Give Your Body to God
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.
I’ve been leading my fitness students in ways to transform their lives. On our own, the struggle to maintain our fitness can be overwhelming and tiring. Do you look at your current condition with regret or compare this year’s body with the you from five years ago, or even the you from high school? We can develop a cycle of regret and comparison that paralyzes us from moving forward. Stop the merry-go-round and give your body to God. Our creator has your best interests at heart and knows your true self. When something feels too big for you, admit it and ask for help from the One who knows you inside and out.
Giving our bodies to God also means giving the best body we can, and that means caring for our health. What are some small steps we can start to implement to care better for our overall health?
- Get more rest! Most people are chronically sleep-deprived. Sleep deprivation is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. Sleep deficiency is also linked to a higher chance of injury in adults, teens, and children.
- See your doctor! To present your best body, you have to know your numbers and what is happening inside of it. See your dentist, OB/GYN and primary care physician for your annual screenings. Your doctor can alert you to developing conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease before they become chronic.
- Move your body! To strengthen an object or skill, you must use it regularly, and that includes your body. Don’t get caught up in fad exercises or purchasing a lot of equipment. You can make a big impact on your fitness with consistency. If you are mostly sedentary, start your exercise journey with a ten-minute walk, and increase until you are walking daily. Add ten to fifteen minutes weekly, and work to increase the distance you cover during your walk.
- Start weight-lifting! Muscles support your frame, pump blood, and support movement. Abdominal muscles don’t just give you a flat stomach, they support your back and help you stand up straight. Strengthen your muscles with movement and light weight-lifting. Follow along with my work-out: https://youtu.be/ E625Kq64XmQ, add your weights and increase them as needed to challenge yourself. Stretching afterwards will feel good and help to increase your range of motion, making you more flexible.
- Eat healthy! Eat more whole, unprocessed foods. Eliminating the junk will help you feel so much better. As you eliminate the toxins, your aches will lessen, you will sleep better, your abdominal health will improve, and you may lose a few pounds.
I believe we serve a God who wants us to live well and prosper! Let’s challenge ourselves and do our best to improve our health.
Live well and prosper!
Former US Congressman Edolphus Towns joins PHEN in the fight against prostate cancer
PHEN’s 2023 Prostate Cancer Disparity Rally: A prostate cancer crisis is hitting Black communities around...
Choose Healthy Life’s Service of Renewal and Healing
Union Baptist Church in Harlem Pastor Rev. Brian D. Scott hosted Choose Healthy Life’s (CHL)...
U.S. Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. shares his experience with losing a friend to prostate cancer
Session III: September 20, 2023 Enhancing Clinical Trial Awareness and Increasing Participation of Black Patients...
Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller joins PHEN in the fight against prostate cancer
PHEN’s 2023 Prostate Cancer Disparity Rally: Have you heard that Black men get diagnosed with...
Shavonda E. Sumter, State Representative for Patterson, NJ introduces PHEN
Shavonda E. Sumter, State Representative for Patterson, NJ introduces PHEN and shares her experience about...
First Corinthian Youth Sunday
Members and visitors packed the sanctuary of Harlem’s First Corinthian Baptist Church for Youth Sunday. Youth Pastor Rev. Tre Walrond...
Read More
Newark’s Gospel Music Month Kick-Off Celebration
For 38 years, Gospel Music Month has been celebrated in Newark, NJ, the state’s Gospel Capital. Dr. Albert Lewis proposed...
Read More
Gospel in the City
Sounds of praise and joy were in the air at the East Orange Campus High School on June 10. Mayor...
Read More
I Remember Harlem By Percy E. Sutton
By Percy E. Sutton (1920-2009) Chairman of the Executive Board Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce I remember the so-called “Harlem...
Read More
NTAC Gala 2023
Neighborhood Technical Assistance Clinic (NTAC) Founder and CEO Rev. Dr. Valerie Oliver Durrah welcomed guests to the organization’s White Party...
Read More
More than 4,500 Volunteers Packed 1.5 Million Meals For New Yorkers In Need in Observance of 9/11 Day
September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance 22 years after the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 9/11 anniversary...
Read More
Honoring Newark Heroes: Wayne Brooks Jr. and Augusto Acabou
By Steve Walkers To their families and coworkers they were know as “Bear” and ” Augie.” We know them as...
Read More
I Remember Harlem
by Voza Rivers I grew up on West 132nd Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues. My street, during the ’40s...
Read More
Jim Harding’s Never Ending Service to the Community
By Jean Nash Wells Called out of retirement, Jim Harding, now the Assistant Fire Commissioner and Senior Advisor of External...
Read More
Newark Students Develop Workforce Skills during Summer Youth Employment Program, Hosted by Berkeley College
Students practice CPR during the Newark Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) on July 26, 2023. This summer, nearly 300 Newark residents...
Berkeley College Announces Opportunity Grant for Qualified New Jersey Residents to Earn a Degree Debt-Free
Qualified New Jersey residents can enroll in a full-time Associate’s degree program without incurring any loans for tuition and fees...
Berkeley College Appoints Patricia Greer, JD, as Provost
Share the News: @BerkeleyCollege #NewsBerkeley Berkeley College has named Patricia “Patty” Bennett Greer, JD, as Provost, effective August 7, 2023...
Jobs, Wages and Education
In the summer of 1963, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial facing our nation’s Capitol...
Kool and the Gang co-founder donates thousands to NJ schools for music education
A co-founder of one of the most successful music groups to come out of New Jersey is helping the next...
Kean University President Repollet Attends White House’s National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D., today joined U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, key members of the Biden-Harris...
DV Connector Network Presents – Precious Williams – The Killer Pitch Master
Securing Our Legacy Through UJAMAA DV Connector Network Series Hear from our Special Guest… Precious...
New Jersey Reparations Council Announced
On June 19, 2023, the second anniversary of our newest federal holiday, Juneteenth, celebrations marked...
AACCNJ’s First Juneteenth Black Business Expo
Black-owned businesses connected with private and public companies at the well-attended, inaugural Black Business Expo...
On Harlem, Business, and the Economics of Culture: Brothers Gonna’ Work it Out
“The ability to augment the profit motive with a service motive is a positive, life-affirming...
Summer in and out of the City
BY R.L. WITTER My husband at the wheel, the road stretches in front of me...
Why the Habit of Saving is Key to Becoming Financially Healthier
Savings is a foundational piece to financial health since research has found that unexpected expenses...
