Have you said or thought “I hate to exercise”? It’s a common barrier to Christian weight loss and getting healthy. We all know exercise is good for you but few do it regularly.
But I’ve got a reason for this and I’ll guarantee it is not what you think.
Pretend for a second that someone gives you a high performance race car. And let’s say that you are asked to take it a few laps around a track. No problem, you say.
But instead of filling your tank with high grade gas, the attendant fills your tank with sugar and melted Crisco.
You try to drive the car, but the gears grind, the car chokes, sputters, and finally just stops, defeated.
Would you be surprised that the car could not race?
No, because you know that sugar and melted Crisco is not the fuel that runs a car efficiently.
What I’ve described is exactly what happens if you start an exercise program while still eating a diet full of sugars, simple carbohydrates, and the wrong types of fat.
With such a diet, it takes every ounce of energy just to get through the day.
Asking yourself to exercise on top of that is as futile as the poor car trying to run around the track with Crisco and sugar in the tank.
It will not last.
A diet full of Omega 6 fats, which most processed foods are, taxes your body.
It makes your blood thicker and sluggish so that it can’t deliver oxygen to your muscles efficiently.
It makes your joints ache.
Mentally, it can make it more difficult to solve problems and make wise decisions.
These symptoms make it very uncomfortable to exercise and when you associate pain with something, you usually avoid it.
It amazes me when experts say that if you had to choose between eating nutritiously and exercising, they think it is better to exercise.
But I say it is ridiculous to try to exercise without the right fuel to power the activity.
I think it is smarter to get your diet right by making some small changes and once you’ve got the right fuel in your body, then add the exercise.
You see, when you eat too many processed foods, you are eating a hibernation diet, or Fall diet to equate it with the seasons.
That’s why you feel tired and don’t want to exercise. You just want to sleep, which is exactly what the enemy wants. Preferably permanently.
So what can you do today to turn things around in your Christian weight loss program?
You need a diet made for activity, or a Spring diet.
A Spring diet will restore your energy, help you think better and even look younger. It’s time for the body of Christ to wake up!
Here are two things nutritiously to bring Spring back to your body. Like any health advice, please consult with a medical professional before putting it into practice.
1. Start drinking 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you weigh 200 pounds, then that would be 100 ounces daily. That works out to about 12 cups per day (if each cup is 8 ounces).
Twelve is about the maximum number of cups anyone needs so if you weigh more than 200 pounds, then still make 12 cups your goal.
If you don’t drink any water currently, just add 1 cup per day until you work up to your goal amount. This will also allow your body to get used to it.
2. Start eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day. Have you ever heard that eating green M&Ms makes you sexy? Wrong – eating green vegetables does!
Here’s a shocking fact about the vegetables: it is said that most lifestyle diseases can be prevented simply by eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day! How cool is that?
The green leaves of plants have an Omega 3 fat in them called Alpha Linolenic Acid.
Omega 3 fats are like WD-40 for your body and loosens things up.
They help make your joints less stiff and make your blood flow more smoothly. Not to mention that losing weight will be easier for you.
So load up on the greens:
- All types of Salad greens
- Turnip greens
- Mustard greens
- Kale
- Collards
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Watercress
- Bok choy
Other fibrous vegetables are good too but greens are best. Learn more about the powerful benefits of vegetables at
https://www.morematters.org.
Make the water and the vegetables a priority and then work everything else in your diet around that in moderate portions. Do that for 10 days and then try starting your exercise program.
I guarantee you will feel better and exercise will be much more enjoyable!
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.”
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program
Wow!!!! Love this and so true. I’m a bit fussy with green leafy vegies. Brussel sprouts I can’t stand…but they also make me fart. Like ‘kill a small village’ scenario >) I do eat kale though (I have issues with low iron so kale with lemon juice is something I’ll do)
Ha, ha, ha – yeah, a lot of healthy foods are ”musical” because of the fiber. But I like to think of the fiber as brushes that clean out the inside 🙂
I find that different people prefer different types of exercise so being willing to try out a wide variety will increase your chances of finding one you really enjoy – especially if you can find a friend to exercise with you.
However even then sometimes you just have to “go for it”. Typically one experiences endorphins during exercise which make you feel good, but you forget about this “feel good factor” sometimes. Just forcing yourself to go for a run or a bike ride can be enough sometimes to kick in the feeling and make you think “Why didn’t I want to do this? This is great!”.
Great post on exercise motivation. Yes, it can be hard to get motivated to do your daily exercise.
I found that if I have a strong goal that I’m reaching for it is much easier to exercise daily.
If I just say, I’m going to exercise because it is good for me, that doesn’t work so well but, if I say today’s exercise will make my stomach flatter or make me stronger for a sport etc or try to beat an old time on the track it is much easier to get motivated.
It really helps to have a goal that means something to you and then exercise becomes less difficult to get motivated for.
Thanks again,
Jeremiah