PHYSICAL HEALTH AND PEACE

The healthier you are the better your thoughts become. In fact, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and drinking more water has been proven to affect your psychology in a positive way. To reiterate, in chapter 1 I said, “Your physiology dictates your psychology.” Your overall health plays a significant role in your stress; especially your mental stress levels, as well as your behavior.

We know that caffeine, sugar, and processed foods can trigger anxiety and effect our ability to respond well to our environment, but did you know that numerous studies have been done linking crime to diet? In fact, researchers at Oxford conducted a double-blind study on 231 violent young adult prisoners (age 19-21) and determined, conclusively, that nutrition played a significant role in behavior. The study showed that the prisoners who were given nutritional supplements had 26% fewer offenses and 37% fewer violent offenses compared to the placebo groups. The researchers summarized that good nutrition plays a critical role in human behavior and could be a “recipe for peace.”

The healthier you are the better you can handle the stress in your life. Being an effective “peace manager” in your life involves proactively working on your health. When you’re healthier you can better adapt to both internal and external stress. Working out for example helps to balance out your blood sugar levels, which will also help balance your energy levels. Working out, as mentioned in Chapter 8, also helps to increase your energy levels, and decrease your stress levels because it helps to balance out hormones involved with stress, like cortisol. This happens while simultaneously boosting your testosterone levels, which is the hormone involved in MOTIVATION! When testosterone is good, you have a higher level of motivation.