As we get caught up in the whirlwind of our hectic schedules, it’s easy to forget that we are to do all we do to the praise and glory of God. But as we keep our goals with God’s glory in mind, we stay connected to His supernatural power.

Examine where you might have “settled” in your daily routine. How can you determine to access more of God’s power in your eating and exercise habits? Be eternally minded and think of developing more self-control, faithfulness and endurance as you take your health and fitness goals to the next level. Most assuredly, as you get healthier, it brings God more glory.

Muscle is valuable for many reasons, including its ability to burn calories. In fact, 1 pound of muscle burns about 35 calories a day, whereas 1 pound of fat burns only 2 calories.

Studies tell us that between the ages of 20 and 30, without weight-resistant exercise, we begin to lose muscle. As we age, the rate at which we lose seems to increase slightly. As we lose muscle, our basal metabolic rate slows down, which means we are burning fewer calories. This change in metabolism generally means a gain in fat. Let’s say that between the ages of 30 and 40, we have lost 10 pounds of muscle and gained about 10 pounds of fat. That means that in 10 years, we would have a 20-pound body composition change and still weigh the same amount.

There is another interesting aspect to muscle. Muscle is denser and takes up much less space than fat. You could therefore maintain the same weight you are now and be 2 sizes smaller by gaining 10 pounds of muscle and losing 10 pounds of fat. Just think, by increasing your muscle, or your lean body mass by 10 pounds, you would increase your metabolic rate by about 350 calories a day. Just gaining 5 pounds of muscle would increase your calorie expenditure by 175 calories a day. That’s 63,875 calories or 18 pounds a year.

No wonder as we age it is so easy to gain fat simply by not exercising. Many people are frustrated by the fact that they eat just as they always have, but now they are gaining weight, not realizing that each year without resistance exercise, their metabolisms are slowing down. Exercise is the only way to reverse this effect of aging.

Many people, especially women, are afraid of getting “too muscley,” so they avoid strength-training exercises altogether. I know because I used to be one of those people, but that was before I discovered that muscle not only makes you feel better and look more toned, it also greatly increases your body’s ability to burn fat. After so many years of starvation dieting, my metabolism needed to be raised from the dead. It seemed as though it was impossible for me to lose weight and keep it off. Replacing lost muscle was crucial to reaching and maintaining my weight-loss goals.  I encourage you to take action now to gain muscle so that you can reach and maintain your weight-loss goals.

I have found that I get quicker and more lasting results with weight loss when I do these two things together – increase my exercise and decrease my calories.  Can you lose weight by only reducing calories?  Yes, but by adding or increasing your exercise, the muscle that is gained will help burn more calories, and you will lose weight faster.

Consider this:  just by adding a fast 15-20 minute walk (approximately 1 mile) to your routine, you can burn 100 extra calories per day. Do this, and nothing more every day for a year, and you will lose 10 pounds, assuming your food intake just stays the same.

Now if you also eliminate 100 calories from your diet each day (perhaps a soft drink, cream in your coffee or sweet treat), you could knock off another 10 more pounds that year. These two easy adjustments could make you 20 pounds lighter in one year, and if you choose to do add more exercise and reduce more calories each day, you will lose much more than that!

Remember, for lasting weight loss it is best to decrease calories and increase exercise.  By doing these two things, you can be on your way to reaching your health and fitness goals!

I was in such bondage to weight for so long and I hated it -I was miserable. But I got into God’s Word and I continued in it, and I found the truth and that truth made me free.

And He wants you to be free – He wants you to know the truth. Vine’s Dictionary defines truth as the reality lying at the basis of an appearance. I like that. The reality lying at the basis of an appearance. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the reality lying at the basis of an appearance. The Word of God is truth. The Word is the reality lying at the basis of an appearance. How do things appear? How do things look? Suppose you have a lot of weight to lose and you have failed at diet after diet. It may look hopeless – but the truth is, you can do all things through Christ, through the Anointed One and His Anointing, who strengthens you.

You may think – there is no way I can get out there and walk and be faithful to it, but the truth is – Jesus is the way. Are you getting this? Knowing the truth will make free.  Knowing in your heart that the Word of God is true and acting on it, is what activates the power of God. When you get in the Word and you see that God is on your side, that you are praying according to His will and that He desires you to succeed, nothing can stop you from accomplishing your goals. Our confidence comes from knowing that our goals are in agreement with God’s. What He calls us to do He anoints us to do. The reality is, the truth is, that Jesus paid the price for your freedom – and hell itself can’t stand in the way of you walking in freedom from overeating today and everyday for the rest of your life – but, it takes faith, it takes commitment.  The more revelation knowledge you get, the more you’ll see that an active lifestyle and healthy eating are truly good.

Hebrews 5:13-14 (NKJV) 
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

This scripture shows me that by practice, by habit, by doing what’s good again and again, you’ll begin to train your mind and your 5 physical senses to discern what’s good. This is how you change your desires. This is how you prove for yourself that God’s will for you is good and that it works.

Remember to work at your own fitness level and your own faith level. If you’re presently too overweight to start walking, simply pray the prayer I included in my last post (part 2) and do what you can and sow it to the Spirit. Remember  Galatians 6:7-9. “Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”.  

Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, as you sow this time of activity (any time of activity) to God’s Holy Spirit, and as you do it unto God to sow self control, faithfulness and endurance, you’ll reap whatever you sow. And the more you sow, the more you’ll reap.

Now, can you see the power in all this?  We take all the health benefits of exercising and we’ve added godliness.  When you do your work out, you’re praying and meditating on the Word of God.  What does that mean?  Besides strengthening your physical body, you are feeding your spirit, you’re renewing your mind, you’re exercising your faith, you’re presenting your body a living sacrifice, you’re sowing to the spirit, your developing the fruit of the Spirit, you’re worshiping and honoring God, you’re glorifying God in your body.  With all that, you are destined to be victorious!

1. Exercise increases your stamina and endurance.

2. Exercise reduces stress.

3. Exercise reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke.

 4. Exercise strengthens your immune system.

5. Exercise strengthens your bones and joints.

6. Exercise decreases your appetite.

7. Exercise will increase the number of calories you burn

8. Exercise will strengthen your heart and lungs so that they will work more efficiently.

9. Exercise decreases a woman’s risk for breast cancer.

10. Exercise decreases your blood pressure and blood cholesterol.

I believe we can all agree exercise is obviously good for us, and when we focus on all the benefits, that can help encourage us to get up and do it!  I’m telling you it is a blessing – it has great benefits to us. God designed our bodies so wonderfully, so magnificently that when we use them like we’re supposed to, they get stronger.

Now you take all those benefits of exercise and you add godliness.

Years ago, the Lord showed me how to pray His Word over my time of exercise.  I wrote the following prayer on a card and had it in front of my treadmill – and I prayed it every time I would exercise.   This prayer is so powerful because it is based on the truth of God’s Word.  The scriptures listed are all included in the prayer.

Father God,

I present my body to You as a living sacrifice.  I offer this time of exercise to You as a time of worship – to glorify You in my body.  I purpose in my heart to sow self control, endurance and faithfulness, and I believe I receive a hundred fold return.  I earnestly expect to become more and more like Jesus;  therefore, I press on toward that goal for the prize of my high calling.  I decree that with every step I take, I am increasing in health, strength and discipline.  Thank you for anointing me to succeed as I prove Your good and perfect will in my life.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

Romans 12:1

Galatians 6:7-9

Romans 8:29

I Corinthians 6:20

Galatians 5:22-23

Philippians 3:14

I John 2:27

2 Corinthians 9:7

Matthew 13:23

Romans 12:2

This prayer is intended to give you a starting point to build and exercise your faith. It will help you renew your mind to what the Word says about your body. Pray this prayer and mix your faith with it. As you look up the 10 scripture references that this prayer is based on, study them and read them out loud, your faith will grow. Ask God to reveal to you what you need to know. It’s important that you understand what God’s desire is just for you.

I want you to know how to use exercise to not only benefit the health of your body, but also to train and discipline your senses. As you use physical activity such as aerobic exercise, weight training or walking to exercise your faith and develop the fruit of the Spirit in your life, it will open the door for the anointing of God to help you. It will change exercise from something that may not seem all that valuable into a time of worship and fellowship with God.

As you learn to take physical exercise and turn it into an exercise of your faith, you release the power of God, the anointing of God, to help you work out. That’s what makes the difference. It’s the anointing of God that removes your burdens and destroys your yokes. It’s the anointing of God that will set you free and keep you free.

I’m not sharing this good news simply as a personal trainer, but as a witness of someone who God has supernaturally delivered from the bondage of overeating. It’s good news that Jesus is the Christ – the Anointed One. And as a member of the body of Christ – that same anointing is available to you today. It is God’s will for you to walk in His anointing in every area of your life. It is time for us as Christians to step into the anointing of God in the area of the health of our bodies.

There is an anointing available to help us eat right. There is an anointing available to help us exercise. There is an anointing available to help us live life the way God created us to live it. We are not exercising our bodies just to look good. We are exercising our bodies to be healthy and fulfill the call of God on our lives. We are presenting our bodies a living sacrifice. We are recognizing the fact that our bodies are not our own; they are bought with a price. We are temples of God’s Holy Spirit, and we are called to glorify God in our bodies. We are called to be a witness of God’s nature. We’re supposed to be walking in the fruit of the Spirit. Walking in love, walking in joy, walking in peace, endurance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, walking in self-control. Walking in that wonderful nature of God that was born into us when we were born again. It’s that nature of God that gives us the ability to walk in victory in every area of our lives. That’s why our spiritual development has to be our first priority.

Paul said in I Timothy 4:8, “For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” We can see that while it is profitable to exercise our bodies,  it profits little, or doesn’t last long. But Paul says it’s more profitable to develop godliness, to exercise our faith.

Can you see why maturing in the nature of God and developing the fruit of the Spirit is so crucial to your victory? Physical exercise affects your body, but godliness affects your spirit, soul and body. It affects every area of your life. Now suppose I told you, “if you want to lose weight, all you have to do is burn more calories than you eat, eat healthy food and exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times a week.” What good would that do you? You probably already know that, and you having that knowledge alone is not the answer. It doesn’t free you from the bondage of overeating.

People are failing at losing weight and keeping it off because it takes the power of God, it takes training and disciplining our senses and developing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives to make permanent changes. You simply can’t get around the fact that it takes self-control to control what you eat and how much you eat, and it takes faithfulness and endurance to keep on eating right and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It takes all of the fruit of the Spirit working together to live a victorious Christian life, including the area of our health and fitness.

Next time, I’ll share more about God’s anointing  to set you free.

2. Exercise reduces stress. Exercise activates your endorphins, causing a natural high and a sense of well-being.

3. Exercise reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke. Coronary heart disease is the leading killer in the United States, and nearly half of them are women.

 4. Exercise strengthens your immune system. It actually increases your resistance to stress and illness.

5. Exercise strengthens your bones and joints. This is a very important benefit for women because strong bones and joints decrease a woman’s chance for osteoporosis.

6. Exercise decreases your appetite. You won’t be as hungry because exercise acts as a natural appetite suppressant.

7. Exercise will increase the number of calories you burn. This increase will accelerate your weight loss and encourage weight control.

8. Exercise will strengthen your heart and lungs so that they will work more efficiently. Exercise literally strengthens your heart muscle, and a stronger heart will last longer.

9. Exercise decreases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Studies have shown that women who engage in exercise at least three times a week have a lessened chance of developing breast cancer.

10. Exercise decreases your blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Exercise decreases your blood pressure and LDL, or bad cholesterol, while raising your HDL, or good cholesterol. A consistent aerobic workout, coupled with weight training and healthy eating, will get us to our goals.

Research shows that there are many benefits to exercising in the morning. Exercise revs up your metabolism and can help keep you burning more calories for hours. I know for me that exercising in the morning works best for many reasons. First, it ensures that the demands of my day won’t cause me to cancel it. Second, it has a tremendous effect on how I feel.

Not only do I feel more energetic, but I also have a sense of accomplishment that positively affects my mood. I experience better concentration and focus throughout the day, and can even tell a difference in my appetite. Not only do I experience a decreased desire for certain foods, but I am more motivated to make better food choices because I am more aware of not sabotaging my own fitness efforts.

Being able to accomplish all of these benefits makes morning workouts a worthwhile goal. An added benefit of regular exercise is that the quality of our sleep improves, and we sleep sounder. This means that getting up an hour earlier to exercise does not necessarily mean that we have to go to bed an hour earlier, because as the quality of our sleep improves, we may require less sleep. But really, what would it hurt to sacrifice a little late-night TV for a stronger, healthier, and more rested body?

Now, I am going to turn right around and tell you that if you just can’t work out in the morning, fine, then don’t. I know people who work out for 30 minutes every day during their lunch hour at work. I know people who have worked out during their baby’s afternoon nap time. I know people who work out in the evenings. One of my good friends works out whenever she can, be it mornings or evenings. Her goal is simply to get in 4 workouts per week. She is disciplined enough not to need a schedule. Just remember, when you work out is not nearly as important as if you work out.

Here are several things walking can do for you:

Increase your stamina and endurance
This is exciting news! If you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day—too tired to even enjoy your family—make regular exercise a part of your life. Once it becomes a habit you won’t want to give it up, because it will make you feel so good!

Reduces stress
How many people do you know that want to reduce stress? Exercise activates your endorphins, which are neurotransmitters (biochemical substances), in the brain that produce a sense of well being. We not only feel stronger and healthier, but also have the ability to deal with everyday stress in our lives in a positive way.

Reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke
This is a very important benefit, since coronary heart disease is recognized as the leading killer in the United States, and nearly half of these deaths occur among women.

Strengthens your immune system
Walking can actually increase your resistance to stress and illness.

Strengthens your bones and joints
This is an added benefit for women, because strong bones and joints can decrease a woman’s chance for osteoporosis.

Decreases your appetite
I don’t know many people that wouldn’t want this benefit! You won’t be as hungry because exercise acts as a natural appetite suppressant.

Increases the number of calories you burn
By walking and increasing the number of calories you burn, you will accelerate weight loss and positively influence weight control.

Strengthens your heart and lungs
Walking can help these organs work more efficiently. Exercise strengthens your heart muscle, and a stronger heart will last much longer than a weak heart.

Decreases a woman’s risk for breast cancer
Studies have shown that women who engage in exercise at least 3 times a week have a decreased chance of developing breast cancer.

Decreases your resting arterial blood pressure
Exercise lowers your blood pressure.

Improves your blood lipid profile
Exercise lowers your LDL (low-density lipids), or bad cholesterol, while raising your HDL (high-density lipids), or good cholesterol. 

With all these health benefits, why not start walking today?

The ideal walking shoe should be stable from side to side, well cushioned and allow you to walk smoothly. It is really not necessary to buy special “walking” shoes. A good pair of running shoes will work fine, as long as the shoe provides cushioning and stability to suit your own particular foot mechanics. It is good to know, however, that specialty-walking shoes are not as bulky, cushioned or heavy as running shoes because they aren’t made to sustain high impact running.

If you develop a blister, (which shouldn’t happen if you have the right shoes), open the blister with a sterilized needle and drain the fluid. Do not remove the skin covering the blister, but do treat it with an antibiotic ointment to guard against infection.

SHOE BUYING TIPS

* Don’t skimp when it comes to buying shoes. It is extremely important to take care of your feet.
* Shoes should always feel comfortable and fit well. You shouldn’t need to “break them in.”
* Your feet may swell slightly as the day progresses and when you exercise. To make sure you buy the correct size, shop for shoes later in the day, rather than first thing in the morning.
* When buying walking shoes, be sure and try them on while wearing sport socks.
* When the shoe is on your foot, the heel should be snug. You should also be able to wiggle your toes and your ankle shouldn’t roll .
* When trying on shoes, lace them up and walk around in them.
Consult your podiatrist if you have bunions or other special considerations.

CLOTHING TIPS

* Wear socks that are thick enough to give extra cushioning and prevent rubbing.
* Wear several layers of loose clothing. As your body temperature increases, you can take off the layers.

Begin your walking program slowly and increase gradually. If you start too quickly by walking too far or too fast, you could wind up sore, or even injured. You body needs time to adjust to the demands of an exercise program. Start at a speed and distance you are comfortable with and gradually increase each week.

* If you are new to walking, begin with a 5-minute stroll and gradually increase your distance.
* Walk at a comfortable pace and don’t concern yourself about your speed. Focus on your posture by walking tall with your head lifted and shoulders relaxed.
* Swing your arms naturally and breathe deeply. If you can’t talk, you are walking too fast!
* Once you can walk a few miles comfortably, you can increase your speed.
* Listening to upbeat music is a great way to boost your workout [link to CDs].
* It is very important to take a few minutes to stretch before and after you walk, to help prevent sore muscles.

You first goal is to be able to walk for 20 minutes a day. From there, you can begin to work your way up. Remember that any time spent exercising is better than no exercise at all!

Warm up and cool down stretching

It’s important that you warm up for approximately 8-10 minutes to prepare your muscles and joints for the demands of exercise. Warming up increases your circulation, warms up your muscles and gradually increases your heart rate. Gently ease into the stretch until you feel slight tension. Don’t bounce. Hold each stretch for 10-20 seconds.

1.  Calf Stretch
Keep your toes pointing straight ahead. Press the heel of your extended leg into the floor and gently move your hips forward until you feel slight tension in your calf.

2.  Quadriceps Stretch
Keep your hips facing forward and your back straight. Make sure your supporting leg is slightly bent.

3.  Low Back Stretch
Make sure your lower back is pressed firmly against the ground.

4.  Groin Stretch
Sit up tall. Gently press your knees towards the floor with your elbows.

5.  Hamstring Stretch
Slowly bend forward reaching towards your toes. Keep your back straight and your head extended throughout the stretch. Keep both knees slightly bent.

Toward the end of your workout, begin to slow down and allow your heart rate and circulation to return to normal. This cool down phase is very important, because your muscles are warm and loose. Perform the same stretches that you did before you began your workout to prevent sore muscles.

Remember – getting in shape is one step at a time!