And I’ve learned this the hard way.
When I turned 40, I was overweight, on two medications and struggling to get out of the car without pain. A torn meniscus in my knee forced me to confront the reality that I was carrying around 45 extra pounds every step of the day. That wake-up call led me to change my diet, start running and prioritize rest. I lost the weight and reversed my conditions. But more importantly, I rediscovered my calling—not just to treat disease, but to help people live well.
I’m also board-certified in lifestyle medicine, a growing field that focuses on preventing and even reversing disease through daily habits: nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management and relationships. These pillars are powerful. But for me, there’s a seventh: spirituality. Because to be whole, I believe, we need to know the God who made our bodies and invites us to get the most out of them by taking care of them.
Lifestyle wellness is having a moment, and I’m glad. But it’s not new. As a Seventh-day Adventist, I grew up with a health message that emphasized rest, moderation, clean food and purpose. You can learn more about this in the documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. Taken together, it’s a worldview that sees our bodies as sacred and health as a way to live abundantly.
For me, this is what makes a faith-based approach to wellness different than the prevailing wellness messages today. Instead of seeing “wellness” as a particular goal accessible through expensive retreats, difficult-to-find supplements, and a debilitating amount of advice from “wellness gurus” on social media, we should see wellness as important quality for any human life. Not a code to be bio-hacked by billionaires, but a message of abundance available to everyone.
That’s why I love the verse John 10:10 where Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10, NKJV).
I often tell my patients: Wellness isn’t about perfection. It’s about purpose. It’s about asking, What kind of life do I want to live? And then making daily choices that reflect that vision.
So I encourage you — whether you’re young or old, healthy or struggling — to be thoughtful about your heart. Not just the organ, but the center of your being. Your habits shape your health, and your health shapes your life.
Let’s not wait for a crisis to make a change. Let’s live with intention. Let’s live with abundance.
Dr. Harvey Hahn is a cardiovascular MD at Kettering Health.
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