Nature and Simple Meals Are Key to Resilience, Former World Champion Says

“I prepared a lecture that is very close to my heart,” said Daniel Dvořák, a Seventh-day Adventist church member in Prague, Czech Republic, during the light4cities event in early March. “I want to talk about what can help us to increase our physical, mental, and spiritual resilience.”

Dvořák, a former atheist and powerlifting world champion, became a Seventh-day Adventist after what he says was God’s direct intervention in his life. Dvořák believes in reaching out to others, but he also sees value in training people to thrive in every aspect of their lives before doing so.

Spiritual Balance Is Key

“For years I was focused on just performing better. I was focused on the physical and mental part, but the spiritual part was missing,” Dvořák acknowledged during the lay-led initiative that gathered more than 140 Adventist members for a weekend of revival, training, and worship. “It took me years to understand that being in top shape with regard to my brains and muscles is not enough. We also need to be spiritually balanced,” he said.

Dvořák also shared how thanks to the Bible and Ellen G. White’s book Mind, Character, and Personality, he came to understand the importance of proper nutrition for optimal resilience. “Sometimes we eat what doesn’t give us energy, so my motivation has been to learn how to eat to have more energy and eliminate fatigue in my family and me. Because when you are in better shape, you have a better chance of fighting temptations and the pressures of living in this world.”

In Search of Strength

Dvořák also highlighted the cumulative results of following a God-given plan for resilience. “When you become more resilient, your family and your group of believers can also become more resilient. Everyone benefits,” he said. “I know that the church’s mission is to spread the gospel, but when you are exhausted, you don’t want to go out to share anything.”

He called attendees to focus on self-discipline with God’s help. The goal, he said, is to avoid becoming too sensitive or psychologically frail. Dvořák defined resilience as the ability to withstand adversity, manage adverse situations, and overcome crises, as did Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace. “They certainly didn’t die in that furnace,” he said.

At the same time, Dvořák emphasized, the key to resilience is being willing, with God’s help, to stand every test that comes our way. “Facing our trials makes us stronger and stronger, and then we may be able to see what plan God has for us,” he explained.

Outdoor Time Is Essential

Dvořák reminded attendees that an excessive use of our brains can lead to weakness and exhaustion. Striving for balance with physical activities out in nature helps to build resilience and the ability to face challenges and trials.

Some contemporary “solutions,” such as going shopping and scrolling down your social media accounts, might provide short-term relief, he acknowledged. “But you are just giving your body a shot of adrenaline to the point you become irritable, and your self-control decreases,” Dvořák explained.

On the contrary, he emphasized, resetting our brains requires going back to God’s original plan, namely, spending time out in nature. “Clean air and walking support our brains’ optimal function and help us to eschew depression and detoxify,” Dvořák said. “And time spent doing physical activities will not only develop our muscles but also increase our ability to study, because our muscles and brain must work in a sort of symbiosis.”

The Importance of Simple Meals

Dvořák also emphasized the need to focus on consuming quality food. “Our thoughts have their seat in our bodies,” he explained. “We must take care of our bodies so our faculties can be used to the highest degree. We know that an overloaded stomach weakens the mental powers.”

He also warned against becoming obsessed with what we eat. “Our food shouldn’t become our religion,” Dvořák advised as he extolled the virtues of intermittent fasting. “Fasting improves your metabolic health and longevity,” he said.

Finally, Dvořák called to eat with a spirit of thankfulness and prayer and focus on good-quality sleep, things that can do wonders for one’s health. The key, he said, is to build good habits, because “habits decide our future.” “If we want to contribute to God’s work, we must be in shape,” he said. “Breaking from old habits will seem difficult at first, but with repetition it will become easier and easier. . . . That’s my wish, that we may improve our habits until we run the race and win the prize.”