Exercise: How Important Is It To Your Health?

One of the major keys to a long and healthy life is – exercise! But before we talk about exercise, let’s take a brief look at the four keys to a long and healthy life:

Keys To A Long and Healthy Life

High Quality Nourishment Rapid Removal of Toxins Copious Amounts of Oxygen Lots of Exercise

Eating the wrong foods, which fail to provide the body with adequate nourishment, is where physical problems begin. Failure to remove toxins rapidly compounds the problem. Not taking into the body sufficient oxygen exacerbates the problem. And failing to exercise the body becomes the final nail in the coffin of ill health. In previous Health Tips we have learned about the need for “High Quality Nourishment”, the need for “Rapid Removal of Toxins”, and for “Copious Amounts of Oxygen”. In this Health Tip we will examine the fourth key to a long and healthy life – “Lots of Exercise”.

Why Exercise?

Reasons why exercise is so vital in gaining or maintaining a healthy body:

1. Lymph Movement – Lymph fluid surrounds every cell in our body. The nourishment from the foods we eat and the oxygen our body takes in, first enters the blood system which in turn deposits the nutrients as fuel into the lymph system which surrounds each cell.

The cell then takes in this fuel, burns it in its miniature generator, producing energy (electricity), and then deposits the spent fuel and toxic residue back into the lymph for removal. The lymph system then disposes of these toxins through the skin, the lungs, or deposits this spent fuel and toxic residue back into the blood system for disposal and removal from the body. What comes next is of great importance... The lymph system— unlike the blood system which has a pump (the heart) to push the blood through the body — has no pump. The only means of moving toxins out of the lymph system is by bodily movement (exercise). If these toxins in the lymph are not removed rapidly out of the lymph through daily bodily exercise they begin to accumulate within the body, producing a toxic build-up which in turn produces loss of energy, physical breakdown, and manifests in all kinds of health issues.

2. Muscle Building – All bodily movement depends on muscles. Many people underestimate the importance of building and maintaining muscle. After nutrition, muscle is the next most important controllable factor in creating a strong and healthy body.
3. Strong muscles help you lose, gain, or maintain weight. And it’s not just the exercise involved in building strong muscles that matters. Muscle tissue burns as much as 15 times more calories per day than do fat tissue — even when at rest! Nothing stokes your metabolism better than muscles.
4. Strong muscles are healthy for your heart. That’s because the heart doesn’t have to pump as hard when you are active. By extension, strong muscles are good for your blood pressure. The heart muscle is the biggest and most important muscle in the body and requires aerobic exercise to keep it strong, healthy and functioning as designed.
5. Strong muscles protect your joints and your back. More muscle strength means you put less strain on joints and connective tissue when lifting or exerting. And that’s extremely important both for treating and preventing arthritis.
6. Strong muscles improve your looks. Lean muscles are taut against your body, as opposed to flab, which hangs and sags. Strong stomach muscles are imperative. Everyone should have rock hard abs.
7. Strong muscles give you a mental boost. Makes you feel more energized, and you feel better about yourself.
8. Strong muscles require active living. You can’t get strong muscles from a pill. Strong muscles mean you are being active, and as we have been saying, nothing drags your health down like a sedentary, couch potato lifestyle.
9. Bone Strengthening – Osteoporosis is a disease which gradually develops over a period of years. The resulting loss of bone tissue can leave those afflicted with very weak, low density, and fragile bones. If preventive measures are not taken, untreated osteoporosis can progress unnoticed for decades until a fracture occurs.

Although more than 2 million men suffer with osteoporosis and many more are at risk, the most common form of this disease affects post-menopausal women and often results in fractures of the hip, wrist, or spine. Lack of physical exercise results in the bones not being stimulated sufficiently. Load-bearing exercises and calcium are important in building bone. An acid diet is the primary cause of loss of calcium as the body removes calcium from the bones in an effort to neutralize the acidity of an acid diet. The keys to strengthening and rebuilding bone are: (1) A change to an alkaline diet. (2) Daily intake of calcium from green leafy vegetables (calcium supplements will not do). (3) Vitamin D supplementation (5,000 IU daily). (4) Vitamin K2 supplementation (100 mcg daily of menaquinone-7), to direct calcium out of the blood and into the bones. (5) Weight bearing (resistance) exercises. Weight bearing exercises should be a part of our daily exercise routine! Bones react to load by gradually growing stronger and denser. Dairy products, because they are so acidic, cause the body to lose more calcium then comes in with the dairy product. To build bone, most acid foods need to be eliminated from the diet. And don't forget... Oxygen, as we learned about in last week’s Health Tip is essential for life, and vigorous exercise forces the body to take in copious amounts of this essential, life-sustaining substance.

3 Types of Exercise

The best time to exercise is as early in the morning as possible. This may require getting up a little earlier in the morning in order to fit it in, but it is worth it – it helps energize the body for the rest of the day. Paul Bragg said that he never ate breakfast until he had first “earned it” with a vigorous exercise workout. The three vital components of a good exercise program are:

1. Stretching – The first part of an exercise routine should be stretching. It should include stretches that involve the entire body and should take approximately 5 minutes.
2. Resistance – Resistance exercises are for the purpose of stressing the muscles, putting a load on the muscles as we talked about under the heading “muscle building” This keeps our skeletal strong and resistant to fracture.
3. Aerobic – Aerobic exercises are vital in order to keep the most important muscle in our body, the heart, strong and functioning as God designed. Man’s body was made to be in almost perpetual movement. You can see this perpetual movement in many children.

In II Thessalonians 3:10 the Bible says:

“If any would not work, neither should he eat.”

After man sinned and was driven from that original garden setting, God told man he would have to physically labor for his food:

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" ~ Genesis 3:19

Most of us, if we go back a generation or two, find our ancestors had gardens and physically labored for their food on an almost daily basis. But today our food comes without labor. We work a sedentary job, earn a paycheck that we use to purchase our food, and then spend our evenings sitting on the couch watching television.

Dr. Blaylock’s Words of Wisdom

The following information concerning exercise was contained in the June 2013 Issue of Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.’s, “The Blaylock Wellness Report”:

“Exercise improves blood flow to the brain and increases protective antioxidant enzymes. People with minimal cognitive impairment, thought by some to be an early stage of dementia, can reverse memory problems with regular exercise combined with a proper diet. . . . “While most exercises are good, it is important to exercise all of the muscles and always include resistance exercises, as these build and prevent muscle loss, strengthen spinal discs and ligaments, and prevent a loss of bone calcium. “Exercise also improves blood flow and lymph flow to tissues and organs. Deep breathing during exercise specifically increases the flow of lymph (a secondary circulatory system in the body) in lymphatic vessels, including the heart and the lungs. This cleanses the tissues of toxic buildup. “After exercise it is important to rehydrate. . . . You should drink at least 12 to 16 ounces of water after exercise.”

Simple Way to Start an Exercise Program

• Purchase a good pair of shoes designed for walking.
• Determine a measured mile – around the block 4-times, up and down the driveway 40-times, etc. There are also many free, mobile phone fitness apps can measure your distance traveled for you.
• Time yourself as you walk that mile the first time at a comfortable pace and in a journal write down how long it took to walk that mile.
• Next day walk the same miles again, only this time try to walk it a little faster. Each succeeding day walk that same mile a little faster until you can walk that mile in 15 minutes. Be sure to record your time each day so that you can observe progress. A 15-minute mile is your goal and will put your heart into aerobic range.
• After you can walk a 15-minute mile, stretch your walk to 2 miles and walk those 2 miles each day until you can walk those 2 miles in 30 minutes. Then stretch it to 3 miles in 45 minutes and finally 4 miles in an hour – that’s the goal.

Minimum Amount of Aerobic Exercise

The minimum amount of aerobic exercise recommended by some is 20 minutes every other day. I personally do not believe that to be adequate. Rhonda and I strive to put in 60 minutes of aerobic exercise every day – 4 miles of aerobic walking daily. We can figure the proper aerobic range for our age by taking the number 220 and subtracting our age. Then multiply that number by 60% and 90%. The difference between the 60% and 90% figure is our minimum and maximum aerobic heart rate. After a person has been walking 15-minute miles for awhile, it may take more vigorous movement to keep the heart in the aerobic range, and short sprints may become necessary. Another way to help get the heart into the aerobic range is the use of hand or ankle weights. This not only helps increase oxygen intake, but also helps build muscle and bone by placing on them additional stress and load.

Suggested Aids to Exercising

While I believe purchasing a lot of expensive and space-taking pieces of exercise equipment are unnecessary, there are a few pieces of inexpensive and space-saving pieces of equipment that can enhance your exercise program. I possess the following three:

1. Mini-Trampoline – If bad weather or an unsafe neighborhood is a problem, walking in malls is an option. A mini-trampoline is another option without ever leaving your home. A mini trampoline allows you to have as vigorous workout as desired in the comfort of your own home any time of day or night.

Another wonderful benefit of a mini-trampoline is that it minimizes the jarring of the bones and joints. It also promotes the movement of the lymph which improves the body’s ability to remove toxins. This movement also stresses muscles and bone. A mini-trampoline is a great form of exercise and highly recommended.

2. Walking Sticks – Power walking is an excellent exercise that helps place your heart into the aerobic range, but it only stresses the muscles and bone in the lower part of the body. Walking sticks, with each step, stress the muscles in every muscle group in the body. Helps build rock-hard abs, stressing bones and all muscle groups. Use of walking sticks increases the intensity of your workout, tightens abs, and increases oxygen intake.
3. Fit 10 – This is the most ingenious piece of exercise equipment I have ever seen. In just 10 minutes, you get an effective workout in all three exercise categories: aerobic, resistance, and stretching, and all that is needed is a door along with the ropes and bungee cord that come in the Fit 10 package.

Both Rhonda and I work out with this Fit-10 exercise equipment almost every day and we are still building muscle at an advanced age. I will soon be 82 years old and Rhonda is age 70. Below is a testimony from a Fit 10 user:

“I have been using Fit 10 for over a year and a half, and I love it! It is easy to use and the results, with consistent use, are wonderful. I love doing the work out with the CD as Dave encourages you to "give it all you've got." It's a great way to start the day! With consistent use of Fit 10, I maintain my ideal weight and have improved muscle definition in my upper body. As Dave says when it comes to exercise, if you can't find ten minutes, you really are hopeless. Fit 10 makes the ten minutes very productive with great results.” ~ Judy N., Health Minister - Fresno, CA

Concluding Thoughts

We can maintain a healthy body, along with a youthful body and a sharp mind if we desire it enough to make it happen in our life and body. It is within our power to make it happen because God has placed that power in our own hands. And when we take care of our body as God intended the potential for a long healthy life, with a body fit for the Masters use, increases dramatically. Remember, the Bible tells us that: “Whatsoever a man (or women) soweth that shall he (or she) also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Life is a series of choices – good choices and bad choices, and God has given each of us the power to make good choices. How will you CHOOSE? The Bible also says:

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may life.” ~ Deuteronomy 30:19

In most instances it doesn’t matter our age or current state of health, if we will choose life, we can in most instances restore both health and life to our God made physical body of which the Bible tells us:

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” ~ Psalm 139:14

Yes, you now have the knowledge necessary to take control of your own health, and thus the course and future of your own body. May you make a wise choice! A choice that will not only benefit you and your family, but also please the God, who created you, loves you, died for you, and desires that “….You be in health.” (3 John 2)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” ~ Romans 12:1-2

Next week, the good Lord willing and if the creeks don’t rise too high we will return with another exciting issue of the Hallelujah Health Tip. Trust you will join us and that you will share these Health Tips with friends and loved ones.