Since 2009
THE PRAYFIT DEVOTION
Be Friends, Not Enemies
"He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." --Philippians 3:21
Read: Philippians 3:21
Before your very first day of school, or prior to getting your driver's license, and even before you began the family with which you spend your days...came your body. Not only did God inspire your soul's dream, but He gave you the body necessary to pursue the job. Since God will always equip us with what we need to accomplish His will, we know our bodies were His choice. Can you imagine the moment?
It was as if God said:
"Sweet soul, here is your body. I've carefully woven it together. It has what it takes for you to pursue me and tell others about me. And oh precious body, this is your soul. Of all the matter in the universe, this is what matters most. Carry it where it needs to go. Protect it. Honor it. Now, I want you two to be good to each other. Be friends, not enemies."
So, do me a favor and take a quick glance at your arm or hands. Think for a second that God himself has touched that skin. He was first. In fact, talk to your body. It's okay, go ahead. Maybe you need to thank it. Perhaps you need to assure it. Or like me recently, maybe during your dark hour, you need to apologize. Could be for something you've knowingly done or for something out of your control -- an ailment, an accident maybe, or even a disease. But much like any friend going through a tough time, just tell it you're so very sorry. After all, it was God who knitted it and then breathed life into it. Miraculously, He gave your heart a knowledge that there is something more to this life than life. And like it says in our verse, in order to pursue Him and then share Him, He gave you a weak and fragile body. Oh, it may not last this earth, but you can rest assured it was indeed a match made in Heaven.
--Jimmy Peña
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: MIX & MATCH Your body was fitted for a particular soul and every body out there is different. Some folks may just need to get busy with some cardio to build that friendly soul-body rapport, while others may be interested in reshaping a particular bodypart. Whatever your need -- and wherever your soul leads -- we have a great selection of workouts for you to choose from. Pick one (or more) of the 10-minute workouts listed here, or click here to go straight to our fitness page. Be sure to share these on your Facebook pages to get others in your social circles moving this week!
Not sure how to do an exercise? Click here to see many of these moves in action!
WE'RE PAGE-TURNERS
October 24, 2011Read: Hebrews 12
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus; the author and finisher of our faith." --Hebrews 12:2
The...End. Not something you expect to read at the start of a devotion, but it was something I witnessed on my plane recently. The lady across the isle was reading a book that made "War and Peace" look like a leaflet. Seriously, at one point on the flight, I saw her begin Chapter 153.
As we began our descent, I saw her turn to the last page of the final chapter. You expect to see someone start a book on a flight, but to witness the finish, now that's rare. The bold capped words, THE END, hung below a short paragraph that covered only half the page. Her focus and reaction to her story was my focus, and I reacted.
"So how was it?" (I just had to ask. Rare moments are tough for me to ignore). "It was great!" she responded. "Lots of twists and turns but I love the author, and the end was better than expected."
I glanced up to the roof of the airplane as if to catch the grin of someone nobody could see, "Good one, Lord" I mumbled. You know, if I enjoyed watching some stranger finish her story, how much do you think God enjoys watching us live ours? To Him, we're page-turners, so let's really live! After all, she was right; lots of twists and turns, but if you love the Author, the end will be better than expected.
--J.P.
Question: What are your goals this week? How are you planning to live in terms of your health and well-being? Gonna try some healthy recipes? Start a new routine? Make it known in the comments section below.
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Mechanical Advantage
The body is an amazing thing in that it is fully fragile but fully adaptable. In any tough workout, progress is made in the daunting shadows beyond failure. Taking your body to the point of complete fatigue, then, is a desirable if only occasional ambition that can help you get healthier and stronger. But reaching that point doesn't have to mean the end of your workout. That's where adaptation comes in. By putting your muscles in a more mechanically advantageous position -- positions that demand less work -- you are able to extend your workout. Happily, additional cumulative work can lead to greater gains in the long run. This week's workout allows you to ask (and receive) more of yourself by simply capitalizing on mechanical advantage.
UPPER BODY
Plyo-Push up Standard Push-Up Push-Up (from knees)
LOWER BODY
Jump Squat Standard Squat Isometric Hold (squat at 90-degrees and hold to failure)
ABS
Double Crunch Standard Crunch Reverse Crunch
--Perform each exercise listed to complete failure before moving on to the next. Failure is the point at which you can no longer complete reps with good form. You can break up the upper, lower and abdominal workouts, doing them on separate days, or you can go through each exercise listed in sequence for a total body workout. If going the total-body route, you may go through the entire sequence 2-3 times total, resting at least 24 hours between workouts.
LOVE STEPPED IN
May 9th, 2011Read: Romans 3
"It comes freely unto us, but Christ bought it and paid the price." --Romans 3:22
This last Saturday night, the much-anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosely came and went with the expected outcome. But there was another fight that night that caught my attention. In one of the undercard bouts, a fighter in the late rounds was taking too many blows, unable to defend himself. His corner didn't wait for the ref to stop it, but threw in the towel knowing their fighter had enough. Come to find out, the fighter's cornerman was also his dad. As one announcer said, "Love stepped in." He just couldn't bear to see his son endure such a beating.
In the fight for our future, Jesus went the distance. While He could have stopped the fight, God knew we could never defend ourselves, so He let the battle rage. I guess you could say, "love stepped in," until our fight was over.
--J.P.
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Dumbbell Complex
So many of us have to take our workout time where we can get it -- before work, at lunch or after work. There's a reason they call it "rush hour" at the gym. Unfortunately, time efficiency can be difficult during these times and a good, full-body workout that takes you from one station to the next might just be out of the question (unless you have two hours to spare). No problem. This week's workout is right up your alley, as it has you working the entire body, in one spot, at the same time.
The complex, which can be performed with dumbbells or a barbell, allows you to train multiple muscle groups in succession without adjusting the weight. The order of the exercises can be altered to suit particular training goals. Your goal here? A solid, full-body workout that helps you build or maintain strength, while also keeping your fat-fighting furnace adequately stoked.
What you're going to do is pick a light-to-moderate set of dumbbells -- one that allows you to do around 20 reps on most isolation moves like lateral raises and curls. The reason we're going lighter is because we're going to begin each round of exercises with isolation moves. After we've hit certain bodyparts with laser-like accuracy, we'll move to a few exercises that require multiple joints and muscle groups, which allows you to raise the intensity without increasing the weight. By the end of the set, what once felt light will actually feel heavy.
Don't let lack of space or time ever stand in your way for a tough, proven workout.
For this workout, do 20 reps of each exercise, resting only as long as it takes to get into position for the next move. At the end of the last exercise, rest 1-2 minutes and repeat the sequence. Three total trips through the complex, 2-3 times per week is plenty. You'll have trained your entire body in a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise.
Bent-Over Lateral Raise | Target: Shoulders (emphasis: rear delts) Lateral Raise | Target: Shoulders (emphasis: middle delts) Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press | Target: Shoulders (emphases: front, middle delts) Bent-Over Dumbbell Row (two-hand) | Target: Back (emphasis: lower lats) Biceps Curl (simultaneously) | Target: Biceps Dumbbell Squat | Target: Legs (emphases: quads, glutes, hamstrings)
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RIGHT ON CUE
September 27, 2010Read: Philippians 1
"Being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you, will carry it on until completion to the day of Jesus Christ." --Philippians 1:6
Last night, my nephew Casey called us to play a song he'd been practicing for an upcoming piano recital. Casey, 16, is an aspiring songwriter and musician, and as he thundered away at his keyboard, my wife and I put him on speaker. A few seconds into his masterpiece, Loretta and I were in awe. We couldn't believe his talent. "That's my nephew!" I boasted. And then right on cue, Casey's perfection got pitchy. What should have been sharp went south, and what flowed went flat.
"It needs work," Casey explained with a giggle as he got back on the phone. But of course, despite a few hiccups, we thought it was awesome. "Keep working, Case. It'll come," we encouraged with applause.
You know, Casey's call gave me encouragement for the upcoming week. Each of us has a song to live. A beautiful melody that God loves to hear us play. After all, He conducts our lifesong. And while we might hit a sour note from time to time, like Casey's riff, God the conductor is still at work and loving us through our low notes.
And as it so happens, a few minutes after the call, I sent Casey a text asking him what the name of the tune was. He sent back, "Who I am hates who I've been." (Wow, right on cue.)
--J.P.
PRAYFIT WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: 10-Minute Full-Body Blast
Contrary to what most "hour per session" trainers will tell you, there's a fantastic level of fitness to be had by investing 10 minutes per day in exercise. The following quickie routine is a perfect day-starter for those looking to hit all their major muscle groups without an exhausting trip to the gym. After a few minutes of warm-up -- think 2-5 minutes worth of jumping jacks, running in place and arm swings -- perform each exercise listed, in order, to failure. Move from exercise to exercise without rest, save for the time it takes to list how many reps you performed on each. When you complete the last set of double crunches, rest 1-2 minutes, then perform the entire circuit once more, again listing your total number of reps.
Try this workout 2-3 times this week -- or for several weeks -- and, with proper nutrition, we guarantee you'll be looking and feeling stronger and leaner.
Exercise Sets Reps Jump squats 2 to failure Stationary Wall Squat 2 to failure Power Push-Up 2 to failure Standard Push-Up 2 to failure Double Crunch 2 t0 failure
>> WORKOUT JOURNALS: Chronicle your successes and shortcomings of your experiences with this workout and others in a PrayFit Workout Journal by clicking here.