9 years ago I felt like the Lord told
me to get in shape because He wanted me for the long haul. I was overweight and
had hypertension. The Doc said that I needed to do something about it. Choosing
not to go with medication, I decided to look into another alternative. I began
to find some incredible information that inspired me to start my journey to
health. I have learned that we are all different and that we each need to find
what works for us in our health journey. I am finding that there are many out
there who want to get healthy and I believe that it is important that you come
to the understanding that this is not going to be another diet, (I don't
believe in diets) but will be a lifestyle change.
Years ago my husband, our two boys and
I started going to a gym in our town. It became an important part of our family
time. Our daughter was too young to join us at the time. We stopped working out
for 16 years and have just started back up again. This time our daughter, who
is married with 4 children, has joined us and is excelling at it.
I think it is important that we take
care of ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and our spirits. One of the things
I've noticed in the church is that there are many who take care of their souls
and spirits but don't think it matters to take care of the temple of the Holy
Ghost. I think its time to see a change and that we get our whole person
well.
I'm 58 years old and I feel great.
I've found for me that lifting weights is something my body thrives on. When I
come out of the gym I feel alive. I've released toxins out of my body and I
know that the muscle that is coming will be burning fat. The thing is that we
all need to find what works for us. Some like cardio better than lifting
weights. The point is that we just need to move. Our bodies were not meant to
be sedentary.
For women especially, it’s really
important that we keep muscle on our bodies. The older we get, the more muscle
we lose and muscle is what burns the bad fat off. I told my daughter that the
best thing she could do is work out and keep the muscle on because it will pay
off when she gets my age.
Both my daughter and I have a personal
trainer, which I highly advise, even if it’s just for a short time. They are
trained to help you learn what is just right for you. Our trainer helps us with
our diet and tells us how much protein, good carbs and good fat we need to eat
to keep us going. Do you know that you are supposed to eat at least 70 grams of
protein a day? If you are lifting weights it’s supposed to be much more than
that. It’s not about eating less; it's about what we call eating clean. I eat small
portions every 2 hours. I try to have a protein, a good carb, and a good fat in
that mix. I find myself having to eat so much food. Another thing that is
important for your body is to drink lots of clean, filtered water. If you can't
get filtered, squeeze a lemon in your water every day. Water alkalizes your
body, which is very important to good health.
Do I think that Christians should work out and stay fit? Yes,
I do. I see far too many believers who are sick. For the most case, if they
would take some steps into taking care of themselves, they would see great
improvement. We as Christians should in every way (body, soul and spirit) be
well and thriving for ourselves, our families and for the world to see!
