and then be consistent.

Thirdly, we need to control stress. In a culture where billions of anti-depressant drugs are taken annually and 75% of doctor visits are stress related, we desperately need to get a handle on the pressures of life.

Life is about giving and receiving love. While there are many things that can bring true fulfillment, a few to consider are prayer, meditation, contributing to others and laughter.

Also be sure to feed your mind with positive material from books and seminars. There are countless free resources and seminars to download that will fill you up with motivational and inspirational juice.

Scripture says, “God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” What an awesome promise! Perhaps it is time to stop and consider how well we are caring for our temple and to make some well needed changes. Wouldn’t today be a great day to start?