At the risk of being accused of emulating my daughter, Christina Sinclair (what better compliment to her?) I have decided to post on the physical aspects of being human. After all this blog, as well as my wellness practice, is about body, mind, and soul health.
I have spent years espousing how important it is to take care of our bodies, and I am convinced that it honors our creator to do so. Many times I have referred to 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 “…there are many parts but only one body…” Please read it as a great reminder that how we treat one part of our body will effect each and every other part. Just as I have spelled-out in my online store here , each and every thing you put in or on your body, what you eat, how much you exercise, or your sleep habits, will have either a positive or a negative effect on your overall health.
I have spent years espousing how important it is to take care of our bodies, and I am convinced that it honors our creator to do so. Many times I have referred to 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 “…there are many parts but only one body…” Please read it as a great reminder that how we treat one part of our body will effect each and every other part. Just as I have spelled-out in my online store here , each and every thing you put in or on your body, what you eat, how much you exercise, or your sleep habits, will have either a positive or a negative effect on your overall health.
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| A local one-day ski trip with my son, Anthony in 2012 |
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that I am a die-hard exercise enthusiast. I play tennis, beach volleyball, run, hike, snow-ski, wake-board, lift weights, do yoga, pilates, barre classes, and “HIIT” classes. I earned a second-degree blackbelt in Taeknondo in my forties. Call me crazy but a lot of my fun comes from the above activities. I also love the challenge of trying something new. The best part is, Christina is my instructor of choice so I get to spend time with her too!
Like a lot of you there are days when I think I am just too busy to work out. News flash! According to new scientific studies, that can no longer be an excuse for any of us, nor do we need any expensive equipment. Here is a chart which is an example of a 7-minute “high intensity interval training” workout. You can find many online and once you ‘get it’, you can make up your own.
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| **Be careful stepping-up on the chair and always keep your chest up when doing a squat. |
“A recent article in the American
College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal1 shows how you can fulfill the requirements for a high intensity
exercise using nothing more than your own body weight, a chair, and a wall.
College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal1 shows how you can fulfill the requirements for a high intensity
exercise using nothing more than your own body weight, a chair, and a wall.
Best of all, this science-backed
routine only requires a seven minute investment, as the program calls for as
little as 10- to 15-seconds of rest between each 30-second exercise, which
should be performed in rapid succession.
routine only requires a seven minute investment, as the program calls for as
little as 10- to 15-seconds of rest between each 30-second exercise, which
should be performed in rapid succession.
As reported by the New York Times2:
“’There’s very good evidence that
high-intensity interval training provides “many of the fitness benefits of
prolonged endurance training but in much less time,’ says Chris Jordan, the
director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando,
Fla., and co-author of the new article.”
high-intensity interval training provides “many of the fitness benefits of
prolonged endurance training but in much less time,’ says Chris Jordan, the
director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando,
Fla., and co-author of the new article.”
The health benefits of high
intensity interval training are well-established at this point, and include:
intensity interval training are well-established at this point, and include:
–>
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Significantly improving your
insulin sensitivity, especially if you’re on a low-processed food-, low-sugar/low-grain diet |
Optimizing your cholesterol
ratios, when combined with a proper diet |
Boosting fat metabolism and
optimizing your body fat percentage (as a result of improved conservation of sugar and glycogen in your muscles) |
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Virtually eliminating type 2
diabetes and high blood pressure |
Naturally boosting your levels of
human growth hormone (HGH) |
Increasing your aerobic capacity
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One of the added boons of this
7-minute program is that since you don’t need any equipment, you can easily
take this routine with you when traveling. You’d be hard-pressed to find a
hotel room that doesn’t at least have a chair in it. When done at the appropriate
intensity, which should hover around 8 on a scale of 1-10, the following 12
exercises, which are outlined in the report, equate to doing a long run and a
weight-training session.
Examining
data from participants in the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser,”
researchers found that diet alone was responsible for more weight loss than
exercise, but only 65 percent of that weight loss was body fat. The remaining
35 percent reduction in total body weight was a reduction in lean muscle mass.
Exercise alone resulted in fat loss only, along with a small increase in lean
muscle mass.” source
data from participants in the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser,”
researchers found that diet alone was responsible for more weight loss than
exercise, but only 65 percent of that weight loss was body fat. The remaining
35 percent reduction in total body weight was a reduction in lean muscle mass.
Exercise alone resulted in fat loss only, along with a small increase in lean
muscle mass.” source
Here’s the conclusion: eat healthy and make sure you also exercise. You need those muscles, plus a muscular body needs more calories so you can eat more! Seven minutes a day is a good place to start. When I do “HIIT” workouts I usually do 5 exercises, a minute each (I use the timer on my iphone), and I do them four times each, resting only one minute after each set of the 5 exercises. All of this in just 24 minutes. Here’s one of my sequences: sit-ups, squats, knee-highs, push-ups (I start w/ regular then go to my knees), jumping jacks or jump rope (if you have the room). X 4 Try it and let me know how you like it.
Very soon I will address how your thoughts can have either a positive or a negative effect on your body, mind, soul health too so make sure that you check-in regularly.
Very soon I will address how your thoughts can have either a positive or a negative effect on your body, mind, soul health too so make sure that you check-in regularly.
"Like a lot of you. there are days when I think I am just too busy to work out".
I think it is a matter of setting priorities. We find time to shower, dress, eat, watch TV and it is not so much that we can't afford the time to exercise; rather we cannot afford to not exercise! Your 7 min workout and advice is Gr8! And as you say we can use the tips here to design our own best routine. As I have MS, sometimes I have to do my working out while sitting. But I can still use stretch cords or even lifting water bottles. For legs, the stretch cords again or as I have, ankle weights are Gr8! We can all find ways if we really want to do it and that is the real crux of the matter often.
Again, as you say, we honour God when we take care of our physical self. And taking care of the body raises our spirit I find. That energies me to not only look my best and think best but then to DO my best! It is a win all round.
A word on losing too much weight from one who for medical reasons has lost too much with a racing metabolism whether I exercise or not. I need to add more calories through Ensure or Boost drinks with added calories. That is best for me as not exercising is not an option for me to gain weight. I must walk or find a way to do cardio-vascular exercise and despite MS must add calories if needed. I know many wish they could lose like I but believe me, losing too much is as bad as gaining too much.
Honour God in how you look and you will see reflected in a mirror the best you can be, will think good thoughts more and do the next right thing for HIM.
God is blessing all, always
J-M
Thank you Donna for the 7 minute workout.
On another topic, I watched the Hour of Power this morning and Bobby Schuller interviewed Robert A. Schuller. I was very moved by the interview. Robert is a very humble man of God. I look forward to hearing him preach there again in June.
Liz