Daily Exercise

God’s plan for our life includes daily exercise, and we can’t have good health without it. It is important that we look not at only the physical development and health of our bodies in isolation from the well being of our mental and spiritual faculties. Each of these areas influence one another to various degrees, and our loving Creator wants us to develop these areas to their fullest potential.

Every command that God has given us, is in love and in an attempt to bring us back to his original plan, fitting us for heaven's glory. Exercise was first given to our first parents, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yes, exercise!  Most people view exercise as being a taxing job that just the thought of it brings on immediate feelings of exhaustion! In actuality, though, exercise is the single most activity that can promote and increase the quality of life.

"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. To Adam and Eve was committed the care of the garden, “to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 2:15. Though rich in all that the Owner of the universe could supply, they were not to be idle. Useful occupation was appointed them as a blessing, to strengthen the body, to expand the mind, and to develop the character. (Ed 21.2)

In this article we will learn:

1. The benefits of exercise upon our health.

2. The diseases that inactivity produces.

3. The best form of exercise.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE:    

·                It makes your heart more efficient. The heart muscle is strengthened, and the cardiac output is increased.

·                It normalizes blood pressure. If the pressure is up, exercise brings it down, both systolic and diastolic pressures. If the pressure is low, exercise will generally bring it up to normal.

·                It increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and allows a greater volume of blood to reach all parts of the body.

·                It lowers the pulse rate. This is important because the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. If your resting pulse is 80, your heart is working too hard. Exercise can lower it to 60 thus saving you heart about 28 000 beats every 24 hours. 

·                It promotes better blood circulation. The flow of blood is your river of life. Blood carries oxygen, nutrients, and other essentials to every part of your body. Furthermore, it picks up the waste products of metabolism and carries them to the kidneys, lungs and skin, where they are eliminated.

·                Through reflex and chemical action, exercise stimulates deep abdominal breathing. The lungs are exercised and expanded. Because they become more efficient, more oxygen is pumped into the blood and more carbon dioxide is eliminated.

·                It relaxes tense muscles and releases pent-up negative emotions. It makes you feel better about yourself, reducing anger and frustration when present.

·                It charges your brain and nerve cells with electrical energy. It gives better balance between voluntary and autonomic nervous systems.

·                It helps digestion and promotes intestinal activity, reducing gas and constipation.

·                It strengthens your muscles, bones, and ligaments. It keeps you from losing bone minerals, thus preventing osteoporosis.

·                It brings a physiological balance to your endocrine system; your pituitary, pancreas, adrenals, and sex glands become more efficient.

·                Exercise sharpens your mental powers and increases your capacity to think.

·                It beautifies your figure and complexion.

·                It helps you lose excess fat, not only by burning calories, but by turning up your metabolic rate so that you are losing more weight even when you sleep.

·                It adds energy. It actually produces more energy than it uses.

·                It slows the aging process. It keeps you younger.

·                It increases endurance and delays the onset of fatigue. In fact, it is a specific prescription for emotional fatigue.

·                It stimulates the production of endorphins, which give you a feeling of well being.   

Newstart, page 70 –71.

·                Helps you to handle stress better.

·                Exercise will enable you to sleep better at night

·                Stimulates the adrenal hormones which are antidepressants.

·                Essential for growth and development of all organs.

·                It encourages skin activity, perspiration, and increases the elimination of waste products from the system.

·                It can give you the equivalent of ten years rejuvenation.

·                Aids blood flow to the skin which increases the body’s supply of nutrients and oxygen.

·                Strengthens the immune system.

            With all these benefits of exercise and many, many more, we have only much to gain and nothing to lose, except poisonous waste and maybe a few unwanted pounds of fat.

An Elimination Organ:

            The skin is a much needed organ of elimination and can by sweating eliminate as much as 30% of all impurities that are generated. If it is not being used for the job it is designed to do an added burden rests upon the liver and kidneys to cope with the poisons built up in the system. Let’s use an analogy to explain this physical phenomena. A man hired three brick layers to build his house by a certain date, each one working together as a team to get the job done more efficiently. With all three working together every day the job can be accomplished within a given time, however one of the workers decides to take a holiday and leaves the other two workers to cope with the burden of his job. Now they have to each work 50% more to cope with the work load dumped upon them to get the work done in the appointed time. They perform their building project by working longer hours which carry them through till night and day after day work with all their might. Exhausted from their labors after day and night of overwork, eventually leads another worker to take a holiday break and now the work of three men is placed upon a man already exhausted by his work, and as a result he has a heart attack and dies on the job. Can you see the point? That’s literally what happens to millions of people a year who fail to exercise, and the house in which they live becomes dilapidated and comes to ruin.

2.   Diseases that lack of exercise produces:

·                High blood pressure

·                Heart disease

·                Obesity

·                Constipation

·                Cancer

·                Diabetes

·                Arthritis

·                Osteoporosis

·                Dyspepsia

·                Toxemia

·                Insomnia

            “Without  physical exercise no one can have a sound constitution and vigorous health: and the discipline of well regulated labor is not less essential to the securing of a strong, active mind and noble character.”  CT, page 307.

Regular exercise is the single most important thing you can do for yourself if you want a long and healthy life on this earth.

Rash statement?

Numerous studies have shown that physical exercise does exactly what God said it would. Daily physical exercise is said to positively affect every system of the body.

Lymphatic System

Lymphatic capillaries in the capillary bed around cells draining interstitial fluid.  Up to 1/7th of blood and plasma leaving the heart leaks out into the spaces between cells. It must be returned to the heart somehow!  Also cellular wastes, etc.  Filaments or endothelial cells anchored to connective tissue at one end for flaps.

Lacteals in digestive villi- Absorb digested fats from the intestine and delivered to the blood through vessels.

Stagnant Lymphatics

NO exercise - Stagnation - Disease (systemic and auto-immune)

Lymphatic system is like the back lane - Historic significance!  Not given much emphasis by Real Estate Agent, but vital to remove waste.

Filters

Lymph Nodes contain macrophages which engulf and destroy bacteria, cancer cells, and any other invader in the lymphatic stream.  Nodes also have lymphocytes which mount an immune response to pathogens or foreign matter that flows past.  1 Trillion lymphocytes in the average adult (approx. 1kg!)

·         Skeletal System: Exercise increases the production of synovial fluid, which is the fluid that is essential for the lubrication of the joints for ease of movement.

·         Muscular System: Improves and enhances circulation for increased blood flow to provide oxygen to the muscles while expelling waste in muscle tissue. Exercise tones the physical appearance as well.

·         Cardiovascular System: Increases the heart rate which pumps more oxygenated blood into the body, thus nourishing the cells with healthy blood. Decreases chances of getting heart disease.

·         Digestive System: Improves digestion and elimination by strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and stimulating the contents of the small intestine which moves contents through the digestive system.

·         Endocrine System: After 10 minutes of exercise, blood sugar begins to decrease. Exercise stimulates endophrins, which helps us "feel good" and also controls the cortisol levels that fight off feelings of depression.

·         Nervous System: Decreases stress load by reducing blood pressure and levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.

·         Respiratory System: Increases oxygen transport to the body.

·         Immune / Lymphatic Systems: Depends on movement and exercise to circulate lymphatic fluids in the body to be able to move toxins and eliminate waste from the body.

·         Urinary System: Decreases urine production due to decreased blood flow to the kidneys to maintain blood pressure, thus limiting fluid production and urine.

·         Integumentary (Skin) System: Wound healing, regulation of body temperatures and healthy skin, hair and nails. Exercising the body produces sweat which is used to secrete waste from the body and keep pores unclogged.

Exercise allows cell wastes and other toxic substances to be eliminated quicker from the cellular environment through the lymphatic system!

Brisk walking is the best exercise for the entire body. How do you know if you're walking briskly? One athletic researcher said," If you can't talk comfortably while exercising, you're working too hard. If you can sing, then you're not working hard enough."  (Ferrell, 2008)

"When the weather will permit, all who can possibly do so ought to walk in the open air every day, summer and winter. But the clothing should be suitable for the exercise, and the feet should be well protected. A walk, even in winter, would be more beneficial to the health than all the medicine the doctors may prescribe. For those who can walk, walking is preferable to riding. The muscles and veins are enabled better to perform their work. There will be increased vitality, which is so necessary to health. The lungs will have needful action; for it is impossible to go out in the bracing air of a winter's morning without inflating the lungs." (CH 52.2)

Do’s and Don’t’s of Exercise:

            1.)  Exercise should be done in moderation, and regularly

            2.)  Do not exercise vigorously after a heavy meal as digestion is hindered

            3.)  Exercise outdoors whenever possible.

4.)  Use your exercise as a form of productivity, for example instead of going to the                gym, go and dig in the garden instead, or cut the grass and plant some seeds. As well as being good exercise it will bring satisfaction knowing that you have accomplished something productive.

            5.)  Try walking vigorously for twenty to thirty minutes per day.

            Many people feel that when they are sick the best way to recover is to do nothing and lie in bed all day, certainly that may be the case for someone who has overdone it in straining their physical powers, but in the vast majority of the sick a moderate amount of useful exercise will pay dividends worth their weight in gold. There is an old saying that if you don’t use it you lose it, and that is certainly the case when it comes to your muscles. Some people who have had their limbs immobilized for long periods of time have found that they are unable to use them as they did before as they have atrophied.

            Medical researchers of Washington University studied exercising and non exercising women aged between 55-70. In 9 months the non-exercising women lost 1% of their mineral content. After 17 months of workouts the exercisers had increased their mineral content an average of 6.2%, a significant gain.  13 months after they stopped exercising, the exercisers’ bone mineral content had dropped 4.8%, which was still better than when they started. Hence, as indicated in another experiment also, exercise was shown to be one of the best ways to prevent age-related bone loss. By 70 a sedentary women has lost up to 30% of her total bone mass. By age of 65, 25% of women have OSTEOPOROSIS. The Divine Philosophy and Science of Health and Healing, page 84.

THE BEST FORM OF EXERCISE:

            One of the best exercises that you can do is walking, and it is the simplest, most controlled and stress-less exercise that you can do. Walking brings all the organs into use and is one of the best remedies for disease known to man. Walking stimulates thought by increasing the oxygen supply, it elevates one’s spirits through the release of natural mood-elevating chemicals called endorphins. Walking acts as the tranquilizer without a pill: It is the cosmetic not sold in a drug store: it is the therapy without a psychoanalyst: is the fountain of youth that can extend your life-span: it is the vacation that doesn’t cost a cent: it is the exercise that needs no gym: it is the gym that needs no equipment: it requires no lesson from the pros: it requires no expenditure beyond the price of an extra pair of shoes a year, can take away anger, anxiety, solve a problem, and untangle physical and psychological knots. It can be engaged in individually or in groups. Its time is anytime: its place anyplace: and it fits into everybody’s schedule. Try walking regularly each day, and progressively build up, and see if you don’t get a blessing out of walking.    

Can exercise help the elderly?

Many of the symptoms we associate with aging are not really inevitable, but more often symptoms of inactivity!  Weight gain, decreased muscle tone and flexibility, diminished aerobic capacity, bone mineral loss, slowing down of reflexes, depression, etc.

The middle aged and elderly can even reclaim ground they have lost!

Q. How? Exercise!

Aging and exercise study

A group of men between 60&72 were given leg exercises to test their ability to build strength, elasticity and endurance.  After 12 weeks, their knee flexion strength had improve 107%, and their knee extension strength by 227%!  Their rate of improvement @ 5% per training session is similar to that of young adults.

Application of this principle

Prevent or reduce incidences of injury.  Improve well-being, usefulness, peace of mind, happiness, health!

It is true that inactive old people are dying old people.

NO DRUG offers such promise for health and vigor as exercise!

Physiologists tell us that every hour spent in moderate exercise buys us    another 2 or 3 hours of life!

Mavis Lindgren

As a child and adult she suffered whooping cough, pneumonia, and severe bronchitis.

When she was 62, overweight and sickly, she began a regular walking program.

She slowly increased her walking distance and ultimately began running.

Soon she found herself running 4-5 miles a day

At 70 years of age, she began running marathons.

In the next 17 years she ran in 65 marathons!

Her aerobic capacity was studied, and her levels improved till she had the capacity of a moderately fit woman in her 20’s.

Even at 87 her capacity was that of a woman 1/2 her age!

Principles of exercise

·                Regular and consistent        

            To reap the benefits of exercise we must be consistent.

            A little exercise regularly is better than a lot spasmodically.

            Plan your exercise as if your life depends on it!

            It is important to stick to it if you are to achieve the benefits!

            5 weeks of inactivity will cause you to loose 50% of fitness gains

            After 10 weeks off you’ll need to start again!

It is important to have a regular time to exercise instead of just trying to ‘fit it in’. Our  busy lives will make sure that it does not fit!                                                                                 

Mornings are best. 75% of people who start a program and choose to exercise in the morning will still be at it 12 months later. Only 25% of those who choose to exercise in the evening will still be exercising regularly.

·                Start  slowly and build up       Avoid placing too high a demand on your ticker and rest of your body. Walking is the best overall exercise, and the perfect place to start any program. It is moderate for the elderly, and can lead to more vigorous exercise for the young.

·                Establish realistic goals        

When beginning an exercise program, establish realistic goals of how often you will do      it, how far you will walk, how quickly you want to improve, etc.  Realistic short term goals will give much satisfaction when you reach them, and will keep you motivated!

Do Notaim to win the Marathon at the Sydney Olympics!    Concentrate on getting your   pulse rate down after walking around the block, or on keeping up with the dog! Think about the Olympics later.

·                Know your tolerance

Recognize that you are overdoing it by the danger signals - chest pain, dizziness, nausea, loss of muscle control, continued muscle soreness, undue shortness of breath.

·                Extend yourself

Always attempt to extend yourself (within reason) just that little bit further.  This will build both your stamina and satisfaction.  Slowly increase your distance while at the same time slowly decreasing the time you do it in.

·                Reach and maintain your target heart rate

Your target heart rate is where you should be aiming for as you exercise. By keeping your heart rate in your target area for at least 20 minutes each time you exercise you will receive maximum benefits to be received from moderate exercise as outlined in “The Blessings of Exercise”. Your target heart rate will vary with age, fitness, health, cardiovascular strength etc.

Target Heart Rate Chart

You can check your exercising heart rate periodically as you go along.  To get beats per minute, count pulse for 15 seconds, multiply by 4, then add 10%.  This 10% will account for the little bit your heart has slowed as you took your pulse.  If your heart rate is below your target heart rate, pick up the pace a little (unless you are experiencing warning signs).

If your rate is above your target, ease off a little, unless you are an experienced exerciser that is    very fit for your age.

·                Exercising and meals don’t mix

Light exercise such as a leisurely stroll after meals greatly benefits the digestive process.    But as always, too much of a good thing is not a good thing! More strenuous forms of   exercise will decrease the blood flow to the stomach and cause the meal to digest more slowly - leaving opportunity for fermentation.

            Blood flow during strenuous exercise

It is best to wait about 2 hours after a meal before exercising.  It is also not advisable to eat after excessive exercise when one is exhausted or heated.  Wait for a period until the pulse, temperature etc. have normalized.

·                Warm up and cool down

Warming up is an important part of exercise. It increases body and muscle temperature, and increases the blood and oxygen levels available to the muscles.  In effect, it lubricates muscles and joints and avoids the possibility of sudden stretching of cold muscle tissue. Thus it prepares your body for the coming movement and also minimizes the risk of injury.

Warming up can be as simple as walking slowly at the beginning of a brisk walk.    More strenuous exercise may call for a warm up walk or jog, or some stretching.           Cooling down after exercise is the opposite to warming up - a period where the body returns to its normal state of heart beat, temperature, etc. Stopping strenuous exercise suddenly is not advised, so spend up to 5 minutes slowing down. This will help the body recover from the exercise by helping the removal of muscle wastes, returning the blood flow to normal, reducing muscle soreness, and improving flexibility.

·                Stretching as exercise

            Stretching is beneficial to the health of all.

It acts to lengthen muscles, tendons and other tissues, reduce muscle tension, promote blood circulation and enhance performance.

            It is in a sense a form of self-administered massage.

            It improves flexibility, which is important in reducing risk of injury.

            The elderly especially can benefit from simple stretching exercises.

·                Exercise outside

Whenever possible, do your exercise outside where you can receive other blessings as you go along.

            Why not get a dose of Fresh Air, a shot of Sunshine, maybe a tincture of nature in a          flower, bird, or the sunrise. Better than in a gym?

            Maybe you will be able to administer a bit of medicine yourself – a “good morning” or a   pleasant “Hello” as you walk or run past a neighbor.

And who knows who may be motivated to get out there and receive some of the Elixir of  Life themselves by seeing you each morning enjoying your exercise!

·                Make the most of your time

            Select an exercise that will do the most for you with the least demand of your time.

Make the most of your time

            The little things we do each day quickly add up.

            Walk where possible, don’t drive.

            Don’t send someone, go yourself.

            Increasing general activity levels increases our BMR, increasing weight loss. 

·                Make your exercise enjoyable

One of the most essential ingredients of an exercise program is that it is enjoyable and convenient.  Drudgery exercise will not only make you hate it more, but will actually fail to deliver all of the benefits - another instance of how important our mental attitude is to our health.

NEWSTART by Vernon Foster

A group of medical students were volunteers in an experiment conducted by the LLU School of Health. They were placed on diets where each person received the same amount of cholesterol, fat, protein and carbohydrates.  Then they were free to select exercise programs they liked – swimming, volleyball, tennis, running, etc.  Daily blood cholesterol levels were taken.

The level dropped in all cases in 3 days. By the end of the week the drop was substantial.  Then the activities were stopped. Soon, the cholesterol in the blood returned to pre-Experiment levels. In some cases the levels were a little higher.  Next the students were placed on treadmills – no more enjoyable sports activities!  The exercise was just as strenuous as the previous sports.  Then came the surprise when the blood was tested.  The cholesterol failed to drop in most cases. In a few cases it went up!  Returning again to the activities they enjoyed, the students had a drop in cholesterol in every case!

            This experiment shows the importance of attitude.

            A negative attitude produces enough stress to counteract the benefits of exercise!

            The message is clear – learn to like your exercise, or change your exercise to one that you like!

·                Vary your exercise      

            A change is as good as a holiday!

            If you cannot do something that has you bounding out of bed at 5 o’clock rearing to go,   it is important that you put in place strategies to help you enjoy your exercise.

            Find an exercise partner for company.

            Take the dog occasionally.

            Log your exercise/heart rate etc. so that you can monitor or chart progress.

            Vary both your exercise, and where you do it.

            E.g. A walk/run at the beach is a great change to the same old neighborhood.

            If you go looking, you will find many ways to increase the enjoyment of your exercise.

·                Reward yourself for goals reached

            Reward yourself, not with indulgence, but with a special outing or experience.

·                Choose the best exercise

            Walking best!

            Swimming near perfect. Avoids possible mechanical damage etc.

            Gardening highly recommended by SOP

            Others follow

“Some of the most popular amusements, such as football and boxing, have become schools of brutality. They are developing the same characteristics as did the games of ancient Rome. The love of domination, the pride in mere brute force, the reckless disregard of life, are exerting upon the youth a power to demoralize that is appalling. Other athletic games, though not so brutalizing, are scarcely less objectionable because of the excess to which they are carried. They stimulate the love of pleasure and excitement, thus fostering a distaste for useful labor, a disposition to shun practical duties and responsibilities. They tend to destroy a relish for life's sober realities and its tranquil enjoyments. Thus the door is opened to dissipation and lawlessness, with their terrible results.”  Ed. 210

·                Do not exercise too much

Studies show that to acquire and maintain fitness and health between 20 - 45 minutes of brisk  walking a day.

            BUT REGULARLY!

            Every person’s requirements are different! Some more, some less.

            Watch the signs for both too much and too little!

            Avoid jogging or doing other strenuous exercise every day!

            Give the body a break every second day to avoid the “over-training syndrome.”

·                Consider useful labor as exercise

“The greatest benefit is not gained from exercise that is taken as play or exercise merely. There is some benefit in being in the fresh air, and also from the exercise of the muscles; but let the same amount of energy be given to the performance of useful work, and the benefit will be greater. A feeling of satisfaction will be realized, for such exercise carries with it a sense of helpfulness and the approval of conscience for duty well done.” CT 308

Useful labor uses all of the muscles, helps control the appetite, develops resourcefulness, improves judgement, develops decision making, diverts the mind.

Adam’s exercise

Adam’s exercise. “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Gen. 2:15

“Useful occupation was appointed them as a blessing, to strengthen the body, to expand   the mind, and to develop the character.” Ed. 21

Exercise in heaven.  “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.” Isa. 65:21

            GOD’S PLAN is not given just for now, but to prepare us for ever!

          3 - 4 hours/week of your time -

          a small price to pay for the benefits we reap!

“To man is allotted a part in this great struggle for everlasting life--he must respond to the working of the Holy Spirit. It will require a struggle to break through the powers of darkness, and the Spirit works in him to accomplish this. But man is no passive being, to be saved in indolence. He is called upon to strain every muscle and exercise every faculty in the struggle for immortality, yet it is God that supplies the efficiency. No human being can be saved in indolence. The Lord bids us, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke 13:24.” CT 366

Our exercise would be useless without God’s power working in our bodies!

Praise Him for His mighty works!