Step 5 is all about the dreaded E word or EXERCISE. Does anyone schedule to workout regularly in your week?
Well, in our steps of the daily V-8, we are talking about just 10 minutes a
day. This is an easy place to start, but
again, we have to pray for the time and the motivation to do this.
I love to march in front of the TV while I watch the news in the morning or the evenings. I am also a big fan of exercise videos. There are a ton to choose from, so you always have variety, and there are plenty that are simple, easy to follow, and quick. Another thing we also enjoy as a family, is playing the Wii. Our daughters even has their own Wii Fit game with little cartoon characters. We have a blast, and the whole family is improving our health while have fun!
Fit exercise wherever you can into you day. You know some of the suggestions like park your car farther away from the entrance, take the stairs,
do leg lifts while you brush your teeth or squats while you wash the dishes. We have a big window at the kitchen sink, and I
do not have any blinds there. It faces
our neighbors' house, and they are outside a lot. I laugh and tell Gerrad I know they think I’m
crazy if they see my head going up and down while I do my plies squats (a ballet thing) while washing the
supper dishes. I know I look silly, but I love to multitask, and every minute counts. Exercise can make us have more energy and feel so much better! I can tell a big difference in my energy levels when I am not doing my videos or marching. Every little bit helps!
Does anybody have any
tricks for sneaking in exercise?
Does anybody know what the best exercise is for burning calories and
upping your metabolism?
Weightlifting. It is not just for men, ladies. I like to use 2-5 lb weights while I march in place.
In a recent
Women’s Health article by Adam Campbell, he listed 12 reasons why every woman should lift
weights 2 times a week. 1 – You’ll lose
40% more fat, 2 – your clothes will fit
better, 3 – you’ll burn more calories, 4 – your diet will improve, 5 – you’ll
handle stress better, 6 - you’ll be
happier, 7 – you’ll build stronger muscles, 8 – you’ll get into shape faster, 9
– you’ll be healthier, 10- you’ll be more productive, 11- you’ll live longer,
and finally you’ll be smarter. So, let's get to marching with those soup cans in hand!
Step 6 is not one to be overlooked.
We have to have someone to be accountable to if we are serious about
getting healthy. I decided my accountability partner would be my husband. We can talk about anything and I know he never judges me. Some people do not have that kind of
relationship with their husband. Lysa Terkhurst says in her book "Crave" that she does not like to talk about this topic with her
husband. Everyone is different. But you have to find
someone. You will be so much more
successful if you have someone to share your struggles with and someone who will pray with
you through it all. It is also nice to
have someone pat your back along the way.
James 5:16 says “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed.” We have to support one another. Lysa says in the "Crave" book “when we
determine to get healthy, we will have to give up certain things and change our
habits. Doing this can make us feel
anxious. That is why we must have
friends to help us remember that what we’re giving up in the short term will
help us get what we really want in the long term.” Find that person and be each other's cheerleaders.
Our next to last step is all about rest. WE NEED IT.
This is something I truly struggle with daily. I am terrible for staying up extremely too
late. I feel like I just can't get everything accomplished, and I tend to stay up until at least 11. This is not healthy! Studies have shown that if you rest more, you
will have a healthier body including a higher metabolism. Below is a devotion from Our Daily Bread by Dennis Fisher...
Many people like both the sweetness and the
energy they get from chocolate. Yet British auto technicians have found a
surprising use for this sweet food. Scientists at the University of Warwick
have built a racecar that runs on vegetable oils and chocolate. The fuel
provides energy so that the car can reach top speeds of 135 mph.
The Bible also records a surprising source of
energy from a food. When Elijah had been used by God on Mt. Carmel to call fire
down from heaven, this spiritual high was followed by persecution and
melancholy. In response to Elijah’s depression, God sent an angel to provide
food, drink, and rest for the weary prophet. The sustaining power of that food
from heaven was remarkable: “So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the
strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain
of God”
(1
Kings 19:8).
Just as we need food to sustain our physical
lives, we also need nourishing food for our spiritual lives. God’s Word is
“sweeter . . . than honey and the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:10) and feeds our souls. It makes "wise the simple" (v. 7) and provides both nourishment and energy
for life’s long journey. Take time to feed on it.
This ties
everything together. We need God’s Word and fellowship with Him; we need healthy, nourishing food, and we need rest. Even
Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, experienced depressed feelings. God used this time to bring Elijah closer to
Him. Some might say, “well - when I am feeling down - that is when I eat all the bad things”. I know that is the case with me. Like when my husband is traveling, or when I feel
overwhelmed, I just want to fill the void with chips and candy. But those chips are now baked chips, and I
have to learn to depend on God for my strength instead of chocolate.
When I lay down and I start beating myself up, thinking what I could have done better in my day, I have to say “Get thee behind me
Satan” for I know he uses that time to rob me from my rest. And next, I say one of my favorite sleep
verses Ps 4:8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou,
LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
God will provide us with the rest we need, if we ask.
So to recap - Exercise, Find an Accountability Partner, and REST! We are doing this for our health, but most importantly we are doing this FOR HIM!
Today's Verse
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Col 3:17
you gonna be my accountability partner??
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