Want Guaranteed Protection from Illnesses? Rambam Explains How to Achieve It
"Anyone who follows these guidelines that we have outlined, I guarantee will not experience illness throughout his life until he grows very old and dies. He will not need a doctor, and his body will remain whole and healthy all his days. Unless his body was unhealthy from its inception, or if he has accustomed himself to bad habits from birth, or if a plague or famine strikes the world."
- הרב זמיר כהן
- פורסם י"ט טבת התשפ"ב

#VALUE!
The muscles in the human body, responsible for its movement, were created with a mechanism that requires their reasonable use to function properly. A muscle that goes unused for a long period of time will atrophy; however, reasonable activation not only does not wear it out but also renews its cells, revives and strengthens it. Therefore, among the central conditions for maintaining the body's health, Rambam includes physical effort. Here are his words from the Mishneh Torah:[1] "Another general principle for maintaining the body's health: As long as a person exercises and exerts himself a lot, does not overeat, and his bowels are soft, he will not experience illness and his strength will increase. Conversely, anyone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, does not exercise, delays his evacuations, or whose bowels are hard, even if he eats good foods and follows medical advice, his life will be full of pain and his strength will diminish."
Rambam's use of the word "exercise" is not what we specifically refer to today as "exercise routines," but rather general physical exertion of the laboring body. Therefore, a person whose occupation demands physical labor that involves his entire body does not need anything more. However, a person whose occupation does not require the use of all his muscles, must devote some time to physical exertion. This does not require excess, but it does require specific exercise routines that involve all body muscles, revitalize and strengthen them, and help the person feel healthy and invigorated for the service of Hashem.
In practice, many opportunities can be utilized to fulfill this commandment. For example, nowadays, when a person arrives at a meeting with his car, even if he arrives early, he will search for the closest parking spot. He may even argue with another driver for supposedly taking the spot he intended to park in. In truth, if we arrive early, and we are not in a rush, we should park the car at a reasonable walking distance and take the opportunity for a walk. The same applies to using elevators. Some people will wait several minutes for an elevator to go up just one floor... A wise person will use any opportunity to activate his body muscles. If time allows, he will prefer to use the stairs, even if it means climbing more than one floor.
However, in the age of technological and electronic devices that perform many actions in place of humans and allow them to use their time for other activities, regular bodily activities are often insufficient, and special exercise routines should be initiated. A little time each day can provide the required benefits.
It must be emphasized, however, that a person must keep himself from focusing on body grooming as an end in itself to the aspiration of an aesthetically pleasing body. Such a mindset is completely misguided and opens the door to all worldly lusts. Rather, he should always remember that this body is destined to return to dust, as the Mishnah says:[2] "Know from where you came and to where you are going, etc. From where did you come? From a putrid drop. To where are you going? To a place of dust, worms, and maggots." Greek culture, which denied the soul's afterlife, championed body grooming as a supreme goal, from which all sports branches emerged (so-called after their origin in Sparta, as is well known) that set aside the spirit and focused only on the body. However, in Jewish culture, exercise aims only to maintain body health, so it serves as a healthy and strong vessel that can properly sustain the soul within, helping it face life's challenges and build its spiritual world.
Rambam guarantees anyone who keeps these guidelines will enjoy longevity with health, unless born with problematic physical conditions, or has already harmed himself, or if damage occurs by an act of Hashem. Here are his words:[3] "Anyone who leads himself in these ways that we have instructed, I guarantee that he will not come to illness all his days until he grows very old and dies. He will not need a doctor, and his body will remain healthy and stand in its proper form his entire life. This is unless his body was unhealthy from the beginning of its creation, or if he had commonly practiced one of the bad habits from birth, or if a plague or a famine comes to the world."
Sensitivity to Others
In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that a person who maintains his body's health should not harm his soul's health by looking down on others swept along by social norms and considering them ignorant and driven by their desires. He should honor others in his heart, judging them favorably, understanding that they may not be aware of these things. He should try to explain humbly, to those willing to listen, the importance of following health guidelines and teach them. Just as there is an obligation to keep health guidelines, there is also the obligation to care for a child's soul and avoid harming others. Thus, if a child grows up in a society that consumes unhealthy sweets, and his parents find that he feels constant jealousy towards his peers, they should not completely prevent him from having these sweets, but instead try to limit his intake to the minimum possible and offer healthy alternative sweets without causing the child to feel deprived. Parents can agree with the child that in exchange for an unhealthy treat received at daycare or similar, he will earn a tastier and healthier alternative treat of his choice from his parents when he gets home. Similarly, when hosting, if there is a concern of offending the hosts, the health-conscious individual should compromise and eat the moderate food served, choosing the most natural and healthy option available, even if it is not at the highest health standard he is used to. This is especially important because extreme and excessive avoidance of foods known to be undesirable can also be harmful. For example, complete abstinence from fats, according to some studies, increases the risk of stroke and other health damages.
Considering that, some believe that to maintain the body's detoxification system so that it doesn't degenerate, there's benefit in minimal consumption of non-health product foods. In all, it is crucial to remember that over-caution, leading to "health anxiety," can be damaging to both mental and physical health. Thus, people who rigidly and fanatically adhere to all health rules and excessively caution out of constant mental stress often achieve the opposite. They might cause harm to their health and affect their own joy of living. If they limit their diet to a narrow selection of food types, they are likely to suffer due to a deficiency in basic substances. This may answer the question many have regarding the early death of individuals known for their extreme health dietary vigilance. Rav Bachya's beautiful saying is well known:[4] "From caution, do not over-cautiously." Accordingly, as mentioned, it is essential to maintain the right balance, to be happy and good-hearted with a positive approach to life, and to ease when hosting by eating even what is considered moderate in health quality (provided there are no kashrut issues, of course) when necessary to maintain the hosts' respect. Unless a really harmful food or an individual's health condition necessitates avoiding it, in which case he should excuse himself and explain to his hosts that his health condition requires him to abstain from that food. However, a healthy person should maintain proper nutrition along with sensitivity to others. In doing so, in the mitzvah of maintaining the honor of others, there is protection and preservation for the person.
[1] Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot, Chapter 4, 14-15.
[2] Avot 3, 1.
[3] Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot, Chapter 4, 20.
[4] Rabbeinu Bachya in the introduction to his book "Chovot HaLevavot."