That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Ephesians 6:3

Mr. Alex (General manager of Aura Investment firm) reports everyday at work by 8am and closes by 9pm.

His daily routine is as follows: Wakes up by 6am, get dressed and enters his hummer jeep already waiting for him at the front of his house. It is an hour drive from his house to the office. Gets to work at exactly 7:30am, takes the elevator to his office. Sits on his chair till 9pm which is the closing time. He doesn’t have to do anything. With over 3000 employees, he has more than enough hands to get things running smoothly. Same thing happens at the close of work. He enters the elevator, then the car, back home. He is served by the maid, eat, sits in front of the television to watch the news, goes to bed. He does the same thing everyday.

One fateful day, he got to his office but was found on the floor by his personal assistant. He had collapsed and was found dead.

Amaka (the cleaner): you hear wetin happen? Na wa o. Nothing dey this life. Na so oga Alex just go like that
Mr. Lucky (gateman): na so we see am o. Him village people don finally get am.
Amaka: this death no be ordinary eye. Person when i see this morning. He even shake my hand.
Mr. Lucky: it is well, my sister. Village people na wa. Monitoring spirits everywhere.
Eunice: una don conclude say na village people. Nigerians ehn. What if na him lifestyle choices. What if he don dey do something everyday when no good for him body when don accumulate overtime. For instance, excessive sitting, being sedentary. No be everything be village people o!

We have so many people that think like Sister Amaka and Brother Lucky. Our lifestyle choices is connected to our living long on the earth. It is God who is the giver of long life, Psalm 91:16 and good health, Jeremiah 33:6, Jeremiah 30:17, but we also have a role to play in bringing his promises to us come to pass.

We can take a cue from our fathers in the faith. We can emulate the way they live their lives. This is connected to their longevity, good health and energy even in their old age. Younger individuals cannot even keep up and do the things they do. These lifestyle choices include: their commitment and connectivity to God, who is the giver of long life and health. Secondly, their eating habits. It was revealed that they fast more than they eat and when they eat, they don’t eat excessively. Thirdly, they are physically active. We have seen instances where they go for roadwalks, praying in tongues. Some stand for hours, rather than sit excessively. They go from place to place preaching the Gospel. They are hardly sedentary. They also read and consume healthy materials that build them up mentally and spiritually. We can choose to learn from them.

Accumulated wrong lifestyle choices causes the buildup of fat and disrupt normal functioning of the systems of the body which in turn, lead to health challenges. We need to make positive lifestyle choices so that we can serve God better. Whatever we do should be unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23. Positive lifestyle choices encompass our mental, spiritual and physical well being. Positive lifestyle choices include building a strong relationship with God, Physical activeness, Rest, Reading the word and other developmental books, and eating a healthy diet.

If we take a look at the routine of Mr Alex, it was characterized by being physically inactive and sitting for long hours. According to research, excessive sitting increase chances of cardiovascular diseases. There is little muscle activity while sitting which slows metabolism, reduces the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and metabolize fat. This causes high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, obesity and heart attack. Prolonged sitting causes blood pulling in the lower extremities. This disrupts proper blood circulation, accelerates fatigue and makes the muscles prone to injury. It also causes premature death.

This majorly affects workers who sit for long periods at the office. Just like Mr Alex who collapsed, prolonged sitting can be very detrimental to health. It is advisable to walk around the office every 20 mins, move more than you sit and exercise regularly. This also applies to workers who exercise regularly but still sit for long hours at work. Exercising everyday for just 30 minutes and sitting for 5 – 8 hours per day is also detrimental. The major logic is to move more than you sit.

There you have it!!!! It is not village people all the time. It just could be us being ignorant of these things. Make positive lifestyle changes, serve God and impact your world.