My child, run in such a way that you may win. Exercise self-control in all things. Run not without aim, but run with purpose in every step. Don’t just shadowbox. Discipline your body like an athlete, training it to do what it should, so that after you have preached to others you yourself won’t be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Ingredient #7 is, you guessed it! EXERCISE! All I can say about this one is find something you love to do and do it. And learn to love some form of resistance training. Use weights or your body weight to build and strengthen your muscles. Increased muscle mass increases your metabolism. Your body will burn more calories and burn them efficiently when you lift weights. You can actually reshape your body by weight training. No need to worry about bulking up. Most women won’t. You can tone your muscles and have a remarkable outcome by resistence training. Start out slowly and with light weights. The more you build up your muscles, the stronger you will get. The stronger you get, the more your metabolism will crank up and turn into a calorie burning machine. Muscles burn more calories than fat does. And if we don’t use them, we’ll eventually lose them.
Do some form of exercise 3 to 4 days a week minimum. Find something you enjoy. Do something you’ll keep doing, not something you dread. Good options are walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming, zumba and dancing. Anything that gets your body moving.
Now here’s some really NEAT tricks for burning more fat. It’s called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT includes all of your physical activity throughout the day, excluding your “formal” workouts such as casual walking, shopping, yard work, housework, standing, pacing and even little things like talking, chewing, changing posture and fidgeting. You can implement more NEAT activity into your life by taking the stairs, stand or pace more, get up more often throughout the day and walk around and stretch, do your own yard work, walk instead of driving short distances.
Earl Loomis said: “We deny our talents and abilities because to acknowledge or confess them would commit us to use them. Don’t deny them please. If you do deny them, you deny your family, yourself, your church, your friends and your community the benefits of the talents that are inside of you.”
There are sees of greatness in each and every one of you.
St. Augustine said: “Man travels hundreds of miles to gaze at the broad expanse of the ocean. He looks in awe at the heavens above and stares in wonderment at the mountains, fields and streams, then passes himself by without a thought. God’s most amazing creation. That is you.”
The best form of cardio (aerobic) exercise for you is the one that you will get out and do on a regular basis. But what type is best for you? Only you can answer that. There are so many options out there but the one that will benefit you the most is the one that you’ll do consistently. Walking is probably the best place to start if you don’t do anything right now. You can start walking with a minimum investment of a good pair of shoes. The benefits to walking are too numeours to list, but two big ones are: burning fat and developing a stronger heart. Can you use a little of those? Me too! Try taking a walk for 30 to 60 minutes. Your body will love you for it. Go for a prayer walk around your neighborhood. Take a friend or your spouse. It’s a great way to start the day or clear your head after a long day at work.
Other great cardio exercises are, running/jogging outdoors, treadmill, bicycling indoor or out, elliptical machine, stairclimbers, cross country skiing and dancing. Whatever you choose to do, do it for 30 to 45 minutes at a time. Set a goal of doing some form of cardio exercise at least 3 times a week. Pretty soon your body will crave it!