How is your Heart?

What better topic to discuss this Valentine’s week than Cardiovascular Fitness as it relates to your heart’s health. Evidence from research shows a direct correlation between cardiovascular fitness and its protection against heart disease.

The ability to walk briskly, jog, or swim comfortably for a half hour or more, you’ve achieved cardiovascular health: a strong health heart and healthy lungs that are able to sustain activities that require oxygen. In order to achieve cardiovascular fitness it will require you to perform cardiovascular exercise. So what is cardiovascular exercise: it is any activity that involves the large muscles of the body, raises your heart rate for a sustained amount of time. Examples of cardiovascular exercises include: walking, biking, jogging, swimming, or even dancing. The best thing about performing cardiovascular exercise is it can be done in a gym, a park, a pool, or even in your home.

The “Talk Test”
A good gauge of exercise intensity is whether or not you can talk while working out. Exercise should be at a level where you feel as if you’re working hard, but still able to have a conversation. As you become more experienced with exercise, you’ll gain a better sense of how much you’re exerting yourself. According to the American Heart Association, exercising for 30–60 minutes at 50–80 percent of your maximum capacity on most days of the week will help you reach a moderate level of cardiac fitness.

Embodying Christ

“What is it to love God and to serve him with our whole being (Deuteronomy 11:13)? In other words, how do we worship God with all of our mind, soul and spirit when we live fragmented lives?” Read more of Embodying Christ by Etta Malcolm

Fasting: A Physical Means to Attaining Spirituality

This time is essential for me to develop into who God has called me to be. The solitude is satisfying to my soul. But, wait what is that noise I hear? “It’s my twitter notification”… Read more of Fasting: A Physical Means to Attaining Spirituality by Anthony Bass, page 8-9 in the Fasting edition of LiveLiving eMagazine.

Poor Breathing Robs Energy

Abdominal breathing is also known as diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm is a large muscle located between the chest and the abdomen. When it contracts it is forced downward causing the abdomen to expand. This causes a negative pressure within the chest forcing air into the lungs. The negative pressure also pulls blood into the chest improving the venous return to the heart. This leads to improved stamina in both disease and athletic activity. Like blood, the flow of lymph, which is rich in immune cells, is also improved. By expanding the lung’s air pockets and improving the flow of blood and lymph, abdominal breathing also helps prevent infection of the lung and other tissues. But most of all it is an excellent tool to stimulate the relaxation response that results in less tension and an overall sense of well being. Poor breathing robs energy and negatively affects mental alertness.

This exercise will also increase energy and decrease tension:

1. Sit up straight. Exhale.
2. Inhale and, at the same time, relax the belly muscles. Feel as though the belly is filling with air.
3. After filling the belly, keep inhaling. Fill up the middle of your chest. Feel your chest and rib cage expand.
4. Hold the breath in for a moment, and then begin to exhale as slowly as possible.
5. As the air is slowly let out, relax your chest and rib cage. Begin to pull your belly in to force out the remaining breath.
6. Close your eyes, and concentrate on your breathing.
7. Relax your face and mind.
8. Let everything go.
9. Practice about 5 minutes.

The Body Inherently Evil

“For years the body has been viewed as inherently evil—a vessel we had to live in until it returned from whence it came. Yet, this is the same body in which the Holy Spirit of God lives. The Apostle Paul calls it the “temple” which we were to honor because of its purpose.” Click here to read more of The Body Inherently Evil by Etta Malcolm

21 Things to do While Fasting

“While books and programs explain the mechanics of fasting and the various methods of doing so, people are often left wondering what they can or should do during this period of abstention. Keep in mind, the focus is not on denial but on increasing intimacy with God. Here are some suggested activities”…Read more on 21 Things to do While Fasting by Paula Wynn in LiveLiving Christian Health and Wellness eMagazine.

Scissor Kick on a Ball

Adding a ball to any abdominal exercises throws you off balance, which makes muscles work harder to control the motion you are trying to perform. It is a great way to increase the intensity of your workout which results in greater tone in lesser time. The scissor kick exercise is designed to tone your abdominal muscles primarily the rectus abdominis, but adding the ball causes your abdominals to recruit the transverse abdominal muscle in addition to your obliques.

How to:

Step 1: Lie face-up with knees bent and feet on the ground; place a small ball under your lower back. Extend your arms by your side. (If you don’t have a small rubber ball (about 9 inches) you can use the ball side of the BOSU ball).

Step 2: Raise legs off the floor keeping your knees bent initially to get your balance. Legs are then extended over your hips.

Step 3: Lower right leg about 70 degrees towards the floor as you are bringing your left leg toward your head. Bring your legs back to center, and then repeating the move with opposite leg: right leg towards your head and left leg towards the floor in a scissor move.

Do 12 – 20 reps for 2-3 sets!

Tips!

Beginners should master the move without the ball and then add the ball for more intensity.

I Found God in Bodybuilding

“I found God in bodybuilding. How sacrilegious these words seemed. But it was true.” Click here to read more of I Found God in Bodybuilding by Etta Malcolm

Making Room for God

LiveLiving eMagazine, Fasting edition, cover

The physical benefits of fasting are phenomenal in transforming our life and health. Fasting is an opportunity for believers to be disciplined in making room for God in mind, body and spirit. Read more of “The Physical Benefits of a Fast” by Blynthia Hall in LiveLiving Christian Health and Wellness eMagazine, page 15

What You Didn’t Know About Stretching

Stretching regularly offers you many tremendous benefits such as increasing your range of motion so you can reach to a top shelf or bend over to tie your shoes. Stretching can deliver more energy and boost your mental function. The best benefit of all is that stretching can make you look better physically.

Every muscle in your body contains “stretch receptors” that keep a constant dialogue going with your brain about the overall level of tension in your muscles. When your muscles are chronically tight, your body is thrown out of alignment, creating muscular imbalances and poor posture. Aesthetically, well-stretched and limber muscles appear leaner than shortened, constantly contracted muscles. Stretching also corrects your posture, which is a key component to looking more toned and self-confident.

Best of all stretching actually burns calories as well. So at the end of your workout when you are deciding to skip the stretching part, think again! You can continue the calorie burning process just by taking an extra 10-30 minutes to stretch. Not only will you continue to burn calories it will help prevent muscle soreness and injury.

The KEYS to the STRETCHING:

KEY 1. Stretching is best done DAILY!

KEY 2. Never stretch right before exercise. Pre-exercise stretching may actually contribute to injury.

KEY 3. Warm up at a light pace performing the activity you are actually going to perform – such as walking briskly before jogging – until you feel warm or break a sweat (usually about 10 minutes) then perform the activity.

KEY 4. Stretch the muscle you’ve just used for a minimum of 5-10 minutes post activity before you call it quits after your workout or activity.

Remember stretching is a natural progression into the move that once completed will leave you feeling great all over. Never bounce in a stretch, but gradual, gentle, 20-30 second holds is the best way to stretch a muscle.