Faith and Fitness - Let’s Grow!

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Have you experienced this in the gym?  If not, you probably danced on the edge of disaster like I have.  Maybe this is why I’m not into trendy gym memberships, fancy home gyms, or machines.  Less is more!

Faith and Fitness - Let’s Grow!

The day of the swim test in our military unit had arrived.  Everyone was confident (or at least made it look that way).  Each of us started at a different station, and the pool was quickly filled with Soldiers.  Some were swimming with rifles.  Others were entering the water with all their gear then ditching it underwater.  Personal flotation devices were being constructed with worn uniforms.  Blindfolded Soldiers were entering the water from the diving platform.

I will never forget one Soldier who briefly confessed he wasn’t a great swimmer before leaving the diving platform.  He entered the water and quickly came back to the surface.  Immediately, he was a frenzy of activity—arms flailing and water splashing.  When a lifeguard would approach him to help him out he sent them away.  He was determined to swim to the side on his own.  He gave it every ounce of effort he had.  He was motivated to succeed.  Then he was gone under the water.  The lifeguard calmly swam over and fished him out.  To our surprise this Soldier went back and repeated this whole process over again!  He had a lot of determination, motivation, and sincerity, but in the end he did a lot of work without any results to show for it.  He needed someone to focus his efforts in the most effective way to learn how to swim.  He needed someone to show him what works.

Have you ever felt this way?  Have you invested a lot of effort without the results to show for it?  I sure have.  I’ve dedicated countless hours to a weight lifting, running, and calisthenics program.  This required me to work out twice a day for an hour or two.  What was the end result?  A lot of work without the results I was looking for.  With that amount of effort I wanted huge results.  I wasn’t getting them.  I was just spinning my wheels.  I needed someone to focus my efforts in order to be more effective in my workouts.  I needed someone to show me what works.

I then ran into a mindset that focused on functional strength through functional (natural) movements.  This is when I totally revamped my fitness plan into an attainable program that enables life-long fitness.  A fitness plan focused on functional strength produces a toned body with a strong core.  That is what I was looking for.  I was also looking for simplicity with a reasonable time commitment.  I have achieved and continue to progress towards goals I’ve chased for years, and it’s exciting!

It’s equally exciting seeing others progress towards their personal goals.  I received this from one of my clients a couple of days ago:
“Working with you has been such a positive experience for me.  I’ve started and stopped fitness routines tons of times.  But what I like about your approach is that it’s condensed into something that feels so attainable right from the start.  It’s simple, and it makes sense.  You showed me how to eat right so I can get just the right kind of fuel for my body.  And I feel great!  And what I love about the exercise routines you walked me through is that they easily fit into my schedule.  I don’t have to carve three hours out of my day to be serious about getting in shape.  And that’s what makes this work!  The only kind of fitness plan that’s going to give you long-term results is something that’s doable.  It fits into your life and becomes part of who you are.  This is life change.”
- Total Life Change Club Member in Portland, OR

Faith and Fitness – Let’s Grow!

Pursuing genuine faith and a fit life-style have many parallels.  Here are some keys to staying motivated:

1. Consistency – same time, same place. This goes for both workouts and personal Bible study/prayer (quiet time).
2. Accountability – if someone is going to ask you how your workout was or how your quiet time went you’ll stay more consistent.  Seek out both spiritual and exercise accountability (friend, co-worker, pastor, fitness coach)!
3. Realistic Goals – set reasonable short term goals that lead to your long term goals (e.g., stick to a regular quiet time or workout plan for a week, eat healthy today). Short term goals turn into habits and life-styles.
4. Record Goals and Progress – keep a quiet time journal of growth in your relationship with God, record the workout for the day, list detailed goals and prayer requests. This will help you to stay on track and will serve as a great motivator when you look back on your successes, spiritual growth, and answered prayer. I have looked back in prayer journals from years ago and was struck by the faithfulness of God in my life!
5. Get Moving! – The most difficult part of the day for me is the first 10-15 minutes after the alarms goes off. What helps me the most is to just “get moving,” not think, and hit my routine.  If it’s a run day I get my workout clothes on, splash some water on my face, brush my teeth (helps to wake up), drink some water, and head out the door. I try not to think, but just move. If I think I tend to talk myself out of working out. “Get moving” also applies to working out later in the day.  So, GET MOVING . . . YES . . . YOU!
6. Aim for the A.M. - try to workout and have your quiet time in the morning before your day begins.  I know . . . I think the same things, “In the A.M.?!  Before the sun is awake?  Is God awake?  Ahhhggggg!”  Here is what you gain by getting going early.  Morning exercise awakens the metabolism and senses and kick starts your day. I believe a morning quiet time does the same thing for us spiritually. A morning quiet time sets the day in perspective, allows time to pray for the activities of the day, and quiets the soul helping us to hear from God. I’ve always felt better when I have started my day out right—quiet time and exercise! I don’t hit this everyday, but when I do it’s well worth it.

Achieving goals in faith and fitness takes determination and consistency. Both take “strict training” and a desire to “get the prize,” but remember which one is more important.

I Corinthians 9:24-25, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Faith and Fitness - Let’s Grow!

One of the simplest exercises that requires little to no equipment is the pull up.  All you need is a bar, and a consistent plan to greatly improve strength.  Pull ups mainly target the large muscle in your back (Latissimus Dorsi), but also uses many other stabilizing muscles in the back, shoulders, arms, and chest.  Since the pull up targets these other areas it creates functional strength.  For this reason the pull up is a major component of military and law enforcement physical fitness programs.

The fitst step is to get a pull up bar.  I use a removable pull up bar at home.  It goes up in a second and is really stable.  I know others who have drilled pull up bars in their doorways, garages, or built a station in their back yard.  A great place to find a fixed pull up bar is at a play ground or on a running route at a park.  The removable pull up bar is the simplest and requires the least amount of time to install or travel to!

The next step is self-explanatory!  Grab the bar with your palms facing away from you or your palms facing towards you (easier) and pull your chin up over the bar.  I rotate palms facing away and palms facing towards my body with each set.  If pull ups are not a regular part of your fitness plan they can be very difficult to begin with.  Here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. Get someone to spot you.  As you pull yourself up your spotter (spouse, friend, or enemy) can assist you.

2. Do jumping pull ups.  Stand on a sturdy box and pull yourself up as you jump.  This creates momentum and allows you to pull up as far as you can.  (The linked video shows a jumping pull up with a slight “kip” in it - see #4.  Anytime of “kipping” on a removable pull-up bar is not recommended.)

3. Use stretch bands for assistance.

4.  Do kipping pull ups.  I do these pull ups when I have a fixed pull up bar (not the removable one; you’ll find yourself on the floor!).  The kipping pull up works more of the core.  When I first began doing these I would wake up the next morning and wonder why my abs were sore!  It works the core and builds more functional strength which is what I’m after.

The key here is to be patient and consistent.  Allow yourself to progress slowly.  Do these every other day, and focus on 3-4 sets of as many repetitions as you can do.  Before you know it you will be doing regular, unassisted pull ups!