Pause. Rewind.

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." --1 Corinthians 11:1

Read: 1 Corinthians 11

It's no secret that we at PrayFit are baseball fans. Well, last week, the manager of the Yankees - Joe Girardi - in the middle of a press conference said something that made me step out of the box, if you will.

An already emotional man, Joe was talking about the passing of his dad, and Joe's soul was on his sleeve. He fielded questions about what it was like trying to manage the team with such a heavy heart. They asked him what his dad would want him to do, or what his dad would have said to him during this time. It was a tough few minutes. But in response to one of the questions Joe replied, "I had a tremendous relationship with my father. Wherever he I went, I went. When he stopped I ran into him."

Pause. Rewind. That was me last week. As I replayed it, my first thought was of me as little boy, holding my dad's back pocket as we walked through Disneyland. I'll never forget it. I'm sure I ran into him a few times, right Pop? But in one brief phrase, Joe summed up our entire purpose -- to be so close to the Father that if He stopped we'd run into Him. You know, I think we've referenced the old adage that to be a follower of Christ is to be "covered in His dust." Yeah, well, thanks for the reminder Coach. May our lives, our choices, and our health help us get closer and closer to Him each day as we wait for the moment that He stops.

--Jimmy Peña

Question: Can our attention to better health be an example to others? How can honoring the body help us be better followers? Can we be so concerned about our bodies that it actually hurts our witness? We'd love to know your thoughts in the comments section below.

5 HEALTHY SIDE DISHES

Side dishes are supposed to be an accompaniment, but many favorites can jam in more calories than you want for an entire meal. Lighten up your plate with these healthy (but still delicious) substitutions.

>> Click here for recipes!

A HEALTHY REFLECTION

January 24, 2011Read 1 Corinthians 11

"Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." --1 Corinthians 11:1

Quote of the Week

"Good or bad, may we never let our fitness be a distraction from our witness."

--J.P.

WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: MASTERING THE PUSH-UP

A few days ago, we got a question about the push-ups in Week 2 of the book, "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days." Whether you're new to the exercise or you're a seasoned athlete, the push-up is a tough but fantastic exercise that targets your chest, shoulders, triceps and to a lesser extent your core musculature. So mastering it, even through the initial road bumps, is a good idea.

>> Try this. Begin your push-ups in standard position and perform as many as you can -- even if it's just a few. Then, when you can no longer do push-ups in this position, move to the modified version, where you let you knees rest on the floor. When you fatigue at the modified version, you can continue with incline push-ups, where your hands rest on an elevated surface such as a table, chair or low wall.

Rest only as long as it takes to get into position for the next move. After complete failure, rest 1-2 minutes and then repeat the sequence or move to your abs or even additional cardio. Be sure to record your effort, then beat that performance the next day and for the rest of the week.

>> VIDEO: Standard Push-Up

>> VIDEO: Incline Push-Up