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Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

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Page 1: Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical & Emotional Health

Title of Sharing Station: Prescription for Joy; Heart-Healthy Doses of Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Health

Taken Daily for Optimal Health Objectives: Just as a vitamin capsule is time released, we too, can FIND time to add healthy regiments (doses) of spiritual, physical & emotional health into our lives.

• Find your readiness stage of incorporating physical activity into your day • Identify emotional tips for a healthy dose of joy • Ideas to incorporate spiritual strength training in your day to boost your testimony of the

Savior

A message from President Monson: “You pile up enough tomorrow, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays. My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.” (Liahona and Ensign Nov. 2008, p. 85) “How soon not now, becomes never.” Martin Luther King

Rx for Physical Activity Where are you today? “Stages of Change” by James Prochaska gives direction Condition (stage 1): Pre-contemplation: Nope, not interested

Antidote: Interview a friend who is regularly exercising. Ask what motivated her to get started Condition (stage 2): Contemplation: Hmm… I’m giving change serious consideration; Seriously thinking of starting an exercise program within the next six months Antidote: Describe how your poor physical condition makes you feel emotionally; write down 5 roadblocks to getting active; logon to the American Heart Association Start!Walking program at www.mystartonline.org (fabulous source for getting started with exercise) Condition (stage 3): Preparation: Seriously thinking about change in the next 30 days Antidote: Write down an exercise plan. Spell out how you are going to find time to fit it into your day. Invite a friend to participate with you to help you will stay on track

Page 2: Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

Condition (stage 4): Action: Okay, I’m really taking action and exercising! I enjoy it and feel the change in my body Antidote: Enroll in or start an exercise class to help you maintain your new level of activity; Rent exercise DVD’s or videos from the library; Find other exercises you enjoy to continue your momentum (cross-train) Condition (stage 5): Maintenance: Made the lifestyle change and it’s part of your daily regiment; Daily physical activity is as natural as brushing your teeth Antidote: Celebrate your current exercise regiment; Continue to look for physical activities that maintain your interest Share your passion talent with others; If you walk or run find organizations that need guides for races – (Achilles Track Club (world organization) or Girls in Motion (grade school))

Small Steps to Help you increase Your Physical Activity (Aldana, The Culprit and the Cure, 2005.) Walk to work Do sit-ups in front of the TV Walk during lunch hour

Walk instead of drive whenever you can Take a family walk after dinner Skate to work instead of drive Mow lawn with push mower. Walk to church instead of drive Walk kids to school Get a dog and walk it Join an exercise group Replace Sunday drive with Sunday walk Do yard work Get off the bus or train one stop early and walk Work around the house Bicycle to the store instead of drive Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV Fetch the newspaper yourself Sit up straight Wash the car by hand Run when running errands Pace the sidelines at kids’ athletic games Take wheels off luggage Choose an activity that you enjoy that fits into your daily life Park farther from the store and walk As a friend to exercise with you Exercise with a video in the weather is bad Take short walks around home to keep body moving Dance to music Make a Saturday morning walk a group habit Walk briskly in the mall Stretch before bed to give you more energy when you wake

Page 3: Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

Vary your activities for interest and to broaden the range of benefits Take the stairs when possible Swim with your kids Take your dog for longer walks Walk on the beach

We have been given one body to last our mortal lifetime. If we don’t use it and exercise it we may not have the energy or strength to enjoy a productive life. Mantras to say to yourself every day to help develop a habit of exercise:

“Use it or lose it, exercise isn’t optional!” “I’m so happy and grateful for my healthy body.” “I am making lifestyle choices that will strengthen my body.”

Page 4: Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

Rx for Emotional Health and Wellness Acknowledge your situation in life. What am I feeling right now? What we resist persists….. Consider where you would like your emotional health to be. Understand and appreciate that while your journey may not be what you planned in your mind, you continue to be a vibrant part of society. Enjoy and embrace life. Our purpose in mortality is to learn through our experiences, whatever they may be, to choose good over evil and to become more like our Father in Heaven. Packard and Ulrich, Ensign, Aug 2008, 20-24 Try boosting your emotional health with one of these tips (or try all of them)

Sleep – at least 6-7 hours Manage money better – 41% of workers said they felt pressure from personal financial

worries All you need is love (or so it feels at times) People with good social connections, and plenty of them, enjoy better health People who suffer loneliness and isolation are two to five times more likely to die

prematurely Those who say they feel loved have less serious health problems even with multiple risk

factors Nurture your relationships with friends and loved ones Share your feelings and ask how they’re doing and really listen Volunteer to help others – community volunteer teams, local non-profits, church,

hospitals, schools Get a pet if you don’t have one;they love you unconditionally Prayer/meditation/nature – a spiritual connection Practice random acts of kindness Live life with gratitude

Source: Stress brochure from WELCOA Stress, disappointment, and trials are an integral part of our lives. Many experience negative feelings, bad luck, worries, and difficult times. No one on this planet is immune to these inevitabilities. The important thing is how we react to these stressful situations – that is the key to our emotional well-being and our ability to feel true joy. Additional Ways to Feel Joy:

• Watch the children around you. They are usually looking for exciting things to do,

rarely bear grudges, forgive quickly, and live in the present. Mostly children do not regret the past or worry about the future. They embrace life around them with few fears. When the scriptures admonish us to “be as little children”, it seems they know how to take care for their emotional health as well as their spiritual well-being.

• Think about the times your heart swells with gratitude for life • Do…

o take a hike in nature o holding hands with someone you love o remember something that makes you smile

Page 5: Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

o hold family gatherings o serve a neighbor in need (think of everyone on your street not just people in

your ward o garden o volunteer at a hospital o read to a child o watch a family member excel at a special talent o praise someone for a job well-done o clean out a closet o acknowledge an answer to prayer

• Joy often includes a relationship – with God or a loved one or even a stranger.

Working on mending and enriching our relationships with those around us can also give us great joy!

Assertively putting joy and happiness into each day is truly a lifesaving move. If we can balance the inevitable daily stresses with happy thoughts and actions we can achieve emotional well-being.

Page 6: Theme: Health: Daily Regiments of Spiritual, Physical ... · want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. ... Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008,

RX for Daily Regiments of Spiritual Strength – Begin with a Strong Testimony

Just as lifting weights can strengthen our muscles to lift a heavy load, as we strengthen our testimonies, our ability to lift burdens can become lighter and our joy more full.

• Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shares one way to strengthen our testimony:

o “Share your testimony. … Let others know that you know. Bear your testimony in fast meeting. Tell your family; tell your friends. You will find when you share your testimony it becomes stronger, and there are many others around you who also want to embrace the truth” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 27; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 22).

Alma 32:27: “Experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you.”

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Honestly evaluate your personal life. How strong is your own testimony? Is it truly a sustaining power in your life, or is it more a hope that what you have learned is true? … Your testimony will be fortified as you exercise faith in Jesus Christ, in His teachings, and in His limitless power. …

A powerful testimony distills from quiet moments of prayer and pondering. … A strong testimony comes line upon line, precept upon precept. It requires faith, time, consistent obedience, and a willingness to sacrifice” (“The Power of a Strong Testimony,” Liahona, Jan. 2002, 101–3; Ensign, Nov. 2001, 87–88).

Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric: “Acquiring … a testimony does not … come without personal effort. One must desire to know, study to learn, live to merit, and pray to receive. When so pursued in humility and faith, the knowledge comes, and with this knowledge comes both the sweet assurance that all will be well and the inner strength to make it so” (“Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 33).

How Can My Testimony Lead Me to Do God’s Will?

Moroni 10:32: “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “It is not … enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. … This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason—for the pure love of Christ. … Charity, ‘the pure love of Christ’ (Moro. 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes” (“The Challenge to Become,” Liahona, Jan. 2001, 40–42; Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32–34).

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Anne C. Pingree, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: “We can rejoice together in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, gratefully acknowledging the blessing of having a testimony of the Savior and His Atonement for each of us. This I know—our individual efforts to become instruments in the hands of God have not been easy and have stretched us spiritually, enriching our mortal journeys in the most personal, glorious ways” (“Knowing the Lord’s Will for You,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2005, 114).

Elder Carlos A. Godoy, of the Seventy: “A testimony then, for some people, may come through a single and irrefutable event. But for others, it may come through a process of experiences that, perhaps not as remarkable but when combined, testify in an indisputable way that what we have learned and lived is true.” Liahona and Ensign, Nov, 2008, 102).