Seven Keys to Living Longer

By Don Otis –

As a young boy I remember my mom watching this guy on television who wore an odd looking jumpsuit. He did jumping jacks and calisthenics. His upbeat demeanor and encouragement were part of his routine. While I didn’t pay much attention to him, he seemed to be having fun. By now you probably guessed that it was Jack LaLanne, a man who was indisputably way ahead of his time. He died recently at 96 but in the overall scheme of life expectancy, he lived twenty years longer than the average male in the United States.

The Bible gives us no guarantee of years or longevity. It gives us only the hope of eternal life through faith in Christ. Our physical prosperity comes from a number of factors; genetics, diet, attitude, and activity, spirituality, environment, and personal habits. Each of these ingredients has a proven track record of determining how long you will live.

Your genetics play a key factor in susceptibility to heart disease or certain kinds of cancers. If you have a history of breast or prostate cancer in your family, you already know that taking steps to eat healthy or have regular medical tests is vital.

Diet is another key and it is not just about how much you eat but what you put into your body that makes the difference. Would you put corn syrup into your new Toyota? Probably not. Yet many of us continually put harmful substances into our bodies and wonder why our “engine” begins to break down or is sluggish.

Attitude can be a factor for heart disease. A high stress type-A person is far more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke. We call these people “high strung” and wonder why they don’t chill out. There is a health benefit to not sweating the small stuff of life.

Our activity level, as LaLanne proved, plays a pivotal role in how blood flows throughout our system, how food is digested, how muscles and bones grow or support us. Exercise is crucial to healthy living and longevity.

For fitness fanatics everywhere, one of the missing links is spirituality. God has made us as with body, soul, and spirit and when we neglect any one of these we see the negative results. People with a vibrant faith are healthier, happier, and better adjusted than those without faith.

Our environment can be lethal. Ask anyone who lives near a toxic waste facility, has worked around asbestos, or suffered the effects of breathing contaminated air or drinking polluted water. We can mitigate the effects of environmental factors by being aware of these and protecting ourselves from pollutants.

Personal habits you choose such as smoking, heavy drinking, or engaging in risky behaviors will eventually catch up with you. The consequences may take years to surface but they will destroy your health some day.

We have far more control than we realize. The one area where we don’t have control is genetics. Yet even here there are choices we can make to lessen the negative effects or risks. God has given us the power of choice, the power of life, and the power of health. Choose life.

Don S. Otis (don@veritasincorporated.com) is a certified personal trainer, runner, climber, and author of five books. He runs Veritas Communications, a publicity agency based in Canon City, Colorado.

Now Is the Time

By Cami Checketts –

Do you struggle with procrastination like I do?

I often find myself putting off important things. Tomorrow I’ll study and ponder my Scriptures… instead of just reading them. Tomorrow I’ll make more time for fun and I’ll play with my boys longer than five minutes. Tomorrow I won’t eat a bowl of ice cream (but I really need one tonight!).

The Bible warns us not to put things off. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:11-12, KJV).

And many wise people have spoken to us about it too:

• “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” Thomas Jefferson
• “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, let me do it now; for I shall not pass this way again.” S. Grellet
• “When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no, I’ll start tomorrow. Tomorrow is disease.” V.L. Allineare

The time to get healthy and fit is right now!

It’s great to make goals and to plan for tomorrow, but we need to live for today. I enjoy having a list of lofty goals, but if I don’t focus on today I’ll never accomplish any of them. Today I will eat in a healthy way. Today I will go visit my adopted grandma. Today I will respond with patience and love when my four-year old is flailing on the ground screaming for a donut.

It is easy to get overwhelmed if we think we have to do everything perfectly for the rest of our lives, but if we can take it one day at a time, it seems more manageable.

Today is the gift we’ve been given. For some, there might not be a tomorrow. Savor today. Make it great. Accomplish the things that are important and love the ones you’re with.

What are you going to do today that you have been putting off?

Cami Checketts is a wife, mother of four boys, exercise scientist, and author. http://camicheckettsbooks.blogspot.com – http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com

Are You Eating But Not Satisfied?

By Julie Morris –

Have you ever noticed how often the Bible says, “You will eat and be satisfied”? What a wonderful promise we can claim! But some people miss out on this blessing. Instead, they are like I was—continuing to search for something to satisfy their hunger—when God had already provided it.

Let me tell you about someone else who hungered needlessly:
A poor young man, named Antonio, lived in Italy in the early 1900s. He dreamed of coming to America, so he worked to save his money and his family took up a collection for him. Finally he had enough to book passage on a ship. His mother packed him a large basket of food and he was on his way.

He tried not to eat much, but a week into the voyage his food ran out. Desperate for something to eat, he searched the upper decks where the rich people stayed. He discovered that when they didn’t want to go to the beautiful dining room, they had food delivered to their rooms. When they finished eating, they’d put their trays in the hall for the steward to carry away. Sometimes, there was food they didn’t eat on those trays: stale bread, dried chicken bones and sour milk. Though they tasted terrible, Antonio devoured these left-overs.

Finally, on the last evening of the voyage, a steward spied Antonio as he searched through one of the trays sitting in the corridor. When Antonio told him what he was doing, the steward’s expression reflected his amazement. The steward asked Antonio sadly, “Didn’t you know that the meals are included with the price of a ticket?”

Let me ask you a question.

Are you living like Antonio—famished and constantly searching for something to satisfy your hunger when God has already paid the price so that you can eat and be satisfied?

In Psalm 103:5, God tells us that He satisfies the hungry with good things so our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. And in Psalm 63:5, He tells us that when we have a close personal relationship with Him—loving Him, praising Him, clinging to Him—our souls will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.

I know from experience that Psalm 103:5 is true. I lost my weight over 25 years ago—and my horrendous food cravings disappeared with my harmful extra pounds. I discovered that God really does satisfy the hungry with good things—things that are good for us. And I can tell you too that I feel better (and younger) now than I did all those years ago.

I also know that Psalm 63:5 is true. When I learned practical things I could do to draw closer to Jesus and be guided by Him, my soul became satisfied…as with the richest of foods.

Thankfully, I am no longer living like Antonio—eating but not satisfied. But if you are, don’t give up. There’s hope for you!

Adapted from Guided By Him…to a Thinner, Not So Stressed-Out You!

Julie Morris is the author of 12 books, a dynamic motivational speaker and founder of two Christian weight-loss programs: Step Forward (www.stepforwarddiet.com) and a lighter and easier version of Step Forward, Guided By Him (www.guidedbyhim.com).

The Day the Blackbirds Came

By Julie Morris –

The blackbirds descended suddenly on my backyard one quiet winter morning years ago. I could hardly believe my eyes as hundreds of them arrived squawking loudly to one another and perched themselves on every branch of every tree as far as my eyes could see, even in the woods behind my flowerbeds. It felt like a scene straight out of the old Hitchcock movie, The Birds.

When they arrived, I had been writing in my prayer journal. Only what I wrote wasn’t a prayer, but a gloomy list of all of the things I hated about myself: I ate too much, didn’t exercise enough, needed to pray more and watch TV less.… The list went on and on. I remember thinking at the time that this list reminded me of one I had made so many years earlier when I was a little girl. I took the list to my mother and she hugged me, and with tears in her eyes, she told me that I was precious to her just the way I was. Oh, how I longed for my mother. She had been deceased for so many years.

A quiet tug at my spirit brought me back to the present and seemed to be saying, “Pay attention to the blackbirds, because they will show you what is happening to you right now.”

Not knowing what that meant, I went back to my list and the thoughts that had been overwhelming me. I was thinking the all-too-familiar “I wasn’t good enough and never would be…” when a verse I had memorized years earlier floated into my mind. I couldn’t remember where it was or exactly what it said, but the words penetrated deep into my soul: “Who will free me from my slavery to sin? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord! He has set me free.”

“Wow!” I said to myself, “Jesus has already freed me!” Suddenly, the shame caused by all those things on my list lifted, and I looked up and saw hundreds of blackbirds, as if on cue, instantly fly away.

Ever since then, when the blackbirds descended on me and I have felt overwhelmed by my sins and weaknesses, I have thought about those words in Romans 7:21-25 (Living Bible), “So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.”

Julie Morris is the author of 12 books, a dynamic motivational speaker and founder of two Christian weight-loss programs: Step Forward (www.stepforwarddiet.com) and a lighter and easier version of Step Forward, Guided By Him (www.guidedbyhim.com).

A Fitness Formula for Prayer

By Laurette Willis –

“Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24, NKJV).

We’re over a month into 2011. Two of our most popular resolutions are losing weight and developing our relationship with God.

Why not do both at the same time? Combining faith and fitness is powerful! Pray while on the treadmill, elliptical, or while taking a brisk walk. Prayer is talking to God. It also involves listening to Him. Like any good conversation, there is the give and take of two-way communication.

For some reason most of us tend to think prayer is a one-way street. We talk (or whine) to God about our problems, then spend the rest of the day worrying and trying to figure out solutions ourselves. Then we gripe when it seems God isn’t answering our prayers. Could He even get a word in edgewise?

Here’s a formula that helps us remember the steps to effective prayer. “CARAT” is an acronym (“carat” is the unit of weight for precious stones—and prayer is precious!). You can follow this simple formula while working out—the acronym will help keep you on track.

CARAT (Confess, Adore, Request, Attend, Thanks)

Confess: Wipe the slate clean. Ask the Lord to forgive you for any sins that come to mind. 1 John 1:9 says when we confess our sins to Him; he forgives us and washes us clean.

Adore—Praise Him with your whole heart and voice. What if you don’t feel like it? That’s why it’s called a “sacrifice” of praise! Your flesh would rather go back to bed, but you’re not going to be led by your flesh anymore, right?

To give you an idea, read aloud a few of David’s Psalms of praise: Psalm 34, 95, 96, 98, 100, 103, 121, 148, or 150. Then use your own words as well to tell your Heavenly Father how much you love Him.

Request—Ask God to meet your needs and the needs of others. Speak God’s Word and promises over leaders of our nation, church, workplace. Pray for friends, family and yourself.

Attend: The King James Version of Proverbs 4:20 says, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.” When we attend to God we pay attention to His words in scripture and wait upon Him to receive further revelation and guidance. Listen for His “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). The Holy Spirit or your own spirit may quicken a scripture to your remembrance for you to meditate upon.

Thanksgiving: “How do I know that God will answer my prayers?” If you are praying according to God’s will (His Word in the Bible) He hears and will answer your prayer. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:15, NKJV). You have it! So thank Him!

Rejoice! And since you’re combining faith and fitness, dance in advance—even before you see the outward manifestation of your prayer. Keep your focus on the unseen spiritual truths instead of the physical circumstances. Answers to prayer are birthed in the realm of the spirit before they manifest in the physical. That’s why faith is called “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Thank your heavenly Father for answered prayer. You can even get excited about it (and burn more calories)!

Christian Fitness Expert Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry (http://PraiseMoves.com and on Facebook http://bit.ly/aAlS4u ). Get your free kit at http://ChristianFitnessKit.com.

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