Fit For Jesus! » Health And Fitness

The Strangest Place to Get Healthy and Pray

Fit For Jesus! — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:21:15 +0000

I’m already chuckling. Seriously, I am. This is one of my favorite, most comical (but effective) tools that I give to my clients. Every time I tell my clients about it, they get a surprised expression on their face and nervously laugh. I can only imagine the images going through their head when I tell them about it.

I’m sure more than one has thought, “Great. I have a crazy health and fitness coach!” But I always get the last laugh (in a good way!) on this one, because it is a nice trick to help you lose weight and get more fit!

Are you ready for it? Here it is: I want you to work out in the bathroom.

Don’t worry. We’re not talking about a full-blown, 30 minute, sweat-pouring, leg-quivering, arms out of control kind of workout. You won’t get funny stares from your co-workers as you walk out of the bathroom stall red-faced, huffing and puffing (because you won’t be). And there won’t be any funny noises coming from your stall, because you won’t need to grunt, scream, or holler from a monstrously heavy burden. There will be no SWAT team, police, security, or even your boss waiting outside the bathroom door, armed and ready for whatever strange events are happening inside.

So, relax. We’re talking about a selection of movements (you get to pick) that take just 45 seconds, at the max!

The overall premise is very simple: we don’t move enough each day, so we’re going to take advantage of our small, built-in, mandatory-for-life “bathroom breaks” to squeeze in a little more exercise every day. EVERY time we increase our activity, we get a brief increase in our metabolism, which means we are burning more calories.

Of course, more calories burned means more fat burned. More fat burned means a healthier body (assuming we’re talking about someone who needs to lose body fat). And a healthier body means a healthier, longer-lasting temple of the Holy Spirit!

Incidentally, because of the “strangeness” of the idea, I first tried this out on my mom. She literally called me less than 2 weeks later and said that her legs felt stronger, she could go up the stairs easier, and that getting into and out of dad’s farm truck was no longer a problem! (My mom is one of my greatest success stories)

Oh, yeah… we haven’t talked about it in depth, yet, but we recommend that you drink 1 gallon of water per day. Not only does it help your body run optimally, but it will also increase the frequency of your bathroom activity breaks!

So, once you’ve used the lavatory, just get your clothes situated and have at it! Here are 10 exercises that you can do to burn more calories throughout your day!

10-20 deep squats
10-20 pushups against the bathroom wall/stall. (Please don’t do them on the bathroom floor. I have to draw the line, somewhere.)
20 standing calf raises
20 seated calf raises. Perfect for when you have to… well, have a seat.
10 “air pushups”: Squeeze your muscles HARD as you do an imaginary pushup in the air.
10 “air pullups”: Squeeze your muscles HARD as you do an imaginary pullup in the air.
10 “air shoulder press”: Squeeze your muscles HARD as you push your arms and hands straight up in the air.
10 “air hamstring curls”: 1 leg at a time, squeeze your hamstrings hard and lift your heel to your glutes.
10 knee lifts: Do 10 knee lifts for each leg. Bring your knee up as high as you can and pull it into your chest.
10 glute squeezes: Stand up and lift one leg BACK behind you as far as you can, keeping it straight. Works the glutes very well!

Good news… there is one more awesome activity we can do in the bathroom: pray!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s face it: we have natural, built-in “breaks” throughout the day. Take advantage of this great opportunity to improve and increase your metabolism, strength, and flexibility. Take advantage of this opportunity to spend time quietly in prayer with our Almighty Lord and Savior.

Who knew the bathroom was a perfect place to get Fit For Jesus!

God bless you today. Be sure to leave a comment below and let me know your questions, how you will implement this information, and the results you achieve from it (both spiritual and physical)!

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Fitness, the Bible, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Fit For Jesus! — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:57:58 +0000

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post that excited ME like this one does! So, after you’ve read this through and thought about it, be sure to leave a comment and let me know your valuable feedback!

In the first Fit For Jesus blog post, I mentioned the following scripture:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

This is only the beginning, but what a clear beginning it is! Our body is the literal, physical temple of the Holy Spirit. By taking care of our bodies, we are taking care of our wonderful Holy Spirit’s temple. Our body is a gift from the Lord, and we should all, in a simple act of thankfulness and love, take care of our body and the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Are we required to? Technically, no. Salvation through Jesus Christ is a gift of God’s grace. Our salvation does not depend on our actions, but don’t you want to give something back to our gracious Heavenly Father, who gave His Son for us?

(In the coming weeks, we will get into a lot of detail about how, while our actions here on earth have NOTHING to do with “deserving” salvation, our actions here on earth – including your levels of health and fitness – potentially have MUCH to do with our reward in heaven!)

Here is more scripture:

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

John 2: 19-21

Jesus states that His body is a temple. I know when I first came across this scripture, my gut response was, “Yeah, but that is Jesus. I can’t compare myself to Him and call my body a temple!”

It almost seems uncomfortable to compare ourselves to Jesus, doesn’t it? Yet, in the Bible, it clearly states that we are “made new in Christ”, and through the Holy Spirit “conformed to the likeness of His Son.” Yes, we are conformed into the likeness of His character and His righteousness and holiness, but Jesus was also very human.

Jesus was exceptionally clear: His human body was a temple!

In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:21-22

This really seals the point, doesn’t it? We are, both individually and collectively, becoming a “dwelling in which GOD lives by His Spirit!”.

I think we can all agree that the Bible is conclusive: our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, a tremendous amount of resources, including time, talent, attention, and money were devoted to the building of God’s temple. The temple of the Holy Spirit – our body – should be no different!

Pray today for the Lord’s strength to help you build a temple worthy of the Holy Spirit. Ask for strength to choose the right foods, the desire to plan your meals, the shift in priorities to create time to exercise. Start with the clear scripture, and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you in more detail about His desire for you!

Take care, and God bless you richly,

Jeremy Nelms

P.S. Stay tuned and watch out for a post later this week about the social networking side of Fit For Jesus! I will need 10-20 testers, so be ready!

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