The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

How do you glorify God through exercise?

I wrote an article one time titled How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God, because Paul said, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So I better be able to answer this.

Here are some ways that exercise glorifies God:

1) It fosters gratitude for legs, heart, and lungs. The older I get the more keenly aware I am of how fragile I am. And every breath I take, if I were able to maintain consciousness of truth, I would give thanks to God that he has given me these.

So as you put on your running clothes and shoes and hit the pavement, you say, “God, thank you so much that I can walk, swing these arms, run with these legs, and that my heart is pumping and my lungs are working. This is a sheer gift from you and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

2) What are your motives in doing it? If your motives are so that you can eat chocolate bars without getting fat (because you have an addiction to chocolate), that’s not as good a motive as the desire to be both mentally and physically at peak performance for Christian ministry. You want to glorify God by your motives.

Jogging, as most people know, does good things for the brain, so that you don’t get as depressed when you exercise. It also does good things for your body, so that you can use your body more fully for God’s glory.

So gratitude is one way to glorify God, and being rightly motivated is another way.

3) A third way to glorify God through exercise is how you do it. How do you dress when you do it? Are you decent? That would glorify God rather than being indecent. Do you knock people down when you’re running? That’s not a good idea. Do you make noise getting ready and always wake up your wife so that she doesn’t get enough sleep?

In other words, are you exercising in a loving way? Is it evident to people that it is not vanity but a carefully thought through attempt to honor the Lord?

4) Finally, do you have an eye to turning it into ministry? In other words, can you draw somebody in with you who needs some help with their discipline? Are you willing to stop along the way to help somebody, like the good Samaritan? Are you willing to do some evangelism along the way so that you stop and share Jesus. Is it ministry?

Those are some ideas for how something like jogging could redound to make God look great. And that’s what “glorify God” means: make God look good, like he really is.

Quote:

Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.

My questions for this post are:

• What is in your mental arsenal? What kinds of thoughts or questions do you ask yourself that has helped you to succeed in your quest toward health and wellness?
• What/Who is your secret weapon in this battle? Yeah, I know it won’t be a secret then…but go ahead and tell us anyway. Maybe it is a coach, a friend, a relative, significant other. How about a training program, a collection of training programs, or just the matter of sticking with any program…
• What/who is your nemesis, your arch-enemy? We all have our enemies be it thoughts of inferiority (ourselves), inability to perform this or that exercise (our circumstances), or it could be something as simple as not knowing how to perform an exercise (our knowledge) because you think you might look like an idiot. Note: The guy curling in the squat rack is not as knowledgeable as he looks. Let us know what you’re up against. My hallucination is that we all fight many of the same battles…

Until next time,

Live and Train with a Passion for God’s Glory!

The Clocki isTicking....

The weather has been warming up nicely here in Oklahoma. Many have found it to be too warm, but I think its just right.  I have been enjoying my daily walks to work at the hospital, training sessions with friends, and cycling when I have the opportunity.  There is just something about this time of year that really energizes me. Don’t get me wrong, I like other times of year too, but this is my season.

If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to decide and make the commitment to a healthy rest of your life. That’s right, I said “rest of your life.” If that is a little tough to wrap your head around, how about the rest of the year? Month? Week?? Come on, you can do it.

People tend to do make decisions and set goals around New Years but as the months rock on they forget about these commitments. Now is the time! Set some goals, make some plans, and get into action.

Here are some tips to help you along the way.

1. Have a plan AND stick to it. Yogi Berra once said, “you have to be very careful because if you don’t know where you’re going, you might never get there.” Those who have been most successful in reaching their goals have had a plan. You need one too. Start today and map out your nutrition and fitness plan for the ENTIRE fall. (Note: Your plan should be evaluated every 2-3 weeks and may need some tweaking but plan for success anyway) Be sure to include a plan for “food support systems” as Dr. Berardi calls them . If you need some help, there is an abundance of resources available all at your fingertips. Just Ask!

2. Use a 90/10 Philosophy. This mentality has been popularized in the past several years by many of the world’s greatest nutrition minds because IT WORKS. The idea is simple: adhere to your plan 90% of the time. For the other 10%, feel free to deviate. Simply calculate the number of meals you eat in a week and multiply by 10%. This will give you the number of meals you can plan to “cheat” on. If tragedy or an office party strikes, you are prepared. Be sure to factor these exceptions into your weekly considerations.

3. Don’t try to boil the ocean. After you have created your plan, tackle things one day at a time and one workout at a time. Ask yourself what you can do to enjoy the process of what you are setting out to achieve. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed or angry for too long. Institute a 3 minute rule. Feel whatever you want to feel for 3 minutes and then move on. Focus on accomplishments and progress no matter how seemingly insignificant. Try not to simply pay attention to a number on a scale. Consider things such as:  Do you have more energy? Can you perform daily tasks or exercises more easily? Are your lifts and training sessions improving? Don’t dwell on any mistakes you might make just get back to work – don’t let a momentary lack of discipline derail you from success.

4. Seek out a Sidekick. Sidekicks are not only for comic book characters. We all need someone we can turn to in a time of need. A Sidekick can prove to be an exceptional source of encouragement and accountability. This sort of relationship has been shown beneficial time and time again. Find someone. Find a group. Make it happen! Consider this: There is a Super Hero inside of you.

5. REC out. Take one hour each week and do something you find Relaxing, Energizing, or Creative. Recreation is important. Maybe you’d be interested in doing some gardening, shooting some hoops, taking a walk in the park, or picking up the guitar you’ve been neglecting. This is also a good opportunity to learn new things, read new books, meet new people. No matter what it is reserve 1 hour to do something purely enjoyable.

ENGAGE is offering a special promotion:  For only $25.00 you can get a Basic Fitness or Basic Nutrition program  (2-4 weeks) designed just for YOU (read: your schedule, your goals).  This offer ends 8/10/09.  If you sign-up now, this low rate will be locked-in until 12/2009.  Contact us for more information.

This is going to be the season for change for someone….why not let it be YOU? I am interested in your plans. Feel free to share with us, ask questions, or otherwise lurk.

Until next time,

Live and Train with a passion for God’s glory!