Guest blog: Former journalist Nancy Gavilanes was called by God to leave her promising career…
Move Yourself Thin
Day 4: Have you ever observed thin people? Many of them just can’t seem to sit still! Did you know even figetting burns calories?
I wear a pedometer and each day I aim at taking 10,000 steps (or walking about 4 miles). In total, at an “I’m late, I need to get someplace” pace this translates into a little over an hour of walking. But we can get this same kind of benefit from all kinds of movement. Two of my favorites forms of exercise are Body & Soul & Praise Moves . These provide the extra blessing of movement to Christian music. Praise Moves is a Christian alternative to yoga and replaces any and all Eastern religious influence with scripture and renaming poses with Biblical worship titles. (Below is a photo of me with one of my favorite Body and Soul instructors at Sandy Cove conference Center. They do a “moving minute” before each teaching session–keeps audience awake and is a great intoduction to the fun of Body and Soul workouts).
Since I know that 1 Cor. makes it clear that our body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit”, I want to “Glorify God with my bod.” One of the mottos I go by is “Something is better than nothing”, so on the busy days, if you embrace this, then you might keep a pair of tennies at your desk or in your car for a quick walk while you wait for the kids’, or I keep video workouts on my computer for when I travel and the hotel might not have a workout room. Your TV likely has some exercise stations on cable, or go to Youtube and sample a workout plan you are considering. I asked for a wii as a gift from my family and I enjoy dancing with my grandkids or doing “wii sports” when the family is over.
Look for ways to PLAY: Put up a basketball hoop in the driveway, try a peice of new fitness equipment, make use of the free gym membership specials most gyms offer on an ongoing basis. Try a variety of activities. This causes muscle confusement which helps break weight loss platues, but for me, it also keeps me interested and not bored doing the same thing day in and day out.
In 10 Secrets to Living Smart, Savvy and Strong, I have a four quadrant chart which shows the balance of the types of exercise you should include each week.
Take a look at your average week. How balanced are you? Are you just focusing on cardio, then you are missing out on the extra calories that weight bearing exercise gives even AFTER your workout. Are you skipping flexibility and balance, then you risk falls as you age.
Use the chart above and plan your week so that you are gaining strength in all four areas. I also try to mix up my exercise with some individual workouts and some classes each week. I find my competitive nature works a little harder in a class!This is also why I take a group of women kayaking for a week each May- ask me about that! (info@love-wise.com) Many women love the bonding and encouragment of exercising together.
Observe how you work, while watching CBN’s 700 club, I learned that sitting is like the new tabacco– it takes years off your life! (Watch the news clip) At your desk, try a core ball instead of a chair (I have one), or make your treadmill into a desk. Several of my friends have done this and they can easily get in a few miles a day as they make calls or check emails. I set a timer so that every 30 munutes I get up and move. I might do 10 squats, or ten push ups or simply run up my driveway, but those few minutes make my mind more alert and help me get to my 10,000 steps a day goal.
I also found I am motivated to move if I reward myself with a new fitness outfit for each 10 pounds lost! (I love Jockey Personal Wear because it feels like pajamas and buying it supports women in biz!) What ever works to get me moving, right? (Even retail therapy!) Grab a copy of 10 Secrets to Living Smart, Savvy and Strong and some friends and do a book club on the GO! Walk and talk – play then pray!