7. And the Spirit Moved- Exercise

“...let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrew 12:1b

A farm takes a great deal of physical work to maintain. Farmers have, until just recently, been some of the healthiest members of society. They exercise daily as a matter of survival.

I have come to the conclusion that most Americans do not exercise nearly enough. For example, some estimates say those in third-world nations walk at least ten miles per day and Europeans walk five or more miles per day. Americans walk one-tenth of a mile!

The three biggest causes of disease and general lack of health in America today are insufficient exercise, insufficient fiber, and insufficient water.

Exercise not only burns calories, it speeds your metabolism (so you burn more even when you are not exercising), helps your digestion, works your heart, increases your insulin production and absorption, and balances your hormones.

I can hear the groans now. Everyone is having pictures of Workout videos, sweaty gyms, and old jogging shoes. That is not what I am talking about.

Our ancestors (the farmers) did not have these things, yet they did not have chronic heart disease, epidemic rates of Diabetes, or many other "modern ailments." The lower average maximum age of our ancestors can be mostly attributed to childhood diseases, bad sanitation, and lack of Penicillin.

Today's modern plumbing coupled with antibiotics has assured that most of our children live until adulthood. A hundred years ago and in many third world countries today the infant mortality rate (babies dying before their fifth birthday) was/is around fifty percent. Imagine that; Half of your children dying before they could read! Oh, we are soooo blessed! Not only are odds good most of us will never know the pain of losing a child, we have enough food on our tables to make us worry about obesity. God is so good!

What I mean when I say "exercise" is simply increasing our physical activity. Imagine for a moment the workout our ancestors got just doing the laundry: haul the water (weight lifting), scrub the clothes on a wash board (underarm toner), wring the water out (arm, shoulder, wrist and hand strengthener), hang the clothes on the line (arm, shoulder, tummy, back workout), take the clothes down and iron them (more of the same). Today? Well we still have to carry the laundry to and from the machines but that is about it.

And think about baking bread (without the machine to do the kneading, ladies), washing dishes (not only without a machine, but haul your own water, too), washing soot covered walls (wood stoves were the only heat), etc.

Now, I am not about to give up my electronic servants in the name of exercise! I like Dianna Dishwasher, Wanda Washing machine and Minnie Microwave. I am going to keep them around. But I think we can add some extra activity into the rest of our lives while building muscles and relieving stress.

You have probably read that we all need an hour a day of exercise. This is very true and being a perfectionist, when I decide to start exercising I sit down and design the "perfect" program that will work every muscle of my body, including my heart. I may spend three days doing this! Of course, I don't have the time or energy to actually do the exercises and if I try I am so sore the next day I can't move. Kind of defeats the whole purpose.

Instead, in the name of being a mere imperfect human, I am trying to add just a few things here and there, work it into my daily schedule like my ancestors did.

Walking is the best exercise, considering ease, cost, and the benefit to your body.

The first thing that comes to my mind is to park farther away from the store when I go shopping. That little extra walk can add up over time.

I try to make it a point to walk everyday. Outside is best. The human body needs the sunshine remember. God designed us that way. The chemicals that cause depression decrease with exposure to the sun (and The Son, by the way). So whenever weather permits I go outside and take a walk, taking deep breaths, looking up and around at my surroundings, thanking God for the mountains, clouds, or whatever comes to mind.

How long of a walk should you take? Well, if you have not been walking much recently or are handicapped a three minute stroll away from your home is a good start. Just walk for three minutes then turn around and go back. Don't measure the distance. It doesn't matter. Everyday, walk a little bit longer (even just a minute or two). Don't push yourself too hard or you will burn out. Eventually you want to work up to 30-60 minutes each day.

If you can't walk outside, then walk inside. Around and around the coffee table. Your family will think you have flipped. You could put on good music and march! Kids would love it! Five whole minute's worth to start. Work your way up to more.

Put on some “kicking” music and dance your way through your housework.

You can buy a video to dance with or build a youtube.com favorites list once you are moving more. Have fun and enjoy.

Take the long way when you need to carry something to the other side of the house. Lift the same can up to the shelf and back down then up again when you put up groceries. Jump up and yell "Hallelujah!" throwing your arms in the air every time a commercial comes on. The inmates at the nuthouse your family puts you in will love it!

If you can't walk at all (and even if you can) do some weight lifting. No, don't go spend hundreds of dollars on fancy iron weights. God gave you built in weights attached to your own body. Look at that thigh your knee is attached to. On even the skinniest person that is one heavy hunk of muscle!

Stick your leg straight out and slowly lift your foot as high up off the ground as you can (you can do this sitting or standing). Then slowly lower it. If you can only do it once on each leg today, that is ok. That is more than you did yesterday!

It works your thighs, tummy, back, hips and bottom. When you can do twenty or thirty lifts with ease, you can put heavy walking shoes on. When that is too easy, buy ankle weights (Wal-mart) or fill socks with sand and wrap them around your ankles and up the weight more. If you can do this standing then you can also lift your leg as far back as possible (with it straight) and as far to the side as possible. You can lift your arms up in the air the same way; stick them out in front of you and raise them up then lower them slowly. Stick them out to the sides and lift. That will work your shoulders, back, and chest muscles. Add cans of food or heavy books when your own arms are too easy. Dumbbells at Wal-Mart don’t cost that much, either.

The more you lift weights, the stronger your muscles will get AND the more calories your body will burn when you are "couch potato-ing." That's right; it will raise your overall metabolic rate. Remember, that is like lowering your “miles per gallon,” a good thing in people though a bad thing in cars.

You will want to work up to ten lifts, three or four times per day, but this may take awhile. Start slow.

Wal-mart also carries exercise bands. These are long plastic/rubber tubes with handles. They provide the same resistance training as weights for a fraction of the cost. You can hook them over a door or around a bed post. They often come with sample exercises or you can Google them.

While washing dishes, stand up on your toes. Up, down, up, down. Two times may be enough at first. Work up to twenty. Turn your toes in and repeat. Then point them out. Your whole body becomes the weight for your calves to lift.

When you sit up in bed, concentrate on using your tummy muscles to do as much of the lifting as possible.

Stretching your muscles helps them to not be as easily injured and makes them look leaner.

When you stand up, stretch up to the ceiling, and, if health permits, down to the floor.

A couple times per day reach your hand over the top of your head and try to touch the wall on the opposite side.

When you dry your foot after a shower, rest it on the highest surface you can and streeetttchhh the hamstring muscles.

When you are walking, hold your tummy in (I have heard that this is actually the best tummy toner around) and squeeze your pelvic muscles.

Stand up straight as much as you can; head up, shoulders down and back, back straight, tummy in, hips forward, toes straight ahead. You will look thinner immediately and will be strengthening the muscles to hold you that way, also preventing injuries.

If you are going to buy equipment to work out on, get a rebounder (miniature trampoline). Rebounding for ten minutes per day works every muscle group and increases circulation. Besides, it is fun!

You need to look around for some sort of fun activity. Now, some find those workout videos fit the bill. Most of us however don’t. Consider joining a softball team, taking up horseback riding, going skating every Friday, planting a garden, buying a push lawn-mower, getting a dog, something active and fun. The funner it is the more likely you will do it.

None of these things take very much. Any of them might be more then you are doing now. Every little bit helps.

As you get healthier, you will feel stronger and want to do more. Be careful! You don't want to overdo it. You are in a marathon, not a sprint. "Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little." Isaiah 28:13.

Most likely you didn't get into the condition you are in overnight. It took a long time. It will also take a long time to undo the damage. And we must face it; we are older than we used to be. We will never be as healthy as we were twenty, thirty or forty years ago; but we can be better than we are now.

There are some health conditions that won't go away no matter what. Now don't get discouraged. I think we can all be healthier than we are right now, but some damage cannot be undone. We can have faith, though, that God will give us the strength to do what He has called us to do. He does not tell us to do things without giving us the ability to do them.

If He has called you to a work that requires you to be healthier, then He will give you the strength and wisdom to get there. You just have to actually do it. Of course it works the other way around too; The stronger we are the more He can call us to.

At first, especially, you will be a little sore. If the pain is more than that, then cut back. You are overdoing it. If it is just annoying soreness, then keep on. It is your body saying "what are you doing to me? I don't want to work!" It will get used to it. Wait until the soreness goes away before you increase activity.

You don't have to do everything I have suggested; just one or two things is a good start. Or invent your own ways to up your activities and work your muscles (One woman I read about recently got rid of her dryer and set her basket of clothes on the ground to hang them on the line. She does purposeful deep knee bends while hanging the clothes up and taking them down. One day she counted and from washer to closet she did 500 deep knee bends!). It doesn't matter what you do, so use your imagination. Something is better than nothing!

Let's all "present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, holy, acceptable which is our reasonable (not unreasonable) service." Romans 12:1

You are "not your own. You are bought with a price." 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

That wonderful body you have belongs to Jesus. He bought it with His own blood. When you asked Him into your heart you gave yourself, including your body, to Him. He wants you to be wise in your use and care of it. And, yes, this means we must exercise.

Summary of Exercise:

• Stretch (reach and stretch and stand up straight)
• Move around (work up to about an hour a day, minimum) 
• Lift weights (start with your own body, work up to ten repetitions or lifts, ten times a day.)