DISCIPLINE DETERMINES DESTINY

August 15, 2011Read 1 Corinthians 9

"I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should." --1 Corinthians 9:27

Yesterday, Dr. Charles Stanley with In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia delivered a message entitled, "Discipline Determines Destiny." Of course, he made it clear that he wasn't talking about eternal destiny, but that he wanted to discuss our earthly effectiveness; how we handle our money, our time, our relationships and ohhhh yes, while I was at the edge of my seat, he said it..."how we handle our health."

None of the other topics received much of a reaction (perhaps because they were expected), but when he asked the question, "Who wants to live a long, healthy life?", there was a noticeable murmur. When it became quiet, Dr. Stanley simply asked his congregation how they expected to live abundantly when they're facing avoidable and preventable road blocks of health. Hearing it from me is one thing, but when Dr. Charles Stanley says it, it's another thing altogether.

As he preached, I scribbled. He used words and phrases like,

The value we place on our health will be evident in our diligence... Fulfilling, achieving, orderly, less stressful... Aimless and lethargic versus Godly and confident... Feeling good about yourself... Nothing to do with age...He still has the best in mind for you... Positive impact on others...health can be a way to witness... Build better health and a better faith...

Folks, go ahead and quiet the murmur in your mind and settle your thoughts on this one: Your health is important to God. Any personal justification you've otherwise convinced yourself with, is false. The call to action this week is a call of discipline. And it doesn't matter what you decide to do.  Just decide and work within your means. Walk the block or the dog. Do some push-ups or lift some weights. Walk away from the dessert menu and step up to the plate of clean eating. Discipline determines destiny, and if you're reading this, yours is still unwritten.

--J.P.

YOUR WORKOUT OF THE WEEK

This one is up to you. As we often say, the best type of exercise is the type that you will continue to do. Consistency in exercise, as with our faith, is key to making progress.

In fact, we want to know what it is. What was, or what will be your workout today or this week? Post it here and we'll use it for others to share in upcoming PrayFit entries. We'll give you the credit and God the glory.

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HONOR TO CHOOSE

March 14, 2011 "Any injustice in this life is offset by the honor of choosing our destiny in the next."

-- Max Lucado

Workout of the Week: 10-Minute Triceps

The triceps. This muscle group, critical for every upper body pushing movement, represents some 2/3 of the mass in your upper arm. Men who want bigger arms sometimes mistakenly overtrain their biceps but it's the out-of-sight, out-of-mind triceps that need the attention. For women, the back of the arm can be a "trouble" area -- a place where more bodyfat is stored and muscle tone can be tougher to hold on to. This short workout will help both genders provide this area with a mini-makeover worth its weight in tanktops.

You must train the triceps from three different angles to make sure that all three triceps heads are targeted. To keep the workout challenging, the pace is kept high, as you move from exercise to exercise with no rest.

The first exercise is the two-hand overhead extension which targets the long head. You will move immediately into a two-hand kickback, keeping both elbows high to target the middle head of the triceps. Finish the mini-circuit with close-grip push-ups to completely exhaust the back of the arms, this final move emphasizng the outer "horseshoe" portion of the triceps. Rest a couple of minutes and repeat. (Note: if you don't have dumbbells, you can use elastic bands or even soup cans.)

Overhead triceps extension - 12-15 repetitions Two-arm kickback - 12-15 repetitions Close-grip push-up - To failure (if necessary, do modified push-ups from the knees)

Triceps Trivia: Even when referring to one arm, always refer to the muscle as triceps. In fact, "tricep" is not a word.

A CHAMPION'S DNA

October 18, 2010 Read: Luke 17

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.” –Luke 17:15-16

Our DNA is remarkable. Our microscopic fingerprint. A double-helix with 25,000 regions of genes that tell the body how to build itself. And we’re getting better at reading it. Want to know if your child has the genetics of an all-pro athlete? There’s a gene for that. Or maybe even more impressive, there’s a gene that determines motivation to become an all-pro athlete. One’s genetic make-up can tell us so much about our future. The smarter we get, the better we’ll be at predicting all sorts of things from the likelihood of certain illnesses to athletic ability.

Aren’t we glad that Heaven isn’t determined by our DNA? When ability falls short and capability fails miserably, Jesus touches our hearts and leaves a permanent imprint of a nail-scarred hand; the only statistically significant indicator of one’s destiny.

–J.P.

10-MINUTE WORKOUTS: GET LEAN

Many trainers would have you believe that losing weight or getting lean requires a huge time commitment. The truth is, it's all about intensity and consistency. Using this 10-minute, at-home, full-body blitz can get you the results you need, in less time -- no fancy trainers needed. After a good warm-up, dive right in to this rest-minimal routine. The good news is that it is shorter in nature, so you can continue performing it daily -- up to five times per week -- to get the results you seek.

Warm-up: Run, do jumping jacks or jump rope for one 1-2 minutes.

Bodyweight squats - 1 minute Jump squats - 1 minute Rest - 1 minute Power Push-Ups - 1 minute Standard Push-ups - 1 minute Rest - 1 minute Double Crunches - 1 minute Standard Crunches - 1 minute Plank - 1 minute

Zip through this routine, top to bottom. If possible, repeat the sequence. And if you liked today’s workout, jot down your performance and strive to beat the number of reps you were able to achieve in 10 minutes, each day, for five days. Are you up for the challenge? Remember, the ones who make a difference with their bodies, minds, hearts and souls are the ones who show up.