Caring for the physical and spiritual well-being of a flock can be demanding, especially in these trying times. More than two years into the pandemic, an alarming percentage of religious leaders are experiencing significant burnout, driving them to seriously consider leaving ministry, according to the Barna Group, a research organization that has conducted thousands of interviews with faith leaders nationwide.
Since the launch of Blue Zones Project five years ago, Fort Worth’s well-being has risen significantly, going from one of the country’s unhealthiest cities to now ranking in the top 20 percent of the country’s metropolitan areas.
Most people in the original Blue Zones® areas eat a rich array of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are packed with disease-fighting nutrients.
How to Get Moving Without Thinking About It
The world’s longest-lived people don’t run marathons or join gyms. They live in environments that constantly nudge them to move without thinking about it. They live in places where they can walk to the store, to their friend's house or places of worship. Their houses have stairs. They have gardens in their yards. Instead of buying another gym membership, consider building low-intensity activities you already enjoy into your daily routine.
• Move for the fun of it! Build activity into your life by doing what you love. Ride your bike to work. Walk to the store. Play basketball with your kids.
• Inconvenience yourself. Take the stairs at work. Park at the far end of the parking lot and use a Blue Zones Project Parking Space. Get up to change the TV channel instead of using the remote.
• Start walking. Walking is easy to do and free to everyone. It also invites company and can relieve stress after a hard day.
• Strengthen your social connections. Join a Potluck or Walking Moai - a group of lifelong friends - and build social connections while you take steps to improve your health.
• Grow a garden. Gardening is a great way to be physically active daily and even helps reduce stress. Improve flexibility, strength, endurance, and balance, all with the benefits of fresh homegrown vegetables.
Every move you make moves you closer to well-being! Try 10 easy ways to move more. Find what you enjoy and do it! The more you like an activity, the more likely you'll be to continue doing it well into your golden years.
With spring just around the corner, it's time to get gardening in Texas!
Gardening is common in all Blue Zones® areas, where people live the longest, healthiest lives. You, too, can garden your way to better health! By being outside, working with your hands to tend and reap, you see an increase in your mood and a decrease in stress levels.
According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, you can burn up to 150 calories for every 30-45 minutes you spend actively gardening! The best part is when you get to see (and eat!) the literal fruits of your labor.
If you don’t have a backyard garden or are unsure how to start one, choose to get involved with a community or local school garden. Gardening in shared plots also encourages you to socialize, develop new friendships and feel a part of something larger — all great benefits to your personal well-being.
A great place to start is getting involved with the Tarrant Area Food Bank’s Community Garden program that helps community members and organizations create thriving community gardens by teaching effective gardening techniques. Community members help tend the garden and grow fruits and vegetables that are distrubted to those in need. Each week, volunteers are invited to come to the TAFB Learning Garden to help plant and harvest fruits and vegetables, pull weeds and learn new gardening skills. TAFB also provides garden tours and regular workshops on gardening techniques.
First, let’s establish where the word, Moai® (pronounced “mo-eye”) came from and what it means. The word "Moai" comes from Okinawa, Japan, and translates to "meeting for a common purpose." In Okinawa, neighbors use Moais as a support system to help those in need. Based on this tradition, Moais provide social interaction and support that are just as important to a person’s overall well-being as the benefits of walking or eating healthy. Blue Zones Project® offers two different Moai programs: walking and potluck, where groups of 5-8 people walk or potluck over a period of 10 weeks.
Second, let’s define magic: Beautiful or delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life.
Today was our first Moai of 2016 and it really was a magical experience. At the end of 2015, we decided to start each monthly Moai meet-up with a physical or healthy activity before we dig into a scrumptious potluck lunch. We started with a sweaty yoga class at 9:30am at The Yoga Project, and then met at Angela’s house for food and conversation. Our food theme for January was “wheat-free” because this month’s host recently discovered she had a strong intolerance to wheat.
What’s your reason to get out of bed every morning? Studies show that people with a clear goal in life, or something to wake up for every morning, live longer and stay mentally sharper than those who don’t. Your sense of purpose can come from something as simple as watching your children or grandchildren grow up, being engaged in a job or a hobby that gives you a sense of fulfillment, or learning something new. Ready to start fulfilling your life purpose? Sign up to attend a free Purpose Workshop.
When we use our time – and our passions and talents – on things that are truly important to us, we have found purpose. Ready to start fulfilling your life purpose? Here are a few tips to help you get started:
Top 5 Ways to Make Your Family a Priority
Blue Zones® researchers discovered that the healthiest, happiest centenarians in the world tend to build their lives around their families. Taking care of family is their main purpose in life, and this lifelong devotion pays off. In Sardinia and other Blue Zones areas, younger generations return the love and care they received from their parents and grandparents. No matter how you choose to do it, investing time with family can help add up to 6 years to your life.
Invest time and energy in your children, your spouse, and your parents. Here are some easy ways to help you build stronger bonds with your family:
1. Set aside time for each other every day. Play with your children, spend quality time with your spouse, and honor your parents. Eating family dinners together is a great chance to turn off the TV and chat about everyone’s day over a healthy meal.
2. Get moving together. After dinner, take a walk or go on a bike ride. If you have younger children, visit your local park or playground. Or play a game of tag, Frisbee, or hide-and-seek in your own backyard.
3. Share your family history. Children love stories about when their parents were young, like the time Mommy got stuck in the apple tree, or when Daddy woke up at 3:00 a.m. because he couldn’t wait for Christmas morning. Display pictures of family members on a wall in your home so the kids are familiar with extended family members, too.
4. Involve grandparents in your lives. Grandparents can offer love, support, wisdom, and motivation to help their younger family members succeed. This adds up to healthier, better-adjusted families who live longer.
5. Create family traditions and memories. Holidays offer a great opportunity to create memorable family traditions that bring your family closer together. When it’s not possible to be together during the holidays, connect by phone.
Have an Attitude of Gratitude Every Day
Walking is free, easier on the joints than running, always accessible, perfect with company, and when done briskly, offers similar cardiovascular benefits to running. After a hard day, walking relieves stress; after a meal, it can aid digestion. Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, five or more days a week, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, and some cancers.
Below is a list of the known benefits of walking: