Dec/Jan 2011

Should Christian’s do yoga? Some say yes and some say no. This important article will give you insight into a Christian-faith approach to yoga. Should you learn to be silent, meditate, worship and seek unity with God? Let God transform your thinking, your attitudes and your heart.

If you belong to a small fellowship group at your church you may be wondering how to make it more than a guided discussion of the most recent Sunday sermon or book study. If you belong to a group exercise class you may be longing for deeper interaction with others. ActivPrayer is one program that is bringing together the best of both group exercise and small fellowship groups. Learn about it then get one started in your community.

What if your pastor’s rousing Sunday sermon on perseverance was followed Monday morning by an exhausting run on the treadmill with your pastor --- yelling, “Faster!” What if your personal trainer customized a diet plan just for you then prepared a lean and healthy dish for the church fellowship dinner after he served you and others communion? Meet that person --- Pastor AND Trainer, Dave Scott.

What if your pastor not only challenged you to climb a mountain he did it with you. Mike Daly shares how his pastor was there with him from idea, through training and all the way to the summit.

What if your pastor’s rousing Sunday sermon on perseverance was followed Monday morning by an exhausting run on the treadmill with your pastor --- yelling, “Faster!” What if your personal trainer customized a diet plan just for you then prepared a lean and healthy dish for the church fellowship dinner after he served you and others communion? For one California congregation this is their reality. If you are wondering how hard it can be to have a pastor that is a personal trainer you may be surprised to see that members (in both the church and gym) think it is pretty cool. and achieve peak performance. Now is the time to learn how to be empowered by God.

With all the wellness resources available to me you would think I could easily address my weight challenges. I needed to find some real truths. The book Made To Crave helped me do exactly that. It is far more than another diet book. It is a companion tool to a healthy lifestyle that can help lead you, like it did me, to a new spiritual journey.

You made it to the final exercise of this holiday training program. Time to do some biceps curls and Triceps Extensions. Do the curls (each arm) first. Then do the triceps extensions (each arm). They are your 12 bonus reps.

The Romanian deadlift is quite a mouthful. Call it RDL for short. Stand with a barbell, dumbbells, sandbag, or other implement in front of you with arms extended (Picture 1). Slightly bend the knees, but don’t bend them once you start the next part of the movement.

To do the one-arm Row as your tenth exercise do 5 on each side (each arm). – I like to tweak this great strength move a bit so that you get more core involvement.

Keep both feet even on the ground (other versions have you put one knee on a bench), and reach onto a bench or other secure object. The goal is to get the back flat and parallel to the ground. Grab a dumbbell or other implement with the other hand and pull it to your side, getting your elbow as high as possible.

The good news about doing jumping jacks in this holiday training regimen is that this is a rest set before your last 3 big sets. Hopefully, you have been doing jumping jacks since you were a child and the pictures will tell you all you need to know about this classic fat burner.

Low-Impact Version– step instead of jump and keep arms even with the chest as they move.

For the kettlebell Swing I realize you may not have access to a kettlebell. If that is the case, you can do this same exercise with dumbbells (even a filled household plastic bottle with a handle – like a gallon milk bottle). However I highly recommend you use kettlebells. Invest in some for your personal home gym.

The shoulder press can be done with any implement. I have pictures of a thick band and a set of kettlebells. The way I teach this now is different from years ago. I am most concerned now with bone stacking.

For this part of your holiday training do 3 lunges with each leg. Take a long stride step and focus on lowering “through” the front heel. Your back leg is for balance and the front leg is for work. Lower the torso straight down between the two feet in the long stride position. Focus also on maintaining a long spine. You can stay stationary or walk the lunges around your workout area, alternating for 3 reps with each leg.

If you are still singing the song then you are at the, “5 golden rings” part of this exercise. Be sure to do 5 push-ups every time.

Pistols (Assisted) are basically a single-leg squat while holding on and lightly assisting with the upper body. The focus is extreme range of motion (notice how low Kirsten is getting…sit on your heel if possible). Return to a standing position by driving your heel through the ground, keep the spine long, and only pull with your arms as needed.

Pull-ups are an upper body compound pulling exercise where the body is suspended by extended arms, gripping a fixed bar, then pulled up until the elbows are bent and the head is higher than the hands, utilizing an overhand (pronated) grip. Focus on getting the elbows by your side and activating your shoulder blades rather than focusing your arms doing the work.

A Turkish Get-up is my favorite exercise of all time. Lay down flat and extend one arm overhead. If you are new to this exercise, just try it with no weight first, then you can add an appropriate dumbbell or kettlebell like in the pictures below.

Burpees are also called “squat thrusts”. Squat low in a “frog” position. Kick your feet out behind you so that you are in the top of a push-up position. Jump your feet back under you to the “frog” position. Now jump straight up with arms overhead.

Low-Impact Version– squat and put your hands on a step or other secure object, walk your feet out, and walk them back in close to your hands, then just stand up rather than jump.

HOLIDAY TRAINING You know it happens. Your workout routine – is OH SO ROUTINE. We have the perfect solution. That repetitive Christmas tune you’ve no doubt sung just a few times is the model for one incredible workout. Get ready for 12 different exercises that are performed just like the song. Spread the holiday cheer and get someone to join you in this holiday training. Be sure to read all 12 exercise pages. elliptical machine

One of the biggest things this year in faith and fitness didn’t come from either a gym or church. Individuals with a personal passion for God are the ones fueling innovation and advances. See the top 4 areas for growth in 2011 and take the challenge to fulfill your purpose in God.