Back to Life, Part 2
Kahlil Carmichael MAPCC, MDIV, CPT is the pastor of Live Well Church, in Somerset, New Jersey. He is a fitness specialist at The Fitness Doctor, a fitness and wellness consulting company; and the author of 50 Tips for a Better You. He is a contributor to Guideposts magazine. His first publication, Living Longer Living Better, is available now. Go to www.livewellchurch.org for more information.
It’s June! We are continuing to get back to a new and improved reality. Let’s continue to challenge ourselves to greater activity. Exercise or mindful movement is universally effective, unlike supplements and fad diets. Improving your physical conditioning leads to muscle strength and core stability, confidence in movement and appearance, and it lessens the risk of chronic illness. Exercise helps transform the body on the inside and outside and leads to an improved mental state.
I have recently lost 12 pounds on a new fitness regimen that focuses on reconditioning the mind, body, and spirit. Is your goal weight loss, improving muscle strength and agility, or reshaping your body? I’ve recorded some recommendations that helped me. Don’t forget to breathe, stretch, walk, and lift weights—see last month’s article, “Back to Life Part I.”
1) Stop telling yourself you don’t like to exercise! You must speak life over your actions or they will not stick to form a good habit. The truth is you will love the effects your physical conditioning will have on your body. That is more than enough of a reason to get started.
2) Monitoring your diet is essential. You must plan ahead and be strategic in your intake. Like many of us, maybe you have a plan to stop eating fast food or to avoid sugar. Also, like many of us, without planning ahead you can easily start slipping back into activities that don’t honor your goals. If you have a poor diet with many excess calories, your body will use what it can for energy but the rest will turn into fat. This can increase visceral fat, which wraps around your abdominal organs and can raise your risk for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and high cholesterol. Visceral fat can also inflame your body’s tissues and narrow your blood vessels.
3) Increasing aerobic activity can improve your life in many ways. Aerobic means “with oxygen.” It helps your heart pumps oxygenated blood to your muscles, which helps them burn fat and carbohydrates for fuel. It increases your stamina and helps control your blood pressure. This increased activity will help maintain your weight and keep you from developing too much fat. Some good ways to increase your aerobic activity are HIIT (high-intensity interval training), strength training, or a long and slow bike ride/run.
Let’s continue getting back to life. Please check out our new 8-week class, designed to help you reach your personal best. Additionally, here is a YouTube link to my 12-minute workout you can do 3 days per week at home. https://youtu.be/E625Kq64XmQ Please place a comment on the YouTube video chat and let me know what you would like to see.
Live well and prosper.
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