Since 2009
THE PRAYFIT DEVOTION
Seeing Words
Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28) Christian vocalist Mark Harris has a wonderful line in one of his songs that goes, "Preach Christ, even if it means use words." Plainly put, our actions to an unbelieving world matter more than what we say. I thought of that line last week watching the recap of Nelson Mandela's memorial. By now you're aware that while the President and other world leaders offered their speeches, the sign language interpreter was doing anything but interpreting. Sadly, some people needed to see words.
As Christians in the fitness industry, what an exciting opportunity you have to take God's message to your individual corners of the world. Without a doubt, someone is listening to your actions. Among undoubtedly countless other lessons, your daily diligence and discipline have helped them make better food and exercise choices. Imagine, your life in motion is a spark that may have extended the lives of others. Some are also watching what your life says about humility and modesty. In an industry with no shame, you -- the Christian in the gym -- roar when you don't compromise. Whether your life is all about His hands and feet, or your own abs and arms, they hear it loud and clear. What an awesome responsibility.
Friends, those around us who don't know Jesus, they live in silence. Much like the deaf community last week, they could be depending on a stranger, straining to hear every move. Who'll deliver if not us? Our one chance to get it right could be their only chance to get the message. Our life is that chance. Our chance is our choice. Our choice is a voice. Let's keep talking. Preach Christ, even if it means use words.
–Jimmy Peña
"Whether your life is all about His hands and feet, or your own abs and arms, they hear it loud and clear."
EXERCISE IN FOCUS: THE LUNGE
Lunge | Focus: Legs, glutes, hamstrings, lower back | (VIDEO)
Stand with your feet together, abs tight and eyes focused forward. Step forward with one foot. Bend both knees to lower yourself, making sure your front knee doesn’t pass your toes on your front foot. Stop just short of your rear knee touching the floor and reverse directions, driving through the heel of your forward foot to return to the start. Alternate legs for reps.
TARGET MUSCLES: Glutes, hamstrings, quads
>> For more exercise descriptions and videos, click here.
>> Looking for a workout to develop your lunge proficiency? Try one of the many options available at our Fitness page.
HE'S HOW, HE'S WHY
October 17, 2011Read: Matthew 4
"Come, follow me." -- Matthew 4:18-20 Last Friday night we glanced back. For those who didn't see it, here's the thought we posted on Facebook: "Whew, Friday. Looking back down the week's mountain, some of us wonder how and why we made it. I know I do. That Monday meeting, Tuesday's test, Wednesday's wreck...well, you get the point. But it's ok to look back. Moses looked back at the sea he crossed. Daniel looked back at his bed in a lion's den. And Jesus? He looked back too. Of all the memories He had on Friday, our future was one of them. So go ahead. Look back in awe, in wonder. And while we do, let's remember that Jesus finished His week to give us purpose in ours. Whew, Friday. That's how. He's why..."
And so...whew! Monday. That was quick. The foot of yet another mountain. Head craned, eyes up...it's steep. But before you start your climb, look down. Notice? Somebody's been here. Go ahead, kneel to get a closer look. Seems our 'how' and 'why' has cleared a path. Are you shaking your head in wonder? Yeah, me too. The one who delivered us on Friday is leading us on Monday. Let's look up the hill in awe as we put one foot in front of the other, shall we? We'll see you at the top.
--J.P.
Workout of the Week: Legs in 10
You may not have heard it here first but you've certainly heard it here often: Training your legs regularly is one of the best things you can do to enhance your body composition. The quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves represent a large portion of your body's musculature so, by working them hard you burn more calories. This, of course, on top of the more direct benefits such as increased strength, stamina and power production. This lower-body routine allows you to train for multiple goals at once, without equipment and in just a few minutes.
Warm-up: Jog in place for 1 min. High-knee running Jumping jacks Squat jumps Split jump lunge Speed skaters Wall squat hold
--Perform each exercise for one minute, resting 15-30 seconds between each. Then, repeat the entire sequence as many times as possible.
SHARE: GOALS What is one goal you hope to crush this week? List it here in the comments section. Is it consistent prayer time? Bible study? Perhaps you want to walk a certain number of laps or run a particular number of miles. Whatever it is, make it known. Let us and others help hold you accountable. We're on this side of the hill together.
KEEPING HOUSE
May 3, 2011 Read: Mark 13
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back." --Mark 13:35
My wife Wendy and I live in a house of toddlers which means that at any given moment, our little home can look like hurricane-force winds blew through, tossing about everything that isn't nailed down. Toys are scattered, clothes are strewn over the furniture and...is that string cheese ground into our rug? We try, sometimes to no avail, to keep up with the cyclical mess.
However, once I get word that my mother-in-law is coming to visit, a new side of me emerges -- an unrelenting, super-cleaning alter ego that is intent on spot-shining the house into model-home glory. You see, not only did her and my father-in-law help us buy this place, but Ethelmarie keeps a pretty tidy household. And while she may not be bothered by the mountainous pile of juice cups in my sink, I still don't want her to see it. But my inner Mr. Clean -- the one that speedily washes fingerprints from windows and mops floors -- really only comes out when I know she's stopping by. And while her visits are usually announced, we love that she will occasionally just stop by. As a result, Wendy and I are now doing our best to keep the house Ethel-ready (as much as Mya and Ella will allow, that is) at all times.
We all have houses to keep -- both brick-and-mortar and flesh-and-blood. And you never really know when company's coming.
Lord, we are so grateful for the bodies that house our souls and do not take lightly that we were made in your image. Please help us find the daily motivation to be faithful stewards of the physical gifts we've been given. Amen.
--E.V.
ON TARGET: LUNGES FOR HAMSTRINGS The workout of the week may not target the muscle groups you think it is
When most people think of lunges, they think of sore quads. Sure, lunges work your quadriceps -- the large muscles that cover the front of your thighs -- but new research indicates that this functional exercise may primarily target their antagonist (opposite) muscle group.
Swedish researchers had competitive soccer players perform four sets of 12 reps of the walking lunge twice a week for six weeks. And when they tested the subjects at the end of the study, they found that the athletes had gained a 35% increase in hamstrings strength. Their average increase in quad strength, meanwhile, was zero which indicates that the lunge may be more of a hammie move than you thought.
The catch is that the study included walking lunges. This week's workout included the stationary version of the lunge. Both varieties are effective for targeting hamstrings, although the stationary lunge may provide a small amount of additional work for the quads because of the step back to the start position.
Source: Jim Stoppani, PhD
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RUNNING TO WATER
May 2, 2011Read: 1 Thessalonians 5
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." --1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Today was baptism day at church. If you've never been to one of these services, you should know -- it's not just the baptized that need towels. Fully immersed believers up front and tear-soaked pews throughout mean that everyone is leaving wet.
But for one family, there wouldn't be any dunking. They explained to us that their daughter was being baptized differently -- with a few sprinkles of water instead of the complete immersion -- because she had a rare and dangerous skin disorder that makes her particularly vulnerable to injury. A pat on the back, an unexpected stumble or an overzealous hug from someone who doesn't know any better could literally pull the delicate skin from her 10-year-old body.
Yet there she stood, proud and determined, ready to publicly declare her love for the Lord.
With my two, healthy, rambunctious daughters causing mayhem just a few doors away in Sunday school, I quietly reflected on what this family must have endured to come to this day. Hospital visits, constant anxiety, sleepless nights and enough tears to fill the baptismal they now stood beside. In a desert of hopelessness, when most would surrender to the sand, this family ran to the water that gives life.
--E.V.
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: 100 LUNGES
The lunge is a fantastic exercise for just about any part of the fitness demographic. Those looking to boost athleticism can enhance balance and improve overall leg strength. Those concerned with aesthetics can burn a ton of calories while shaping their entire lower-body musculature. Even seniors and those coming back from injury can use the lunge to improve stability and coordination. The message is clear: this all-purpose movement should be a staple of your exercise routine.
First, let us revisit the basics of the lunge:
Lunge | Focus: Quads, glutes, hamstrings | (VIDEO)
Stand with your feet together, abs tight and eyes focused forward. Step forward with one foot. Bend both knees to lower yourself, making sure your front knee doesn’t pass your toes on your front foot. Stop just short of your rear knee touching the floor and reverse directions, driving through the heel of your forward foot to return to the start. Alternate legs for reps.
This week, your goal is to complete 100 lunges. Yes, that's 50 per foot. Advanced trainees won't get off easy, though. Here are our week's guidelines. Choose a workout challenge, based on your experience level.
Beginner: Perform 100 lunges before Friday. If it's 10 lunges at a time, twice a day, each day this week, then that's fine. Just make sure that you reach 100 by Friday.
Intermediate: Perform 100 lunges for time today. Mark your time. Thursday, perform 100 lunges again and strive to beat Monday's time. Use Thursday's time as your benchmark for next week's workouts.
Advanced: Perform 100 lunges each day this week for time. If you beat your time by more than 10 seconds in any workout, use 10-pound dumbbells (or heavier) for the next. Your goal is still to beat Monday's time each workout. Carry this process into next week's workouts.
>> GEAR UP: If you're faithful and into fitness, it's time to start dressing the part. Head over to our online store to pick up some of our newly-redesigned PrayFit gear. If you're looking for a structured fitness and nutrition plan, pick up a copy of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days."
>> EXERCISE CENTRAL: If you need more guidance on PrayFit's core exercises, click here.
AIM AT HEAVEN
February 22, 2011
Quote of the Week: "Aim at heaven, and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth, and you get neither."- C.S Lewis
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Lunge for Better Legs
Walking is a fantastic exercise that can provide a strong base of cardiovascular fitness, particularly when you push yourself to walk faster and farther each time. But those who can do more should in order to achieve higher levels of fitness and to force the body to continue changing. So this week, we're adding a tougher twist to your normally casual stroll through the neighborhood.
Lunge walking is a great activity that puts a huge demand on all the major muscle groups in your legs, especially two areas that women prefer to target -- butt and thighs. To do a walking lunge properly, you simply take a longer-than-normal stride, then lower yourself by bending at both knees until your back knee almost touches the ground. Then, power yourself up and take another long stride and repeat. When you take that forward step, make sure not to allow your front knee to travel over or past your toes – if they do, you are putting your knee under too much stress. You can prevent that by simply taking longer steps.
Lunge This Way
Take today's workout outdoors, if possible. If you can't simply apply these principles to the traditional lunge.
After about five minutes of walking at a brisk pace, take 25 lunge steps with each leg, then walk at a brisk pace for 1-2 minutes. After that walk, repeat the process and take 25 more lunge steps. Repeat this 2-3 times total on your walk today.
If you have knee or hip problems, don’t worry about taking deep lunges – simply lower your body as far as is comfortable. You’ll still get the benefits of a more advanced workout today.
THE MECCA
November 8, 2010Read: Genesis 11
"Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'" --Genesis 11:4
Earlier this year, I spent a day directing a photo shoot at Gold's gym in Venice, Calif., arguably the world's hub for bodybuilding and fitness. No longer in the the magazine business, the spectacle was eye-opening. Above the over-sized mirrors are the words "THE MECCA," the massive letters easily 10-feet tall apiece. And if you look around the room, the word is as appropriate as it is misleading, because many in the mirror really do believe they've arrived.
At PrayFit, our mission toward greater health and fitness is all about obedience, not perfection. Our mantra is that it doesn't matter how big we get in life, but that embracing our smallness is what matters most. Remember we serve a great, big God, which makes us no match and a perfect match all at the same time. For that reason, it's only after He's arrived, that we'll ever be able to claim the same.
--J.P.
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: IT'S LUNGE TIME
So you've got 15 minutes either before work, at lunch or right after work and you wanna train your lower body with no equipment. No sweat. Well, kinda. Hit these exercises with very little rest between them, and get right back to your day. Do each move to absolute failure -- the point at which you can no longer complete reps with good (or decent) form -- then move to the next one. If you have time, go through all of them again. And while all three moves are bodyweight driven, weight can be added to each to increase intensity. Not sure how? E-mail us at [email protected] or ask other readers on the PrayFit forums.
Sissy Squat Rise onto your toes, grasping a support for balance. Bend your knees and let them extend out in front of you, leaning back as you descend keeping your body straight from knees to shoulders. At the bottom, simultaneously push through your toes and drive your hips forward and up.
Wall Squat Lean against the wall with your back flush against it, your legs bent at 90-degrees and your eyes focused forward. Hold that position as long as possible.
Alternating Lunge Step forward with one foot. Bend both knees to lower yourself, making sure your front knee doesn’t pass your toes. Stop just short of your rear knee touching the floor and reverse directions, driving through the heel of your forward foot to return to the start.
>> IN THE NEWS: Congratulations to PrayFit endorser Robert Guerrero for his 10-round unanimous decision over Vincente Escobedo on Saturday.
>> STUFF A STOCKING: "PrayFit: Your Guide to A Healthy Body and A Stronger Faith in 28 Days," is the perfect gift for anyone looking for a renewal of faith and fitness. The book includes 56 days of daily devotionals, complete exercise programs for beginners and intermediates, as well as full meal plans to speed results. Order a gift today or pick one up for yourself by heading to Barnes & Noble or Amazon today!