"Won't power"

I, like many people, have a fondness for sweets. Chocolate, ice cream, southern sweet tea, cookies, and more. Over the years, I have become about 30 pounds overweight. Lately I have been thinking about that "treat your body like a temple" adage. My temple needs some work on it to look more like God intended, though handsome it will never be.

So I read with interest an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on sugar overload this week, "Hiding in plain sight". It suggests changing a soda a day to a bottle of water a day. I detest paying for water (Evian backwards is "naive", after all), but since I'm spending money on empty soda calories maybe paying for plain water would be a better decision.

The AJC article linked to another very informative site - NutritionData (ND). It has pages listing the nutrition value of foods commonly searched for (an example is raw bananas) as well as foods from varied commercial eateries such as McDonald's and Blimpie. The nerd in me is especially intrigued by the cool data displays:

• Caloric ratio pyramid
• Nutrition balance indicator
• Nutritional target map, which includes a "fullness factor"and a rating

ND also has a "better choices diet" page.

So will all this great information prompt me to clean up my eating ways instead of my plate and to clean up my temple? I am a sense-oriented person, which is why I so much enjoy music (and pretty pictures ... a nod to John the Methodist) as well as food. Maybe I can replace that bottle of soda with water. And maybe a bit less of those delicious Chocolate peanut butter Treasures. I have plenty of "Will Power" ... as in "I will eat that cookie now". What it takes is "Won't Power."

Multitasking slows you down

An October 2001 study reported in the "Journal of Experimental Psychology" informs us that the brain takes extra time "switching gears" when we switch tasks.

"The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once."
– Samuel Smiles

A recent broadcast on National Public Radio discussed University of Michigan research that found it takes people longer to accomplish a series of tasks if they multitask than if they do them one at a time. Multitasking slows you down. Many (most?) people believe that multitasking is faster, but in reality it is not.

In addition, humans we remember and learn differently when we multitask.

"To do two things at once is to do neither."
– Roman sage Publilius Syrus

Microsoft suggests several problems with multitasking. Among them:

• Interruptions break user concentration and thus hurt longer-term tasks. Why? Users often can't tell which interruptions need to be handled right away, making it hard to maintain current task flow.
• To successfully complete tasks, you need to know when to stop a current task and return to one you have on hold. Researchers have found that people often pause tasks while waiting for some outside event, for example an expected email or phone call. They then wanted to resume the original task as immediately after the interrupting event. But ...
• People have trouble getting back on task after shifting their attention away."

Multitasking problems have even crept into churches. For example, one pastor had a habit of shouting over the last hymn as we closed the worship service. But paying attention to his words meant paying less attention to (or stumbling over) the words of the hymn. If a hymn is important enough to sing, it is important enough to concentrate on. We should pay more attention to the words (text message) of hymns, not less (but that's another topic).

Even church staff members need to focus on one task at a time as much as possible. Acting against that goal are an always-open email program or email notifier, an open instant messenger (IM), constant visitors, phone calls, etc. So Pastors and church managers, help your church staff focus. Seek to lessen interruptions to their tasks and they'll get more done in the same amount of time. They'll also appreciate the reduced stress.

Health articles, healthy recipes

We are to be good stewards of our God-given bodies -- of our health. Here are some links to health-related articles:

• The skinny on fat
• Popeye was right!
• Top 5 foods for women
• The 5 healing tastes
• Recipes from Cooking Light magazine
• Delicious Decisions (American Heart Association recipes)
• Healthy recipes
• Get healthy (Food Network)
• Health news (CNN)
• MedLine Plus (NLM & NIH)
• Harvard World Health News
• Current Diet and Nutrition articles
• Recent product recalls (last 60 days)

Diabetics: Beware cold products

Decongestants and some other cold remedies contain sugar or else a chemical that causes and increase in blood sugar warns the American Diabetes Association.

Stay informed. You can't treat your body like a temple if you don't know what's trying to pull down your pillars of health.

Looking like a pastor

The "This isn't what I ordered" blog by a young Methodist pastor from Ohio talks about expectations of pastors in "More pastor expectations: Episode V" (what does a pastor look like?).

The posting addresses several issues. For example, at Annual Conferences, "There are racial minorities, there are the non-gray-haired minorities, and there are the skinny minorities. It's pretty obvious why our health care costs are skyrocketing."

Several interesting comments have been left at the post.

New stem cell technique raises hopes, concerns

A biotech company has found a way to get stem cells without destroying embryos. The process takes a single cell from an early stage embryo, then grows stem cells from that one cell.
Some are saying this is a breakthrough that solves the debate; others say it solves little and raises more concerns. Stem cells hold great promise for treating major diseases.

Spiritual Atkins diet starves you

The Atkins diet shuns carbs like bread, but Jesus said he was the Bread of Life. In " Jesus and the Atkins diet", Keith McIlwain reminds us that we must partake of this excellent spiritual food or else we starve. Taste the Bread of Life. Let Jesus fill you.

New site reviews health news

The new web site, Health News Review has a team of 20 revieweres from Universities and clinics across the U.S. Their goal is to help improve accuracy, balance and completeness of health news.

The reviewed articles get prominently displayed stars (0-5). The latest 5-star one is "'Closed-Heart' a less invasive alternative".

Comedic health

A study has shown that the effect of watching comedies is healthy -- the equivalent of starting a course of heart treatment drugs called statins.

Watching movies such as "Saving Private Ryan", with its intense war scenes, had the opposite effect, the Heart journal reported.

So, as Star Wars' Han Solo said, "Yuk it up, furball!"

Temple upkeep

We are supposed to treat our bodies like a temple, but we rarely do. Stress can greatly affect physical health. So learn to de-stress with these "Top Five Changes for a Low-Stress Lifestyle".

To learn more about cleaning up the temple, check out a page about "Stewardship of Health".