Time to Move!

By Susie Larson
Author of Balance That Works When Life Doesn't

CBN.com – Recently I asked our family doctor, “What would you say is the most prevailing problem among your patients?” Without hesitating he said, “A sedentary lifestyle. Most of my patients would not need to be seen if they simply ate less and exercised more.” That day as I drove home, I pondered my doctor’s words. My thoughts were interrupted when the radio blared with a new report from the Center for Disease Control. Did you know that each year in the United States, as many as 300,000 people die from obesity-related issues? More and more we are hearing that this issue has reached epidemic proportions and is now affecting our children.

Exercise is important for our health, our outlook, and our quality of life. Physical imbalance is a serious problem, and yet the remedy is simple: We need to eat better, eat less, and get moving. As I mentioned earlier, it takes energy to make energy, but the payoff is worth it.

As we prepare to improve our lifestyle, we must also prepare ahead for those days in which it would be easier to do nothing. It is easier to eat what is in front of us rather than put the time into preparing something healthy. It is easier to sit on the couch in front of the TV after a long, hard day but we all know that the easier path is rarely the fruitful path. The Bible says, “The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied” (Proverbs 13:4 HCSB, emphasis added). Here are a few tips to help you prepare ahead of time for those days when you just don’t feel like exercising:

Write down your goals in a simple form and put them on your refrigerator.
Exercise with a friend. Your chances of canceling your work out are reduced by about 50 percent.
Make provision in your schedule for your workout ahead of time. When you go through your day in the hope that time won’t get away from you, know that it will every time.

Okay, so here we go. We’ve talked about physical “input”—how we nourish ourselves. Now we move on to “output”—how we respond to what’s been deposited in us. We are wired to move, and the more we move, the more efficiently our body responds to what we are asking it to do. This chapter is filled with practical and technical advice on exercise. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed. Just digest a little at a time. This is good information for you to have. Knowing and applying proper technique will allow you the best results possible.

Taken from Balance That Works When Life Doesn’t: Simple Steps to a Woman's Physical and Spiritual Health by Susie Larson; Copyright © 2005 by Susie Larson; Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR; Used by Permission.

Susie Larson is a popular speaker, a freelance writer for Focus on the Family, and an author. She has been certified with the American Council on Exercise since 1991. She and her husband, Kevin, have three teenage boys and make their home in Minnesota.