I bring you good tidings of great joy & health

This year it is rare to hear Christmas carols from any source and even the harmattan that years gone by heralded Christmas appears to be undecided; should I or should I not crack lips and make the weather cold. It appears no one is willing to make a bold statement that Christmas is here with us but can we blame anyone? On the brighter side we may have no other choice than to elevate Christ to his rightful place during the season. Finally we will get rid of the X in Xmas and replace it with the Christ; Christmas.

2013 seems to have sprinted by without giving us a chance to appreciate the beauty of flowers, the morning dew and the several other inspiring works of nature that we take for granted. Whether you had a minute to catch your breath or not, the year is coming to an end but remember it is never too late to receive your miracle. Continue to trust that the Almighty can do much more for you in the final week of the year than you have struggled to achieve in the first 51 weeks of the year. I have a strong attachment to Hebrews 11 probably because several years ago I used to play for a colts football team that bore the same name. This season we celebrate the birth of Christ, the singular feat that has generated more conversation than any other. Cease every opportunity to spread the news of his birth and feel free to link it to Easter when we were restored to our Father.

Miracles, Faith and The Christmas Story reminds me of the feasts most of us will be indulging in this season. I am sure a few of us will throw caution to the wind and pile on a few extra kilos and unfortunately many people with high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases may end up worsening their conditions. Essentially it is what we do 90% of the time that impacts on our health but at Christmas we have the habit of overindulging within a very short period and the New Year does not help matters either.

It is almost an exercise in futility to “ban” people from eating or drinking in excess but rather we may adopt a few steps that will limit the negative impact while we share in the joy.

1. Prepare before you step out

a. Make sure you engage in an extra 10 minutes of physical activity each morning. During this season I prefer morning so that we can be sure it is catered for. It may just be walking plus body weight exercises such as push-ups and squats.

b. If you have to visit someone or attend a function, eat something healthy at home before leaving. Since you are no longer hungry it is unlikely you will be raiding all the unhealthy snacks and neither will you be drinking much.

c. Decide not to have more than one drink at a function.

d. At the function spend a lot of time socializing. You tend to eat and drink less while you talk.

e. Use the smallest plates available.

2. Make time for Church

a. Christmas can never be complete without the Word and if you will spend most of the season in programmes at church you are truly blessed. Make sure the Praise and Worship sessions are prolonged so that you can get a good dose of dancing; a perfect exercise indeed. Your back and other joints will be grateful if you avoid sitting for extremely long periods at a time.

3. Unwrap the season’s best gifts

a. The best gift you can give to yourself and someone you truly love is a proper Medical Examination. Do everything possible to schedule one in January 2014. The food and drinks will surely pass away but the gift of a medical examination will forever affect the life of the recipient.

This year we have discussed the amazing health benefits of pure Cocoa drink, Asaba the berry that makes everything sweet and our dear good clean water. If you have not tried these, this is a great time to give yourself a health boost. Even a little chocolate will not be harmful.

If you do not hear Christmas Carols play in shops, even if your favourite radio or television station refuses to saturate the airwaves with those soothing tunes of Christmas, remember you can sing yourself and if the words are a challenge do not worry go ahead and rejoice: Christ is born and he has brought joy and salvation to the world but we can only enjoy the season and worship him to the best of our ability if we are healthy that is why today and beyond I bring you good tidings of health.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Moms’ Health Club/Premier Mutual Health

(dressel@healthclubsgh.com)

*Dr Essel is a medical doctor and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy and fitness nutrition.

Thought for the week – “Health is the state about which medicine has nothing to say.” – W.H. Auden