Faithful Fitness Fridays- Take 3

Several years ago, I introduced a weekly post: FAITHful Fitness FRIDAYS and then again about 2 years ago, I brought it back.  A lot has changed since then.  I no longer teach Pilates in local fitness facilities and my responsibilities have increased in other areas of life.  I work for my church, volunteer for my children’s schools, plus have many other responsibilities as a wife, mother, and caregiver for my mom.  We all have busy schedules and many things compete for our time and attention.  However, God’s word reminds us that we are to seek HIM first, get wisdom, and then act-in big things and small things- according to his plans and purposes for us.  This includes our busy schedules and our fitness pursuits.

So here it is, Take 3 of Faithful Fitness Fridays.   In these brief weekly* posts, we will explore what the BIBLE has to say about physical fitness (taking care of our physical bodies) and how we can exercise with using Christ-centered motivation to reach HIS fitness goals for us!

Today’s Verse:
“do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6;19-20)

First things first, whose body is it anyway?  Yours?  Not according to this verse!  As Christians, we are not our own.  Our bodies do not belong to us.  Rather, they are meant to serve God’s purpose: to glorify God.  “What does this have to do with my gym time?” you might ask.  Consider your current motivations for working out.  If you are currently UNMOTIVATED to exercise, here is a list from funandfit.com of 7 “real” reasons people exercise:

1. To look physically attractive (“hot” is the term used on the funandfit list)

2.  To meet other people

3.  Flat abs (NOT the same as number 1!!)

4. To be stronger and physiologically younger

5. To be able to do stuff

6.  To feel better about themselves

7.  Bragging rights

Can any of you identify with one of these motivations?  Some of them don’t sound too bad…meeting people, getting stronger, “doing stuff” are all things that are perfectly acceptable–but only if we are centered on Christ FIRST.  What kind of people are you trying to meet?  Strength is great, but for what do you need it?  And what about this “stuff”…what stuff are you trying to do?  If we answer these questions with a “me”-centered response, we are in danger of NOT following the mandate in 1 Corinthians to “glorify GOD” with our bodies.  Furthermore, we must be careful also to not allow our fitness goals to be based on physical attractiveness, comparison or bragging, and most importantly, our bodies should NOT be where we find our worth-that can only be found in Christ.

So how do we do this?  How do we know how to take care of ourselves remembering that the temple of our body is NOT us but of the Holy Spirit?  What changes do we need to make in our thinking? In our understanding?  In our physical fitness goals in order to focus on the ultimate goal…the one we were made for…glorifying God in all we do.

These are the types of questions we will seek to answer in the Faithful Fitness Friday posts.  If you would like to find out more about COREpilates Facebook Live Sessions (also on Fridays), contact us here:

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*Please note, although every attempt will be made to post on Fridays and weekly, the schedule may vary.

5 Reasons To Try Pilates-Yes, Even You

There are some people, like me, that don’t need a reason to try out a form of fitness.  However, the majority of people are wary to try something new and different.  It can be daunting to get to the gym period, much less walk in to a class with other people who already ‘get it’ and try to learn new lingo, movements, and all the while, look like you DO, in fact, get it. *Oh, come on, you know that’s part of it..no one wants to look silly.

In all honesty, the first time you take a Pilates class, perhaps the first 10 times you take a Pilates class, you will not ‘get it’.  There are many things to think for each movement: alignment, breath pattern, core engagement, and the parts of the movement.  But, I believe you should still give Pilates a try.  Here are 5 reasons:

1. Pilates Is For Everyone

Pilates is a form of exercise that can be done, in some form, by anyone.  If you are breathing, you can do Pilates.  True, not all people can just walk into a class and do all of the movements, but the Pilates principles can be practiced regardless of age, physical condition, or stage in life.

2.  Pilates Can Be Practiced Anywhere

Unlike some fitness forms which require machines, props, or certain environments, Pilates can be practiced anywhere with minimal preparation.  Yes, a mat is helpful, but a beach towel or carpet can work and only enough space to lengthen out your body is necessary.  If you are a busy executive, multi-tasking parent, or on vacation, you can practice Pilates.

3.  Pilates Is Efficient

Many people do not have the time to invest in an hour long routine.  Because the Pilates Method incorporates stretching, strengthening, and in some cases cardiovascular training, it is an efficient way to get a well-rounded workout.  Pilates also moves seamlessly from one exercise to the next, so you can flow through the practice without stopping to adjust body position. (*Well, truthfully, you are constantly making adjustments, but it is part of the workout!)

4.  Pilates Works When You Aren’t

When Pilates is practiced regularly, a certain amount of muscle memory occurs.  So, during class, your body twists as you purposefully engage the core to initiate and sustain the movement.  As you move through your daily life, as you twist, your body’s muscles activate as if you were doing this same movement in class.  The core engages and your body is protected and strengthened simultaneously.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to try Pilates, you are doing this for one or two reasons.  Either something about your current routine is not working or you have no current routine.  So, why not give Pilates a try?  Maybe you are lacking core strengthening or stretching in your current routine-Pilates can fix that.  Perhaps you are injured and cannot do your regular routine- Pilates can help you maintain your current fitness level while recovering.  On the other hand, maybe you are only thinking about Pilates because you know you need to do something, but you don’t know where to begin. You might be worried you don’t have enough strength to even get started.  But this is FALSE!  As I said at the beginning of the post, if you can breathe, you can practice Pilates.  Set up a session with a Pilates Personal Trainer or look for a beginning class.  Remember the BEST exercise is the one you will actually do, so give Pilates a try, it’s worth it!

 

 

The Magnificent Seven: AWARENESS

The “Magnificent Seven” are a series of Pilates movements which help us find and strengthen our core- the powerhouse and foundation of the body.   Because the movements are fundamentally simple, they allow us to become familiar with the Pilates principles and concepts- the first one is AWARENESS.

According to an article on WebMD, body awareness is the number one benefit of Pilates practice.  The attention required to perform the movements changes our awareness of our bodies which, in turn, affects our overall body awareness in daily life.  Becoming aware of our body and its alignments (or misalignements) is our impetus for change.  Just as the “Magnificent Seven” Pilates moves help us to become aware of our core in its current state in order to strengthen it, we also have been given Seven Spiritual Virtues or “exercises” to help us identify and strengthen our core in CHRIST.  The first of these spiritual movements is FAITH.  Awareness of our faith and where our faith is centered, is the key to finding our spiritual core, engaging this powerhouse of faith to direct and support our lives.

What is faith?  According to Hebrews, chapter 11, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is substance…Although we typically think of substance as a tangible possession; the Greek word used here means “foundation, a confidence, a firm trust.”

Our faith, in essence, is our foundation, where our firm trust lies.  To have faith in God means that we are anchored, supported by this powerhouse, trusting in Him to build a dwelling place upon this firm foundation-our Core in Christ.  The building has begun; our faith allows it to continue, supported, protected, and secure.    

Pilates movements help us to become aware of our physical core, to bring it into alignment, and strengthen it in order to support and anchor us through our daily activities.  The first step in Pilates is awareness; the first step in faith is awareness.

How firm is this faith, this substance of things not seen?  How strong is this centering core?  Does our center lie in the everlasting strength, the foundation of Christ in us? Or, does our center lie in the non-permanent things of this world? Is our foundation strong enough to hold us upright, to balance us, to keep us in alignment despite the ever-changing imbalances and insecurities of life?

Perhaps you are completely aware of the confident assurance of your foundation in Christ.  Your faith, your substance, firmly grounded with your trust of God.  Once you have identified Christ as your center, you can boldly continue your practice moving through your life incorporating spiritual virtues and movements to strengthen your faith. 

But if you are not sure, if awareness is new to you, if you have found that you are centered on something not of your faith, take heart.  Just as becoming aware of your body’s misalignments allows you to practice movements that realign you to your center, practicing the spiritual virtues, principles, will help you realign to Christ as your core.  Then, we begin building our foundation of faith, firm trust in God as we look toward future movements, future principles—next on our journey?  HOPE- a visualization of things yet to come.

Today’s COREconnection: 9/20/2010 STAND UP!

FITNESS FOCUS: Standing for Fitness  A recent article on the RealAge website entitled, How Your Rear End Helps You Live Longer discusses the health benefits of standing more than you sit.  According to the article, “Compared with people who sat for less than 3 hours a day, those who sat for at least 6 hours per day dramatically increased their risk of dying from any cause.”  Ok, no need to panic!  We all have times when we need to sit for work, traffic, waiting in the doctor’s office (what I happen to be doing right now!) or just because we are tired from work or waiting!  Sitting is inevitable, necessary, and sometimes beneficial for us.  However, when our lives dictate we sit for long periods of time, it is important that we create times where we stand in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The mere act of standing can increase strength in your core, legs, glutes, and back.  So stand up, check your alignment (see standing neutral spine info under the COREbasics tab), and, if you choose, move around a bit!  You will feel better, have more energy, and perhaps live longer!

FAITH FOCUS:  Standing for faith  According to the above article, the simple task of standing will increase your health, strength, and potentially your life.  This s is amazing to me that something so simple can have such widespread benefits.  It is also amazing to me that something so simple can be so difficult at times.  After sitting in the office all day, in the car running errands, etc, you would think we would be ready and willing to move out, take a walk with a friend, play with the kids in the back yard, anything!  But what do we do instead?  We sit and stare at the tv, computer, or curl up with a good book and relax.  (Now, do not want to imply that any of these things are bad.  There is a time and place for such activities…just bear with me for the purposes of this devotion.:)  I think the same is true for our spiritual activity, or inactivity as the case may be.  As a person seeking to follow Christ, I need to remember that the first thing I must do is STAND UP in my faith and for my faith.    It seems so simple, I am aware of God’s mercy and grace over my life, I know He has called me to share this with others, and yet, I sit.  I sit in the church pew making out my grocery list, I sit in Sunday School as my mind races about my ‘to-do’ list, I sit in traffic listening to Christian radio, barely listening, trying to tune out the ramblings of my two children in the back seat.  I do a lot of sitting, and some of it in the name of seeking Christ, but how often do I STAND UP for faith?  Perhaps, even if it is just figuratively, I can STAND UP in church, by being aware and centering on His presence.  I can STAND UP in Sunday School by focusing on God’s Word, His plan for me.  I can STAND UP in the car and activate not only my CORE in Christ but practice it with my kids’ as well by singing, listening, and hearing.  And finally, I can STAND UP for faith by allowing this awareness, centering, focusing, practice, to flow from me out into my encounters with others as the Holy Spirit controls my life keeping me in alignment with God’s Will.  In doing so, He will guard my life, increasing my spiritual strength AND my spiritual life.  Will you join me?

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)

 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. (Romans 5:1-2)

Today’s COREconnection:9/14/2010 What your knees need!

FITNESS FOCUS:  oh, my aching knees!  I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more “aware” I am of my knees and how sensitive they are to my daily movements.  Only after I began studying Pilates did I realize how the knee affects my body’s overall alignment.  If the muscles around my knees are tight or weak, that causes my entire body to be out of alignment which places further strain on my knees and other joints.  Pilates is a good exercise method for those who have “knee problems” because it works on building core strength which holds the upper body in proper position relieving strain on the knees.  Practicing Pilates also works to increase the large muscles in the legs like the quadriceps and hamstrings which support the knee while not requiring pressure or strain on the knee itself.  The knee folds exercise helps to stabilize the pelvis and initiate our movement from the core without disturbing our alignment.  This is important for performing tasks that require weight to be placed on the knee like squatting, stair climbing, and walking/running.

KNEE FOLDS

Lie on your back with your knees bent, hip distance apart. Your feet are flat on the floor in line with your knees.  

Lengthen through the crown of your head.  Drop your shoulders back and down. Your arms are by your sides. 

 Your hips are level and your spine is in its Neutral Position (*remember small space in the lower back).   Breathe deeply. Inhale, and on the exhale, pull your ribcage toward your hips, navel to spine-keeping the spine in neutral.  Focus on expanding the ribcage out with each breath and not up and down.  

 On an inhale, feel that you are using your abdominal muscles to lift one leg off the floor.  Keep the knee bent and hinge from the hip.  The hips stay level, spine stays in neutral, shoulders and neck stay relaxed. (*Try not to press up with the hands for example.  Use your abdominals to lift the leg.)

Exhale and return your foot to the floor. As you do so, be sure to use abdominal control. Don’t let the leg take over.

Repeat with the other leg.  Inhale to lift foot off the floor,exhale to lower.  No rocking in hips or pelvis.

Do 5 lifts with each leg, alternating.

FAITH FOCUS:  Learning to move through our life with stability and control that comes from a strong CORE in Christ is something that takes a great deal of practice and training.  It does not come easily for us.  When faced with an obstacle  we tend to avoid the hard work.  Just like weak knees can be an obstacle for physical activity, weak  faith can hinder our spiritual activity. We must train our faith, build it strong, so that we can do the activities that God has planned for us.  It it with this training which includes, prayer, Bible Study, meditation on the Word, that builds our CORE in Christ which where all our movement in life should initiate.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. (Hebrews 12:11-12)

Today’s COREconnection: 9/12/2010

FITNESS FOCUS:  Strengthening the Glutes  So it might not be a shock to most of you that the muscles that make up the “Glute Group” are one of the largest muscle groups in the body.  In a culture that spends most of its time trying to minimize the maximus, perhaps we should stop and take a closer look (figuratively, of course) at this large-muscled area. If we believe that God created our bodies for a purpose, then what purpose do these large muscles have?  I doubt that God’s purpose in creating this specific muscular system had anything to do with how well they fit into a pair of jeans or what they look like in a bathing suit.  But more on that later….My point is, the glutes are there for a functional purpose and having strong glutes is beneficial for our entire bodies.  Strengthening your glutes will improve your posture, relieve strain in your lower back, increase the efficiency and power of your leg muscles, and create the support of the part of the CORE muscles called the pelvic girdle.  So instead of trying to minimize the maximus, let’s work toward maximizing it’s strength!

Instructions for Heel Beats

• Lie on your stomach with your forehead on your hands.  Keep your shoulders pressed back and down out of your ears.
• Hips are pressing into the mat, but pull your abdominals in, not allowing them to rest on the floor.  (This will protect your lower back.)
• Legs are extened straight behind you.  Heels are together, toes turned slightly out.
• Inhale, and then exhale continuing to pull your navel  away from the mat. Feel your spine lengthen.
• Keep your abs lifted and legs together, engage the inner thighs and lift your legs slightly off the mat.
• Your legs stay lifted as you quickly beat your heels together and apart. (Think “Charlie Chaplin”…tap, tap, tap)
   
  (Keep your shoulders back and down, head resting on hands, not craned up looking forward.)
• Do 10 beats. Rest and repeat.

FAITH FOCUS:  You are right, there are no specific references to “glutes” in the Bible that I could find.  However, that doesn’t mean we can’t find some inspiration in God’s Word for Faith Focus today.  As I stated in the previous section, the “wisdom of the world” in regard to our glutes would seem to indicate that they contain two main uses 1)to sit on them while we watch tv, 2) to fit nicely into our “skinny jeans”.  But, (no pun intended–well, maybe a little) if we go with what we know from scripture first 1) God created us and formed us for a purpose-including our glutes.  Then what does He want us to do with them?  Well, Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  God created EVERY PART OF US in order to DO good things that He has PREPARED for us to do.  In order for us to 1)walk in alignment with God’s will, 2) stand firm in our faith 3) lift up/take up the full armor of God, we must utilize ALL of the muscles He has given us.  We must build them strong to hold us upright, move us with efficiency, and keep us protected as we flow through this life.

In closing, our glutes are one of our biggest allies in keeping our bodies in proper alignment of our bodies.  As we strengthen them by exercises, we can recruit them for more efficient and effective movement in our daily activities.  Our biggest ally in the alignment of our spiritual bodies?  GOD’S WORD…as we strengthen our knowledge of it by doing “exercises” like reading, study, and memorization, we will be better equipped to recruit God’s Word as we move through our lives in order to hold ourselves upright, firm and strong in our faith in Christ Jesus.

Today’s COREconnection: 8/27/2010

In today’s COREconnection, we will explore the relationship between faith and fitness.  In an article entitled, Want to Be Fit? Exercise Your Faith,  speaker and wellness coach Dale Fletcher addresses this connection between the spiritual and physical CORE.  Follow this link to read more about why exercising your faith can improve your fitness.  www.faithandfitness.net/node/164

Today’s COREconnection: 8/3/2010

Note:  I apologize for the delay in posts.  I am finally getting “centered” after being at a conference. 

FITNESS FOCUS:  Leg Pull Front  This exercise starts by engaging the muscles of the shoulders, back, arms, and core while holding a plank position.  However, this exercise adds the challenge of maintaining stability in the torso and pelvis as you lift a leg slightly off the floor.  The abdominals are forced to engage when the instability is introduced.  The benefits of this exercise go beyond just strengthening the shoulders, back, and core.  By training our muscles to engage when we face instability, we will be prepared when our bodies face the instabilities of the day.  These would include simple things like uneven sidewalks, lifting unstable and heavy items, as well as when injury forces us to use one part of our body more than the other.

Steps for Leg Pull Front:

Start on your knees. Place your hands on the floor in front of you, fingers pointing straight ahead. Keep your arms straight and your elbows unlocked. Your wrists are directly under your shoulders which are pulled back and down.  With your abdominals lifted, extend your legs back so that they are straight and together. Your toes are curled under so that some weight is on the balls of your feet. (This is the Plank Position) Your ears, shoulders, hips and heels should be in one long line.  Engage your abdominals to  keep your body in this stable position.  Don’t let the shoulders creep up toward the ears or the hips sag.  This takes a lot of abdominal work…engage them by taking deep inhales and exhales, pulling the navel to spine.  Lengthening through the crown of the head, keep your gaze toward the floor.  Extend through the leg as you lift it off the floor, no higher than the hip. Return your foot to the mat and extend the other leg.   As you extend, lift, and replace the foot back down on the mat, remember to keep lifted in the hips, shoulders back and down, hips level, and lengthened through the crown of the head.  Repeat 5 times on each side.

FAITH FOCUS:  Unfortunately, we are all too familiar with the instability of this world.  Everything from our bank accounts and bills, to our waistlines and our relationships fluctuate.  The ups and downs, unexpected changes of this world make our lives a bit unstable at times.  What are we to do about all of this?  How can we prepare for what we cannot expect?  The key is to practice engaging our CORE in Christ so that when faced with instabilities that inevitably come our way.  The Bible tells us how to make sure we can withstand the unexpected things of this world:

 The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.  It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.  (Deuteronomy 13: 3-4)

 Teach me to do your will,  for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life;  in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.  (Psalm 143: 10-11)

 We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. You say, “I choose the appointed time;  it is I who judge uprightly. When the earth and all its people quake,  it is I who hold its pillars firm.  Selah  (Psalm 75: 1-3)

New Feature: COREmatters

Welcome to a new feature to RESTORE YOUR CORE!  COREmatters are features that address “core” issues.  What is at the CORE of our days, our lives, our experiences?  How does our CORE faith affect us?  Why does a strong CORE matter?  I hope that as you begin to identify the COREmatters of your days, you will share them with others on this blog. 

So, today I had a CORE experience; God revealed something about my “foundation”.  Over the past few weeks I have been preparing for the Proverbs 31 Shespeaks Conference.  I have studied the Bible, written articles and book proposals.  I have prepared notebooks and folders.  I painstakingly took care to get a hair cut and color, my nails done, eyebrow wax, and purchased outfits to complete the “conference” look.  Today I packed and meticulously went over everything: proposals? check, outfits? check, Bible? check, makeup? check, business cards? check.  It was all there.  I was ready to head out to the conference.  Excited about the possibility of meeting other women in ministry, sharing the mission of  COREministries, and learning how to be a better “Proverbs 31 woman”, I began my journey north.  Only after hitting the Georgia state line did it occur to me that I forgot something, a very important something….  In order to keep this relatively appropriate, I will use the term my grandmother uses…I had forgotten my “foundational garments”!  I had remembered everything that others might see, but forgot one of the most important things!

After momentarily freaking out until I remembered that Wal-Mart sells “foundational garments”, I realized something else I had forgotten…another foundational item: prayer.  Today I had been so busy preparing last-minute items, doing the many things to make sure everything “looked” right, that I would portray the right “image” for the ministry, that I forgot the image that the Lord looks at–I had forgotten to prepare my heart.  Sure, I want to be polished and professional at these meetings, but I need to make sure that I am dressed appropriately for the most important meeting of each day, and especially this weekend– my meeting with my Heavenly Father.

I think I have learned my lesson!  Now, I hope to go into each day, putting on my spiritual foundational garments, beginning with prayer, study of God’s Word, and constant engagement of my CORE-the ultimate  foundation.  Then I can go into the “meetings” of this world with the support I need wearing the image of God’s love to share with others.

Today’s COREconnection: 7/29/2010

FITNESS FOCUS:  Practice  Now that you have learned several Pilates warm-ups, stretches, and exercises, it is time to put it all together!  Try moving from one exercise to the other.  You don’t have to do all of them or very many repetitions of the exercises.  Just give it a shot!  You might find that you enjoy it, feel relaxed and rejuvenated, and ready for the next COREchallenge.  Here is a suggested routine based on some of the COREbasics and COREconnections we have done: 

Standing Alignment/Neutral Spine 

Standing Roll Down 

Hundred 

Single Leg Stretch 

Bridge 

Spine Stretch Forward 

Rolling like A Ball 

Table Top Swimming 

Plank 

Prayer Position 

Hope you enjoy moving through a routine.  Often we practice things step by step, but then get intimidated to put it all together.  It seems to big and overwhelming.  The best way to overcome fear of the unknown is to make it known!  Practice may not always make everything perfect, but it does make things less intimidating. 

FAITH FOCUS:  Today I am going to have to “put it all together”.  I will be attending the Proverbs 31 Ministries SheSpeaks Conference for the third year.  During the previous years, I went through the process to become a “Shespeaks Graduate” learning how to share my story with others through public speaking.  Over the last year, I began to write devotions to share with men and women seeking to strengthen their physical and spiritual core.  Now, as I attend this years conference, I had to “put it all together” creating an idea for a book to present during my sessions in the Writing track of this conference.  Although I have not been intimidated by the writing of weekly devotions, putting them all together to make a cohesive piece, has caused me to be a little fearful, to say the least!  Although I know that this is my first attempt to “practice” putting it all together, I know that it will get easier, if I just keep practicing!  As you think about things in your days that bring anxiety or fear, remember that God is with you, he will never leave you or forsake you, he has equipped you for every good work, he has offered his strength to you.  So engage that CORE in Christ, STRETCH out of your comfort zone, FLOW though your day, with the AWARENESS  of God’s will and ALIGN yourself to it, BREATHE  in his Holy Spirit, and PRACTICE with PRECISION God’s purpose for you today.  

I may be out of touch for the next few days due to the conference, but will be back to regular postings next week! 

Philipians 4:13….I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Deuteronomy 31:8 ” The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

  

Hebrews 13:20-22 “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”