Physical

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and at that age it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds

There was a time I could not understand someone wanting to run a race and was determined not to, but the Lord had a different plan. I asked Joyce Ainsworth, author of Food, Freedom and Finish Lines, about racing.  She encouraged me to start with a 5K.  Thanksgiving seemed like a good day to burn off extra calories, so I entered a 5K Turkey Trot.   I survived, I finished and I was thankful.   The Lord sent another encourager, Sherry, who asked to arrive late to a training meeting, because she was competing in a triathlon.  When she arrived at our meeting, we asked about the race.  As she shared, I started thinking, “I swim. I bike.  I run.”  Sherry, a brand new friend, encouraged me, and something happened after I signed up for the Triathlon Sprint. I actually wanted to swim, bike and run.   Not only that, but I looked forward to

Of all God’s blessings in life, the gift of friendship, especially fitness buddies, should not be overlooked.  During an eight-week study, research found that people who exercised with a partner did more exercise during the brief study.  Other research has found that if you find a partner, you will stick with the exercise routine, even six months later. What if you could double your chances for fitness success, and exercise would be more enjoyable, fit into your schedule, and pull you through the fitness rut?  Proverbs 18:24 states, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Reliable friends can be the difference between your exercise habit success and failure.  Over the years, I have not limited myself to one fitness partnership—walking and meetings with a colleague, running with a group, or taking a group exercise class.  Here are

What’s your greatest motivation? Are you a natural-born competitor? Are you striving to keep up with your children or grandchildren? Are you working to fit into that special spring outfit this year? Are you hoping to outrun your DNA? Or are you simply trying to live a more healthy life all the way around? What I’m really asking all of us is this: When you want to give up, what stops you? I have a competitive streak that’s pretty wide. My motivation originates in the challenge of being a little bit better (healthier, smarter, kinder) than I was yesterday. For this miraculous growth to occur, I must choose to make one good decision at a time. All of us are one decision away from moving in a positive direction or a negative one. I apply this principle to my physical lifestyle as well as my spiritual life, and I’d like you to consider