A Breath of Fresh Air
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Ps. 150:6, NIV.
Zipping up my jogging suit, I step out into the early-morning light. The dew-freshened air grabs at my cheeks. My face tingles. I head down the path, picking up speed as I go. Morning fresh air—there’s something special about it. Breathing in, I feel the cool clean air slipping into my body. One deep breath leads to another until I feel exhilarated. Rejuvenated. It’s almost like there’s life in the air.
Air. It’s so common. Yet it’s the most vital element in all my environment. I walk in it. I talk with it. I filter it and remove its oxygen for my cells. It calms my mind and lowers my blood pressure. Air helps decrease my cholesterol and even slows the formation of cataracts in my eyes.
Studies have shown that in spite of the fact that it’s only about one fortieth of my body’s weight my brain needs five times the oxygen of any other organ in my body.
Those morning deep breaths of quality air improve my thinking ability, my alertness, and my physical being. What a way to begin the day!
Often after spending most of the day indoors it’s easy to lose one’s alertness. A closed, overheated, and crowded area has less oxygen and often high concentrations of harmful chemicals. The thing to do in such a case is to step out for a quick walk or open a window for some fresh, clean air. After a few minutes you’ll find your mind awakened, your energy level up, and your spirits ready for some action.
If you find that at some point during the day you’re feeling irritable toward your family; if you feel as if your brain’s stuck in neutral; if you’re tired of dragging around half coherent; take a fresh-air break. The solution to your problem may be as simple as breathing.
Lord, help me always to remember, as I breathe into my body clean, fresh air, that You are the breath of life to my soul.
Zipping up my jogging suit, I step out into the early-morning light. The dew-freshened air grabs at my cheeks. My face tingles. I head down the path, picking up speed as I go. Morning fresh air—there’s something special about it. Breathing in, I feel the cool clean air slipping into my body. One deep breath leads to another until I feel exhilarated. Rejuvenated. It’s almost like there’s life in the air.
Air. It’s so common. Yet it’s the most vital element in all my environment. I walk in it. I talk with it. I filter it and remove its oxygen for my cells. It calms my mind and lowers my blood pressure. Air helps decrease my cholesterol and even slows the formation of cataracts in my eyes.
Studies have shown that in spite of the fact that it’s only about one fortieth of my body’s weight my brain needs five times the oxygen of any other organ in my body.
Those morning deep breaths of quality air improve my thinking ability, my alertness, and my physical being. What a way to begin the day!
Often after spending most of the day indoors it’s easy to lose one’s alertness. A closed, overheated, and crowded area has less oxygen and often high concentrations of harmful chemicals. The thing to do in such a case is to step out for a quick walk or open a window for some fresh, clean air. After a few minutes you’ll find your mind awakened, your energy level up, and your spirits ready for some action.
If you find that at some point during the day you’re feeling irritable toward your family; if you feel as if your brain’s stuck in neutral; if you’re tired of dragging around half coherent; take a fresh-air break. The solution to your problem may be as simple as breathing.
Lord, help me always to remember, as I breathe into my body clean, fresh air, that You are the breath of life to my soul.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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