This presentation will:

Teach you the importance of mental/spiritual fitness and how it can affect your physical health

Introduce you to some of the benefits of mental/spiritual fitness

Share three research studies with you that prove the healing qualities of spiritual and mental focus

Teach you at least two exercises, activities or practices that can improve your mental/spiritual health

It is important to your health and it can keep you well

You can practice it everyday

When you practice, you will have a connection between your mind, your body, and your spirit

It will help you have peace in your mind, body, and spirit

It increases your ability to focus and concentrate

It helps you develop self confidence and to remain calm

It will help you cope with stress

You will be less depressed and have improved self-esteem

You will have improved memory, reasoning and mental speed

It will help you be in a better mood

It helps decrease pain

It helps your blood flow through your whole body

It lowers your heart rate and blood pressure

You will feel closer to God and you will feel good!

This study was ―published in 1988 by physician Randolph Byrd, a staff cardiologist at Uc San Francisco School of Medicine‖. (Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi, 2005).

Random study of 393 cardiology patients at San Francisco General Hospital

A group outside the hospital was instructed to pray for certain patients in whatever way ―they saw fit‖

The doctors, nurses and patients were not told which patients received prayer

The patients who received prayer had much better outcomes: less medications, less interventions, and even less deaths in the group

“This is the first study to attempt a forgiveness intervention with a large number of participants and that recruited a large cohort of men‖. (Harris, et al, 2006)

Random study of 259 adults

Baseline testing completed

Attended 6 – 90 minutes sessions

Tested after 6 weeks of forgiveness training

Then 4 month follow up testing

The results of the study showed:A 70% drop in degree of hurtsReduced angerReduced stressDecreased physical health symptoms

Cardiologist, Dean Ornish published the results of this one year study in 1990

Change in diet, ate of the four food groups

Exercises

Meditation

Group therapy

Other lifestyle changes

This led to reversed heart disease

―The group of patients who received our lifestyle program reduced their blood cholesterol levels by almost 40 percent‖. (Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi, 2005).

The greater the lifestyle changes, greater was the reversal of heart disease, regardless of the patient’s age

Donald . B. Ardell, Ph. D. tells us, ―One of the best ways to increase the chances that your children will adopt wellness concepts is to model attitudes and behaviors consistent with a health-enhancing outlook on life‖ (Ardell, 2000).

This means if parents show the right way by their actions, children are more likely to copy them

The things I need to do…

Make time for exercise everyday, no matter how busy I get

Eat a well balanced diet, with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables

Remember the four food groups when planning meals and snacks

Stop overreacting and focus on the positive

Dr. Ardell suggests during family outings and long car rides to play wellness education games (instead of television)

Pretend to be an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh and build a pyramid- make a food pyramid to learn about the four food groups and how much to eat from each group

Pick a car that suits your body

Cut out pictures of various cars – pick sports cars, family cars and clunkers

Ask questions comparing a person’s body to a certain car

Examples: When you grow up, do you want a body

like a race car or a clunker?Do you clean your car, is it like you

taking a bath?

―This activity is great for any moment when a child needs to pause and take a deep breath to relax‖. (Jazwierska, 2008).

Make a fist with your left hand and pretend you are holding a flower

Make a fist with your right hand and pretend you are holding a candle

Breath in deep and smell the flower in your left hand

Breath out and blow out the candle in your right hand

Ask questions: What does your flower look like? Could you imagine smelling it?When would you use this activity?

Step 1 – shows you how to find your heart space

Close your eyes

Breath deep, in through your nose and out through your mouth

Focus on your heart space. ―Feel the space around the center of your chest and connect with a feel of love in that space‖. (Jazwierska, 2008).

Focus on this area for a few minutes. This is the heart space. Lots of emotions go through here. Focus on the love feeling

Step 2 – after you connect with your heart space

Put a smile there in your heart space

Let the smile move up to your face and have your mouth make a gentle smile. Feel the energy from your heart space

Open your eyes and tell me how you feel now

Love from the heart space is calm and relaxing and helps you feel peace

Mental and spiritual fitness is important to your health and it can keep you well

There are lots of benefits, such as: improved mood, improved self-esteem, memory and many others

The three research studies that prove the importance of mental and spiritual wellness are: The Most Famous Prayer Study, The Stanford Forgiveness Project, and The Lifestyle Heart Trial

Two activities you can do are Flower and Candle and Space to Face: A Smile Visualization

Modeling wellness is the best way for a parent to teach their children the importance of Mental and Spiritual fitness

Ardell, B. Ph. D. (September, 2000). Seek Wellness LLC. Teaching children about wellness. Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://www.seekwellness.com/wellness/articles/teaching_children.htm

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

ForeverLearn. (2009). Womens Health Wellness. How to Reduce Stress. Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://www.womens-health-wellness.cup-of-life.com/How-to-Reduce-Stress.html

Harris, A.H, Luskin, F.M.., Benisovich, S.V., Standard, S., Bruning, J., Evans, S. and Thoresen, C. (2006) Effects of a group forgiveness intervention on forgiveness, perceived stress and trait anger: A randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 62(6) 715-733. Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://learningtoforgive.com/research/effects-of-group-forgiveness-intervention-on-perceived-stress-state-and-trait-anger-symptoms-of-stress-self-reported-health-and-forgiveness-stanford-forgiveness-project/

Jazwierska, J. Ed.S, NCSP. (2008). Kids Relaxation. Flower and Candle. Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://www.kidsrelaxation.com/relaxation_activities/1flower_candle.htm

Jazwierska, J. Ed.S, NCSP. (2008). Kids Relaxation. Space to Face: A Smile Visualization. Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://www.kidsrelaxation.com/relaxation_activities/8_space_face.htm

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., and Micozzi, M.S. (2005). Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Churchill Livingston Publications.

Tannen, S. (n.d.). Mental fitness—exercises for the brain. Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://www.bellydoc.com/articles/article7.htm