"IT'S A RENTAL"

August 4, 2010Read: 1 Corinthians 6

"You are not your own. You were bought at a price, so honor God with your body." --1 Corinthians 6:20

Somewhere, on some rental car lot -- with the sounds of inbound flights drowning out the hum of transit buses coming and going from the terminal -- an economy sedan sits in solitude, used, beaten and soiled. Coffee stains, cigarette ashes, Slim Jim wrappers. An inadvertent pen mark is making a home in the upholstery and the suspension on the car is aching from the accumulation of sharper-than-normal turns and a Dukes of Hazzard approach to the speed bumps on the return route to the terminal.

Why are we so hard on our rentals? Because we don't have to take it home with us, of course! Strangely, the same person who would put their Avis in door-dinging peril prefers to park their high-priced Mercedes in the remotest corner of the grocery store lot at home.

Our bodies are rentals -- they are only ours for a fleeting moment of time in eternity -- but we need to treat them more like our own credit depends on the condition in which we return them. Today, take to cleaning out your personal make and model -- better fuel, a spotless interior and a shiny, polished coat. You'll feel better and the ultimate Lessor will be appreciative of the upkeep.

--E.V.

RESISTING BONE DEPLETION Keep bone density high with resistance and high-impact training

Training is all about progression. No matter what your goal is, you should always work on beating yesterday's best. This is the only way to ensure drastic, lasting change in your physique and overall health. But just in case you needed another reason to bust your tail in the gym or elsewhere, increased intensity can also boost your bone health.

A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reports that long-term running and resistance training helped to increase bone mineral density. They also found that high-impact activities, such as running, have a greater positive effect on bone mineral density than resistance training.

So two activities that many people still shun because of their perceived difficulty -- weight training and running -- hold myriad benefits, not just for those looking to become leaner or more athletic, but for anyone looking to fortify bone structure. By training this way, you could literally be adding years to your life clock and keeping yourself out of the urgent care in the meantime.