Do not start the day on an empty stomach. Research has shown that a healthy breakfast can boost brain power and attention. Also, be sure to have regular meals and snacks to keep blood sugar levels stable and provide the brain with fuel to focus.
Ms Wong says that children should drink six to eight glasses of water a day, depending on their age, gender and weight. They may need more if they are very active. Studies have found improved performance and in some aspects of cognition in kids after they were given water to drink.
You would also want to boost their immune system, with the recent rise in Covid-19 infections.
To keep them healthy, it is important that their diets are rich in fruit and vegetables, and they get regular exercise and sufficient sleep.
“Kids aged between seven and 13 should have at least nine hours of sleep; those from 14 to 17 need at least eight hours and 18-year-olds at least seven hours, according to the Singapore Integrated 24-Hour Activity Guidelines for Children and Adolescents. Be a coach and cheerleader for your child during exam season.”
In the same way, to stay spiritual strong and healthy, we need spiritual food. Just as it is important to start the day with a good breakfast, in the same way, we should begin the day with good and healthy spiritual food. In the busy lifestyle in Singapore, we often rush to start the day, be it for school, work or taking care of the household chores. Many a time, we neglect the more important thing, which is to start the day with God. Let us take time to start our day with God. One possible way is to rise an hour before your normal start of the day.
Spend time to read your Bible, meditate on God’s word and allow God to speak to your heart and be willing to apply God’s truth in our life. Be it in keeping away from sinful habits, our love for one another and our testimony for God, listen to the still small voice. Let us not rush to start the day without first spending time with God.
We need to spend much time in prayer to keep us spiritually healthy too. Oftentimes, we rush through our prayer time. May I encourage you to take a step back and spend quality time in prayer at the start of each day. Pray for the needs of others and the church ministry not just for your own needs. God has reminded us to pray without ceasing. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:16-18). Let us learn to bring our needs and the needs of others before God. God has instructed us to come before him boldly with our needs. God promises that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory.
Prayer will give us victory to overcome our sinful habits and the world with its temptations, and power to live for him each and every day.
As much as the author says to have regular exercise and sleep, likewise, we should have rest. In this internet age and with smart phones, oftentimes, we are so caught up with social media, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Netflix, Disney Plus and computer gaming. It often deprives us of rest that our physical body requires. May I encourage you to put aside the phone and ensure that you have sufficient rest and sleep. This will ensure our body is well rested and that we will have the strength and energy to go through another hectic day.
Lastly, we should look for a ministry to serve in. God has saved us to serve His will. May I encourage you to join a ministry. Be faithful to attend worship, fellowship, prayer meeting and Sunday School. It takes time and effort to build friendship. Let us be faithful and commit our time and effort to build godly Christian friendship. Let us make effort and commit the time to grow and be exemplary in our conduct and to stay spiritually strong and healthy. In this way, we will ensure God’s blessings and be a channel of blessings and encouragement to our fellow brethren in the Lord.