Ready, Set, Go! 30 Day Challenge

We have just 2.5 days left before we begin the 30 Day Challenge. If you have not decided to join us yet it is still not to late to set your heart and mind right to do something that could change your life. That's not hyperbole folks. This challenge could be the beginning of how you think, eat, and live for the rest of your life. Can We Talk?!

This challenge is not about weight loss. Weight loss is a byproduct of the process of living a healthy life that honors and glorifies God, caring for the temple that He gave us. During this 30 days we want you to deal with and get in touch with what's eating you so you can address what, why, and how much you are eating. We want you to learn to love exercise! This is going to be a spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional journey. Are you ready?

As I told you last week, you won't be alone. I've already heard from 13 people who are ready, willing, and able to face this challenge head on. Some have already started! 11 women and 2 men have said...enough is enough! I want my life, health, and strength back. I want to be more available to God, my family, and my community. The enemy has been winning this war long enough! 

We are going into this challenge with God at the center of every food and exercise choice we make. I will be praying for you daily. I'm asking you to also pray for the 4 His Temple community of believers who are taking the challenge. Pray before you eat and exercise and any time you feel powerless to go on. You cannot do this without God. Give us 30 days to plant and water seeds that will motivate, inspire, and change your mind about living a healthy life that pleases God. Many unbelievers are getting healthy and changing their lives, surely the people of God have the POWER through Him to do the same.

We haven't named one specific diet or exercise program that we want everyone to do for this 30 days because we are all different and respond differently to changes in our eating habits and workout routines. Remember this is a move to a lifestyle change, so we don't recommend fad diets. You have to do something that will work for you, that you will continue doing for 30 days, AND that will motivate you to keep moving forward once the challenge is over. 

I do want to share with you what some of the 13 say they are going to do for 30 days to get you thinking and get you started. There are many "how to" or ways to get started. What we want to do is help you have the desire to or the "want to" to change your life. I am available to help you map out something that works for you based on where you are right now. Set!

Here is what the community is doing.

• P90X
• Insanity
• Ripped in 30

(You cannot go from couch potato to the 3 above) I use the term affectionately, because I was one.

• No meat for 30 days

(Please remember you still need to get in enough protein from other sources if you don't eat meat)

• 2 a days

(2 workouts per day for 30 days, make sure you take a break to give your body time to rest and rebuild)

• Adding new fruits and veggies to the diet
• Adding more exercise days to current routine
• Tracking calories in a journal
• Schedule workouts on a calendar with a reminder

We will also have guest bloggers who are taking the challenge who will be sending out encouragement, inspiration, and information to keep you on track. We'll blog often but not everyday. We want you to have to time to meditate on, digest, and incorporate what you read. If you are interested in being a guest blogger to share your experiences, your decision to join the 30 day challenge, provide tips and tricks to stay motivated, share recipes, successes or even miss steps, please email me DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

The one thing that I am asking that we all do is to be mindful of the diet and health  killers and refrain from them for at least 30 days. NO SMOKING, NO ALCOHOL, NO FAST FOOD, NO SWEETS, NO SODA. You might be surprised that you don't go back to them once the challenge is over.

If you would like to join and wish to be added to the daily prayer list, please send me your name and specific requests. Invite a friend to join you so that you can have an accountability partner. Go!

 Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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Exercise and Injury...What Can I Do?

God Day Conquerors!  

Are you staying true to the health, wellness, fitness, and spiritual goals you set at the beginning of 2011? It's Springtime! Many folks have abandoned their new year's resolutions, but not you! It is time for new beginnings. Even if you have fallen off the goals you set, now is the time to start again. Our God is a second, third, fourth....chance God. It is also time to declutter our homes, lives, and minds. What an awesome time to invite the Lord into our hearts and into our lives for some intimate conversation and strategic planning!

I encourage you to give away 10 items in your home during your spring cleaning! You will be relieved and someone else will be blessed. Make sure it is really nice stuff. I got these cool sneakers from a dear friend when she completed her closet spring cleaning. Let us not be consumed by the romance of stuff. We can't take it with us! HEAVEN is already furnished! Praises to God!

Have you submitted your plans to the Lord? Can We Talk?! The Word tells us to give the Lord our plans and we will see those plans come to fruition (Proverbs 16:3). Now that doesn't mean we make the plans and give them to God as the final version. God is not in the business of blessing our mess! That means we submit a VERY ROUGH draft of our plans to God and He has the final say about the execution of those plans. The Message says "Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place.” Once God is in charge of our plans we can't fail, because He can't fail! Amen?!

Today's question comes from a community member who is out of state. Please pray for “T” in your prayer time. Injury and pain are major limiting factors for exercise for many people. We should always seek the advice of a doctor before starting any exercise regime, particularly when preexisting pain, injury, and health concerns are present.

Dear Aqua

My weight issue is weighing me down. I am so afraid of exercise because of the pain I have every day of my life. I just don't want anymore of it. I have a total knee replacement, bi-lateral bulging disk in L4 and L5 with bone spires and a second rotator cuff surgery that they could not repair all the way. I know that I look at what I cannot do instead of what I can, but what can I really do? God is so able to do above and beyond what we ask or think, I am just tired of asking. Love T

Dear T

There are exercises that you can do. You may have to modify them to make sure that you don't further injure yourself. I am not sure where you are in your rehabilitation process, but some exercise and rehab may help with the pain that you are experiencing. Always check with your doctor about what limitations you should adhere to so that you do not exacerbate your injury. In fact ask the doctor is there a person, place or organization that he/she can recommend that can help. You may be able to walk and may be able to do seated exercises. I heard the other day that "Walking is still the undisputed king of exercise".

Because of your limitations with EXPENDING energy it is going to be important for you to monitor your energy CONSUMPTION. In short, it is going critical for you to monitor WHAT and HOW MUCH you eat. We can give you encouragement and support virtually, but I do recommend that you find some help in your community for nutrition and exercise programs to meet the needs that you have. Call community centers and local churches to see if they offer low to no cost exercise programs. A good program will have a trainer who understands and is able to work with people with injuries.

Don't let your injuries keep you from seeking help. In fact those injuries should be the fuel that cause you to knock on every door and leave no stone unturned. God's desire is not that you live in pain. He wants you to prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. Seek His will for a healthier life and lifestyle. Don't get tired of asking! God is an ever present help in the time of trouble. We will be praying for you. In fact, right now we speak healing and deliverance in your body in the name of Jesus! Stay in touch with us about your progress. 

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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To Eat or Not to Eat?...Before A Workout

God day! Just a quick question and some encouragement for you today. I hope the weekend was awesome and restful. The weekend can often be one of the toughest times of the week for us to stay motivated and committed to our new lifestyles. On weekends we tend to have a more relaxed schedule so our planned eating and execise often falls by the wayside. Be careful of this trap. I hope that you are staying active and keeping up with your goals. What, you say you have no goals?? Can We Talk?! We have to set goals for ourselves for health and fitness just like we do for everything else in our lives, our careers, our families, our finances, our ministries. You get where I am going! Remember if you don't know where you are going, how do you know when you get there? Set some measurable goals. When you reach them we'll all celebrate with you. Deal?

Here's our question. Remember if you want to add a response to the question feel free to leave a comment on the blog or at the email address DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

Dear Aqua

If I'm going to work out in the am, should I eat breakfast first?

Dear Operation...

That really depends on you, your schedule, what you hope to accomplish. If you work out in the morning and eat breakfast first, you need to wait about 30-45 minutes before working out. I worked out in the morning, but didn't have time to eat and wait the full duration of time. So for me working out in the morning meant working out on an empty stomach. If you choose this make sure that you at least drink water prior to workout. 

There are arguments in the literature for the benefits of both (eating before workout and working out on an empty stomach) it just depends on which school of thought you follow. School #1 Working out on an empty stomach to burn more fat OR School #2 working out after a low calorie meal (with carbs and protein) to preserve muscle mass. A protein shake is also a good alternative to a full meal prior to exercise.

Whenever possible I try NOT to work out on an empty stomach. I have seen people work out on an empty stomach get into trouble. They might experience nausea, dizziness, and hypoglycemic episodes. Where experts do agree is never work out on a full stomach. That is probably the take away point. As you get stronger and more fit and learn more about your body, you will find out which strategy works best for you.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!



Oh! My Aching Muscles!!

God day everyone! I hope that you are enjoying life to the fullest! This is what God desires for us. The response from our first communication was overwhelming. Our community is growing! Please make sure you forward as appropriate. Our first in house clinic is in the works. I’ll be giving away 2 personal training sessions with none other than Minister Ronald Marshall of The One Training, LLC. Check him out here. http://www.theonetraining.com/

We also have a testimony from a community member who is winning the war on diabetes through faith, diet, and exercise. Stay tuned! Take the Diabetes Risk Assessment on this blog page. We have great question today which many of us have dealt with and still deal with if we are keeping our workouts fresh and meaningful. Send questions and sign up to be on the distribution list at DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

Dear Aqua

Is there anything I can do to help my sore muscles in between exercising/strength training?

Dear Operation…

Check out this great article on WebMD about muscle soreness. The link is provided below. You've heard it said, "no pain, no gain". I don’t advocate punishing our temples for the sake of fitness. But we do have to push our temples past our personal comfort zones to see results. With that said, unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, soreness goes with the program. I still get sore if I do a new activity that my muscles haven't "seen" before or "seen" in a while. Not real good news, but the good news IS the muscle is being worked (getting stronger) and conditioned! As long as it is only mild to moderate pain you should be okay to keep exercising, resting the muscles when you are not exercising as much as possible. Heat (hot pack or warm bath), ice, and stretching may also offer some relief. Make sure you are stretching before and after the workout routine. You can also take some over the counter pain relief, an anti-inflammatory. Please see recommendations from the article about more severe pain.

Ah, now what would Jesus say (WWJS) about our sore muscles? Our faith is like a muscle. Just as the muscle must be stretched to the limit of it's endurance in order to grow and be strong, so does our faith. God stretches our faith through trials and testing so that we become strong faithful believers. The pain we feel as we go through testing is meant to draw us nearer to God increasing our faith, love, and dependence on Him, that pain is not meant to move us away from Him. (Side note: The pain we feel after exercise will also draw us closer to God too! Haha! I know I called on Him many times when I was trying to climb a flight of stairs when I started working out). The pain we feel when we train our muscles is also not meant to deter us from exercising but to keep us motivated and moving forward, knowing that the benefit and the victory, just like with God’s testing is on the other side.

Don't let those sore muscles deter you, it is natural. You are in training. You are doing a great job! Celebrate the soreness! Your victory is on the other side!

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/sore-muscles-keep-exercising?page=2

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!