The older I get, the more I become aware of how precious time is. Life is always busy, it's almost always a rush. I want to weigh out the pro's and con's of the preparation for 2 things today: preparing for a workout and preparing for reading the Word. Come on, if you've read other blogs, you already knew we were hitting on faith and fitness. I love it.
Benefits of Preparing for a Workout:
Increases Blood Flow: Warming up allows us to push blood to the muscles we are preparing to work. It increases circulation, and allows us to activate the muscles we are about to use.
Improves Mobility: This is especially important to prevent injury and allow full ROM (range of motion). Muscles tend to stay in a contracted or shortened state when not in use. We need to lengthen and loosen them to reduce the probability of pulling muscles. During a warm-up our joints are also lubricated and allows easier movement with less pain.
Kickstarts your CNS (central nervous system) and Boosts Performance: It's important to wake up your CNS before putting it to work or under stress. We have to send a signal to the "computer" or CNS and tell our body, "HEY, get ready to work. It's GO time". Once it has the signal and is primed, our bodies are ready to perform its maximum capability.
Prepares our Heart- (You know we're hitting this one again on the Faith Side) : Our hearts needs a little preparation for the increase in activity. We want to avoid a rapid increase in blood pressure. This also increases blood temperature, which allows us to work out harder and longer. Lastly, our heart and blood flow prompts hormonal changes in our bodies that are responsible for regulating energy production.
The Verdict? Warm-Ups are a Necessity!
It's well worth the extra time to spend some time preparing our bodies to move. Here's a Summary:
Get the heart going
Get the blood moving
Send the signal to our entire body that it's GO TIME!
Reduce risk of injury. We can't make progress on the couch.
Warm-ups ultimately allow us to work harder and longer. Be more efficient during a workout.
How I prepare my heart daily:
I like to pray before I read any of my Bible plans every morning. To share my routine, I like to just thank Him and praise Him for who He is and how good He is, has been, and always will be. I then ask Him to prepare my heart, my mind, and my attitude to fully receive what He is telling me today. I mean, He speaks to us primarily from His Word. I need to hear it. I need to understand it. I need to absorb it, then apply it. Daily. I need His Word to become who I am created to be.
Benefits of Preparing for God's Word and Prayer:
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise: Regardless of any circumstance, daily situation, attitude, or mood; God is worthy. He is good. He is Love. He is faithful even when we are not. Thank you is the only response.
You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare our heart and You will cause Your ear to hear", Psalm 10:17: That verse is saying that He will prepare, strengthen, and direct our hearts. When we humble ourselves, confess our need for Him, and desire His will above our own, He hears us. Lord, prepare my heart!
Till up the soil of my heart in preparation for Your Word: In Matthew, He talks about seeds being sown. Some seeds didn't take or root into the ground, some rooted but quickly withered, and others PRODUCED abundantly. ( See Matthew 13 for the full story) Matthew 13 AMPC - That same day Jesus went out of the - Bible Gateway. I don't know about you, but I want to produce abundantly. I need the soil of my heart to be soft enough to receive His ways, and His words, and His Love.
I need Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding. Our human brains just don't naturally understand God's ways. Of course not, His ways are higher than our ways. Proverbs 2:6 says, " The Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding." Life is hard, sometimes confusing, often difficult, and even crazy. I need His understanding.
I'd like to end with a prayer:
God....thank You! Thank you for Your Love. Thank you for being faithful even when I am not. You're love is unconditional and I am so undeserving. Because of that love, I want to know You and live my life FOR You. I want more of you and less of me. Your Word is full of knowledge, wisdom and instructions on how to live, how to love, and how to be the men/women You created us to be. I don't understand sometimes. Other times, I'm just to weak to be obedient. Thank you that it is when I am weak, that you are strong. It's then that You have room to move. You've already done the work. You've provided the Way. Help me to understand. Help me to receive Your Love. Holy Spirit, I need you in my daily life. I need You in my thoughts, my actions, my conversations. I need you at work, in my home, and in the world. I need you in my marriage, in my parenting, and ALL the time. I welcome You into every area of my life. Show me the things that exist that need to be removed. Teach me how to just belong to You. I love you Jesus and I ask these things in Your name.
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