Since 2009

THE PRAYFIT DEVOTION

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Glory By Way of Pain

"May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do." --2 Thessalonians 1:11

Read: 2 Thessalonians 1 Do me a favor and hold your breath for a couple seconds while you read along. I'll let you know when to exhale. Ready? (Deep breath.) "Well," he said while reading my medical chart. "I want you to do more. Let's push it a little. You're ready." (You can breathe now). And so can I.

Like you, I held my breath yesterday at my latest check-up. As if in a cage, I paced back and forth from one side of the room to the other. Waiting, praying, hoping. Thirteen months since I first began treatment. And sure enough, by God's grace alone, I'm healing; so much so that I've been given permission to do more.

What are you going through today? Are you struggling physically? Do you need God's healing hand, an encouraging word, an intentional prayer? We want to know so we can pray for you. List whatever you want us to pray with you about in the comment section. If you'd rather, go ahead and list "unspoken" and we will most certainly pray. We want for you what's happened in our own life. Like our passage today says, "May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do." (v.11)

Oh, and as I left the office, my doctor asked me about PrayFit. Sentimental me, I got choked up as I told him about some church visits on the East coast in a few weeks. He reached out his hand and shook mine saying, "Call me from the road if you need me."

Color Peña gone. Glory by way of pain.

--Jimmy Peña

WHEY BETTER RESULTS IN 2013 If you've made the effort to step up workouts this year -- perhaps with one of our at-home workout DVDs -- you'll need to make sure that you're rebuilding muscle optimally. Most of this can be achieved through proper nutrition but adequate protein consumption is vital. As you train, muscle fibers are ravaged. It is only during the aftermath that they use amino acids to rebuild themselves stronger for the next session. And that's why whey protein should be a staple of your pantry arsenal. This fast-digesting -- and usually great-tasting -- powder gives ailing muscles all they need to get back on the mend. Click the link below for more info!

>> How to use whey protein to get stronger, leaner in 2013

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DIAGNOSIS: MIRACLE

September 20, 2011Read:  Luke 7

"But say the word, and my servant will be healed." --Luke 7:7

Last night as I sat to write today's entry, I had an unexpected guest. But wait, let me back up. Two weeks ago, while sitting in the same spot, I heard a faint knock at my door. The kind of knock where you're really not sure, so you pause and wait to see? Well, sure enough, another knock. Opening my front door, I bore witness to my dear friend, Alan.

A neighbor and colleague -- pale, sweating, and collapsing in my arms. Minutes later, sitting in the ambulance with him, he was sure it was a kidney stone. Later that night, the doctors were sure it was cancer. A sizable tumor had taken his kidney captive, and he was bleeding internally. His surgery to remove both his kidney and tumor was yesterday. Or so we thought.

Last night as I sat in my spot to continue our look at health and devotion, walking across the parking lot was my unexpected guest...Alan. With his arms up, his first words were, "What tumor?" Three doctors from the most prestigious medical institution in Los Angeles couldn't find today what all three of them saw the day before. Alan recalls, "I was being wheeled to the operating room, and I heard a doctor say, 'We can't find the tumor'."

What some might call a misdiagnosis, Alan is calling a miracle. In fact, his primary physician says that in over 35 years of performing surgery, he's never seen anything like it. And oh, I should also report that minutes before he was taken to the operating room, Alan got on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.

God, thank you for being the unexpected guest in our storms of life. You walk on water and into hospital rooms. Help anyone reading these words say 'yes' when you knock. Amen.

--J.P.

EQUAL PROPORTIONS, BETTER HEALTH How simple balance can help you live longer

With all the fad diets out there that promise to help you lose weight for good, the best one may have been under your nose this whole time. Scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that the body responded best to a diet that was split equally among the three macronutrients -- carbs, protein and fat. Their research pointed out that this type of diet limited inflammation as well as certain type of cancers by acting favorably on key genes.

Ironically, this is the dietary approach advocated by Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days." Says Stoppani: "This not only makes the diet easy to remember, but it ensures that you are taking in a well-balanced diet that provides adequate amounts of quality protein for repair and regeneration of tissues, healthy sources of carbohydrates for energy, and healthy fats for proper brain function, cardiovascular health and joint function. When these three macronutrients are eaten in equal quantities (and in proper amounts), fat loss is optimized, while important muscle tissue is spared. In addition, research shows that when protein and carbs are eaten in equal amounts, brain function is optimized, allowing you to be more efficient at work and on all cognitive tasks – such as your daily devotionals!"

>> For the full PrayFit diet, pick up a copy of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days" from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

>> For the details on the Norwegian study, click here.

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THE LORD NEVER PANICS

August 17, 2011Read: Isaiah 55

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” --Isaiah 55:9

Things on the ground look pretty small from 35,000 feet. I know, because that’s where this entry was written. Halfway through a five-hour trip cross country, the flight attendant announced, “If there is a physician on board, please come to the back of the aircraft.” She repeated it three times.

Immediately two young men, including a man sitting in my row, jumped from their seats and rushed to help. The rest of us simply sat and watched as a huddle formed in the back of the plane. After maybe a minute, a grey-haired man from the front of the plane walked passed us, almost casually, to join the effort. It wasn't long before the man from my row returned to his seat and explained that a young lady had suffered a panic attack.

Curious, I asked him if he was a physician. “No," he said. “There was only one doctor among us back there. Two of us were firemen, but only one doctor -- an older man. When he showed up, we all stepped back to let him work.”

(Get me a laptop, stat.)

In life, we tend to panic, and the world responds will all sorts of solutions. But like today, I know I can’t run to the rescue. Only God can. Isn't it assuring to know that He is never rattled or stressed? He's always in control and is never late. And the problems that find us, even at 35,000 feet, are well under His.

Now I think I’ll sit back and relax. We still have a ways to go.

--J.P.

>> PRAYFIT  IN THE NEWS: Earlier this week, PrayFit founder Jimmy Pena was the subject of an interview on bodybuilding.com, the world's most heavily-trafficked fitness website. Learn about health as a means of praise from this Texas kid turned fitness expert in "Body & Soul."

>> DID YOU KNOW? Vitamin D isn't just a vitamin -- it's a powerful tool in achieving better overall health. Numerous studies show that Vitamin D can lower blood pressure, help prevent certain kinds of cancer and fortify you against diabetes. Vitamin D can also help you feel fuller longer, store less bodyfat, burn more abdominal fat and improve strength levels. According to Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Stronger Faith and Healthy Body in 28 Days," vitamin D enhances muscle contraction and protein synthesis, meaning better workouts and improved recovery afterward. The Endocrine Society recommends that healthy individuals get in 1,000-2,000 international units (IU) per day from all sources (food and supplemental). Those who are overweight could benefit from slightly higher doses, up to 4,000 IU.

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