Exercise ENCOURAGEMENT

Exercise Challenge ON update! Of course my husband knew he would win big brownie points with me by taking the Exercise ON Challenge!  Last week before going to work, he asked if I could walk with him for 10 minutes!?!?! Woo hoo!! I was so happy. Every bit adds up. And he even went swimming with my 17 year old son before going to work on Wednesday.  That's what I love about exercise challenges.  We say yes to activity and exercise instead of yes to couch potatoeing. :) This week I have 331 minutes of exercise! (When you are leading the challenge, the pressure is on!) My husband has 264 minutes. How about you?? Remember 150 minutes per week is the goal. Keep reading for some encouragement.

This blog post first appeared http://blog.cph.org/everyday-faith/exercise-on-challenge-encouragement/ on October 4, 2016:
Are you taking the Exercise ON Challenge with me for the months of October and November? In the almost-nine weeks (61 days) of October and November, can you exercise a total of 1,350 minutes? For added benefits, take the Exercise ON Challenge PLUS and add weight training two days per week. Keep track of your exercise minutes. Rally your family, co-workers, or church members to take the challenge with you. Hold one another accountable. Connect with your friends and family; download and listen to a CPH book; listen to your Bible on an app; memorize Scripture; give thanks; pray. 

At the beginning of each week, schedule your exercise time each day on your calendar, just like any other appointment. Plan and schedule exercise every day; invariably some conflict will arise that will interfere with your exercise. Plan for seven days of exercise, even though you may actually exercise five or six days per week.

Exercise Guidelines:

F=Frequency: Aerobic exercise (such as walking, biking, swimming) 5–6 days/week. Strength training (weights) 2–3 days/week.

I=Intensity: “Moderate”—exercise as intensely as possible while still carrying on a conversation. On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), exercise at about 6–8.

T=Time: Initial goal is 150–180 minutes/week. Ultimate goal is 200–300 minutes/week.

Start with realistic goals! The “race” is for the long haul, not just for this week. Your starting point should be based on your current fitness level. If you are currently doing no exercise, start slowly with 10–15 minutes of exercise one or two times per day. Each day, gradually add a few minutes. Ideally, you will eventually reach a goal of at least 150–220 minutes per week of exercise. As you become more comfortable, you can also increase the intensity of your exercise.

Memory challenge:

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1–2

To more easily memorize a verse, write the Bible verse on an index card. Read it before and during exercise. Keep it with you and read it throughout the day.

May God’s presence permeate all of your day and life!

After you have this verse memorized, share it with your family and friends.

Autumn holds so many colorful days. HAPPY EXERCISING!

This blog post first appeared 

at http://blog.cph.org/uncategorized/exercise-on-challenge/ on September 27, 2016 

Written by Karen Sue Murdy

To encourage YOU to EXERCISE! 

Uncategorized

Exercise ON Challenge

Karen Sue Murdy

September 27, 2016

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In 2016, we fall woefully short of the activity levels our bodies need to fully function. God “fearfully and wonderfully” designed our bodies to move! Unfortunately, our current environment promotes sedentary lifestyles.

Think about physical activity levels throughout history:

Consider Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the trees and animals, no cars or any other machines.

Next think about Jesus and His disciples walking from town to town, the dusty feet, rowing the boats, and dragging the fish nets.

Jump forward to 1880s: Get up early in the morning to care for the animals. Walk to school uphill both ways :). Follow behind the plow.

Even think about the energy expenditure required for an eighth grader to write a report:

In 1980: Lift the garage door. Ride bicycle to the library. Walk over to library catalog. Find books. Carry books to check-out desk. Transport books home. Type the report on the typewriter.

In 2016: Sit at the computer to research topic. Type report on computer (which requires even less energy than a typewriter).

With modern technology, the amount of activity in the typical lifestyle of today falls far short of the typical lifestyle of the past. God created an amazing body that functions best with activity. “Use it or lose it” accurately describes the human body.

Currently, most major health and wellness organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Heart Association, American College of Sports Medicine, and more all concur on the following activity guidelines. Per health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/: “For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. . . . For additional and more extensive health benefits, adults should increase their aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity. . . . Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.”

Only about half of the American population meets the guidelines for aerobic activity and sadly only about 1 in 5 people meet the guidelines for aerobic plus muscle-strengthening activities. We are missing out on the blessings of so many health benefits, both physical and emotional, that God designed for our bodies.

So I entreat YOU to take the Exercise ON Challenge with me for the months of October and November. In the almost nine weeks (sixty-one days) of October and November, can you exercise a total of 1,350 minutes? Now that will provide substantial health benefits! That averages to about 22 minutes per day. Keep track of your exercise minutes on a calendar, app, or some sort of log sheet. Rally your family, co-workers, or church members to take the challenge with you. Hold one another accountable. While exercising, try one of these ideas: Connect with your friends and family. Download and listen to a CPH book. Listen to your Bible on an app. Memorize Scripture. Give thanks. Pray.

For added benefits, take the Exercise ON Challenge PLUS and add weight training two days per week.

Thank God for your body and take care of it by using it actively. Take the Exercise ON Challenge!

“I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.”(Psalm 139:14 ESV)

MAKING THE MOST OF 2% Especially During Times of Upheaval

(Originally posted April 23, 2015  http://www.wheatridge.org/making-the-most-of-2/)

Time.  Twenty-four hours a day, the amount of time each person has each day whether rich or poor, young or old, couch potato or marathon champion.  For most people, 24 hours is too short to complete all they desire to do.  “Not enough time,” people moan and give as a common excuse for not exercising. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends between 150-300 minutes (midpoint 225 mins) of exercise per week for important health benefits.  Of the total 10,080 minutes available per week, 225 minutes of exercise time is only about 2% of the total time.

Early morning walkers at an LEA Convocation

What about spiritual exercise – time reading the Bible, praying, group Bible study, community worship? Although there are no specific spiritual exercise guidelines like there are for physical exercise, a spiritual exercise guideline could include 15 minutes daily of personal Bible reading and prayer, 60 minutes per week of group Bible study, and 60 minutes a week of church worship for a total of about 225 minutes per week.  Still, that’s approximately just 2% of the whole week.

In spite of these both only being about 2% the time in each week, many people struggle with finding time for spiritual and physical exercise.  How can churches encourage people to be successful with both physical and spiritual exercise?  Perhaps bringing together physical and spiritual exercise would be helpful.

Here are some idea starters for combining spiritual and physical exercise:

• Encourage individuals to listen to Bible readings and/or sermons on their phone or iPod while walking, running, or even exercising at a health club.
• Host aerobics, Zumba, or other exercise classes with praise music in the church multipurpose room.
• Install a prayer labyrinth on church property for members to walk and pray.
• Offer active games and activities for all ages (not just kids) at church picnics and events.
• Instead of mailing invitations to church events (such as VBS) to neighbors, divide up into teams and deliver them by hand.
• When visiting shut-ins and elderly, ask if you may take them for a walk outside (if they are wheel-chair bound, offer to push!)
• “Pray What You See” by walking your neighborhood and praying for the needs around you (Read how God has responded to Pastor Chris Paavola who is doing this as he plants a church in St. Louis)
• Extra Credit: Encourage church meetings to be held walking around a room instead of sitting (Lower blood pressure, calmer tempers, and increased productivity just might be the outcome of such a meeting!)

These are just a few ways churches have sought to combine spiritual and physical fitness. Which of these ideas might work in your church? What other ideas do you have?

For exercise resources, please check out wheatridge.org/logs